EXTREME CLASSROOM MAKEOVERS: MRS. GROOMS' ROOM

Hey y'all!  

Welcome to Mrs. Grooms' Room!   

I am so glad you are here to see my sweet little room!  If you see something a little off, just know we are a working classroom.  Goodness!  Things can get messy!  So just bear with me.  If you see anything that was created by yourself, I CREDIT you!!  Please leave me a comment below and I will give you credit in my post.  I honestly don't know how I made it before without my blogger friends, Pinterest, and Teachers Pay Teachers!??  This classroom is because of you!  :)

I have left comments under my pictures.  In most of my posts, the left is the before photo and the right photo is the after photo.  I wish I had more cute little arrows and happy notes but my other laptop is sniff...with a virus...so I am using my oldie but sweetie, without a virus laptop!!  Promise to still love me!?  :)

Classroom Theme:    Black, White, and Sprinkles of Yellow

My little corner of the world...this is where all of the magic happens!

I am sure you can see the before and after.   Where do I put all of those tubs?  Under my computer counter!  Can you tell they are there?
"I don't need any more storage space.  But thanks anyway!" said NO TEACHER EVER!
(Sorry about all my stuff!  I was just getting ready to leave.)


Not a lot of change...

My awesome Promethean Board!  I LOVE this board!  It is my dearest and bestest companion in the classroom.  Does anyone remember when we used the overhead projector? :/

Folders with Chalkboard Labels 
Cute, right?

I know...it's probably not Pin-worthy BUT it is really cute and it matches my room.  I had to do it, friends!!   I am going to write their cute little names on the chalkboard labels in white with my white paint pen.  The labels?  I got them from the Dolla Tree!!!  Oh yes, people!  That is why I love that place!  The folders?  I got the folders from Target.  50 cents!


My Reading Corner

This is my reading corner.  I know there are not huge changes but I really think the "You are my Sunshine" picture looks so much better there than on my bookshelf behind my desk.  

My chalkboard job chart and my Essential Questions boards look a lot better and my EQ's are easier to erase!  

My students put their homework folders and spelling menus in the black cloth bins. There is storage underneath for me for little items like erasers and staples.  Much needed!  
Promise me, you will not open the teacher cabinet ever!!   
You could be crushed.  :)  

Magnetic Boards (Upcycled Serving Trays)

(It's amazing what a little spray paint can do!)

My Desk  

My desk in all of its glory...before and after.  I don't use it all that much and I haven't been as brave as some others who are letting their desks go.  
(I honestly don't think they would let us move it out of the room.) 

Cool File Holders

 Another Dolla Tree aquistion!!  I bought the little chalkboard stickers at Target last year.  Easy peasy and cute!


Little Changes

Just a few little changes here and a few little changes there.  I LOVE LOVE LOVE the crayon tower.  It is the best thing that has ever happened to little lost crayons.  Got a lost broken crayon that needs a home?  Put it in the tower!  If you don't have one, you definitely should get one!  It will make your crayon life so much easier!    
I am trying the glue sponges because the good Lord knows that glue sticks are just snacks.  And we are no longer allowed to have alcohol-based hand-sanitizer!!  Can you believe the alcohol-free hand-sanitizer exists?  
I thought it was like the unicorns...

Some of my favorite things...

I LOVE SITSPOTS!!!    If you don't have a rug and need spots for your little ones...GET THEM.  I LOVE THEM LIKE CRAZY SAUCE!!!  
"Boys. please have a seat on the black dots. Girl, have a seat on the white dots."  
AND THEY DO IT!!!   
Another one of my favorite things is my seat pockets.  My mother-in-law sewed these little cuties and they washed up like a CHAMP!  (Really, who has black and yellow seat pockets?)  If you need seat pockets, just send me an email.  She will be more than happy to sew you a set, in any color!!   

My third favorite thing is my Marvelous Morning Work by Tamara Russell.  I swear by it.  It takes us through the year step-by-step every morning.  I honestly think that she made it for my class!  ;)


My Counter

Another attempt at the before and after photos.  Definitely better after!


MY LITTLE RED HEN SUB PLANS

Just in case...they are ready to go!

