Lakeshore Learning at Home

Do you have a favorite teacher store near you? My go to store is Lakeshore Learning. Not only do I buy many teaching supplies there, but I purchase gifts for my nieces and nephews as well. 

I was super excited when I was contacted by Lakeshore Learning and asked to review an item from their new Learning Starts at Home collection that is now in all 57 stores and online.

I chose Let's Play School because this is definitely something I would have bought when my son, Casey, was five. He went through a "playing teacher" phase and I searched around town for a bell, pointer, chalkboard, etc. This would have been so much easier and there is so much included!

 Look at all this great stuff! 

Lakeshore did an amazing job including everything the child would want to play teacher.

I couldn't believe they even included a reward system with prizes! Rolling a reward cube was a brilliant, easy idea for a child to incorporate.

A stack of different certificates with a variety of stickers.

A calendar with a write and wipe pen.

A roll book!

Report cards and a red Fair pen! Do they know what teacher's like or what?!

Spelling tests, a teacher pencil and self-inking stamps!!!

Name plates, bell, whistle, and a hall pass!! 

A chalkboard, chalk, pointer, clock, and American flag with stand! I didn't take another picture of the United States puzzle since it showed up well in the first photo.

Lakeshore thought of EVERYTHING! 

My son would have gone crazy for this set! 

The other Lakeshore Learning Starts at Home products look equally amazing. Click HERE to go check them all out. (The Read Around the House Treasure Hunt was a favorite of my boys.)

How would you would like to pick up an educational Christmas present for your child (or niece/nephew in my case) at 20% off?
 Click HERE to get your coupon good until October 31st. 

Now the only hard part is deciding who gets what. I am determined to get my Christmas shopping done early this year.

Said No Teacher Ever VIDEO

We've all seen the posters on Pinterest. Have you seen this video entitled Said No Teacher Ever.
I laughed out loud.

BIG news and classroom pics

My BIG news is .......I changed schools at the last minute!

A week and half before school started I was offered a teaching job I couldn't pass up. The K-12  private school I started my career at was in need of a 1st and 2nd grade Language Arts teacher (they departmentalize.) My husband recently went back to work there in June (we met there and he even proposed on campus, but that's another story.) He is the Technology Curriculum Director and we were able to get our two boys to attend as well. I am so excited that they will receive such a stellar education and get to experience the small, family atmosphere that we LOVED when we taught there 13 years ago!

It was a crazy whirlwind to pack up one room, move in to another 25 minutes away (without traffic), be trained in a very specific program (Spalding) and get my boys registered, uniforms, etc. It was pretty stressful, I will admit.

We just finished our 2nd week and Back to School Night so I finally feel like I can breathe! The new staff is really nice and my teammates are so sweet they have been doing the copying for me with sticky notes to indicate which is homework and which is classwork (pretty set curriculum.)

I am really enjoying just teaching Language Arts. Even though I miss the other subjects, it is such a relief to be able to solely focus on one subject! The best part though...one class has only 14 students, the other 16. That is HALF as many kids as I am used to teaching!!! And I have no behavior problems. Don't get me wrong, I have some blurters and some chatters, but no REAL behavior problems. The biggest issue I deal with is the students with a lack of focus. I know, you are crying for me. :-) It is such a relief after the stressful last few years I've had. I noticed I have not been nearly as tired in the evenings. I remember I usually feel completely wrung out the first week but I didn't this year.

The funniest thing is some of my former students are now parents at the school. (No, I am not that old! I used to teach 7-9th grades and I was just starting out, remember?!) I have one girl in my class whose mother I taught. CRAZY!

Ready for some pics?

My campus is just K-2 and tiny. I love it! 

My 6th grade son attends the Middle Campus (3-6) just down the street. My husband and 8th grade son are at Upper Campus (7-12) 5 minutes away.

Parents drive in two lanes and students are loaded in/out of cars for efficiency.

Kinder wing

Theater

My wing. I am on the first floor thank goodness.

Building on the left is the office, staff room, etc.

View from my door. David's are from Fall Into First

The mishmash of colored bins were already here. I'm sure my OCD will compel me to do something about it when I have more time...

Those old laptops were being used to Star Test until I told them we could use the 10 ipads in my closet it we just downloaded the free app!

Yippee!!!! I finally have a Smartboard! Now I just need to figure out how to use it well.

I haven't had desks in rows in soooo long!  ;-) 

Walk-in closet and more storage here!

The Spalding beige posters are drab but part of the program.

It is amazing that 1st and 2nd graders switch classes like High School! They come in,  grab their supply tray and slide it into their desk. That way the same desks can be used for different classes. These trays were all different with orange, purple, and red but the rainbow was too distracting for me so I was able to switch them out to just 3 colors for a more calming effect.

Maybe something like this? Pic from U Name It!

I want to get a painted teacher chair for this reading corner.  

This would match my current theme!  No link :(

If you have any links to cute chairs please send them my way. They don't have to be red and black, that was just a coincidence. 

I hope you are all having a TERRIFIC return to school!

Winner and THE Sale

And the winner of my new Friends of Ten product is......... Karen Prince Rowland! I emailed you.

The big TpT sale is finally here! So get your shop on and start filling up your cart. My entire store will be 20% off and TpT offers an addition 10% if you enter the promo code BTS13.

Had your eye on one of my newer products?

How about one of my best sellers?

Need some items to start the year off right?

Perhaps some Common Core goodies?

I also have a ton of math games

 and book club packets.

Writing craftivities, centers, there really is something for everyone! 

Time to go browse to add more to my growing wish list. See you at the two-day sale starting this Sunday!

Last hour of Giveaway

Quick, you have one more hour to enter my Friends of Ten Giveaway! Scroll down to the rafflecopter box to enter and read about this new item if you missed my previous post.