Looking good!

Day  7 & 8 of school - Open House!  My sister received the UPS package with the pocket chair covers just in time!  And her principal LOVED them!!!

Getting organized, Vickie's style ;)

Here is the results of my sewing pocket chair covers. Aren't they cute!!!

First Week

Happy Sister

I'm happy and excited to give this update on my sister's first week!  She had an amazing week - is in love with her class - and got RAVE reviews from her admin!!! So happy for her. I know the start of this school year is giving her back her love for teaching!  She even made a 'Lava cake' in her crockpot on Friday - said the children loved it and she incorporated Science, Math, Writing and Language Arts all in one lesson!!!

Still working on improving the lesson plans and adding more to the class. I can't wait for another trip to visit her and meet the kiddos.

Here's to week 2!!!

Happy teaching :)

Words of wisdom

Ok, after showing my project to a friend -  I'm admitting I should have made all the pocket chair covers alike...so I went back to the "drawing board" and, with a lot of patience, made everyone with a pocket on the outside of the pocket!  Now all the children will be alike. Just sayin!

Extras around the classroom

The writing center. Added markers & pencils after taking this picture. Bulletin board is a work in progress. 

This is on the floor by the door to put books to return to the library. 

Vickie made these cute covers for her crates. Every teacher on her wing wanted a tutorial

Yesterday's Project - Chair-Pocket covers - Done!

Made these Pocket Chair Covers from material given to me by my Interior Decorator friend! Took me about 3 hours to make 16. 

This was my 2nd & improved design with a pocket on the outside of the pocket :)

I ran out of the striped fabric but wanted all to go together. Really happy with the results!

Here's how I made them:  cut a rectangle 13x36 (the chair seat back is 11" long x 12" wide-  add an inch on each side for width and triple the length = 13x36)

Next I cut another piece of fabric 13x12 for the pocket.  The sewing is all straight stitch & pretty basic (I haven't sewn in years!). Turn over & hem the top of the pocket. With right sides together, sew pocket to chair cover at bottom then on left & right sides. Now, here's the tricky part: with the opposite side of the pocket, 1st hem the long piece of fabric at the top (make sure it will on the inside when turned inside out).  Then fold the top of the long material in half, meeting the pocket on opposite side. Sew the left and right sides just to hem (reinforce the top of the hem 2-3 times - I accomplished this using the reverse on my machine twice). Now you are through sewing. Turn your pocket inside out and the chair cover inside out to have the completed project. Iron if needed. I used a sturdy sailcloth/upholstery fabric for mine. My friend who is an interior decorator, let me come pick out fabric from her leftover projects - FREE!

First Day Report

I'm happy to report a successful first day!  My sister loves the children and her happy room. Looking forward to her sending me some pictures to post. 

Mrs. Ingram

Here's the Results

The Reading Table. Covered it with a table cloth (Velcro dots hold it onto the table)

Look how neat and orderly the shelves look!

The cute lantern "fish" - Pinterest idea

Got these cute containers at Dollar Tree (2 for $1)!

Another organized area - the library. Teachers Pay Teachers had the labels. 

Finally - my happy sister sitting at her Reading table, wearing her 'Princess' crown!

Pre-planning Week

The Reading Center - Library

Another view of the cozy reading area. Found this precious chair at Goodwill. Teachers Pay teachers and Pinterest gave me the ideas for the wall above the shelf. 

Second Day Cleaning Out the Old

My sister has been teaching 4th & 5th grade for over  20 years. This year she took a huge leap into 1st grade!  Many years ago I was a para-pro for 1st grade, so without reservations I volunteered to help her clean, organize and decorate her classroom. This blog is a result of my efforts. I hope it will encourage other teachers to create an inviting and creative learning environment for your classroom.
I admire the hard work and dedication teachers put into their classrooms and their teaching. If I could come to your classroom, I know I would be impressed.  Here's to a happy and successful year!

First look at the classroom

This was my first look of the classroom - yikes we have a lot of work to do!