Still de-cluttering!

So I haven't really gotten that far in my quest to de-clutter. On the other hand I HAVE been planning and mapping out my classroom for next year.  I am addicted to Pinterest and have found a few projects I definitely want to complete for next year.  Here is a picture of one of my goals.

(Thanks to http://grade2happenings.blogspot.com/ for the idea)
I have purchased the fabric and foam, but I am working on getting milk crates (not file crates) and plywood.  I love that there is storage under the seats.  My thought is: I have four tables so their books and other larger supplies could be in one of the boxes and a table captain can retrieve the box when needed.  Aahhh so many things to accomplish (and still vacation).  Any volunteers to help are welcome :)

Where do I begin?

Here is my first summer project- cleaning and organizing!  I always start out the year with the best intentions of staying organized or with a great plan of how the flow in my room is going to work, but inevitably something doesn't work or gets left behind.  I am now following the Clutter-Free Classroom Project (which started in January, better late than never) and I am purging- as painful as that is with some items. Here are some photos of the current condition of my classroom as I started to pull out and take stock of all my stuff.

Please note that I am not purging all those books!  I am actually using a fantastic FREE website called Classroom Booksource to scan them all in, so that next year I can use my Iphone or Ipad to check them out to my students (no more paper!). For all my colleagues, you should definitely check out the site- it not only keeps track of your entire library but also keeps a reading log of all the books your students have checked out!
Anywho, Monday will be back to purging for me.

Well Hello!

I decided to start this blog as a way to communicate with parents, families, and colleagues about what is happening in my classroom.  I also have another blog for students to respond to what is going on with reading and writing in our room. This summer I plan to blog about some projects I am working on for the new school year that I am really excited about. Feel free to browse around!