We also learned at the end of last year that it's important for students to have a hand in "decorating" the classroom and dictating what gets put up on the walls.
Enter: student work display area
I had this BRILLIANT idea that I wanted the students to choose their own quality work, based on their own judgement of what is quality, and display it in the room for everyone to see. But where was I going to put it? The only open space that could fit 27 works of art was here:
I had run across a pin on Pinterest where the lady tied ribbon vertically around each cupboard, using a clothespin to hold it up, but it wouldn't have provided ample space for each students' work of art. Plus, if they had heavy artwork they would want to display from art, it probably would fall down.
So I came up with a brilliant idea.
I collected the following supplies:
- scrapbook paper (I used solid bright colors)
- rustic twine (there's another name for this, but I don't remember)
- clothespins
- masking tape
I found the scrapbook, masking tape, and clothespins at Walmart. It'll total you about $8 for all of it. I also had the twine leftover from my wedding, but I know I purchased it at Hobby Lobby for a small price.
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| the scrapbook paper I found at Walmart |
I first hung up the paper using masking tape loops on the back. I didn't want the tape to show. I also used masking tape because it's easier to remove from the cabinet doors than scotch tape. Note: you will not be using this paper to hold anything up. It's for decoration only.
Then I took my twine and measured out how much I needed to make it HORIZONTALLY around the door, for each square. I then pre-cut all of my twine so that the process would go faster.
I tied it within the first two inches of the paper and added a clothespin in the middle. Because it's twine, it also has grip, so I tested moving it up further and it held its place with paper weight added.
It took me maybe a total of 30 minutes to do all 27 squares. Here's the [almost] finished product:
I still have to add names, but since it's still two weeks before training week, I don't have my full class list. They will be attached separately, in case the name needs to be removed (for example: a student moving, or a new student.)
I love the color it adds to the room - and they get to decide what goes up there! Woot!
BONUS POST!
As I wrote earlier, I will not have any desks in my room. I needed a way for students to store their notebooks and folders. Because I've already spent quite a bit of my own money on my classroom this year, I wanted a budget friendly way to handle this. So I went and purchased 4 different colored crates, along with colorful hanging files (for a grand total of $20). Students will be assigned to a crate, which will make transition time easier. I spread the crates out so there won't be a huge stampede to just.one.crate. (See last picture of display area above.) I'm also going to use these groups in other areas. For example, I could say, "Blue group, please line up for specials." Or, I could use them for dismissal time too. I'm super excited!
P.S. I have a super plan in place for their actual school supplies. Unfortunately, it will be arriving after school starts, so look for a future post on that!
Love,
Mrs. Larson
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