I can’t believe school is starting in less than 2 weeks, where did summer go?! My summer flew by because we did this thing called marriage and it made this summer go soo fast in the best way! I teach first grade, if you didn’t know and teachers start back to work this coming Tuesday. Nothing excites me more than getting my classroom ready for my new firsties! I love creating an environment in my classroom that is bright, happy and welcoming and I wanted to share how I do that!
I am not kidding when I say that almost everything you will see in the coming pictures is from Target(mostly dollar section). As a teacher, I definitely look for low prices and affordable pieces to decorate my classroom while still making it look complete. I know some teachers have a “theme” for their classroom but as a first year teacher, I was told to keep it simple because you can easily get tired of a theme. I do kinda have a sunshine thing going on but it would easily be changed to another theme if I wanted to because the majority of my class is simply just bright colors. I basically live in these 4 walls from August to May so I definitely want it to be a place I love and feel happy in as well as the kids.
tip #1: use a shower curtain to add something fun to a plain wall!
tip #2: We used tulle to create a sun at the top of my classroom wall and I love the depth it gives the space!
tip #3: use a letter board to add a fun message for your new class! I got this pink one in the dollar section for $3!
tip #4: To hang kids work, I love using a bulletin border and clothespins! It is SOO easy to hang, I just staple the border and then hot glue clothespins an equal distance apart and voila, an easy, cute way to display work throughout the year in a space that you might not have thought to use!
tip #5: decorate your desk space so you have something fun to look at too! My desk is in a corner and adding this fun little gallery wall to my space feels home-y and adult-ish lol!
tip #6: use ribbon and paper clips to hang pictures of your family, friends, students as a reminder of why you do what you do!
Because I don’t have a theme, I am all about COLOR! I love anything rainbow and bright for my class and these wooden teach letters are from the Target dollar section and I love putting them in my window!
tip #7: Go to the Target dollar section, buy ALLL the banners. I don’t know about you but my classroom is exploding with fun, bright banners and the BEST selection is the Target dollar spot. They are usually 1-3 dollars and are super easy to put together. I bought this bright banner and the polka dot felt letter stickers all from the dollar spot and it made for the cutest window decor. Basically, the more banners, the better in my opinion!
tip #8: This is new this year but for guided reading, I wanted to be more organized with how I kept up with each group’s books for the week. I am going to be using these Target dollar spot yellow crates and I attached these clothespin/dry erase tags to write down each reading team’s names so that I can keep my guided reading books organized each week! I also use a big crate(pink) and hanging file folders to document each student’s progress and keep all of their assessments/data!
tip #9: This was actually a gift for graduation from my cousins but it is THE best thing in my classroom. If you don’t have one of these, you are missing out! My cousin just printed these labels and taped them on the inside of the drawers and spray painted the organizer from Lowe’s!
tip #10: Use hand signals!!! As a first grade teacher, the amount of questions and interruptions in one day are countless and to keep me sane and the class on task, I LOVE using class hand signals. I teach these on the first day of school and my kids catch on to them sooo fast! I just found these off of Pinterest, laminated them and stapled them to my wall!
tip #11: Desk organization is key. It is where I spend a lot of time and I need it be neat and organized! I find soo many great desk accessories in the Target dollar section like this desk planner(only $5!!!)
And how cute are these apple succulents? What a fun way to decorate the top of a filing cabinet!!
And here’s more colorful, fun things I found at the dollar spot including this calendar that I laminated to last longer!
Basically, keep it simple, go to the dollar section and make sure you feel happy in your classroom, your kids will too! Good luck to all my teachers out there starting back to school soon, WE CAN DO IT!
XOXO, LPOC
Send some love!