Scrunchy Borders!

I just started going into my classroom this week. I've officially gotten the room rearranged and I am starting to work on my walls. I felt a little stuck on my bulletin boards this year but after looking at Jennifer's blue border over at First Grade Blue Skies, I was inspired to make my own scrunched border. I wanted to make it fun and colorful so I went all out with rainbow. ROYGBIV anyone?! I decided to leave the cork because I didn't want to add a color and make the look overwhelming. I really love the way it turned out.

 

This will be my future reading table/desk. One board will be our group names, reading strategies, and goals. The other will be a phonics reference chart and pocket chart for skill building.

 

I also have another large board that I am going to use as my word wall for this year. I have a little table that I am going to put in front of it so kiddos can work there during Work on Writing.

Here are the supplies that you need to make your own. I tore off large pieces of butcher paper and then cut them into strips using a paper cutter. Also be sure to use a good stapler that will open up all the way. Mine was a little fussy and kept jamming. It almost ended up getting to know the trash can better. :)

I had the pieces folded in half for cutting so this red piece gives you a better look at what the length is. It's about 2 feet long and maybe 4 or 5 wide. I know it seem big but remember that you are scrunching it.

 

I would not use regular paper for this. The butcher paper works well because it is thin and easy to manipulate. I think newspaper, thin scrapbook paper, and tissue paper would work just as well.

 

I liked starting in the top right hand corner and then working down and around. This helped me keep my pattern of ROYGBIV; however, if you are using one color or like to be spontaneous, start wherever. To start at the corner, all I did was pinch and wrinkle the paper. When I thought it looked good, I added a staple and moved down. It's a little awkward at first but then you get a groove going.

 I found that if I looped both of my fingers under the paper and pulled it forward and then wrinkled the bottom, it looked a little nicer. The beauty of making this border is if you don't like something pull it off and restaple it. I did it several times on my word wall board and you can't tell at all. I also tried wadding the paper in a ball first before stapling it but I didn't like it as much.

 Here's a view of all of the boards together. I'm so excited about these! Now I just need to get to work on the rest of the room!

Build Your Own Banner for Your Classroom

I have a bit of an obsession with banners and of course, Eric Carle so I thought why not put these two wonderful things together. Wah La! Build Your Own Banner: Eric Carle Inspired is born. Click on the pictures or here to visit my Teachers Pay Teachers Page and snag yourself a copy for your room.

 

This packet contains all of the capital letters in the 4 Eric Carle inspired digital papers. The colors are red, green, blue, and multicolored. This packet also contains a butterfly and hungry caterpillar in each color as well as a blank pennant in each color. These would be great to color code different subjects or boards in your room or mix them together to make a colorful saying.

Some common classroom banner sayings and uses are:

• Welcome
• Word Wall
• Math Wall
• Our Classroom Rules
• Calendar and the Months of the Year
• Great Student Work Wall
• Seasonal Bulletin Boards

Here's a preview to get you hooked!

 That caterpillar is just too stinking cute for his own good. :)

Five for Friday

The sun is shinning and my friend's pool is open. Let me tell you that I cannot be happier. I am linking up again with Doodle Bugs Teaching for Five for Friday. Don't mind that it is Sunday. :)

1. New Stuff

The end of the year is fast approaching and I do what I do every year...hoard my classroom budget until the end. I am always afraid that something earth shattering will come up and I will have to use all of my budget on it. Next year, I will try to be better. Anyway...

I got this new tabletop easel that I am so excited about using for reading groups. I also like that it is magnetic. Now I am just waiting on my magnetic letters. :)

The reading program at my previous school had a song that went with the weekly phonics skill. The kids could sing the songs and find the weekly phonics skill in the words. They loved to circle the words, frame the words with wickie sticks, and my personal favorite, tickle the word with a feather. My new program however does not have phonics songs. I found myself really missing the songs so I found these gems on Scholastic. Can't wait to add them in!

2. Eric Carle Inspired Plant Art.

I absolutely love Eric Carle's artwork. I try to do something Eric Carle inspired every year and this year it is plants. We have been learning a lot about plants so the students had the job of either describing a plant or telling how a plant grows.

We are still missing a few but I love how the board looks already.

I love the roots on this tomato plant. So creative!



3. Living Things

Our butterflies are in their chrysalises and I can't wait for them to come out. Our silkworms and mealworms just arrived as well.

We make these seed packs every year and I think they are the coolest. It is amazing what a lima bean, a wet paper towel and plastic bag can produce.

4. Non-fiction Literature

I picked up these books from scholastic as well. First let me start by saying I love anything about the ocean but I was so impressed with the pictures and information in these books. They would a great little series for introducing non-fiction literature. I also love that they use headings and have an index in the back on each book.

The sea turtle book also gives a fun fact about how sea turtles can be as long a small child. Guess what we will be making out of butcher paper for next year's ocean unit?

 

5. Art for Adults

 

Our fabulous art teacher put together an Art of Adults course for the teachers on Friday after school. It was just like one of those Art and Cocktails classes, minus the cocktails. When we got to her room,  she had all of the canvases up on easels and we each received our own paint palette and new brushes. I instantly felt like Bob Ross. I just wanted to paint "happy little trees" everywhere. She walked us through how to paint a beach scene. It was too much fun. When I retrieve my canvas back from the art room, I'll take a pic and post it. I'm hoping we do this again.

 



 Priscilla