Three Little Words to describe our classroom

Hi friends! If you read my first post yesterday, I mentioned that I was able to get canvas on sale at Joann's and it sparked some inspiration! As you read my blog, you'll notice that I am completely sold on Arts Integration as a way of teaching- not just a few lessons here and there but everyday. I started my blog to share those ideas because I know that students who are creating, collaborating and evaluating the Arts ( poetry, dance, drama, visual art and music) are developing critical thinking skills and an appreciation for learning. I just went to a fabulous Arts Integration workshop this past week that focused on using visual art in the classroom and I will be sharing ideas from that experience this next week. We also talked about how to share the creating process with others and parents because many times the process of creation is undervalued and just the product is recognized.
      This got me thinking that I want share my core values and beliefs as a teacher who uses the Arts somewhere in my room.When others walk in, I want them to know what is important to me as teacher. I also want my students to understand my hopes for them and to see these beliefs put into practice within the classroom.

So... I decided to think of three words that I thought would encompass the type of classroom I want for my students.

I thought of "inspire" first because obviously every teacher wants to inspire. We definitely aren't in it for the money! However, I also want my students to inspire others and have the desire to make a difference.

The second word I thought of was "create". This really is about my belief that students should be creating in the classroom. Students should be doing something with the information we are giving them. Creating stories/poetry, art, dance, music and drama that demonstrates their understanding. I also like thinking they are "creating" memories in our room. The meanings could go on and on.

After that I was stuck! I called my friend for help. We were coming up with words and then out of nowhere it came to me... "imagine". I love it! I wanted "think" but "think, create, inspire" just didn't sound as powerful to me. Imagine fits perfectly because in order to create, one must use their imagination. I also like that it can by synonymous with "think". By the end of the year, I just hope that I have taught my students how to think.

So that is how I came up with " Imagine, Create, Inspire". The three words can stand alone or they fit  well together because the three words actually describe the process of creation. When someone "imagines" something and has the motivation to put that idea into action, he or she "creates". When the creation touches someone emotionally, that person will hopefully become "inspired" in their own way.

I added foam stickers, spray painted the canvas black and then when it dried, I sprayed it with glitter. 

When I peeled off the letters, it wasn't clean and I wanted some color so I spray painted the foam letters.

This is a canvas that I'm going to hang on my wall. I think I am going to brighten the blue though.The words Imagine and Inspire are pink so it will be a nice contrast! I may be adding more to these... any suggestions? What words describe your classroom?

Shopping Shares

I went shopping! It's really bad I need to stop; I've spent way to much money. I wanted to show some of the items I picked up/ made over the last few days.

First, I picked these up at Party City. I love bright colors in the classroom! I have  a super star theme but my classroom is mostly tied together with bright colors.

Aren't the poofs cute? I could have also chosen these polka dot lanterns. It was so hard to decide but eventually went with the poof. Lol!










I also got these beads. Did you see the idea on Pinterest about giving your students beads to wear during the day when they do something kind or helpful? They turn the beads back in at the end of the day for a note home. I totally want to do this because it will force help me to remember to send more positive notes home.

I saw this idea on Pinterest also. I thought it was genius! When students leave for the bathroom, they place the sanitizer on their desks to help the teacher remember where they are ( I can't be the only one who forgets that a student just asked to go to the bathroom and then wonders where they went!) and to remind the student to squirt with sanitizer when they return. Other students can also look for the bottle to see if someone is already using the bathroom. 'Cause if someone is... they better not even ask! :)

I picked these foam cubes up for $1 at the Dollar Tree. There are so many possibilities! Number dice, letters, word families... but I'm thinking sight words! They could be used for roll-a-sight word... I'll let you know when I figure it out!

I also got these foam sticky letters and some canvas from Joann's. All the canvas was on sale! I got three 11x14 for 9 dollars!  I'll share my projects for these items tomorrow!