First PEEK of the week!

Hi all!  This is Katie King from Queen of the First Grade Jungle! I have taught first grade in Kentucky for the last 6 years and absolutely LOVE my job and my kids.  Having been so inspired by people in blogland, I decided to really up my game in my classroom library last summer.  Stay with me while I walk you through the creation of my special space:


Will you make fun of me if I tell you I am super proud of myself for my new classroom creation?! My number one priority when I became a teacher was to have my students fall in LOVE with reading. I think that having a space conducive to losing yourself in a book is essential for this to happen. I have tried all kinds of different ways to have a library in my classroom but have never found the space that worked. Sadly I resorted to lining my bookcases up against the hideous orange curtain that separates my room from my teaching partner's room.




When I make up my mind to do something it is kind of scary... I can't think about anything else. SO I started with this...

...okay --not exactly that love seat, I found this one through a google search, but you get the picture-- four cans of black spray paint, and a very talented younger cousin named Lindsey who can sew! What do you get when you put all of that together--

Meet my baby! I have already planned team meetings that are going to take place with me snuggled up in this adorable space!! That same adorable cousin Lindsey sewed these little gems (also known as curtains)-- she even texted me and asked if she could add a little flair at the bottom of them in the form of some zebra print ribbon---does she know me or what??

It was really hard to get a picture of the curtains with the sun coming through, but you also see my Dollar Store find lamp! Yes I know I could close the curtains--- but if you knew how long it took me to rig them up just right... you wouldn't be telling yourself that :)


You won't believe it, but I have another adorable cousin named Courtney who painted these great READ letters!

I  painted my shelves last summer (along with all my lockers and another shelf), and they were the inspiration for the whole library. I made new book bin labels to match the color scheme. I keep my leveled books in a separate shelf near my guided reading table for easier access.

Sorry for the bad pics, the sun is setting right in the way ;) And last but not least--- the tissue paper pom poms-- I am so proud of these too! I watched a youtube video on how to make those and only failed on one attempt! They are my favorite part of the library!

Here is the best picture of the whole thing! So sorry about the light-- I didn't realize how bad it was until I got home.

*Update after one year with library:  My kids managed to keep my space intact for the whole year! YAY! And I think the library helped foster some fabulous reading habits as well!


Thank you SO much to Crystal for letting me guest blog on her fantastic blog!  Please come check me out!