STEM Room Decor
I have to admit, I am not one that likes to change my wall decor very often. I know classroom walls need to be meaningful, but updating bulletin boards is often the item on my list that keeps getting moved to the next day. I have found a few simple ways to decorate my classroom that require very little refreshing. The following time saving decoration ideas are too good not to share!
THOUGHTS TO PONDER
Before you determine what to hang on your walls, think about the following questions.
What are the main expectations of your class for the year?
When a child leaves you at the end of the year how will they have grown because of your class?
How will your students be represented in your classroom?
What will your students do when they have finished an activity?
Do you want any of your bulletin boards to be interactive?
If you are ready to transform your room to a teachable decorated space that can last the year I have three ideas to get you started.
DECIDE ON YOUR YEARLY FOCUS
Each year I like to select 4-5 words that will be my focus for the year. It is like New Years but for my classroom. One theme could be to focus on working through challenges. If this is your focus you can select words like: determination, problem-solving, risk-taking, growth, brave, or motivation. Or if your theme is creativity you can select words such as: inspire, unique, innovation, original, resourceful, or imagination. Finally if your focus is on being a maker you can use words such as build, invent, construct, produce, or modify. After you select your focus and your words you will need to design how they will fit together like a scrabble board. You can then use these Scrabble letters. They are easy to use: just print, cut on the dotted line, and arrange them into the board that you will hang on your wall. Each letter has a picture that represents a STEM word that starts with the letter.
This wall decoration resource encourages students (I often use it too) to reference the big idea of what we are trying to achieve during our year together. It is also kid friendly with the letter written in a friendly font and a picture that goes along with it.
STUDENT CREATED ART
A wonderful beginning of the year activity that allows students to get to know one another is the thinking poster. It is where students draw or paint their thinking. In the corner of the page you can take a picture of the student and glue it down or have the students decorate a face that represents them. Or the students can draw their name in a creative way.
Once a student representation is on the paper they will then section the rest of the page into portions. The students will draw what it is that they think about inside of these sections. I like to brainstorm ideas before the students get started. These thinking representations can be about their likes, concerns, family life, hobbies, dreams, friends, etc. Really anything the students think about is what you are looking for.
These posters are a colorful way the students can introduce themselves to the class. It is also a way for students to connect. I have found that as the students stare at these posters throughout the year they notice connections they have to others that they may not have noticed in the past. It is a beautiful and unique way to decorate your walls.
EXTENSIONS
Another way that I like to decorate my room is with items that can be used as extensions. No matter what the lesson there's bound to be students that finish it early. Having interactive stations around the room that they can move to helps to keep these students engaged.
One extension wall decor is to hang up life size games. This can be checkers or chess with velcro pieces. Or if you have a large magnetic space you can use magnets. I find that magnetic business cards are the easiest way to incorporate magnets into my classroom. They stay flat, are easy to cut to size, and have a sticky backing. These games are perfect when there are 2 or more students who have completed their work. While playing these games students learn how to work with others, how to use strategy, and most importantly they are having fun!
Another extension that I like to hang on the wall is one of my journals. There are 3 different journals that I turn to and they are the Growth Mindset Journal, Maker’s Journal, or Genius Hour Journal. I have pockets that I create out of large pieces of construction paper that I hang on the wall. I then print a few pages from one of the journals and place it inside the pocket. Students can grab their mini journal when they have finished their work. They then hold on to the journal and work on it whenever they finish an assignment. I will randomly check in on their progress when I have a couple of minutes to make sure they are creating thoughtful responses.
I hope one of these wall decor ideas will work for your classroom. Creating displays that can last most of the year takes one more “to do” off of your busy teacher list! Plus, having boards that students can use is a win-win!
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Wishing you the best year yet!
