Yesterday we made summer journals by taking a regular composition notebook and covering it in stylish Duck Tape. We are schooling one day a week throughout the summer and journaling will be a great way to keep their writing skills sharp and their creative minds turning. To get them excited about the upcoming year, I had them work on a list of field trips they would like to take this year and what they would like to learn there.
Renovation has begun in the classroom. We chose a color to match our fabric choices perfectly. I cannot wait to get the valances made.
I have spent months searching for a large whiteboard for our classroom everywhere from large office supply stores to Craigslist and cannot seem to find one that is affordable. Most of these run anywhere from $250-$400 for a good one. I came across another homeschooling blog who posted an idea that I thought was brilliant so I took that idea and ran with it making it 10 times better. Home Depot sells something called a Thrifty White Board. They are $12.86 and come in a 4x8 foot panel. They work fabulous with Expo Dry Erase markers. Measure out the size you would like your white board to be and Home Depot will cut it for you. I had mine cut to 4x6 so that it fit perfectly on the far wall and also in our van for transport. You can adhere it with a TON of Command strips or you can purchase a box of white board nails and nail it to the wall. We are nailing it because we are purchasing trim to frame the outside of it.
We were very choosy when it came to the color and theme of our classroom because this is a place where we will be spending most of our "awake" time from now on. We wanted bright, vibrant colors and fun patterns to give us a happy feeling when we are in our learning environment. Here are the fabrics we have chosen and will be hard at work designing our masterpieces soon.
In looking for desks, I had to take a few things into consideration. I wanted my kids to be comfortable considering they eill be sitting in them everyday and I wanted something that would last them at least until High School so little elementary desks were out of the question. I also wanted something with room for pens, pencils etc. and I needed them small enough so that I could fit 3 in a row in my classroom. Lastly cost was important. When buying three the money adds up quick so I needed tp stay within my budget of $25 per desk. Here is what I found...
IKEA $17.99
I came in under budget and it has everything they need.
