Another Year begins

I can't believe that summer is winding down already, and it's time to get back to work. In my last post, I talked about some thoughts I had regarding the start of this new year.  One being my request to Donor's Choose in order to beef up my reading spot, and make it bigger, and more condusive to big and small groups of all ages.  It's not completely funded yet, so if you or someone you know is willing or able to help I'd sure appreciate it. In the meantime, I re-organized my books, and sorted them for better access by the kiddos.  It's a simple sticker matching system which I hope at least helps the books stay in the right bin.  I am still playing with table arrangements, in order to better group my students. 

I am super excited about how the entrance to my room is looking though.  Some ideas (like the potato head parts) were from pinterest. 

Finally, about a year ago this time, I was sent a sampling of "Smart Fab".  I was asked to try it out, and give my thoughts.  But, I was returning from Maternity leave, and just didn't get around to it.  I used it this year in setting up my bulletin boards for the hallway. So, here goes.  I found pros and cons.  It is a very lightweight fabric, which cuts and staples easily, and makes for a nice backdrop on a bulletin board.  Because it's fabric, you can either stretch it tight, or manipulate it to get some fun movement.  It is kind of thin though; since my bulletin boards are still pretty new, and unscarred, this was not an issue for me. In my old classroom, where the boards were older than I, and marked up with markers, staples, and pencil holes, I'm not sure there would have been enough coverage without using multiple layers.  The colors are really bright: I'm looking forward to seeing how they hold up over the school year. And I'm curious about using the leftovers from the bulletin boards to weave with.  All in all, it's a fun find, which could have a lot of uses in an art room.  For that matter, I think it could be a good addition to a simple theater set. 

I think it's going to be a great year, I begin my 18th  year this August, and I gotta say, I'm still just as excited to get back and set up as I was the first year.  Here's hoping you can say the same. 

This board was created with 2 colors of Smart Fab-not completely happy with the draping yet, but that's a me issue, not the Smart Fab

Found the Horizontal/Vertical idea on Pinterest.