Officially Back at School!

So... two days down and 178 to go!  But, who's counting ;-)!

I had a great first two days with my class!  This year I have 22 students in my class.  

I LOVE EVEN NUMBERS!!  

Don't you?!  It makes pairing them off oh so easy!  Not only do I have an even # of kiddos, but I have an even # of boys and an even # of girls.... FOR NOW- life is good! LOL

Anyhow, as you know, lots of work goes into getting your room ready for the first day!  This is a picture I took about a week before the start of the first day.  Kind of looks ready but all the wall decorations weren't up yet and some stuff wasn't put away, but I'm sharing it with you because I know I love to peek into other teachers' classrooms ;-).

PS ON THE PIC:  Take a look at my curtains.  They are cute but they've been hanging there for 10 YEARS.  I need something new... a bright burst of color perhaps?!  I'd also like for them to go all the way across the rod.  Any ideas of where I can find cute curtains...going once, going twice?!  If you can head me in the right direction (That means I decide to purchase them!) of already made ones or a person who can custom make me cute ones, I'll give you any one thing FREE from my shop!  You pick!  I'm SOOOOO desperate! 

Ok, I need to focus now!...

So, the first two days came and went just like that!  I did some fun activities that I got from a purchase from Babbling Abby specifically for 2nd grade.  Check out her back to school products if you haven't started school yet and still need some ideas!

Oh, and I, myself, have a great back-to-school FREEBIE!  I made schedule cards with clipart from my most favorite clip artist- Educlips!  

If you're interested in this FREEBIE go here: Schedule Cards. Don't forget to leave me some sweet feedback if you download.  I'd love to hear from you!!

I'll end this post with the most recent pic of my classroom with some kids having FUN with a getting to know you activity!   Seeing the students so engaged makes spending countless summer hours prepping my room, OH SO WORTH IT!

Thanks for stopping by and GOOD LUCK with back-to-school! :)

Tips and Tools for Back-to-School

I am so excited to join my PA blogger buddies in hosting Tips and Tools for Back-to-School. 

Where did the summer go?!  Some of us have been back already!  Others of us will begin very soon!  If you're like me, you might be stressing a bit.  So much prepping to do to get a primary classroom ready!  To help you with your back to school preparations, we each have a tip to share and a tool for you to use when you return to your classroom.

Establish your classroom management system right away! 

I have been teaching for over a decade now and over the years classroom management had always been something that I wanted to keep improving on!  Last year, I decided that I needed to go in a whole new direction.  I always did a stoplight approach, but I was getting nowhere as the same old kids were always moving their names.  Instead of catching kids doing the wrong thing, I decided to do the opposite.  I decided to catch them doing the RIGHT thing and rewarding them for their positive behavior :).

Since my students always tend to do best when there is a little bit of friendly competition, I decided to cluster desks together into pods and assign each group a color.  Groups work together to earn points for positive behavior.  Since I started this (mid-year last year), transition times have never been so good!  Can you say... less talking ;)!

Group Signs

My FREEBIE tool for you are the signs I use to label each pod of desks.  I label each group with a color.  Groups are usually 4-5 students large.  Depending on the size of your class, you may need to use all the colors provided or just some.

This is an example of a sign hung up in my classroom.  The pod of desks are not shown, but are below the sign.

To snag this FREEBIE, click on the link below.  Feel free to leave me some sweet feedback if you downloaded it.  I'd love to know who you are :)!

Classroom Management FREEBIE Sampler!

If your interested in learning more about my classroom management system, click on the link below!  This download includes a detailed description of the system, a place/way to record points earned, and also a variety of reward coupons for students to choose from!

Behavior Management Plan 101

Thank you for stopping by my blog today!  I hope that you enjoy the FREEBIE!  If you would like to be the first to know about new posts, giveaways, and blog hops, follow me on Bloglovin' by clicking the image below

Abc123is4me on Bloglovin'

 Don't stop reading here!  We have more tips and tools for you.  

Just follow the link to visit my blogging buddy Angie at Rulin' the Roost. 

She's one of the top 3 sellers in PA so you know she must have something awesome to share with you!

Have fun hopping!,