Teacher Week: Classroom Decor????

I am linking up with the Teacher Week Linky Party, hosted by Blog-Hoppin', again today.

Today's theme is our Classroom Digs, touring our rooms...

But here is the thing...

My classroom is so far from finished right now! So grateful I still have some time to get things done. If you look closely at my photos, you will see the three lovely reasons why my room is as far behind as it is...every time I go out, I end up with three little girls to haul...and cleaning up is not their strong point.

So, here it is, in all it's totally disorganized glory, and maybe, just maybe, I can make someone else feel like "Hey, I'm not so far behind after all!".

Anyway...this is my classroom, the view from the front door. Feel better yet? Straight ahead, you see the doorway (open) to the bathroom area, and the doorway (closed) to my neighbor's classroom. Yep, you have to walk through my classroom to get to hers. It's always an interesting management challenge in a new school year, for both of us. To the left, with the piles of kindergarten readers on it, is my sensory table, my work desk, and the  built in cubby monstrosity (and the trapezoid table, which does not live there). To the right, you can see my half-circle small group table...well, maybe you can, under all my stuff! You can also see my four and two year olds, playing with an umbrella. Stinkers. Oh, and you should also visualize really fine, silver, craft glitter EVERYWHERE on that stretch of floor courtesy of those two little girls.

Another view of my little work desk (the goal is to use it for planning), which faces out one of my large sets of windows into our schools little garden alcove.

Here are my built-in cubbies. Until last week, I had another cubby system on top of them. It had lived there the past 4 years, and I needed a change! That area feels much more open now! The trapezoid table is going to go live in it's normal home soon...it was helping me get the big cubbies down off the giant cubbies. LOL. The top of the cubbies is going to be home to math journals and writing folders...I think. 

 My sink area, and some of the many boxes I need to sort and unpack...and some of the cubbies out of the big cubbie set. You can also sneak a peek over to my table area, word wall, and all that.

 From the last photo, I did a 180. My cabinets, my half-circle table, my file cabinets, and my desk are all back there. Really.

 And if I go to the other side of the cabinets, you can see my computer area, another storage cupboard, and my big blue pocket chart for small group time. My word wall is back there, and you can see a little of my "decor"--I have done all my bulletin boards in a black background, with a turquoise and white border. I love how it looks. I also have 4 of these rectangular tables, plus two trapezoids (put together in a hexagon) for student seating. We eat 2 meals a day in our classroom, so lots of table space is needed--and I am so grateful to have so much tile floor!

 See, this is where the trapezoid table goes--And you can spy my shapes signs that label tables. My students knew their shapes better than many other K students last year, simply because of labeling my five tables with our five CCSS shapes! All my chairs still need to be set out, the extra set of cubbies is back behind them, along with another shelf.

 This is turned about 90 degrees from the last photo. Another big storage area, and my dramatic play center. Thank goodness, we have NOT been told we cannot have free choice time in our classrooms, so my kiddos still get to explore and play in the dramatic play/home living center. You also get a sneak peek at my calendar area.

 Here is my calendar area, still under construction. Yes, I still do calendar, but it is a lot of math talk time, too. We use our interactive projector a lot, use videos and songs, and weather.com for checking the weather each day. I'm considering some changes to "calendar" this year, making it work more effectively for me, and for my students, and trying to make it more engaging...The board to the right is my jobs board...for now. Might become my data/learning target board again, if I decide to move the jobs. This is also my main teaching area, with my book easel and all that.

 Also my teaching area--table for flip charts, and storage of my big blocks underneath, and a couple of shelves and storage.

 Still deciding if I like this area like this...the back side of my desk (the computer is on it), with a homemade big book box (the thing with many colors), which my keyboard and mouse are on, so I can use my computer from either side of my desk--makes using my projector/software much easier. My two bookshelves for my reading area....still not sure I love this...It's definitely a work in progress! Oh, and this is the board where I display student work.

So...do you feel better about your room now?  Mine is going to drive me crazy. I possibly have Friday to work on mine, and Monday, Wednesday, and Thursday next week. Then I get a smidgen of paid time (2 half days, I think) to work in my room, and then, POOF! It's Open House time!

No pressure, huh? I am so looking forward to getting out to my classroom without three little girls! Love my children, immensely...but they are NOT helpful with classroom set-up (yet).

Can't wait to check out all of your classrooms and get inspired to keep moving forward with my room!

--Becca