Setting Up the Room Part 2

Well...another 8 hours in my new classroom today, and I am still not done organizing and putting everything away! But...I am MUCH closer! I got to go through a ton of stuff, put away a ton of stuff, and throw away a ton of stuff! Part of the problem with my room is that I am the 4th teacher in 4 years to be in there. Four years ago, a teacher retired after MANY years teaching pre-k in that room. Then, we had a teacher who was there for one year, but became our instructional facilitator after that. Last year, we had a first-year teacher, who happens to be a dear friend of mine. I love her to pieces, put I told her today that her bags of random crap are making me crazy! Haha Today I had to go through several of them. When one baggie has teddy bear counters, pattern blocks, two-sided counters, Unifix cubes, AND attribute blocks...that is NOT ok!! I think it's safe to say I'm a little OCD when it comes to my classroom, and I just can't put things away without them being sorted and organized like they are supposed to be. So, this process may be taking me a bit longer than it takes the average person, but I know it will be worth it in the long run!

I did take some more pictures of my room. And, this time I actually remembered to take pictures of my WHOLE room, so you'll get to see the group area, too! It looks much better to me. So, even if it doesn't look any different to you, PLEASE don't tell me that! I've been working my but off in there and I can definitely tell a difference!

This is my technology center. Obviously, in the middle I have my student computers. On the left, I have my Leap Pads and iPads. On the right I have the listening part of the center with my audiobooks.

This is what will be part of my reading center. I brought in two whit bookshelves to help border this center. The red tub to the left of the bookshelves holds all of my puppets, and directly behind that is a flannel board for retelling. The wooden case to the right of the puppets will hold big books and song/poetry cards.

This will be my ABC center (minus the junk on the table, of course). I have a large, magnetic white board that I am still looking to mount as a part of this center, but I haven't quite figured out where to put it yet.

This will be my writing center (again, minus the crap on the table, of course). The stuffed animals will not be there permanently. They will become a part of the reading center, some way, somehow. But, the shelf and the table are there to stay!

This will be my block center. (Except, the stuff on top of the shelf will not stay there). The doll house to the left of the block shelf is a part of this center, and the back of the shelf to the right will serve a purpose as well. It is made of pegboard. So, I plan on using it to hang word rings related to building and construction, as well as books that are related.

This will be my art center. The tubs and shelf to the right of the easel will hold a variety of art supplies that they can use to make their amazing creations! The counter will serve as their workspace unless they are painting at the easel. There is also a smaller easel on the counter that they can use. The sand/water table is actually part of the math and science center, which is just to the right of the edge of this pucture.

This will be my dramatic play center. We will start out the year with the kitchen set, but it will undergo many changes as we go through the year!

And finally, this is the back of my group area. I know, I know, it's not very exciting right now. But...it will be! The book shelf will hold our thematic books, and I have a plan for the wall that I will show you later! On the left you can just barely see my teacher area. And, that's the way I like it! I actually got rid of the teacher desk that was in there. Now, I just have a small table with my computer, a small filing cabinet, and a small shelf area behind my table. 

This is the view of the front of my group area. On the right, you can see the back of the play kitchen. I'm going to turn this into a display...details coming soon! On the right side of the picture you can see my pocket chart, big book cabinet, chair, and easel. Under the easel I have a small shelf that holds everything I need when I'm doing whole-group lessons.

And...just because I want you to have a true appreciation for how much stuff was crammed into my room...

This is a snapshot of my trash from today! Can you believe it?? And, I had this much last week and in May! But, when you have two filing cabinets full of copies of worksheets that have copyright dates of 1986 (I am NOT exaggerating!!), it is necessary to fill the trash cans!!

So...even though I am not finished, I am definitely getting closer! I'm really hoping to be done in the next couple days with putting everything away. Then, I can start covering boards and getting displays ready. Although...I have a different approach to that as well, and I will be sharing that later when I get to it in my room. So, stay tuned!