Space Saving Classroom Holiday Trees

You might be a first year teacher who inherited a classroom with no tabletop tree to be found anywhere in the building...

Or you might not have money in your budget to spend on outfitting your classroom with a holiday tree that will only be up for two or two-and-a-half weeks before your students are on winter break...

*OR* you might not have the time, money or s-p-a-c-e in your classroom to accommodate a class tree for December...

Try this instead: find big rolls of bulletin board paper (or use large paper bags, cut open, that students can paint green or white); cut three big trees (fold the paper in half and cut a tree shape out of each large piece of paper, "valentine heart" style); and staple the trees to your bulletin board:

I've unpacked the ornaments I've received from past students, but your kiddos can certainly make their own to add to the trees:



Using clear tacks (or staples, t-pins, etc), "hang" the ornaments from your trees:



Students love to create and hang their own ornaments as they work their way through the creative construction center each day!  Smaller trees can be cut from large pieces of construction paper that students can decorate for themselves or others as gifts.





Try it!

*****
~ My Craft Evolution shares a cute reuse-recycle Christmas tree craft idea...

~ Want to see how I used several different colors to make winter trees last year?  Click here to see my January classroom decor...

Things That Make Me Happy, Teacher Edition

1) ~A-ha~ or ~ hey Teacher, that's way cool~ moments with my Super Stars
2)  Surviving the first professional development seminar I've hosted in a v-e-r-y long time (yesterday!)
3)  How no matter where Uncle Sam takes our family, each new staff with whom I work always has a Coffee Fairy among the ranks
4)  Being able to pick the brains of colleagues from all over the world
5)  Listening to students and colleagues as they ~think out loud~ instead of regurgitating someone else's spiel
6)  Still having the ability to control my verbal and physical reactions when a student accidentally forgets I have toes at the end of my feet while s/he surprises me with a hug... two of my toes are still purple!
7)  Families who become friends when my time as their child's teacher is done
8)  Learning something new-to-me that I can then help others with as we work through the choreography of public education together
9)  Jeans Friday
10)  Seeing photos of colleagues'/friends' grand-babies wrapped in afghans I crocheted

Okay, so that last one doesn't just make me happy, it makes me cry... not the way I cried after #6 of course.

You know what I mean.

What makes YOU happy as a teacher?

Step Outside of the Box with Reckless Curiosity

Andrew Bird's orchestrations completely ~intrigue~ me: