Math Offices

Our Kindergarten Team plus our First Grade Friend goes out to dinner a few times a year to celebrate birthdays.  Wednesday was the day and after a movie, we all enjoyed dinner at P.F. Changs.  OK, yes, we were loud.  Yes, we were THAT group of women at the restaurant who are oblivious to how loud and obnoxious they are being.  :)  Well, we don't get out much.  Anyway, while we were celebrating Michele's birthday (two months late) Maisha told us about a Math Office she was going to make for her class this year.  I LOVED it so I am STEALING it!!  Of course!  But she gets ALL the credit.  Right, Maisha?!

She got the stickers at Dollar Tree.  So yesterday, Lana and I hotfooted it over to DT and picked some up too.

Now DT also has stickers for money recognition in this same format. 
I already have some at school so I will include them in the Math Office, as well . 

10 file folders for $1 isn't bad.  I'm sure there are better deals out there
but I wanted to go ahead and play around with the arrangement so I picked these up.

I made a header for the folders and a 100's chart.

My Math Office

When I made the chart, I wanted to differentiate between fives and tens

so I highlighted them in different colors to make it easier for the kids to recognize them.

100 Chart

These pictures are dark but you get the idea...don't you?

The space below the color words is where I will put the money sticker. 
Of course, I will laminate the folders and add a name label to the front once school starts.

Thank you, Maisha!!

I can't wait to see how they look all shiny and laminated!!

I also found this computer paper which I will use for the First Day of School Homework. 
These colors will look great on the scrapbook page.

Look at these!!  Dollar Tree has plenty!
Lana picked some up since her classroom is decorated in a movie theme. 
I grabbed them up to use when we learn about adjectives. 
You have to check this lesson out at The Inspired Apple if you haven't seen it!!
(Look for the March 9th post.)

Summer Break/School Prep Part Four!

OK, scrapbooks!  Where to begin...actually, as soon as you complete one class set at the end of the year, you take a few week's break and you get a serious start on next year's set!!  Seriously.  I know this must seem like a crazy endeavor and as a team, we do question our sanity somewhere in mid-May every year when we show up at school bleary-eyed and comparing how many hours we spent on these things over the weekend, griping and carrying on!  BUT, it is a labor of love and I imagine we will keep it up until one of us cries uncle!

I can't explain how proud the children are to present this collection of their year's work to their parents on our Awards day...it is priceless and I wouldn't trade it for anything.

Every year, we (our team) all come up with what we can do throughout the year to make this an easier task...so here goes...




I start with a few pages that I can prepare beforehand during the summer.



I use the die cut in our work room before the building closes for summer
and cut out a few shapes that I like to use (school, shamrock and turkey).

I print the scripts and back them with scrapbook paper.

I make scripts for each page and file them in the order that we would
complete that page within the school year.

First Day of School, Chicka Chicka Boom Boom, Apples, Pumpkins, etc...



I cut out the pirate ships for the front cover.



This was the cover I used this year.  I included a photo of each child wearing our
pirate hat on the left side of each cover.  So cute!

 



Messy...keep plenty of scissors, glue and water bottles on hand!

This is what my First Day of School page looked like before I started using the school
die cut as the background for their photo.

On this page I include a class photo from the first day, their Kissing Hand and script.
I also use their First Day Homework page on this layout.

This is our 50's page that I prep by making the TV and having it ready to go!

I print the poem and have it cut out and ready.  I file the poems but I do go ahead
and get their handprints done the first week of school at some point!



K Scrapbook Handprint Poem