My 2014-2015 Preschool Classroom Tour

I’m so excited to be a part of a virtual preschool classroom tour (with a sneak peak of our preschool schedule) with some amazing preschool teachers! Once you’re done here, be sure to see what the others have done in their classrooms this year.

I feel like I need to start by saying that my classroom’s not entirely “finished”. In fact, I almost didn’t join in this blog hop for that very reason. Then I remembered – my classroom is always in a state of transition! Artwork is put up and taken down every week (sometimes daily, depending on what the kiddos want to share), furniture is rearranged to create a better traffic patterns for the students, etc. So I hope you don’t mind! 🙂

This summer, I moved classrooms. In fact, I moved into my new classroom in just a couple of days! We had to move some of the younger classes to different rooms to ensure we remained in compliance with new building codes. This meant demolition, construction, and even new floors in some rooms. I moved into the old nursery and toddler rooms – they had to knock down a wall to create my new classroom, which is why the move-in process was super quick!

Since we have more pre-kindergartners this year, I’ve also been given more space. I essentially have three classrooms this year, along with two awesome assistant teachers. I’ve given the rooms different names, based on their functions! The main room, aka “The Hub” is the largest classroom. It’s where we do sign in, circle time, eat lunch, have snack, and get together as an entire class. The “Messy Room” is our arts, crafts, and sensory area. It has a sink, which makes it perfect for all our messiness! The “Loud Room” houses our building center and our home/pretend play center.

Welcome to my preschool classroom!

Today, I’m focusing on the main classroom. I’ll share the other two rooms sometime in October. So, here goes . . . As you walk into The Hub, our word wall is on the left-hand wall. Obviously, it still needs my students’ names put up! Then it’s the teacher corner – supply cabinets, paperwork, office supplies, coffee cups, etc. I have to admit, I’m a stacker – the counters often hold piles of papers in the middle of the week! The writing center table is next to the teacher cabinets, ready for the kiddos to draw and write. It does double duty as a lunch and snack table too.

On the side of Big Blue (a beat up metal cabinet), I posted a visual schedule for the kiddos (and teachers). I need to laminate everything and update the photos, but it’s up! The writing center supplies are within reach of the writing table. The top of that cart usually holds the students’ water bottles, paper towels, and baby wipes. Our collaborative corn painting is in a place of honor, and we have another piece in the works to go above it. On the other side of the cart, our science center supplies are housed. We’ve got some pictures up alongside the supplies – including a photo of one of the students’ dogs and a picture of a praying mantis found on a child’s car.

The reading center is located in a corner of the classroom near the science area. When the room was a nursery, it had a mural along the back wall. My assistants and I thought the tree would be a great backdrop for some reading and relaxation. The children have a kid-sized couch, a couple of bean bags, pillows, and a variety of “reading buddies”. Of course, there are lots of books for the children to choose from! Their book boxes are located on the bottom of the bookshelf – it’s where we keep their journals, name kits, and book-making books.

Right past the reading center is the math and fine motor center. Up along the wall is a colorful frame collage to show off some of the kids’ artwork. Those frames were a pain to put up on the wall, but I’m happy with how it turned out! I’ll likely add a few more frames up there so that every child’s work is represented.

Last but not least, we have our circle time area and puzzle/alphabet center! For circle time, I’ve got the calendar up, helper tags, and weather chart. My pointers, the flag, and a variety of puzzles and alphabet manipulatives are located nearby. Everything takes place on a large rug the kiddos enjoy playing on.

Thanks for coming along on a tour of my main preschool classroom! I’m really enjoying the new space, especially the light coming in from the large windows! I still have a variety of things I want to add – photos of the kids at each center, blue fabric draped above the reading center, some kind of window treatments, etc.

So, tell me more about your preschool classroom! I’d love to hear about it! Please be sure to check out the amazing classrooms of some of my preschool teacher/blogger buds. I can’t wait to see what their environments look like.

Classroom Tour Blog Hop Environments:
Katie at Preschool Inspirations
Jamie at Play to Learn Preschool
Darla at The Preschool Toolbox
Sheryl at Teaching 2 and 3 Year Olds
Amy at Child Central Station
Mary Catherine at Fun-A-Day
Deborah at Teach Preschool

Tools for Teacher Organization

Regardless of how you decorate your classroom, it’s important for educators to stay organized. In my experience, staying organized also helps keep me cool, calm, and collected throughout the school year and throughout each day. I know it will help educators both in the classroom and at home.

So, I made a list of some handy tools for staying organized both in the classroom and when it comes to lesson planning and general organization. Check them out below.

I may get commissions for purchases made through links in this post.

• Stacking file trays
• File folders
• Clipboards
• Sorting trays
• Nuts and bolts storage drawers
• Table Caddies
• Book bins
• Preschool lesson planning book
• Large desk planner
• Pocket charts
• Contact paper
• Classroom nameplates
• Label maker

Keep in mind that this list is in no way extensive. Being organized looks different for each person. So, make sure that you have the specific organizational tools that help you on hand in your classroom. Doing so will certainly reduce your level of stress each day and throughout the school year.

Done-for-You Preschool Resources

Planning meaningful lessons for students week after week, all while balancing other teaching responsibilities and a personal life, can be a daunting task. That’s where Preschool Teacher 101 comes in to save you time!

Preschool Teacher 101 is excited to share with you some amazing lesson plans, activity packs, and much more! We offer a wide variety of themes that are frequently used in preschool classrooms, as well as some less common (but super interesting) themes. Click on the image below to learn more about our centers guide, complete with center signs!

Join The Pack from Preschool Teacher 101 today for exclusive access to our amazing products. And we even have three different membership options to suit your needs!