Classroom Theme and Giveaway

I love decorating, both my home and my classroom. When it comes to classroom decor, I have used Schoolgirl Style for the past 4 years.

It started in my 2nd grade classroom on the island of Lanai in 2013 when I used the Rainbow Chalkboard collection. I love the bright colors and it mixed perfectly with my black fabric bulletin boards, freshly painted black bookcases, and bright colored accents.

I even used some of the signs to label areas in the computer lab!

When we moved to Maui and I got a transfer to a school in Lahaina teaching first grade, I wanted an under the sea Eric Carle theme to match my new ocean rug from Kid Carpet. So I combined the Bugs and the Ocean collections.

Then, I learned about our neighborhood school (I had been commuting 45 mins to an hour each way). It's arts-integrated, a newer building with AC, and full of passionate teachers. I needed to be a part of it! They offered me fifth grade and I happily accepted the challenge. I went for the Flamingo Watercolor collection to create a calming, yet fun environment. I used the same curtains from my Lahaina classroom and I brought the ocean rug up to 5th grade, too. The kids liked laying on it to read because it is so soft. I also kept the same library bins, although I had to get almost all new books. I added a bunch of alternative seating options, such as pillows, a pub height table with stools, a lowered table with stools, a elastic strip chair, and a large bean bag.

Front of the room.

Notice the READ letters on the wall from my 2nd grade classroom on Lanai and the fabric bunting on the windows from my 3rd grade classroom in Oregon!

Other corner showing the library.

I loved working with upper grades and re-learning the standards myself. I can say that I am SO much better and more confident in math than I ever have been! Thank you visual strategies! But at the end of the year when my principal needed to move an upper grade teacher to a new section of 1st grade and asked me, I jumped at the chance to be with the little ones again. My husband wasn't so happy about helping me move classrooms, yet again, but cest la vie.

I brought back the black fabric for my bulletin boards and wanted to mesh the Rainbow Chalkboard collection with the Watercolor Flamingo form last year. The result was actually Melanie's newest collection: Color My Classroom! It's perfect, too, because of all the art cutouts!