The school term is beginning!

I thought I would show you how I have been setting up my classroom over the last couple of days. I LOVE this part of my job; arranging furniture, organising, cleaning, sorting out the dress-ups - basically, the same things I do at home! I LOVE making adorable play spaces for Kindy kids. There will be eighteen of them starting school on Monday. Get ready for the fun!

I have to show you this 'before' shot, because it may give you an idea as to why teachers groan and carry on at the thought of going back to work after the holidays.

Now for some 'after' shots! With the help of the lovely Diana (my assistant for the day), we were able to make shiny new labels for the children's take-home boxes (they put drawings, newsletters, etc. in there to take home at the end of the day). Best price that I've found for boxes like these is 5 for $3 from Ikea (gosh I love that place!) It looks a little colourless, but once the children put things in the boxes, the whiteness prevents the area from looking too cluttered.

Next, is the puzzle area. The children's names will be on that blue pocket chart next week, and behind the chart are all the reading resources.

Here are the new name tags for the children to wear on Monday. Thanks, Diana!

The cuter-than-cute mat area, where the children assemble for lessons. Check out the spotty hessian (from Spotlight) - love it! Mum got me the hot pink Eeyore - adorable! The hessian hides teaching resources like CDs, construction sets, puppets, TV.

The reading corner. It needs some cushions, but oh, how I love to see children reading books!

Home corner. Oh my gosh - adorable! The dress-up trolley needs some more clothes, but Mum is onto that. She's at our place with Jack today, and she's ironing the dress-ups for me. Thanks Mum!

The art trolley. Love the look of drawing implements - colour, lines! In the bottom right hand corner is a bowl of glass writing stones. If you know a child with a funny pencil grip, get some of these stones (Bunnings, about $5). The child chooses one and holds it in the palm of their hand, just with the last two fingers. This leaves the other three fingers free to hold a crayon/pencil/texta. Works every tme!

A table for role-playing; on one side a castle, on the other, a dollshouse. Yes, the doll bed is tragic, (mattress on the floor, uni-student style!) but I will order a new one from a toy supplier next week, as the last bed broke. Note the cabbage patch mini dolls - they are about 25 years old! They belonged to my sister, Kristie.

Transport for the construction area. (Those trucks were FILTHY from finger prints at the beginning of the day. Eww!) The green baskets were donated from Bunnings. Very handy!

How much would I love for these blocks to be put away like this at the end of every day? Kindy kids just can't do it, but this year I'm going to put this photo above the shelf and ask them to copy it. Let's see if that works!

Computer corner and drawing table. These days the kids swarm around the computer! I totally get it.


Fishing - the perfect ice-breaking game, and one that draws in the dads.
There are three more rods, but, at the moment they are tangled!

The mandatory playdough table. Great for encouraging conversation, because the children need to share tools. Also, therapeutic, for those who like textures.

On my desk, a Dutch clog that Kristie picked up for me from Holland, a box of note paper, postcards, stickers and stamps, and a calendar from Chudleigh honey farm in Tassie. The number blocks split, but I still use it. Too cute!

So, a few more spaces to organise on the weekend and I'll be ready to go! I love the beginning of the school year! (Can you tell?)