Happy parts of my room...

 I upcycled my old rulers by making them bookshelf markers or dividers.  I painted them black and stuck some black and white washi tape on the ends.  CUTE!


So this is my classroom.  It is my second home.  Everyday,  I want it to be a happy and a safe environment for my students to learn and for me to live in.  Maybe one day I will be finished!  (ha ha)
I am so glad you got to come by.  
Virtual hugs!  

Now, head on over to Primary Gal's blog to check out all the other classrooms!  I will be right there taking notes!  See ya there!

TIME FOR AN EDUCENTS SALE!!!

What is a CLOCK or bleepteebogtoodadee?  

Sesame Street:  Martians Meet a Clock

Can you believe this?  Today is our third day of school and we have already started time!  I know!!!  I am already counting the minutes on our clock literally.  Ha!  Time is a BIG part of our calendar time...clearing throat...so many jokes, so little time. (I see you smiling!)  

We will be counting groups of fives and ones on our clock in the next two weeks. Can you believe that?  There are just so many things you can do with a simple clock. Counting patterns, symmetry, fractions, sequence, units of time, day and night, elapsed time...just not enough time.  

My GOAL EVERY YEAR?   My kids will be rocking around the clock! ;) 

Below are some of the things you will see in my classroom throughout the year! 

(Sorry about my cute little characters...my printer is sweet and wonderful...and dying.) 

 It's two of my favorite hands on the clock!! 

(Look at Baby Hour's diaper and pacifier!!  CUTE!!!)

I LOVE LOVE LOVE Momma Minute and Baby Hour.  We have already started talking about Momma Minute and Baby Hour in my class this year.   Unbelievable?!  I know!  But it is so important that we know and understand time.  

We do a little every day.

  

Here are some things we do in class:

1) We count every minute for the first 60 days so students can see how the minutes on the clock are grouped.  We color-code our groups of five, too.  One group is usually red and the other group is usually blue.  This of course creates an awesome pattern for students to see.  

2)  We talk about how we can count the minutes in groups of fives or ones.  Then we count the minutes by fives and ones!  It's definitely a daily discussion.  :)  

3) We do one minute of exercises or stretches to understand how one minute feels.  A minute on one foot, people, feels longer than one minute!!!  :)

4) We use the flash cards and games later to practice our time in centers but we talk about the rules EVERY day!  For example, "When Momma Minute is on the six, Baby Hour will be between two numbers."   

It's simple and it doesn't take a long time.  Five minutes, maybe?

By the time, we actually get to time, it's not that scary, and it's not that hard.
That is a concept mastered!!!  

Here are some cute videos that are great to use in class! 

What's the Time?

How to Teach Time - Time for Friends - Educational Short Story

Ticktock Minutes: Seconds, Minutes, Hours, Days

EDUCENTS IS HAVING AN AWESOME 

BACK TO SCHOOL SALE FOR TEACHERS!!

I have also teamed up with Educents with some instant downloads for you! Loaded with great activities like interactive notebooks, games, printables, and centers!  It's like having literacy, math, science that stretches throughout the year!  And it's simply a click away!!!  

TELLING TIME WITH MOMMA MINUTE AND BABY HOUR

This is one of my favorite units of all times.  We use this easy concept of time during our calendar time.  Students easily identify Momma Minute and Baby Hour because of their name and NOW we have the characters to go with it!  There are lots of games, printables, activities, and even a simple craft that students can use to practice time at home.  

A BALANCE AND MOTION UNIT: UNDER THE BIG TOP

This little show-stopping unit is one of my best sellers!!  Why?  I think Balance and Motion can be tough to teach the little ones.  You are dealing with a lot of unseen forces and how do you explain gravity if you can't actually see it?  Well...even though you can't see these forces, kids know what balance means and they know that things fall to the ground.  They understand push and pull and this unit gives them the tools to practice these ideas! 

There are practice sheets and printables to help reinforce your experiments, ideas, and activities.  It's a great addition to your balance and motion unit!!

For a limited time it is $24.99 from Educents which is about 78% off!  24 products for  literacy, math, and science - resources that will stretch you long into your year.  And over 1200 pages of materials ready for you to use - there is sure to be tons you will love!

