Skip to main content

Getting Started: Step Three

Ok, this is the moment that you have been waiting for. You have been on a shopping spree, been busily printing, laminating, sticking and gluing and now you are ready to... hang your displays!

But maybe you are feeling a little bit lost... not quite sure what is needed... and just want to get something up on the walls. I will start from the start (a good place to begin) and will give you a few hints and tips to get you going with a simple display. An equipment list will be at the bottom of the post to help you to assemble your gear.

1. You will probably have four key display areas: Math; Discovery/Topic Studies; Art; Literacy (Literacy can then be split into Reading and Writing). For each area you will need some kind of definition of space- like a background color and borders, plus a title for the display. Stick with easy titles ('Math' will always be Math, whether you are studying fractions or square roots). I like to have each area with its own color scheme if possible.
2. Use thumbtacks to hang your background fabric (see Step One for the fabric debate). Thumbtacks mean that you can re-position and alter the fabric as needed. If necessary, use sharp scissors to trim the fabric. Once its in place, attach to the wall using staples (you don't need too many, as the staples in the border will also hold the fabric up). Tip: Try for a solid color of fabric- patterns and pictures can be overwhelming.
3. Use thumbtacks to hang the border around the area. Try to cover the edges of the fabric with the border. Try not to trim the border pieces too much- otherwise your stash will consist of a million tiny bits of border eventually. Once you are happy with it, staple it down. Tip: try using other items as borders- wide ribbon, child-decorated cardboard, old magazine pictures, bunting, flax strips (available from emporiums/ Spotlight). I found a mesh ribbon available in emporiums which can be good.
4. Hang your curriculum area title- it doesn't need to be in the middle, at the top either. Teacher resource centers have awesome pop-out letters for $10-$13 a packet. However, its easy enough to print out your own. I like to cut mine out of interesting wrapping paper/ scrap-booking paper/ thin fabric and laminate for durability.

Once these basics are up, you may want to hang some 'place-holder' resources until you are ready to hang student work.

This is the most simple and easy to create classroom display. Of course you can be way more creative and innovative with what you do- but this is a basic display that will stand you in good stead!

Key Equipment for hanging displays:
*Staple Gun*Staples (try dollar shops for cheaper options)*Thumbtacks*Small spirit level (dollar shop)*Sharp Scissors*Backing fabric*Borders*Title*Pliers (for removing mistakes)*Chocolate*

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

A Plague Upon All Your Houses

I find Math to be an absolute headache in terms of resource management. There is never enough resources, occasionally too many, and they are often in bad repair. This is why my next few posts are about Math resources. Enjoy! As I teach in NZ and follow the Numeracy Projects, place value houses are a common material to work with. I printed mine off A4 size from http://www.nzmaths.co.nz/sites/default/files/Numeracy/2007matmas/Bk4/MM%204_11.pdf . Each 'house' was copied onto a different coloured paper, and then cut out and laminated. I didn't cut them out again after laminating, as it made it easier to punch a hole in the corner and thread a ring through (are they 'magazine' rings?).  My awesome set can now hang from the wall if there is space. No more scrunching up in the bottom of a drawer! They are also really quick and easy to unclip and use, then pack up again. I started off using a whiteboard pen to write the digits directly onto the laminated charts

10 Alternatives to Plastic Counters

Shifting classrooms always requires a scramble to inventory current equipment and to replace those old regulars that you use a lot. I know that almost every classroom must need counters at some point in time! Having a range of alternatives can often pique children's interest, but can be a budgetary stretch at the same time. Here are 10 alternatives that I have rustled up with a minimum cost. 1. Smooth stones come ready made and freely available from your local beach or stony river. Small pebbles are perfect as game tokens, or collected for use in Math lessons. They look great with stickers and glitter glued on and are REALLY durable. However, they can be heavy when stored en masse. 2. Wooden shapes are available in packs of 12-20 from your local dollar shop. These are particularly awesome to use for number stories (i.e. 6 bumble bees were sitting on a flower and 3 flew back to the hive, how many were left?). They are more durable than paper cut outs, intriguing and reasonabl

Handy Dandy Glue Pots

Crafting almost always requires glue. Hot glue, paste, PVA... we school teachers love them all. However, they can be a messy wee substance to manage. So here is a teeny tiny tip for keeping your PVA manageable... milk bottle tops! Milk bottle tops are plentiful, free and don't take up much storage space. They are easy to collect, and are darn useful. When using them as mini glue pots, I like them because they don't hold much (less waste), you can throw them out after one use (easy clean-up), and they are easy to prepare, so you can have many of them scattered around the room if necessary. In the photo, I have used cotton wool buds (new ones) as glue applicators, and found them really good. In the past, I have also used scraps of cardboard, strips cut from ice-cream container lids... almost anything, except paintbrushes. Glue tends to ruin paintbrushes very quickly.