The End of School

Well, it's the end of another school year.  For those of us that teach, we are busy packing up classrooms, grading last minute reports, and scrambling to store all of our "school" things in our homes.    My classroom officially closed last Thursday but I ended up spending most of the day on Friday organizing and cleaning.  I'm proud to say that it is completely finished and I am now on autopilot for the summer.

Last day of school with some amazing ladies. 

I am still unsure of what next year will bring for me.  My school is competing against eight other schools for the grant money that would keep my classroom funded for next year.  I am hopeful…but not naive about the situation.  I know that things may not work out but I've got my fingers crossed.  I can teach in Alaska, Colorado, Illinois, and Michigan (legally-haha) so I am not without options if this job doesn't continue on for next year.

Until I find out the verdict for next year I plan on relaxing and enjoying life.  My in-laws will be in Alaska to visit Cody and I in less that a week.  That'll keep us plenty busy for about seven days and then three weeks after that my mom and her boyfriend will be in town to visit.  A month after that? My little brother will be swinging through the area.  It's going to be a busy summer but I am ready for it :)

Questions:
Are you taking any cool vacations this summer? 
Do you work during the summer?  Why or why not?

Preschool Literacy Center

I will preface this post by saying that I am obsessed with literacy.  Literacy is the foundation for all other academic skills. I am such a HUGE advocate (personally and professionally) for developmentally appropriate literature instruction with preschool students (and all other grades).  That being said, check out my classroom literacy center!

This is my "Literacy Tools" section of the center.  I switch materials out on either a bi-weekly or monthly rotation depending on the interest level of the kids.  Currently, it has three types of paper, notebooks, clipboards, pencils (large and small), glue, crayons, scissors, tape, one stapler, magnetic letters, and foam letters.  All of these items are available during centers (I use 1.5hours of the day for open center rotation). The super cute puppet theater is hiding behind the shelves too :)

Above is one of my favorite things in my classroom: a giant drip pan! The kiddos can use magnetic letters on it whenever they want.  It's definitely a hit. Also, you can see the benches (kind of) that my co-teacher made out of fabric, foam, and egg crates.  Super cute and practical for germ removal!

This is a basic overview of the center.  I have a work table in the middle, a book shelf (puppets stored in the top) and the drip pan lining the center.  The area is currently decorated with family pictures of each kiddo too (these pictures were snapped prior to putting up the decorations).

So far the Literacy Center is a hit! It has been such a great area and the kids have been super interested in it.  I can't wait to see how it evolves throughout the school year :)

Questions:
Teachers: What is your favorite thing to put in a Literacy Center?
Teachers: What is your favorite "job?" 
Everyone: What is your favorite children's book?