A Pinterest Inspired Door…and A Kindergarten Smorgasboard inspired wall!

I cannot think of another thing that is as valuable for project ideas as teachers’ blog posts, teacher friends on facebook, and Pinterest! Our building has an after school decorating party each year.  We listen to music played over the intercom system, hang lights, decorate walls and doors, and eat wonderful treats! My classroom’s door this year is from a pin I posted a year ago in January.  The cute Santa was so easy, and so sweet when finished.  One of our sweet aides helped me get the red and white background bulletin board papers, belt, and buckle on the door on Tuesday.  I made the face, beard and hat the next day.  The finishing touch is the multicolor tissue paper pom on his hat! My students love their Santa!

If you want to try making your own Santa, the original pin is:

(the photo was uploaded by another pinner, so I could not find a blog associated with the photo). Love the fiber fill for his white brim, beard, and eyebrows. I couldn’t find it here locally, so I used paper.

 The other project we did today is our “Sweets for the Sweet” wall in the hall outside our classroom. Mr. Greg from Kindergarten Smorgasboard is our inspiration for the cute little peppermints. We made this a fraction project by adding wedges of green and red to a white circle. To make our version, I folded each circle to allow students to see fold lines to guide placement of their wedges. They added color to white sections, or just left them as is. The wrapper twists are made with red acrylic paint (for shine) painted on one hand, then stamped on two rectangles, then cut out! Acrylic paint dries sooo fast! These could literally be cut out and assembled for the wall in less than 20 minutes. Another element in our peppermints are student pics in the centers. Thanks Mr. Greg for a fantastic idea! The little tree is made to coordinate with our brown, pink, blue, and green trees on the other side of the door.  Love!

Did I mention, my students are writing sentences with our sight words and phonetic spelling now! Here are their papers from today. They hung their own papers 🙂 The cute trees are from Etsy seller, https://www.etsy.com/people/SpringHillGraphics. I am so proud of my little writers. We have just begun writing books, so paragraphs will be written in the new year! Yea!!! The little trees are featured in my newest  December Display Set!

And…our Game of the Week is…Letterland, by Time 4 Kindergarten :)My kids have actually begged to play this game! We use mini-erasers for game pieces.

Last (but certainly not least) Deedee Wills’ (my blogging mentor who first featured my Math Jounals on her blog two summers ago) FUN little game that is ABSOLUTELY FREE from her store: http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Ho-Ho-Ho-Jolly-Old-Man-Sight-Word-Board-Game-FREEBIE

My kids kept asking me if I had laminated it yet all day today! LOL
Stay tuned people! I will be featuring more items, and will be throwing a 400 follower GivEAwaY beginning Monday. There are several fabulous bloggers who have graciously offered a product from their stores to the lucky winners! And, yes! I said WINNERS! 10 of them!!! 🙂 STAY TUNED 🙂

For more seasonal crafts visit the following blogs, and please do visit Debbie at