My Where, My First Week Back, and a Giveaway!

I'm linking up with Blog Hoppin' to show you my "Where," and tell you about my first week!

And if you make it all the way to the end, you will find a little
*GIVEAWAY from A+ Images*!!

Whew! Is anyone else already throwing your alarm clock across the room in the morning??

"Ain't no tired like back to school teacher tired," is TRUTH, people. 

Add to that a sick husband, a mandated longer school day, AND a full first week WITH kids, and you'll find this teacher-mom wiped. out. 

BUT, we survived the first week, and I want to show you my room and what my brand new STARS and I did! 

This is my library/whole group area. I used to set my rug up in alternating colors because I liked the way that looked better, but this way is soooo much easier for turn & talk.

I can say "the red row turns and faces the yellow row and talks first, and the green row faces the blue row and talks first." No question about who their partner is. I LOVE IT. Student-centered learning is where it's at, folks.

This is the back wall of my classroom (it was overcast and rainy the day I took these, so I apologize for the super crappy lighting/quality). The clothespins hold student work, and of course I want my kids to know they are STARS!

This is the wall opposite the library/whole group wall. All ready for anchor charts and pictures of each week's STAR! Can you tell I'm hoping our "temporary" assistant gets to stay??

This is the view from the back of my room during a GoNoodle brain break.

I posted this photo on my Instagram, and GoNoodle used it in a blog post!! Click here to check it out! Seriously if you're not GoNoodling yet, start ASAP! Your kids will LOVE you for it! I'll be posting more about my GoNoodle obsession soon, but for now, just trust me and get started. You won't regret it!

OK back to the first week…

We practiced writing letters...

This is from my Back to School Zoo Review pack on TPT - I used it as a little first week assessment. 
They just thought it was a maze! :) 

And building words...

And writing numbers (I love the different ways of thinking about writing numbers)…

And practiced counting Marcy Cook style...

We also spent a lot of time getting to know each other, which is always my favorite part of the first week back!

You can find these posters in my Be A Star pack on TPT! I love how they turned out!

And of course I had to wear my new favorite shirt from A+ Images...

Because First Grade Rocks!!

A+ Images also ROCKS because they have agreed to give away a teacher shirt (up to a $20 value) to one of my readers! Check out their site here to shop! :)

These are some of my favorites (all $20 or less as of 8/19/14, and most can be found under "General Teaching")…

We all need this little reminder sometimes :) 

 For all my math friends :)

For any 'stache lovers :)

Be sure to enter the Rafflecopter below for your chance to win!! The giveaway closes Saturday night, so don't wait!!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

To those of you who are back in the swing of things like me, I hope it's going well! 

Good luck to those who are preparing to start! Stock up on your caffeine now! :)