Classroom Preparations...

It's that time again....a new school year is upon us! (Eek!)  Like every year at this time, I'm wondering, "Did I get everything planned this summer that I needed to?" or "Are my students excited and ready for this year to start?" My largest concern, although, is, "How am I going to wake up at 5:30am after a summer of waking up at noon?" (Hey, I'm single and childless...I can sleep as late as I want to. Don't judge!) 

But one aspect of going back to school that I never have to worry about is getting my classroom decorated.  Thanks to my amazing mother, who helps me every year, it is always a quick process with super cute results!

Every year my school has a theme, and this year's is Dr. Seuss.  So my outside bulletin board, of course, had to work with this theme.

I traced the bigger fish and colored them for shading effects.  The small red and blue fish will have the names of my homeroom students as soon as I get my class list.

 

 This construction paper organizer is a lifesaver since the more organized everything is, the less stressed out I am!

This cute canvas was made by a student's parent last year...and I just love it!

To try to camoflage the electrical wire covers, I just used construction paper for "frames" and hot glued pictures of my family and friends.  This is one of my favorite "personal" decorations that I have!

This bulletin board contains the warm-ups that my students will do each day as they come into my classroom.

Our students get laptops provided by the school district when they reach 5th grade.  So, of course, they need guidance and set expectations.  This was a great way to do both decorate my closet and have these "Computer Rules" visible.  The cute prints and frog were made by my sister. (Thanks, Amy!)

 The decorations above the white board and on top of my lockers continue the "Frog and Flowers" theme of my classroom.  Aren't they adorable?  They were also done by my sister as a birthday present two years ago. (Did I mention that I have an awesome family?)

The first year of teaching, my mom made these Bloom's Taxonomy flowers.  I love them and have kept them up ever since! Ignore the calendar...which I clearly need to change!

I'm still working on finishing the containers at my desk groups, but I decided to stop for the day to enjoy the last 1 1/2 days of summer!