Day 4: Website

When I was teaching at the middle school, I was very good to update my web site at least once a week. Since I have been in Kindergarten, I don't think I have updated it once. Today I went through and created different pages so that it would make more sense with the situation that I am in now. I also added a Donors Choose page. Now I just have to figure out if other people can see it or get to it.

I searched on google and didn't find it. Here is the web address: http://teacherweb.com/TN/LexingtonMiddleSchool/KacieHoward/apt20.aspx

Day 3: New Uses

Ok, I took some pictures but forgot to email them from my phone, plus I am a day behind already. The things that I did today included, using wreath hangers to hang my pocket chart on the wall. I think to be well organized you have to use all of your space well.

I also took the wheels from the sterilite three drawer carts and added them to my file crates. I never use them on the carts because it seems to make them sway.--probably just my imagination, but I prefer to have them on my file folder crates. Then I can move them around easily and didn't have to pay over $50 for a rolling crate.

Day 2: Readwell organization

In December, we started a whirlwind trip into Readwell. During the break, I reconfigured my room so I would have a different small group area. I also worked on my whole group area. That is what I want to share today that I organized. I wanted to have all of my whole group materials within arm's reach so I turned one of my boxes around. I had been storing puzzles in it for my puzzle center.(Here it is in the puzzle center without the puzzles.)

Then I moved all the box of trade books from Readwell into it. I had some more room and wanted to put other things in there. I realized that the Capri Sun box that I had saved was the perfect size to store the pocket chart cards. I cut it apart and covered it with contact paper. I have the cards in the front and my cds in the back. I had just enough room to fit the lap books inside it. Since I moved the "house" bookcase out, I now have all of my Readwell materials right at my fingertips.
I think it is going to work out really well. Plus, I love making functional things from something I would just throw away.

Day 1: An Address Book for my Storage

Ok, I have decided to try to do at least one small thing each day to get better organized and to write about it. I figure that if I commit to writing about it, then maybe I will be more likely to follow through. Since moving back from Memphis, I have been doing small things to organize. I just haven't been that consistent with it.

My first piece of organization is to be able to find the things that I have stored. If life were perfect for me, I would be able to see everything that I need at first glance. However, now I have much too much stuff to be able to do that so I need to use a storage system that actually stores things out of sight. My problem with that has always been that whenever something is put away "in a safe place", I can never remember where I put it.

Here is my solution. I commandeered an old address book from my nephew. He wasn't really using it anyway. In this address book, I am going to write the "address" of each of my items or collection of items. That way when Christmas comes around next year, I will be able to use the Christmas pencils that I bought on clearance and promptly lost once spring got here. I can also group all of my things together that are alike and won't have small stashes all over the house.

To make things easier on myself, I am going to cross-reference in my address book. For example, this past fall, I dressed up as Miss Haversham from Great Expectations. I have stored my costume with my summer clothes underneath the steps in the laundry room. I will list the location under: Miss Haversham, Great Expectations, book characters, costume, and wedding. Sometimes I am bad at remembering the correct name for something. I never know which one of these things I will remember first so I can just put it under each spot.

Now I just have to have a good place to keep it so that I can find it when I need to find it.

Meet the Dubiens: alphabet craft: A is for alligator

When I saw this, my first thought was---more than and less than. That alligator is hhuuunnnggrrryy and needs something to eat. How cute would this be detailed on both sides so that you could flip it either way depending on if it was more or less...

Meet the Dubiens: alphabet craft: A is for alligator: We're going to start doing weekly alphabet crafts. Kirsten knows her whole ABC song and has for a long time, but we're working on letter re...

Ways to Make One and Two

I want to help my children make the transition from handheld manipulatives to being able to do math problems in their heads. It is a little bit too much of a stretch, though, so I made up these worksheets to help ease them into it. It is basically fact families using two different color crayons. You can find it at my new google web site: https://sites.google.com/site/mstiakk/ under forms and docs. It is just getting started so please ignore the mess.

Back to Kindergarten again

Wow! I have not posted on my blog in quite some time. At the beginning of the school year, I had taken a new position in Seventh Grade as a language arts teacher and was in the process of reviving my edublogs blog for them to use. Situations changed, and I find myself back in Kindergarten. As I started searching for Kindergarten material again, I found so many wonderful blogs that I never knew existed. Thanks so much to everyone who takes the time to create awesome resources for some of our littlest learners.