"Last Day of Freedom"

     This afternoon, I received a text from a teacher on the 2nd grade team that told us to enjoy our last day of freedom until June 5th.

YIKES!

     So what did I do on my final day? Endless possibilities awaited me, and I spent 7 hours in the very place in which I will spend nearly all of my time for the next 10 1/2 months. Although I still have a few tiny finishing touches to add, my room is basically ready! After the carpets were finally  cleaned last week, I was able to set up my desk formations and get everything where I wanted it. 

     

Here's a tour!

     This first picture nearly captures the view from the front door. I grouped my desks into 4 groups of 6, leaving my environment open to lots of group work. I chose an even number, so the students could easily partner up with the person right across the way! 

Directly to the left of the front door is this nifty corner wall. Each of the classrooms at my school has this wall, upon which the projector...projects! Behind the wall is TONS of cabinet storage, as well as small areas for baskets --see below. **Pre-organization picture--it's all neatly stacked and labeled now.

At the bottom of the wall is my morning routine area. We will quickly cover calendar and practice regrouping   across the room in my Math section. 

Math: I have a few charts here that cover ideas such as fact families, money, regrouping, and thinking patterns. It was important to me to leave S P A C E to add new topic charts AS we learn them. 

This is the top shelf of my bookshelf, where I put a few pictures of important people in my life--If you don't see yourself here, it's likely because you're in a stack of pictures in a drawer waiting to be framed (sorry!). Target's instant photo printing received a lot of business from me, as I went crazy printing pictures this week.  

I also have a cross-stitched pillow that my grandmother sent me a while back. It reads "Teaching is a work of heart"  : ) How sweet! 

This is on my very limited ELA wall. Each section has small pieces of velcro, so each student can move his/her name as they move along the writing process. I can, therefore, quickly look at the chart to better organize my own conferencing time, as well as monitor the progress of individuals and the class as a whole. 

I love that I was able to bring a couch from home! I have yet to decide whether the couch will be part of a learning center or a special privilege for certain helpers each day. 

     Last but not least, is my teacher desk area. I have my mini-filing cabinet right next to my desk, where I will keep my lessons plans and all papers that I need. It is organized with hanging file folders, first by unit, then by week, then by day. 

     As I mentioned, I have just a few more finishing touches to add (like moving that bulky white basket), but overall, the space is nearly ready to go. I start new teacher training at 7:45 am tomorrow morning. That will last until two weeks from today--the very first day of 2nd grade! 

  

xoxo, 

Ms. L 

Not-so-cute Cupcakes and Cookies

     For those of you who know me, you are familiar with my constant appetite for all things sweet and sugary. I've been known to easily down a whole pint of Ben & Jerry's Chocolate Therapy in one sitting.

However...

    The days of eating whatever I want with no repercussions are long gone! And yet, I still crave dessert after every meal (yes, even after breakfast). 

     With lots of thanks to Pinterest (follow me!), specifically the links below, I was able to find TWO delicious recipes that cut tons of calories from some of my favorite treats--and were so delicious that I even got the little sister's approval! 

#1: Double Chocolate Chip Cupcakes

     Although these cupcakes were less than beautiful, they tasted delicious! I pinned the recipe ages ago, but was too skeptical to try them. All it takes is one box of chocolate cake mix, 15 oz. of pumpkin puree, and about 4 oz. of chocolate chips!

+ 

+

=

As I mentioned before, they did not turn out pretty by any means! I checked on them in the oven and they actually didn't look any different from when I put them in; I knew they were finished when the knife came out clean.

Sarah and I ate our cupcakes for dessert--easy to do at only about 110 calories a pop! 

#2: Funfetti Cookies

     The next recipe that I attempted ended just as deliciously, but no prettier than the cupcakes. After the success of the cupcakes, I was eager to search for more guilt-free recipes. By searching "low-calorie cookies", I came across a recipe for funfetti cookies. Along with the cake mix, the other two ingredients are two you will most likely already have at home-- plain greek yogurt & eggs.

     I mixed the three ingredients together, spooned them out, and let them bake for about 10-12 minutes. The consistency is like a mix of a cupcake/cookie, but suprisingly delicious! If you like the taste of funfetti, you will love these cookies! 

And yes, one is missing, because my sister, Sarah, and I could not wait to try one before I could snap the picture! These cookies came out to about 100 calories a piece -- no guilt here! 

     My verdict: these two variations are so scrumptious that I don't see a reason to go back to the original recipe! 

Enjoy, 

Ms. L 

    

Tackling the Tree

     A few months ago, my sweet mom came up with the idea of building a tree in my classroom. It would be a focal point that I could decorate according to season or for holidays. When I was deciding my overall theme for my room, I came across the cutest little birds!

[You can find this classroom job set and other "Boho Birds" here.]

     When I was in pre-school, my teacher called us all her little chickadees, and I have remembered that to this day! I loved it when I was younger, and I wanted MY students to be my little chickadees. So my theme was decided...and the tree fit in perfectly! 

     Despite the lack of air conditioning in my classroom, I got straight to work by gathering long sheets of brown bulletin board paper. I rolled it up like a tube, then folded it in half to make a thick trunk for the tree. I wasn't able to attach it all to the wall at once, so I split it into two sections, taping them to the wall separately. 

#1

#2

     Next, I wrapped each of the two sections over with more brown paper, to make it a bit smoother.

#3

     I cut some pieces of brown paper in half to roll up for the branches. This was the most difficult part! I could not get the branches to look the way I wanted.

#4

 [ Also, note the little bird I added in the middle of the tree:) ]

    By this point, I was so tired of looking at brown paper. I added two large circle/oval/egg? shapes to give my tree some greenery. It finally started to look like a tree! 

#5

     Step six was the most tedious and time-consuming. I must have spent a combined 90 minutes standing at the die-cut machine with green construction paper, cutting out enough leaves to make the tree look full. It's a good thing I had speakers and my iPod, so I could listen to Brandon Heath radio while I was cutting.

#6

     The last step was spending some quality time with a stapler and a ladder! I attached the leaves individually, and voila! 

#7

     The tree is located in the corner of my room opposite the door, meaning it's the first thing you see when you walk in the room. It's located in my reading corner, next to two bookshelves and a big pile of colorful pillows for comfortable reading fun! 

Happy Saturday, 

Ms. L