Got $12? How About a Classroom Makeover!

I can't believe some teachers are soon to be finished for the year!  Here in Massachusetts (well, this city, anyway), thanks to Nemo the kids don't get out until June 26.  Feels like FOREVER.  Although now that the state testing pressures are off, I can refocus my energies on poor, neglected little Social Studies and Science, woohoo! 

In order to breathe some life into the classroom during a school year that runs the risk of feeling really, really long, I did a little freshening up right before the state tests.  Some of you may remember the before that I posted at the start of the year.  I kept the same color scheme since our desks are teal, the bookshelves are blue and green, the walls are white and the floor is brown.  However I saw these fantastic tablecloths at CVS for $2 each!  I thought they'd add a new punch of color and let me join the "cover your shelving with fabric club" that so many teachers in my building and the blogosphere have been doing.  So here are my upgrades:

The round table got a round tablecloth of course, and I put some double sided tape in 8 spots around the circumference.  It seems to be staying in place very well. 

Behind that I took a rectangular tablecloth, folded it in half, and put Duck Tape on the fold at the top.  This gave it some durability when I hole punched it.  

I got the tiniest size of those 3M hooks for the edge (I think I used 4 in total).  This way I can easily remove when needed.

For my shelves near my desk, it's hard to envision the full effect all the way across (with my desk there in the middle), but I did a solid blue in the center, and then the striped panels on the ends.  For those I accidentally got round tablecloths!  D'oh!  So I cut each one in half, folded it, and again, Duck Taped the top where I'd cut for durability.  The little hooks make it easy to get to the books underneath.

 For the kids' shelves I decided to leave half of it open so they could find things more easily.  For indoor recess I told them to remove the panels so they don't rip.  I also used those little plastic hole-punch reinforcements applicators for even more durability. 

I had 2 panels left, so I put them over at the computer table.  We only ever use the middle computer anyway; the others each have their own little "quirk" that makes them undesirable. 

Finally, not really an upgrade in decor, other than to keep my "dotted table" a lot more organized, was the Morning Meeting Kit.  Previously all those things were spread out on the table and it looked messy.  Now we have the Shares Sign Up board, a whiteboard with marker and eraser, character education information, and a ball for games. 

I LOVE it, and I don't know why I didn't think of this earlier!  This vertical storage works so much better than the tub I put there first. 

Did anyone else feel the need to spruce up their classroom decor this spring? 

And do you have an Instagram account yet?  I just gave it a try!  You can follow me at:  http://instagram.com/amberthomas7 

I am also linking up with What the Teacher Wants:

If you have never used Instagram before (like me 3 weeks ago) you need to download the app for your iThing or Android device.  From there you can set up an account, take some pictures, edit them, and post them on Instagram (it's often likened to Facebook in that it's all about sharing and followers and what-have-you).

Now I know what you're thinking.  Why bother?

Well, I'm bothering because I love to look at other people's classrooms.  :)  So if you love to get ideas about classroom setup and decor, you'll probably want to join in!

I already do so on Pinterest.  And I think Instagram will become an even better medium for this since you can post instantly.  Pinterest is great too, for websites and full blog posts.  But if you like just the visuals, it seems like this will be another great medium for you.  At least that's how I see it.  :) 

Setting Up My Classroom

This is the first year in about 5 years that I've been able to set up my classroom at my leisure.  

Previously, I'd be calling at the beginning of July asking if the floors were done and furniture back in so that I could get it all done before my trip to England to visit my fiancé.  But now that he's living here (we got married in February) I've been able to go in as often as I please (he even came in with me to clean all the desks!) 

I've kept my lime green, teal, and white theme since it goes well with the existing colors in the room.  These photos are from 2 years ago but they're mostly the same:

I wish my desk stayed that neat all year!

If you can't tell, I got the inspiration for my classroom color scheme (and blog theme!) from this tablecloth (a Target special, haha).

I chose these colors mostly to tone down the pre-existing 70s color scheme of brownish floors, avocado bookshelves, and teal student chairs/desks.

I think the overall look is harmonious and cheerful, so until they switch out the furniture and give me the thumbs up to paint the shelves, the theme stays!

 And I've kept most of the layout the same, though I've added a few upgrades here and there.  One small thing I'm proud of is my hand sanitizer bathroom passes (available for purchase in my TPT store).  I think back to all the times my passes got lost, or worse...WET) and attempting to use unpleasant but memorable passes, like a globe (my principal at the time did not see the humor in that).  Finally a colleague tipped me off:  have them leave the pass on their desk.  No more lost passes!  Well, that worked perfectly well last year; I didn't have to replace those bathroom passes (which you can download free!) once. 

But then I found an even better idea: wrap your bathroom pass around a bottle of hand sanitizer!  I'll keep you posted, but I'm excited about this little nugget.  I used to keep a bottle beside the bathroom passes, but I'm hoping that if they actually have to pick them up, they'll be much more likely to use them if they forgot to wash. 

The next thing I always have to rearrange slightly is my classroom library.  Since I always buy new books, I have to alter my book bins and labels.  

 I've got the baskets in an order that's workable for me, but the labels are in need of a refresh.  I have a few new series in need of pictures, the font is not clear enough far away, some are not even laminated, and the pink and purple have got to go!  I'll keep you posted on these as well.

The next little upgrade was my homework board.  Originally I had manila sentence strips with labels, but this year I used my book shelf label design to upgrade the look.

I wish my white board was magnetized so that I could use these for the schedule as well, but this is a nice start.

Finally, I upgraded my hallway bulletin board.  The leaves are the same as usual; I made those years ago because there are fewer things that make me as feel happy to be alive as a sunny day of foliage-watching in the fall.

Names blurred to protect student privacy

Well, my old yellow fabric was ratty, my border didn't really go, and my store-bought sparkly gold letters looked dated.

So I made leafy letters that coordinated and changed out the rest.

We (teachers only) start back next week and already I'm just about ready for the students to start back.  I might even have time to do a few more fun Pinterest inspired projects before they arrive. 

Anyone else excited about "classroom upgrades" for the new year? Join our Linky Party!