"Summers Off"

I just love it when people tell me how lucky I am that I'm a teacher and get my "summers off." NOT! By the time I'm done moving my classroom furniture back into my room after the floors get waxed, making copies for next year, coming up with new and exciting lessons, redecorating, attending workshops, etc., I literally have almost no summer left.

My bare classroom!

BUT, I love what I do, so I gladly spend my summers getting ready for next year. I actually consider it fun! I can't wait to get going again and try out some of the new ideas I've found. (Plus, I enjoy getting to sleep in every now and then.)

I love some of these bulletin board ideas that I found on Pinterest! 

First, I love this idea of using #hashtags for Social Studies! I think the kids would enjoy it, too!

I also like the idea of taking pictures of the kiddos doing science experiments and posting them on the bulletin board throughout the year.

Since read tons of books that take place in different countries all over the world, I would love to make a bulletin board like this one to have kind of a "road map" of where we've traveled to in our readings during the year. I might even let students post their own personal reading books on the map to get other students interested in that book and to encourage everyone to read more books from other countries to try and fill up the board. We could make it a competition to see how many countries we can mark before the last day of school.

I also really like the idea of showcasing student work somewhere. (Plus, my boyfriend loves the Hulk.) I thought about using my principal's face printed on green paper instead of the Hulk. I figured he and the kids would get a kick out of that.

I don't use a word wall in my room, but I loved the idea of using feather boas as a border. I bought some hot pink and black boas from Dollar Tree, but I haven't figured out quite how I want to use them yet.

I'm terrible at keeping track of absent work when students are gone. I have cute absent folder covers from Kindergarten Works. I think she's updated them since I first downloaded them, but I like her first version much better.

Lastly, I always have classroom jobs for my students, but I never thought about having them "apply" for them. I usually just assign them in alphabetical order and then change them each week. I love the idea of them writing about why they would excel at individual duties. I might have to try this one this year!

I feel like I have so much to do and not enough time to do it! Time to get printing! Enjoy what's left of your "summer off!"