Decorating Tips

I have been working hard trying to get my classroom ready for the first day of school, which happens to be Wednesday. It's not completely done yet, but all the little odds and ends should be done by tomorrow. I hope to take some pics to share with all of you.

In the meantime, here are some things I discovered while decorating my classroom:

• Windows--Check if your window sills are magnetic...I wanted to hang things in the window this year, and I discovered that the top of the window sill is actually magnetic. If you are going to hang something light, like student writing, a hook magnet might work. For me, I'm hanging glass terrariums. I used magnetic hooks and outdoor mounting tape. This makes it permanent, but I'm confident it won't fall, which is a really good thing since it's glass. (It is probably a good idea to pop the magnets out first, because the glue holding the magnet in will eventually give way.)
• Concrete brick walls--Clean them with rubbing alcohol...Hanging stuff on those things and keeping them up seems to be a constant battle. I know some teachers in my building use hot glue guns. If you have access to an outlet and a glue gun, try that. I have not tried it, but they all assure me it comes off clean. Me? I discovered from reading different  packages that if you clean the bricks with rubbing alcohol first, it helps things to stick better. It really does work, and then I just use frog tape or painter's tape. (FYI, take the rubbing alcohol home when you're done and clean the walls when the kids aren't around. Kids are not allowed to have access to this. Safety first.)

• Assigning students numbers--Use calendar numbers...A lot of teachers assign their students numbers rather than putting their names on things to allow anonymity, and especially if something is going to be used year after year like a book box. I decided to go with this idea for the things I reuse, but I really didn't want to have to write numbers on everything. I wanted something printed rather than written. A simple solution--use the ready-made calendar numbers (hopefully no one will ever have a class bigger than 31...) They also do sell sticker sheets of just numbers in the scrapbook section at your local hobby store. They didn't seem like a readily available item (I got the last sticker sheet), so it might be better to order online.
• Pinterest--If you are an avid Pinner and are looking for ideas for the classroom, don't forget to check the home section. Most of us are really good at thinking outside the box, and can turn a home idea into something for the classroom. In fact, I get more classroom decorating ideas from there than from the education tab.
• Air Plants--These are what are going in the glass terrariums. They won't be ready before the kids get here, so I'll post it now. To be honest, I'm not a plant person (they usually die on me), but I thought air plants might be a good alternative. If you haven't heard of them, they are rootless plants that you spray or give a "bath" to once per week, and they don't need soil. They are small and come in a lot of different varieties. I'm sure it will provide great learning opportunities, too. If you are going to try them and get the terrariums, the tip is to order "votive candle holders." They are the same as "terrariums," but way cheaper. You can even use those clear plastic tree ornaments. Google it. They are fun!

 

 

Here's a pic of one of my air plants and the terrarium/votive holder. You can keep the terrariums plain like this or add decorative rocks, wood, moss, etc.

That's all for now, hopefully the classroom will be done tomorrow, and you will see pics to help give you some more ideas.

Have fun on the first day of school!!!!!!!

The Birthday Wheel

I needed to get a new sign to post classroom birthdays, but when I looked in the catalogs and at stores, I didn't really see any that caught my eye. I had been using a "birthday wheel" that I had gotten out of an educator's magazine, but it was filled with staple holes, marker stains, and tape remnants. It needed to be replaced.

I took all the things I loved from what I saw of birthday posters, birthday signs, my old "birthday wheel," and things I saw on Pinterest and made what you see. Come the fall, it will get laminated, and I thought I would have the kids get together by month to take a group picture. Then those pictures will get placed in the empty spaces for each month.

I like to use the different "-ology" symbols because:

1. The kids love to look at it and learn what they are.

2. It's great for discussions on symbolism.

3. The kids are reading. There may not be very many words on it, but those are some tough words (especially those flower names), and they are invested in figuring out what they say.

4. It leads to some great discussions and tie-ins when teaching Native Americans and other cultures along with mythology (which is mentioned in the common core).

5. The kids make great connections with the books they read. Those symbols and references to them are found all over literature.

and 6. I just think it's pretty, interesting, and I love making artsy stuff.

The "Date Night" Jar

So here we have the “Date Night” jar, my latest DIY.

Like with most couples, when my husband and I find time for each other we have the age-old conversation:

“What do you want to do?”

“I don’t know. What do you want to do?”

“I don’t know. What do you want to do?”…

So, we decided to try out the “Date Night” jar. It's not a new idea, but it's a good one. The goal is to pick something from the jar to do at least once per week with some all-weekenders put in there, too. Once something’s picked, there’s no turning back (unless, of course, it’s a seasonal activity).

For a list of all our ideas, move on to my DIY page. =)

Funny, when I was making it, my hubby commented on me making it like an elementary teacher would. Go figure. (Of course, I do have something similar for my classroom with the kids names on it. I use it when I want to put them in groups or call on random kids to answer questions. I use it religiously. It helps to keep them focused and paying attention. It also eliminates the idea that I have "favorites" that I call on all the time.)

To commemorate our 11^th anniversary this weekend, we chose to start picking from “the jar.” Our first pick… “Play pool, foosball, or ping-pong.” I’ll keep you updated =)…

If you have any ideas for great date ideas, let me know, and I'll add them to the jar. Have a great weekend!

Decorative Clipboards That Get Used A LOT

I added a new DIY project. We've all probably seen those decorative clipboards with the scrapbook paper and the Mod Podge. I tried making those for the upcoming school year, but I didn't really like them. I thought they were too sticky feeling, which makes sense since Mod Podge is really just a glorified glue. In fact, I was working on them in my Florida room in this summer heat, and I had stacked them when I had finished. Big mistake. They ended up getting stuck together, and when I tried to get them apart, of course, I ripped the paper.

So, I thought--this is not going to work. We never know what the temperature in the room is going to be. Some days it is unbearably hot and other days it's a freezing meat locker. Plus, I thought, just holding it in my hands (which I'm always seen with a clipboard) might make it melt just from body heat.

I really liked the DIY clipboards though, so I came up with my own solution. I decided to use stickers instead of scrapbook paper and no finish. You can get a more instructional look at them from my "DIY tab." I thought it was a good solution. Take a look:

Photoshop Your Students

One of the things I love to do with my students at the beginning of every year is to take their pictures against a solid background so that I can edit them any way I want with my photo editing software later.

Click on my "DIY Page" for instructions on how to do it.

DIY: Desk Name Plate

I finished my first classroom DIY today. I made a new desk nameplate to go with the color scheme I chose for next year (pink and BROWN). I can't wait to put it on my desk. It's so cute, I'm hoping it will help me to keep my desk de-cluttered this year. A parent had given me the wooden cubes a few years ago for art along with a whole storage box full of other wooden ornaments from eggs and acorns to banister knobs and clothespins. We used a lot of it in art club, an after-school club I've supervised, but there still seems to be a whole boxful. I will have to look into what else I can make with all those wood ornaments. There are some mushrooms in there that I could use for something to go with my theme...maybe smurf houses? Will see...

When I went to buy the terracotta pots at the craft store (60 cents each, YES!), I also found some 30% off beads, so I bought a bunch of those. I'm thinking of making some beaded curtains to decorate the windows for my next DIY...
Here's a pic of my name plate.