Pizza Palace

My Kinders have loved having our new Pizza Palace theme in our dramatic play center!!

You can get this Pizza Palace bundle HERE!!

Spring Break Resolution

So this week is our SPRING BREAK!! It is much needed time for me to go through and clean and organized my classroom. I've also decided to make a spring break resolution (I think I'm making up that term) to start blogging more! We've been doing so much fun stuff in our classroom and I just don't take the time to blog about it anymore. Also, one of my favorite things to do is go back through my old posts and reminisce. It's kind of like a digital scrapbook. So, I will try to start posting every week and I'm also going to go back to posting freebie Fridays.

One thing I've already completed over this break is creating a new system for storing my "Rainbow Words". Each drawer holds rings of sight words, book box cards, and their mastery bracelets.  My old drawers were tiny and overflowing with the rings of words and I had to keep the bracelets in buckets.

These are my new drawers.

I've added quite a few more fun components to the Rainbow Word sight word system so if you have previously purchased it, please go back and see what all I've added!...........Go fish game, 2 bubblegum SMART board games, book box cards, a portable word wall, a class data sheet, rainbow writing activity, an editable race to the top game, a gumball small group game, and these drawer labels. In case you're wondering about the polka dot level, it's simply a way to keep those few kids going who fly through your levels and want to keep going.  I continued testing my student using our Literacy First 2nd grade list. I began with pink polka dot and create a list of the first 10 words that she missed and then continued on to purple polka dot, then blue, etc.

My next project is to change out my dramatic play center. It has been the doctor's office for the last month. The kids LOVED it, but it's time to move to something else. 

I'll be up there tomorrow changing out our center. Can anyone guess what it's going to be next???

Cookie Shop Dramatic Play in time for Christmas

I changed out their dramatic play center over the Thanksgiving break. It is now a Cookie Shop! How fun has this been!

Dramatic Play - Pet Vet

I have mentioned before that this is the first year that I have actually placed FOCUS on my dramatic play center. I began the year with the Kinder Cafe.

Then I changed it to a Doctor's Office.

Then I changed it to a Bakery.

And now it's the Kinder Pet Vet! I'm so excited to see their faces when they see their new theme! My co-workers grandson is in my class and he got to see a glimpse of it one day over spring break. He said "This is really fun and I like the name Pet Vet. It rhymes you now." lol It was a goal of mine to add more literacy and math aspects into this center. So many teachers struggle with their administrators not allowing dramatic play. Well, now you have some great points to argue  discuss. Students will be using the scales and cubes to measure height, length, and weight on the pet. They will also sign in writing their name and writing the time. They will also go through the checklists (grooming and medical) and recording their services. Lastly, they will complete the appointment summary by using the vocabulary cards displayed in the pocket chart.

 

You can find this bundle of FUN here!

Dramatic Play Center is going to ROCK this year!

I have to tell on myself. I haven't been real creative in my dramatic play center for like.....well, EVER. I've always kept it just like a kitchen setting. Sure, I've added books, a faux window, thematic posters, etc BUT I've always wanted to make awesome thematic tubs that I'd switch out every month. Well, I'm on my way! I finished the Kinder Cafe last week and today I've finished the Doctor's Office. These are so fun and I love that there's always some form of literacy involved. (Plus, it gives me an excuse to go to the thrift store often to look for props! lol) I have a whole list of thematic tubs that I'll continue making throughout the year, so make sure you follow my blog!

Freebie Friday!

Today's Freebie Friday will give you just a taste of a really fun AND educational dramatic play thematic bundle that I just created. Students will love entering the "Kinder Cafe" and sitting down to dine on some delicious literacy activities!...lol

This Kinder Cafe bundle includes:

* 6 Different Menus - Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner, Dessert, Drink, and Snack
* 2 Different Order Cards - Students actually make their choices and places the food picture cards on the order card. (Velcro dots) These cards are even differentiated because one version also has a spot next to the picture card for the student to find the word card that matches. All cards and menus are color coded to help those students who need the extra guidance.
* An Open/Closed Sign
* Name Badges
* Guest Checks
* 12 Different Vocabulary Cards
* 37 Different Food Cards w/ corresponding Word Cards
* 2 Different styles of Store pennant Banners

Your Freebie today is 2 of the menus from the bundle! Click on the picture below to get yours!