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Post by 950nancy on Aug 8, 2014 3:20:57 GMT
My room is very fluff and I love it. I've had it for years and after the first couple of days no one is distracted. Kids come back and tell me how much they loved it.
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Post by kattock on Aug 8, 2014 3:25:52 GMT
Merge - A couple of years ago, I started using hot glue to stick laminated posters, borders, etc., to my walls. As long as the poster is laminated, it stays on the wall until I want to take it down, and then it pops rights off the wall. The glue sticks to the laminate and not to the wall - no residue whatsoever! Plus, the posters stay up no matter how humid it is. I can't remember where I saw that tip, but it has worked beautifully. I'd test it out on a small item on your own wall first, though, for your own peace of mind
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Post by julieinmd on Aug 8, 2014 4:25:26 GMT
We don't have any trouble with the fire marshal over the fabric - they are much more concerned with excessive paper on the walls. For that very reason we cannot get too carried away with covering up all our wall space. I usually restrict myself to using the bulletin board space and cover the edges of the background fabric with borders. I put things up as they are needed so I don't start out with every poster and chart up at once. I don't like to teach in a classroom that is too busy with colors and eye candy. I like orderly, neat, and tastefully decorated places. I find my students enjoy that as well. Everything in the classroom has a purpose because it is a serious place for learning. At the same time it is a comfortable and happy place for learning.
I'm not sure what I would do about the lack of bulletin board space. I hate those white boards with a passion and would much prefer to have the old chalkboards. If the white boards are magnetic then I think you have some options. You know, you can also get some wallpaper paste and "glue the fabric to the whiteboard with that. I used to "glue" fabric to the walls in military base housing with wallpaper paste a lot to decorate because our home was made of the same old ugly cinderblocks that most schools are. When it is time to take the fabric down just get a spray bottle, fill it with water, and spray the heck out of the fabric. It will get wet and peel off the whiteboard easily. Then you can throw the fabric in the washer, get a bucket of soapy water and wash down the whiteboard, and no harm done. I would think you could use the magnets even with the fabric on the whiteboard. Just make sure you get water soluble wallpaper paste. I don't know if water would harm the whiteboard but I don't see why it would. You can even use a hairdryer to speed up the drying process so the board isn't wet for long when you apply the wallpaper paste.
As for hanging stuff on my cinderblock walls in the classroom, I also use a glue gun. It doesn't seem to be affected by humidity/heat/cold. The principal doesn't like it because sometimes it pulls the paint from the wall when I remove the poster but so does a lot of other adhesive. Most times it isn't a problem at all. I do not use the glue gun during the day while students are at school because I never want to run the risk of a student getting hurt.
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Post by dualmaestra on Aug 8, 2014 6:05:59 GMT
We have lots of rules and get checked at least once a year by the fire marshall. Fabrics must be sprayed with fire retardant, but they prefer they be treated professionally (which is pricey). I wish my room was cute and organized like those on Pinterest, however we only have about 5 days to get our rooms unpacked and ready before students come, along with everything else we need to do to get ready. Aside from the time, I don't have the money to spend on my classroom to make it cute. I spend several hundred in the summer just buying the supplies that are not provided for us by the school. With recent budget cuts, we cannot stay later than the office is opened, 4:00 because we no longer have evening custodians. Instead there is a night crew that goes from school to school. We happened to be first and have to leave by the time they do because they set the alarm when they go.
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Post by donna on Aug 8, 2014 12:24:56 GMT
Wow, dualmaestra! Having to leave by 4:00 would be hard for me. It is not uncommon for me to have students in my room until 5 or 5:30. High school buildings have a very different life than those of the lower grades.
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Post by Merge on Aug 8, 2014 18:38:16 GMT
Hot glue?? I think my principal would have a fit. I'll have to quietly ask around and see if anyone else is using it. Thanks for the suggestions! I've tried magnets, but it didn't really work - those magnetic strips you can buy at the craft store don't seem to exert a very strong pull. donna, sorry again for hijacking your thread. Hope you got some good ideas too!
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Post by donna on Aug 8, 2014 19:44:17 GMT
Merge, not a problem. We can learn from all of this info.
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