(This is probably one of my favorite bundles.  There is so much I am going to be able to use this year!!  AND This gives me more money to spend at Educents later!)  ;) 

You can also take peek at some of the other products included in the bundle at any of the links below!

An InLinkz Link-up

No Educents account?  

Just click on the minion!  He will be more than happy to direct you there! 

Do you have an Educents' account yet?  If you don't, get one now!!  You will not be disappointed.  Before I even started blogging, I was a Educents fan and the great thing about Educents is that you get a big ol' bundle of student activities, ideas, craftivities, printables, and games for a low low price!!  As a teacher, you have to be frugal and Educents can help you be a frugal teacher!

Plus, you will receive updates, sale dates, discounts, and my FAVORITE...FREEBIES!!!  Woot! Woot!  

Meet the Teacher

Hey y’all! I am Shana Grooms and I have been a first grade teacher for 14 years.   It is the hardest job I have ever had and I LOVE it!  Every year is a challenge and every year I grow as a teacher and as a person.  I am working towards perfection...okay okay okay...maybe not perfection but I want to be good!  I have been married for a year to the love of my life.  I swear he and I are cut from the same cloth.  We live in South Carolina and we have a Crazy Daisy together.   Crazy Daisy is our doggy who happens to look like Scooby-Doo!  

Me and My Sweet Hubs! 

Our front yard on a hot, rainy, summer day...

Workin' on it!  

Meet the Teacher. 2014

These are a few of my favorite things…

(Oh my word...this question could be a post all by itself!)  Even though I was born in Kentucky, and raised in Ohio, I have lived most of my life in South Carolina.  I LOVE South Carolina!  It is absolutely where I am supposed to be.  I love gardening, swimming, school supplies, minions, fall...the season, Diet Mountain Dew, my sweet kitty, Ruby, who is in Heaven now, anything pumpkin, and my precious husband, Jim.   I also love Netflixing…oh my word… thank goodness for Netflix.  (Do you Netflix?  What are your favorite shows?)  

If you were not a teacher, what would you want to be?

Definitely an artist! It’s shocking information for people I know…I am artsy-fartsy.  I was an art major in college but decided to stay with education.  I have never regretted it ever.  I love my job but I love to play with all kinds of artsy things.  Here are a couple things that I have created! 

Swirl a Color 

Bob's Hope

Rabbits

Three little words that describe you…

funny, loyal, and determined

I love to tell super cheesy jokes that my students laugh at…they are my best audience!!! 

Finish the Sentence:  “__________________________,” said no teacher ever.  

“I just have way too many glue sticks. ” said NO teacher ever.

“What do these children do with the glue sticks?”

It’s your birthday, and you can invite anyone (dead or alive) to the party, who are you inviting?

Okay…Roald Dahl.  He is like the greatest author ever!  GENIUS!! Abraham Lincoln, Liam Neeson and oh yes…Macklemore!  

 

If someone wrote a book about your life, what would the title be?

A Series of Unexpected Events  

You get to pick one superpower!  What is it? 

Invisibility…honestly...I would love to be a on bug some walls.    

What’s your favorite saying or quote?  

(I heart quotes!  Sometimes a quote just says it all.) 

Life is short.  Stay awake for it. 

GET STUFF DONE!

Your killin’ me, smalls!! 

Be good to your feet…they take you everywhere.  (That is my own...haha!)

If you had to sing one song on American Idol, what would it be?

Amazing Grace…oh yes. 

Are you a morning person or a night owl?

Definitely a little of both.  I am ALWAYS and I mean ALWAYS a little distracted!

What’s your favorite resource that you’ve created in your TPT shop?

Definitely Telling Time with Momma Minute and Baby Hour.  We talk about it all the time in my classroom and I finally made it come ALIVE!  I even made Momma Minute and Baby Hour…the clip art!!  Everything you need for the year is there.  From centers, games, to practice sheets, you are set for the year.  It is perfect to start the year off!  

