Brainstorm!

Today I went in to school one more day to finish up my classroom.  It’s starting to feel like a “home.”  Especially the fact that my cabinet has so much stuff in it that when I open the door, it falls out… you didn’t think I was going to post a photo of THAT did you?

So, here it is… Brainstorm!  I wanted to tie science in and starting thinking about weather, and weather had me thinking about thinking.  So, Brainstorm became the idea…

The brain is made of foamcore board, covered with pink tissue paper & glue, covered with 3 shades of pink yarn.  After it was finished, I poked Christmas lights through the back so the brain would be “bright.”  Pun totally intended.  Spray adhesive + yarn = stickiest mess EVER. Just sayin’!

 

The norms posters I shared a few weeks ago will go in my other classroom, so I had to “Brainstorm-ize” these…

The canvases got fresh paint, paper, ribbon, and buttons. I don’t know that my kitchen table has EVER seen a bigger mess than the one that found itself on the table as I glued, painted, covered, and recovered.

A light up yarn tornado for the corner. It started as cardboard, wrapped in yarn.  Then, it was spraypainted grey. Then it got more yarn.  Then, a little duct tape to curl the cardboard back a bit.  I still wonder if any of the neighbors saw me spraypainting a giant tornado in the front yard. After it was all dry (or damp, because I got impatient) I cut tiny holes with an Xacto knife and pushed the lights through. It’s hanging from the ceiling by two large paperclips-turned-hooks.

 

I had these umbrellas hanging last year over the computers.

Easy to make window treatments… I do not enjoy sewing 15 yards of fabric for valances, so this year, I decided to use foam core, tulle, and a little bit of blue paint.

I posted a few more photos in a Flickr set.  All of the posters I have hanging and the norms are free to download.

I still have a few more things to hang, a couple of things to print, and some major organizational things to tackle “behind the scenes.”  But, isn’t there always MORE to do?   Next week I will share my other classroom, which is a thinking theme, too… just not a “Brainstorm!”

Good luck to everyone who is starting or has just started school this week!