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!