Happy Kwanzaa!

I know it's early, but Happy Kwanzaa! This week in class we're talking about Kwanzaa! And to go along with our Kwanzaa unit, I whipped up some kinara and candle clip art that I'm putting up as a freebie in my TpT store!

Reading and Writing Centers

Math is yellow, science is green, social studies is red ... can you guess what reading and writing's signature color is in our classroom? That's right ... BLUE! In an attempt to make sure the reading and writing centers and materials are "relaxing and calm", reading and writing is always blue. (Except for the vocab wall, which is purple, but that's close to blue, right?)

This is our lovely blue reading and writing center shelf. Or literacy center as most people call it. Just like with our science shelf, that big empty spot on the third shelf is for that unit's materials, so it changes pretty frequently. This tall shelf backs up to our library center and gives the kids some sound buffer while they enjoy their books.

Crepe Paper Curtains

Last night and this afternoon I spend some of my time sectioning off my library center even more so than it already is. The huge tree that is in the corner of my library already makes it cozy, but I wanted it a little more cozy inside. So, I made crepe paper curtains! After trying to put them under the ceiling tiles one by one like I've done with vines in the past, it occurred to me to just make a long piece of tape with crepe paper attached. Duh!

Dry Erase Center

Let me just start off by saying ... Easiest. Center. Ever! I don't know about your classroom, but in mine, I have a specific section for everything. Dry erase materials are no exception. Last year I had a space for dry erase math materials and dry erase reading & writing materials and dry erase science materials. It was too much! I loved each being with it's content area, but things were never put back where they were supposed to be.

This year, I'm using a plain old dish drying rack as a dry erase center. I got my dish rack at Dollar General for $7.50.

Pool Noodle DIY

One of my "projects" this summer for my classroom was making pool noodle letters for ELA and numbers for Math. I like my kiddos to be up and moving as much as possible, so this will be a way for them to move around the table, stand, or sit on the floor while they are working in Math stations or playing games.