What's Happening Wednesday

Have you noticed all the linky parties going on this summer? Although I have not been posting as much, I have really been enjoying all the fun. Today I will be linking up with Greg, on his What's Happening Wednesday linky.

What is happening with me?

1. A HOT mess:
I am still working summer school. I am more than halfway through my sentence, time served, 5 weeks of summer school. I have been enjoying getting off of work at noon, but I am still struggling with those really early mornings. I've been going into my new class a few days a week and working on my classroom. It is still a hot mess but I have unpacked a lot of my boxes and most of my materials are in the cabinets.

Transitioning from green to turquoise has not been easy. Still buying all my storage pieces.

I can't wait to get to the decorating part.

2. New nautical anchor posters:
I haven't been able to decorate my class, but at home I have been working on some of the new nautical elements I will put up in my room. Can't tell you how excited I am about these.

(Click on the images to make them bigger.)

I've been sticking to my same color scheme but giving each set a different look. Stripes, dots and chevron. I am really loving how they are turning out.

3. Etsy, I've been organizing my, absurdly large Etsy favorites:

I have to admit it has been very time consuming, but so worth it. I get a lot of my inspiration from Etsy shops and spend a lot of my extra cash there. I can't say how much easier it has been to find particular items now that I've created separate lists. My faves at the moments are my Washi tape, digital papers and nautical lists.

4. Pinterest, I've been pinning:

In yet another effort to try and organize all my nautical inspiration I've also created a pin board just for ideas and inspiration with my new class theme. I already have so many pins on it it is a little overwhelming. I will be working the rest of the summer trying to recreate some of these adorable items. Click on the image above to see some of my inspiration.

5. Lesson Planning, A Teacher's Plan:

Lastly, I just want to remind everyone that if you were looking for a customizable, editable lesson plan template made JUST for you, now is a good time to order/purchase. I am taking orders for pre-made AND custom lesson plan templates. If you have questions hop on over to, A Teacher's Plan, to read about your options.

Pre-made Templates

Custom Templates

That's all folks. Can't wait to read about what all of you have been up to.

Happy Hump Day

3 linky's in 1 post

Oh Em Gee, week one is done and I feel completely worn out. We weren't even doing full days. The kids got out, 1 hour early, each day this week. Oh what will we do next week when we start full days? :) 

I am going to kill a bunch of birds with one stone and use the Five for Friday to address several things I've been meaning to share with you all for some time. Bound to be a crazy ride so hold on.

Here are my

1. Week 1 Down

Oh what a week. Both kids and teachers were exhausted. I mean kids fell asleep in the bathroom, hysterical crying for an hour straight, projectile vomiting. Yeah that last one was on my carpet. If you know me, you know that is a big deal. I mean the custodians are always telling me how clean my room is. So vomit on my carpet, well let's say I asked each one of our custodians to pull out "The Extractor" and clean it. Good news was that the kids are wonderful, and we are getting loads done already.
Linking up with Primary Punch for her

Here is what my 1st day this week was like...

But in reality, I should post my first CLASS day.
Remember I see groups for an hour a day.

2. Pinterest

So I held out as long as I could, but Melanie, presented me with an opportunity I could not resist and I grabbed it. So I joined. You can follow my boards by clicking on here or the picture below.

More specifically I wanted to bring your attention to a new Teacher on Pinterest board. It has some fabulous ladies working... pinning, on it and oh my word are there some great ideas. Take a look a just a few.

(Can't find the source. :( If you know it let me know so I can give credit.)
So seriously, how cute is this? It is definitely on my todo list for, I don't know when, but I know I want it.

(Source)
Love vinyl. It is so clean looking. This fab idea is just a brilliant way to use your fave font in the classroom.

(Source)
If I had a desk, I would seriously give it this treatment. It might be good that I don't have a desk. LOL I think it would be too overwhelming.
Those were just a few. Please check it out, I promise you won't be sorry.

3. It's all in the details.

I am almost done with this wall. I am loving how it is turning out.

Color posters by Ladybug Teacher Files. 

Chevron numbers by Cara Carroll.

Also worked on my cabinets. Put up my color charts (not pictured) and these cute Large Numbers by Sarah Cooley.

4. New Project

I took the plunge and decided to write up a DC project for an iPad Mini. No idea if it will be funded or not, but I am crossing my fingers. I REALLY want to bring one into my class. If you are looking to donate, or know someone that is looking to donate, I would appreciate the support. Remember no donation is too small. Every little bit is appreciated.

5. Teacher Tip:

Friday on Blog Hoppin' is Teacher Tip day. I don't have many tips or tricks, but I will share what works for me.
TIPS

*Drink lots of water but not if you have 2 hours before your next bathroom break.

*Have one person you can really talk to. Our job is stressful, and sometimes we need someone just to vent to, bounce ideas off of, or just sit and laugh with.

*Enjoy the small little moments that happen every day. Today mine was a little girl telling me that my classroom was so pretty. Then she asked if I made all the stuff up on my walls. I told her that I hadn't but that my fabulous teacher blogger friends had. :)

TRICKS

*Organize writing paper by colors. I use this color system for my different grade levels, but you can use it for quarters or writing mode.

*Hang anchor chars with a thumbtack and paper clip. Makes it easy to remove and doesn't punch holes in your pretty charts.

That's all folks. Have a great weekend. I hear there is a big sale going on. Enjoy. I know my pocket book will be crying come Sunday. And don't forget to check out all the other bloggers on Doodlebugs Five for Friday Linky.