When I was little, I had my mom read the Little Red Hen to me every night!  So of course, I had to make sub plans for the Little Red Hen.   These are great to use for those emergency plans we all need in a pinch.  I already have my plans ready to use, sitting on my desk.   Just make all the important parts, laminate, and have them ready to use each year!!   J      

I MADE THOSE LITTLE CUTIES!

Share something we might not know about you!
I am a bit of a science nerd…my favorite animals are bats, worms, and penguins.  I love TED Talk episodes.  I love documentaries…don’t ask.  I LOVE horror/murder/forensic shows and I love stand-up comedy.   I love anything hacky, and homesteady...I secretly wanted to be Laura Ingalls Wilder when I was little. 

Is this way too much information?  I am thinking it might be.

Yikes!   

Happy Learning! 

Head on over to Falling into First to meet these other awesome bloggers.  Don't forget to link up!  

AUGUST'S YOU OUTTA KNOW ABOUT...

Hello Sweet Friends!!!  

A bunch of my awesome blogger buddies are having a blog hop called "You Outta Know About..." It's about tips, websites, apps, ideas, resources, hacks, or timesavers that will make your life a little MORE awesome!! I love anything hacky (Is that a word?) and if you are here...then I know you do, too.

Fold your hoodie into a wearable computer case?

Ummm...no way.  You have got to be kidding ME!!??

WHO KNEW??? 

Seriously...everyone should take a class on life hacks!!

Now for something even better...

One of my favorite websites that makes my life a lot more AWESOME is called Symbaloo.  If you are a teacher, you will LOVE Symbaloo!!!  Why? 

1.  Symbaloo helps you stay organized.
2.  It saves you UBER amounts of time and energy because you are UBER-organized.
3.  It reminds me of my iPhone and iPad because of its neat and tidy icons. 
4.  You can set up an account just for your classroom.  Your students can easily click onto sites, videos, or stories you want them to see.  

Want to set up an account with Symbaloo?  Setting up your Symbaloo account is easy because it is very user friendly.  It will take you from step A to step B with its tutorial, so you understand how to set up everything.  

One of my favorite things about my iphone and my ipad is that I have folders or files where I keep all of my apps about entertainment or education or whatever strikes my fancy pants.  Symbaloo is similar as well but they use webmixes instead of folders.  If I want to place all of my websites or videos about plants in one place, I can place them in the webmix named PLANTS. Here is my "growing" webmix on plants!

(My home webmix is just all of the websites that I use frequently, and are important at home and at school. The rest of my webmixes are subject-based...homesteading, gardening, school, and blogging.) 

Still a little frustrated?  Just think in the flavor of Pinterest.  

Pinterest Boards = Symbaloo Webmixes 

Pins = Tiles

So the great thing is is that no matter where you are, you can log into your Symbaloo account and bring up ALL of your favorite plant websites on all of your devices like your laptop, ipad, tablet, or iphone.    AHHH!!  I love that because if I leave my laptop at home...oopsy...then I can just log on to my Symbaloo account and never miss a beat.  

Guess what we are learning today, students???  

PLANTS!!  

By the way, you can create a webmix for videos, too!  Just like a playlist on youtube.  Cool, huh?   

Ha!  Happy learning everyone!!

See you next month!! 

An InLinkz Link-up

Oh dear sweet friends!!  

This is a dream for me!!!  

Who does not like a dollar deal? 

I am so excited to announce that I am joining forces with some of my favorite bloggers to bring you a new collaborative blog called Teacher Deals and Dollar Steals! With this blog, there will be approximately forty teachers sharing their excellent work in what we are calling a Dollar Steal!

What is a Dollar Steal, you ask?  Each day, one of my bloggy friends will be sharing a post about one of their products.  In their blog post, they will share a link to their product where you can purchase it for only $1.00.  Now here's the catch, you'll have to act fast because their sale will only last for THREE days.  After the three days, you can still grab their fabulous product, but it will be at it's original price.

I would love for you to hop over by clicking the button above and follow our new blog through email or Bloglovin in order to ensure that you catch all of our deals in a timely manner.  We are also giving away a $25 TeachersPayTeachers Gift Certificate.  You can enter by following us!!!

Thank you for joining me on this new and exciting experience.