Back to School Goals

I will meet my new students on August 19th but I have to go back to work on Monday. So I have decided to link up with Darling Little Learners and set some Back to School goals.

Goal #1: My first goal for this school year is to leave school earlier. Last year I would stay at the school until 4:30 and 5:00. I live 45 minutes from the school so I would get home so late that I would not have time to do much when I got home. So my goal is to leave the school by 4:00 each day so that I can get home and have time to do some things like craft, exercise, or just relax.

Goal #2: My second goal is to get things done during the week so that I will not have to work on school work all weekend. I teach first grade but we give grades so I want to grade papers and do lesson plans during the week so that I will not have to work on these things on the weekends. I want to have my weekends to craft, relax, and spend time with family. I am hoping with this goal that I can use my time more wisely during and after school during the week.

Goal #3: My third and final goal for this year is to work on my blogs and keep blogging. I started my crafting blog and my teaching blog a little before school got out last year and I did not do much with them while school was still in. I have been enjoying blogging this summer and do not want to stop just because I have to go back to work. I have also been enjoying meeting crafters and teachers through my blogs and social media accounts so I want to continue with them.

Now that I have set my Back to School goals I am excited about the new school year and sticking to my goals. I hope that everyone has had a great summer and has a wonderful school year!

Thanks for visiting!

aninspiredclassroom@gmail.com
aninspiredclassroom.com

Monday Made-It

Summer is almost gone. I set up my classroom last week and I have been making some new things for my classroom so I decided to do my first Monday Made-It. I went to the Dollar Tree and got two little trash cans, a bottle of hand sanitizer, and a little dust pan with a small broom. The theme in my classroom is owls and polka dots so I used my Cricut and some vinyl to decorate the things I had bought to match the theme of my classroom.

First I worked on the little trash cans:

I thought these would be great to put at stations when the students are cutting. This way they will have a small trash can at the station and will not have to leave the station to go to the big trash can. 

Next was the hand sanitizer bottle:

I always buy the big bottle of Germ X but it is so big to carry to the restrooms and lunchroom so I decided to buy one small bottle that we can carry with us and I can just refill the bottle when it gets low.

The last item I worked on was the dust pan with small broom:

I probably didn't need this but it was only $1 and I thought that the kids would love to use this little broom and dust pan to help keep our room clean.

I hope everyone has had a great summer and has a great school year!

Thanks for visiting!

aninspiredclassroom@gmail.com
aninspiredclassroom.com

Classroom Before & After

I went to my classroom on Tuesday to get my room set up. We are having registration on Monday, August 5th so the rooms needed to be set up. I live 45 minutes from the school so I made sure to take help so that I could get as much done in one day as possible. I took my mother, father, and grandmother. They are wonderful helpers.
Here are the before pictures:

We definitely had our work cut out for us as you can see. I already knew where I wanted everything which really helped to speed up the setting up process. We had the room set up by lunch and then decorated the rest of the afternoon. 

Here are the after pictures:

Tuesday was a busy day but we got so much done. Now all I have left is little things that I am making for my classroom. The students come back to school on August 19th. I think this is the first time I have had my room set up this early but it feels great. Now to enjoy the last couple of weeks of summer. 

Thanks for visiting!

aninspiredclassroom@gmail.com
aninspiredclassroom.com

July Currently

I hope that everyone is having a wonderful summer. I am new to blogging and I am so excited to have a new blog for next year so that I can share things going on in my classroom. I read the July Currently on Darling Little Learners and thought this was such a fun idea. You can participate too by clicking here.

Here is my July Currently:

Listening: I am just enjoying a lazy afternoon and hear the ceiling fans. It has been raining here almost everyday for the last few weeks and the sun is shining today so my neighbors are cutting grass (what I should be doing) so I can also hear their lawn mower.

Loving: As teachers we are so busy throughout the year that I am loving summer time and just having time to relax and get some things done. 

Thinking: I am thinking about crafting projects and school projects that I would like to get done before school starts. I made an owl rosette for my classroom and would like to make more rosettes and more owl things for my classroom.

Wanting: I am wanting to craft and make things for my classroom because I know once school starts I will not have as much time.

Needing: With less than a month until I go back to school I am definitely needing more time to get the things done that I wanted to accomplish this summer and just more time to relax. :0)

Tips, Tricks, or Hints: Like I said earlier I am new to blogging so I don't really have any tips, tricks, or hints but could really use any tips, tricks, or hints. I have learned a lot about blogging from Mrs. Stanford's Class so I would recommend any new bloggers to check out her blog.

Thanks for visiting!

-Mary
aninspiredclassroom@gmail.com

Owl Rosette

Wow, I can not believe it is already July and the summer is half way over. Since it will not be long before we are hearing those school bells ringing I want to use the rest of the summer to make some things for my classroom. Last year I decided to do a theme in my classroom. I went with a polka dot and owl theme. So this week I made an owl rosette to hang in my classroom next year.

I love the way it turned out and can't wait to make more of them to hang around my classroom.

Directions for Owl Rosette:

To make the rosette I cut a piece of 12 X 12 scrapbook paper into three strips that were 4 X 12. I then made score marks every 1/2 inch along all three pieces and folded the three pieces in and out like making a fan. Next I glued the three strips together making a circle. I then pushed the circle together and hot glued it in the middle. I decided to use the colors mint, purple, and pink for the center decorative piece. I cut the mint scallop circle at 3 inches and the purple circle at 2.5 inches using Cricut Craftroom Basics. The owl was cut at 2 inches from the Create a Critter 2 Cricut Cartridge using the colors pink (body), mint (wings, ears, & belly), white (eyes), yellow (feet & beak), and black (pupil of eyes).

Here are a couple more pictures of the owl rosette:

 

I hope you like and can use this idea in your own classroom. 

Thanks for visiting!

-Mary
aninspiredclassroom@gmail.com

Getting Inspired From Pinterest this Summer

It is summer and I have already been out of school for a month. That is so hard to believe but it also means that the summer is half gone. Therefore I have been searching Pinterest for classroom manangement and organization ideas along with instructional ideas and centers. My classroom theme is owls and polka dots and I have found so many cute owl and polka dot things. I will be sharing the items that I have found when I make them. You can go to my Pinterest page and follow me by clicking here or clicking the my Pinterest button on the right. I am so excited to begin making and planning things for a new year and sharing on my new blog. Thanks for stopping by and follow me so that you will not miss all the upcoming posts.

Thanks for visiting!

-Mary
aninspiredclassroom@gmail.com

Hello everyone!

So this is my first blog post and I am very excited! I am a first grade teacher and I am in my tenth year of teaching. I am always looking on Pinterest, Teachers Pay Teachers, and Teacher's Notebook for ideas. That is why I named this blog "An Inspired Classroom" because I do not feel like I am super creative like so many people are but I am always looking for ideas online. I look forward to now being able to share the ideas I find and use in my classroom. 

Happy Teaching!
aninspiredclassroom@gmail.com