I've recently become addicted to pocket charts! I decided to count how many were in my room one day...and take pictures. This is the result. Hope it gives you some ideas for your own classroom!

1. We use a two column pocket chart for milk count everyday! The children sign in on "Name Tickets" (index cards cut to size) and put their names under chocolate or white milk.

2. This is my "Giving Tree". On each apple is written the name of something we need in the classroom...from markers and gluesticks, to yogurt containers and an electric pencil sharpener. Parents can check the tree, take an apple, and send the item in with their child. It works really well!

3. This is a mini chart that I use with small groups when we do "Make A Word" Lessons. I Highly recommend the following books for making words lessons. Click on the book covers to read more about these books at Amazon.com.

4. I have used this school bus chart for several different things. Right now it is part of my "Math Bin" rotation. When the children finish their morning workshops, they choose a math bin to work with. This chart tells the children which color of math bin they can choose from today. I rotate the colors every night.

5. This is a pocket chart I use during "The Name Game". We choose a name from the basket, I cut the letters apart, and the child puts his "puzzle name" back together again. The chosen child then leads a cheer with their name ("Give me a B!...") using the microphone in the lower left hand corner of the picture. We also fill out the "All About Me" chart that you can see a small part of in the left hand part of the picture. This is all part of the Building Blocks "Month by Month" book...probably the single most important book for any kindergarten teacher in my opinion!

6. This is my rotation chart for literacy centers. I do 2 rotations a day. The kids work at the centers while I work with 2-4 children in Guided Reading groups.

7. These are both charts I bought from Lakeshore. I know, I know...the one on the left is not a pocket chart...it's actually a velcro chart...but mostly I wanted to show how I use the back of my furniture for pocket chart space!

8. This is one of those 10 dollar pocket charts I bought at Walmart in August. I cut it to fit on the back of this shelf, and use it for various games. This one is "Find the Rhyming Pair" using clipart from Djinkers.

9. Another Lakeshore pocket chart. This one for beginning sounds.

10. One more Lakeshore chart. This is also for beginning sounds. I love the size of these. They fit perfectly on the back of my wooden kitchen set. Great use for that space!

11. My hundred days chart. I made numbers on my computer with a colored dot for each day. Each row has a different pattern. The kids try and figure out the pattern each day. 1-10 was red, blue, red...11-20 was yellow, yellow blue...and they got progressively harder.

12. This is the other half of that cut up Walmart chart. I use this for "Teacher Choice" centers. When the children finish snack, they go check the chart to see what their "Teacher Choice" is for the day. They stay in that center for the first 10 minutes of center time, before they can move on for free choice. I rotate the centers, as well as the group combinations. This ensures me that everyone is getting to all the centers I want them to visit in a week, as well as interacting with different groups of children....and it still gives them the total "Free Choice" that I think is SO important for most of center time.

13. Another Lakeshore chart. (I need to buy stock in that company!) It came with several different nursery rhyme sets...along with cards to match words individually. One of my projects for this summer is to make some more sets using other rhymes...one for each week.

14. I wish I would have gotten this calendar pocket chart a lot sooner! I LOVE it! I've used calendars with velcro, tape, that yellow sticky stuff...this is so much easier and "neater" looking than any of the others I think. I used printable transparency paper to make squares to put with special days...holidays, no school days, field trips, birthdays, etc. You can then see them before the day comes as well as after it has gone by.

15. My last little chart is my counting the days chart. We use straws to count the days up to 100. After the 100th day, we count the days using money.

Some books about Pocket Charts (click on the picture to read more at Amazon.com):