While everyone is headed back to school, I thought I'd share a few little tips that have helped my classroom setup TREMENDOUSLY over the years. You might have already seen these before, but just in case you haven't, I thought I'd share them again :) Whatever helps....right?!?!!
Last year I added command hooks in all of my academic areas with the intention of storing my anchor charts for each of those subjects. I just attached the anchor charts to binder rings for hanging. That turned out to be one of the best things I did for my classroom! My kids were easily able to access all of our anchor charts so when they had a question about something, I'd just say "go use your resource to answer that." :) LOVED it!!!
I've always taught in schools with walls that were beyond easy to staple. I was stumped when I moved to my new classroom and had 3 cinder block walls and a partition wall that would only take the staple gun staples. Totally stumped. While I was in Hobby Lobby one day, it hit me!! Add cork to the walls to create small and manageable bulletin boards! The cork easily hot glued to the walls and stayed up beautifully all year long. I just covered it with bulletin board paper like normal. The cork wasn't very thick, but it held tacks and staples just fine. This was such a lifesaver for me!!! I loved being able to change out the kids' work each couple of weeks without damaging the paper!!
For the one bulletin board I do have in the room, I quickly made these little clothespins. Instead of stapling into the bulletin board each time I wanted to display work, I could easily hang things from the clothespins. Adhering the tacks to the backside of the pins allowed for many mistakes and minimal damage to the board itself :)
Remember earlier when I told you I was stumped when I saw those cinder block walls?! Well, when I was first decorating the room, I kept hanging things with hot glue and then didn't like the way it looked. When I'd go to remove those things from the wall, the poster/paper would rip and tear and the torn pieces were stuck to the wall and would NOT come off {without lots of elbow grease of course.} SO, I started using painter's tape and ohmiword. Answered prayer. Just adhere the painter's tape to the backside of whatever it is you're going to hang and then hot glue on top of the tape. When you go to remove the poster/paper, it will EASILY come off the wall and leave NO damage behind!!!
Hope these tips are helpful!! Happy back to school season!!!
This is amazing! I don't have much bulletin board space in my classroom and the corkboard idea is definitely a must do this year. Thanks!
ReplyDeleteThese ideas are all great! Thanks for the tips!
ReplyDeleteHey Cara! Love all these awesome tips! I saw your suggestion about using blue painters tape on the walls and had a question. This year I'm moving into a new building and they have strict rules that we are not allowed to hang anything on the brand new walls unless it is attached with blue painters tape. Since this type of tape is designed to be temporary and only stay up for a few weeks, I'm worried that this may mean my posters will all fall down every few weeks or so. In your experience, how well and how long does the painter's tape actually stay up?
ReplyDeleteKindly,
Theresa
First Grade Is Sweet!
Cara,
ReplyDeleteLOVE tip #1! I never know what to do with the chart papers once they are done being "immediately" used. I have seen many different ways to store for kids to reference, but none have tickled my fancy! This is a FABULOUS idea! Definitely a keeper! Something so simple, yet so GREAT! Thank you.
Kaitlin
K&C Love Grade 3
Fun tips! We're also loving the anchor chart idea! That's a great idea to keep them handy for referring back to later!
ReplyDelete:) Tamra and Sarah
First Grade Buddies
Great tips! I use the clothespins on our cork strips that we have in the hallway to hang student work. It makes it so much easier to change out student work that I want to display in the hallway.
ReplyDeleteBrandy Withers
Firstie Kidoodles
I really like the cork boards and clips ideas! I haven't heard them before. Thanks for sharing!
ReplyDeleteAshley
teachinginbroncocountry.blogspot.com
I have three cinderblock walls and a wall of windows in my classroom. I love my window, but the rest is really difficult to hang things from! I love the idea of the cork rolls. Thanks!
ReplyDeleteErin
Short and Sassy Teacher
GENIUS! Cara Carroll, just when I think I can't love you even more you come up with some more brilliance. Seriously, this is wonderfulness wrapped up in "ah ha"!. A. I have walls that need some straight up loving but do not staple. Hello instant bulletin board and painters tape with glue gun. B. Clothes pins= adorable and useful. C. Command hooks please. enough said. Thank you!
ReplyDeleteThanks for the tips!! I had NOT heard these before.
ReplyDeleteWill the hot glue come off without pulling off the paint on cinder block? What about tile walls? I thought about hot gluing clothespins to the ceramic tiles outside of my classroom for displaying student work....Can I do that without damaging the walls and will I be able to remove them?
ReplyDelete