Do you get overwhelmed when it’s time to set up your classroom?
Don’t we all! One of the best things I have found to help me feel less overwhelmed when I first walk into my classroom is to have my decor theme planned, prepped and ready to go!
I LOVE decor themes and so do my students! My students enjoy seeing the theme mixed throughout the room. My favorite thing is when they comment randomly about the topic throughout the year!
What are some of my go to themes?
I’ve tried a lot of different themes over the years, but some of my favorite themes and other popular themes are. Links included to some of my decor sets:
- Travel Theme
- Pirate Theme
- Superhero Theme
- Amusement Park Theme
- Race Car Theme
- Camping Theme
- Ocean Theme
- Owls Theme
- Safari Theme
Maybe you’d rather have a more ‘color’ theme rather than a topic! Your students will love any color theme you choose! Pick a theme like Brights or Pastels and decorate!
You can make your theme as LARGE scale or SMALL scale as you want! I’ve seen full sized camping tents in classrooms or you can just print a few decorations and add them throughout your room! The best part of decor is that YOU can choose what you want and how much you want to use!
When I first started teaching, I used to go to the local Teacher Store, buy some bulletin board pieces, laminate, hang and I was done. Sadly, in my area most of the Teacher Stores are all gone. So now, I find that if I want a new decor theme, I usually have to purchase it from Teachers Pay Teachers, print, cut, laminate and prepare it myself! That may sound like a lot, but the best part is there are SO many more choices this way and I can pick and choose to print only the parts I want to use. Even better, most of the sets on Teachers Pay Teachers are EDITABLE too!
Now that you’ve chosen your theme, purchased a set from Teachers Pay Teachers, you are ready to start prepping!!
First, you’ve got to go through and decide what you want to print. Don’t just print everything! I like to make a list of page numbers I am planning to print.
Next, make sure you have ink in your printer. Nothing is worse then sending your job to the printer to find out 20 pages later than none of it printed right because you were out of ink! Oh No!
Don’t forget to DOUBLE CHECK your printer settings before printing also. If the file you are printing from is a PDF, make sure that you have chosen “FIT TO SIZE” or “SHRINK OVERSIZED” pages or else some of your page MAY get cut off when printing!
I often print pages where I know students may interact with the pieces on cardstock for added durability! Most of my posters and signs I just print on regular paper and then laminate!
LAMINATE! LAMINATE! LAMINATE!
After you print and cut out everything, you don’t want all your hard work to go to waste because something gets ripped or torn. If you have access to a laminator, I would suggest you laminate everything! If you don’t have access to a laminator, then it might be best to try and use cardstock.
I have this Swingline Laminator at home that we picked up at the local office store, but I am also lucky enough to have a full sized laminator at my school to use for my classroom.
LAMINATING ALTERNATIVE — use clear adhesive paper! I have done this SOOO many times in the past. It is a bit tricky to keep all the bubbles out of the adhesive paper, but it does help to protect your work better than not covering it at all!
Add some special touches! Check out your local home goods stores and see if they have anything that fits your theme! Find authentic items to add to your classroom and help bring the real world into the hands of your students.
For instance, doing a travel theme? Bring maps or real travel photographs into your classroom! Don’t have any? Try printing some free ones from websites like unsplash.com! Bring the real world to life in your classroom!
Once everything is ready to go, it’s time to have fun decorating your room!!
What theme will you choose?
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