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Monday, August 10, 2015

Our Classroom for 2015-16

Today's the day we start school!  Our daughter has been so excited about it.  I figured I would post some pictures of our classroom for this year. 
 
We've had some changes since last year's classroom post.  Last year, we had access to our basement.  However, one of our sons moved back in with us so he now occupies that space.  So, we're using the dining room as our classroom.
 
This will change again next year as we're in a rental house right now.  Long story - maybe for another post. 
 
But, here it is for now:
 
 
I've used just about every inch of available wall space.  This looks into our kitchen.  I made the letters with my Cricut (which I love!).   This wall is not quite finished.  I plan to put some inspirational posters in the blank space. 
 
The small blank space to the left of the white board will hold a smaller white board.  This will be our "Twitter" section where A can write anything she wants for the day - a thought, expression, question, etc.
 
 
 
 
Below is our book shelf.   I'm limited to one right now as we have limited space.  For now, it holds what we need.  The black mesh basket on the top shelf holds my cutouts and things for future bulletin boards.  The second shelf holds various books and reference material we may need.  The third shelf holds our curriculum and school binders.  The next one down holds our library books and other binders I need for various other outside activities that I'm involved in (homeschool group and Girl Scouts).  The two box containers on the bottom holds our hole punchers and various things.
 
 
 
 
This is A's reading log that she is required to fill out everyday.  It's posted on the side of the white bookshelf.  I made the blue letters with my Cricut.  The background paper is simply 12x12 scrapbook paper. 
 
 
 
 
 
Below is what I like to call our bulletin walls.  I like to post things in each section that are relevant to that subject - obviously!  These are not finished!   Soon, a poster of the presidents will go in the History section as we're doing a lot of government stuff this year.  The bottom portions of the sections will be for her to display her work if she chooses.
 
 

 
The "Popcorn Sentences" is my bulletin board for the English section on a different wall.  I love having these visuals for her!  And for me.  I make most of this with my Cricut.  The blue background is a cheap plastic tablecloth from the dollar store!  Who needs expensive butcher paper?
 

 

 
 
 
So, this is the entire English wall.  Below the blue bulletin board we have a dry-erase calendar that we got from the dollar store.  She marks through the days as they pass.  Next to that is just a little anchor chart on "main ideas."  Below the calendar is a Word Collection flipbook that I made using Dinah Zike's Big Book of Books.  When A comes across a word, she can write it in the appropriate section.  It comes off the wall easily.  It's hung using small black paper clips with a ring through it.  The rings are hung on thumb tacks.  Next to that is a "Grammar Guide" anchor chart that lists examples of adverbs, adjectives, etc.   The Word Wall..... oh, I love this!  This will be used with our curriculum and will change as we work through the chapters.  She will list vocabulary words here.  We used a piece of plexiglass that we had cut to our specifications so that it is dry-erase.  I simply glued scrapbook paper to the back of it and used Command strips to hang it.
 
 
 
 
This is the overall view of our classroom/dining room.  Still a work in progress but I love it, for now.  I dream of the day when we can have a dedicated room - but, this works well for us now.
 
 
 
By the way, I've learned to stop apologizing for our dining room when we have guests over.  This is our life.  Why apologize?! 

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