setting up my classroom... again!

I have been spending far too many of my summer days with my three kids in tow setting up my classroom.  Thanks to the addition of a Mandarin Chinese Program next year (which we are super excited about) I had to empty out my classroom and move down the hall.  The move came with pros and cons.

 Pros: I am closer to my amazing kinder team, the kinder playground is right outside my door, the bathroom is right across the hall (you have no idea how many kinder kidlets get turned around and lost when the bathroom is a long walk down a long hallway... it is a difficult process), and I have an excuse for creating new items for my new space.  

Cons: my new room is smaller, much smaller and my last room wasn't too spacious (you see the dilemma), I only moved into my previous room 2 years ago (I spent that first summer setting up my room and spent all of last summer getting it just the way I wanted it, I LOVED my set-up **sigh**), and last fifth graders moved the majority of my stuff, need I say more?  It was a MESS, it sorta looked like kindergarten threw up in the hallway!   Yep.  I got to sort through that, jealous?   I digress.

Lucky for me my three kiddos love going to mommy's school and think of it as quite the reward to go by the school every day after swimming lessons, it gives me a good couple of hours before lunch and nap time, if I am lucky! My custodians are rock stars, they painted my walls all shiny and new-ish and helped me cut down, scrounge up, and assemble items from my old room, closets, the portables  into a smaller more condensed version to fit in my new mini room, it will be awesome when we are done.  (I will post pictures soon)

So in honor of  summers in a hot hot hot empty school building climbing step ladders I am leaving a little freebie, who doesn't love freebies?? It may just come in handy when the room is all put together for the first day.  I use this bag topper to give to parents at their kidlet's testing appointment (which we do before their official first day of kindergarten begins).  I fill the bag with a mini tissue pack, a couple heart stickers (kisses), and a poem.

instructions:  Print or copy the bag topper onto colored paper, cut apart, fold, and staple onto your filled goody bags.  The topper has a link to Barnes and Noble Storytime where they can find a copy of the story, The Kissing Hand to listen to together before school starts the first day.

 I make most items I am going to print for the whole class in black and white, I teach two sessions of half day K, that's 40+ kiddos, which equates to A LOT of colored ink. However,  I can post a colored version if you would prefer, just leave me a comment and I will make it happen.