It’s only September and I’ve been back at school for almost two months. Two months! It’s flown by, but we sure did start early. This year, I got a room upgrade. I moved from a dull, drab, windowless room to a bright, much newer, cheerful room! I didn’t have to do as much this year to make my learning environment inviting, but I definitely spruced it up a bit. The best part, however, is that I have real whiteboards that actually erase and more storage than I can think of purposes for. I have much to be grateful for this year.

I went with a color scheme of purple and green. I already had a lot of green from last year, so I just added in my favorite color – purple. I jazzed up my bulletin boards with some banners. I tied in the technology theme of my program with some “Tweets from Famous People.” I purchased the pack of inspirational quotes and photos here on Teachers Pay Teachers. They are great decoration as well as discussion starters!

I was also lucky enough to make a trip to IKEA before school this year (the nearest store being in Houston). I picked up a few things I’ve found useful in making the classroom more inviting.

• Picture frames – Ikea sells frames in every shape, size, and color you can imagine. They’re very affordable! With so many great free printables online, I was about to put some in frames to place around the room.
• Lamps – Ikea has some unique lighting fixtures as well. Many are quite affordable as well, as long as you are willing to figure out how to assemble them. My cool globe lamp really makes my bookshelf/reading area more inviting and “homey.”
• Raskog utility cart – I love this cart so much I got one for my house as well as my classroom! It’s perfect for storing anything. Right now I have it next to my desk with my Expo markers, hole punches, important binders, paper towels, and antibacterial wipes. Everything I use often is super handy! Plus, it diverts some clutter from my desk and looks very neat.
• Magnet Boards – I have a couple magnet boards. Again, Ikea has a great selection of shapes and sizes. One I have a set of magnetic poetry on – but my Command strips failed and I have yet to find a better solution for getting it to stay on the wall without a drill. A smaller, lighter one is behind my desk for important notes and memos. Hopefully I will be able to put the magnetic poetry board to use soon.

Overall, I’m happy with my classroom this year. Of course, there is always room for improvement. I hope to make it feel even more like home over the school year.