To Theme or Not to Theme...
As a preference I’m not totally rapt in the idea of ‘themes’ for rooms. I know a lot of people love them but I think that sometimes a theme can cause a room to look too frenetic with decoration and objects not related to learning. I’m especially not fond of too much pattern being used in a room. I love colour, but spots, stripes, zigzags and the like, I find distracting.
That said, the grade 2 teacher I’m working with this year is a HUGE fan of themes (Fran loves the galleries at ‘Schoolgirl Style’) and she’s gone for a ‘woodlands’ theme this year – quite unusual for an Australian classroom. I was pretty dubious at the start but I must say she’s won me on the colours. The sky blue, cherry red and Kelly green we've used in the room look great.
Fran found some leafy strings that have brought the height of the room right down and gives a lovely ‘green’ feel to the room. (Doesn't hurt that the room looks out over lovely trees and sporting fields as well!)
All the pin ups we covered in huge blue plastic table cloths ($2 each) and we used a simple red or green scalloped border. Fran bought a ‘big tree’ from Dominie for the back wall.
That’s one of the reasons why I love working in collaboration with other teachers – ‘cause it makes you be more flexible and to learn to give and take. I would never have gone down this path with a classroom and I think it’s looking really beautiful – especially as we add more kids’ work.
Here’s a tour of the room. Let me know what you think!
That said, the grade 2 teacher I’m working with this year is a HUGE fan of themes (Fran loves the galleries at ‘Schoolgirl Style’) and she’s gone for a ‘woodlands’ theme this year – quite unusual for an Australian classroom. I was pretty dubious at the start but I must say she’s won me on the colours. The sky blue, cherry red and Kelly green we've used in the room look great.
Fran found some leafy strings that have brought the height of the room right down and gives a lovely ‘green’ feel to the room. (Doesn't hurt that the room looks out over lovely trees and sporting fields as well!)
All the pin ups we covered in huge blue plastic table cloths ($2 each) and we used a simple red or green scalloped border. Fran bought a ‘big tree’ from Dominie for the back wall.
That’s one of the reasons why I love working in collaboration with other teachers – ‘cause it makes you be more flexible and to learn to give and take. I would never have gone down this path with a classroom and I think it’s looking really beautiful – especially as we add more kids’ work.
Here’s a tour of the room. Let me know what you think!
And for interest sake, here's the room at the start of the year before we began...