Getting My Classroom In Order: Part 2

All I can say is that today was a LONG day in my classroom and I am worn out! Day 2 proved to be extremely productive. My room is starting to look like a classroom again and I can kind of see the light at the end of the tunnel, but there is still much work left to be done. The good news is that I think once Thursday is over, it will be complete and I can relax for all of a week and half before school starts. Speaking of that, I'm not quite sure where the summer went because it does not seem like two months have passed already. 

 One of the things that I dread most when it comes time to decorate my classroom is my windows. Sure I could just lower the blinds and not give them a second thought, but the perfectionist in me just won't let that happen. I used wrapping paper last year that made things so much easier than bulletin board paper, but I couldn't find any chevron wrapping paper. I decided to use azure blue paper because I thought it works really well with the purple walls.

So many windows to cover.

I measured the windows and cut the paper before taping it to the window pane...did I mention I can't cut a straight line?

Thirty minutes later...why must this be so time consuming?

Paper is done...now onto the border!

I alternated between a lime green and purple border. I really like the finished product!

After finishing the windows, it was time to get the desks arranged and things put back in their place. I must have changed the desk arrangements ten times and I am still not satisfied with them. It doesn't match the grand scheme I had in my head, but I'm just going to have to deal with it. I'll add pictures of that once I am sure though.

One of my amazing friends gave me her chevron contact paper that she had left over from her classroom and I had so many ideas of how I could use it. The first thing I did was redo my front table that had seen better days. I use this table to house my projector and elmo along with random papers and other things. I used the blue chevron contact paper to make it a bit more stylish, but can I tell you it was not as easy as it looks. The paper gets bubbles in it and no matter how much smoothing you do they don't go away completely; however, I still love it!

It's not perfect by any means, but it looks ten times better than before!

I wonder how long this table will stay clean and clutter-free?

After completing the front table, I went to work on my bookcase that I got from another friend at my school. A previous teacher had taken pages from a book and decorated the bookcase with modge podge. It looks unique and fitting in my classroom, but the modge podge was making books stick to the shelves. I decided to use a gray chevron pattern to keep my books from being damaged. If I thought the table was hard, the bookcase was even worse. Thankfully it will always have books on it to hide the imperfections.

It has taken me YEARS to build up my classroom library, but I am very happy with the selections I have now!

After getting the bookcase done and all the books on there, I got to work on updating my Fiction Road Map. I saw this idea on Pinterest last year over Christmas break and knew I wanted it in my classroom, but I knew I couldn't make the beautiful hand painted wooden signs so I created my own. I included some of my favorite fictional places and I really love the updated product. You can get the signs for FREE in my store.

Can you spot the one that's not like the others?

I am in LOVE with this project!

I think The Capitol might be my favorite sign I created!

Thanks to my mom who is ALWAYS there to help out, we were able to divide and conquer the rest of the afternoon. She worked on putting tape on my board so that I could create some more awesome spaces while I worked on my teacher toolbox. I created my teacher toolbox last year and pretty much just did the first thing I thought of. It was cute but not exactly what I wanted. I told myself the entire summer that I was going to redo it, but there was just no motivation until I saw a product from Live Love Math. She created these AMAZING labels that were editable and they were bright and chevron. Exactly what I wanted and needed! I made my labels, printed them out, and laminated them for durability. It took me all of ten minutes to complete.

My old teacher toolbox. The paper was getting funky and it was hard to read the words on each bin.

My new AMAZING teacher toolbox!

The last thing I worked on today was getting my white board decorated. I decided to use a gray chevron border on my board because the other border I got was paper and I know it would get dirty and funky in a short amount of time. On the right side of my smart board, I always use it as another bulletin board. I wanted to use chevron fabric there too, but I wasn't sure how to attach it so I just used the blue paper I bought. I decided to use the purple border to really make the blue background pop. 

I'm still trying to figure out what else to do on this side.

I really LOVE this color combination!

It's a little blurry, but you get the picture :)

As you can see, I made TONS of progress today in my classroom, but there is still a lot to be done. Keep an eye out in the next few days for Getting My Classroom In Order: Part 3! Cross your fingers and wish me luck that this will only be a trilogy!

All Signs Point to A Creative Addition In Your Classroom

If you are like me, you have a slight obsession with all things Pinterest (especially when it comes to your classroom). I can't even begin to name all the great ideas that I have found on Pinterest and used in my classroom, but there is one that is my absolute favorite! I came across this pin last year and knew I had the perfect way to implement it in my classroom. 

Last summer, there were electrical upgrades made to every classroom and they encased all the wiring in these large white cases. I was looking for a way to dress it up and make it a little less of an eye sore in the classroom. This was the perfect solution, but it was made with wood and hand-painted. I am definitely not an artist or capable of creating that. I was a little stumped at first on how I would make my own version of this project come to life. I wanted something cute, creative, and durable.  

So like everything else I got started making my list of what I needed and got to work:

1. I created my list of the fictional places that I wanted to include. These were place from my favorite novels, short stories, films, or television series. Everything from Harry Potter to The Hunger Games to Doctor Who was on the list.

2. I went in search of fonts that were similar to book/movie titles. These signs needed to be completed personalized and instantly recognizable when viewed.

3. I started coming up with color designs to represent each fictional place. For example, I picked  Gryffindor  colors for Hogwarts, Tardis Blue and White for Gallifrey, etc.

4. I began to work on the designs using iWork Keynote. Keynote is a great designing tool and so EASY to use. I used one of the arrow designs and made it large enough to fit on a sheet of regular paper. Then I worked on creating the color scheme and names on each sign until I was satisfied.

5. I printed out each sign and then cut out each sign with scissors. This was probably the toughest part because I am terrible about cutting things out. I never mastered that skill unfortunately. :)

6. I then used my laminator to laminate each sign to make the signs more durable (A personal laminator has been the best asset I have this past school year. I'm not quite sure what I did before it!) 

Here are a few of the fictional signs that I created:

Once I had all the signs printed and laminated, it was time to construct my fiction road map in my classroom. I used duct tape on the back of each sign to attach it to the white cases in my classroom. I really had no plan other than to just stick the sings up there in a random order. Here are some pictures of the fiction road map in my classroom:

One thing I immediately noticed was that I needed a few more signs to add, but it got pushed to the back burner because of all the other things required to do during the school week; however, I finally got around to creating additional signs a few weeks ago (now I just have to print them out and add them!). I'll definitely add those pictures when the new signs are added.

Since I know how popular that pin has been on Pinterest and how many people have complimented the project on my Facebook page, I knew that I wanted to share this with other teachers that would want to have a similar road map in their own classroom. Click here to get these signs for FREE:

If you use these signs, I would LOVE to see pictures of them in your classroom! It's always so amazing how people can take a common thing or idea and put their unique spin on it. Also, I would love suggestions of other fictional places that could be included. What are some of your favorite fictional places?

Until next time, keep that creativity flowing!