Friday Photos 31: My Classroom Under the Sea

To begin my 11th year of teaching, I decided to finally get a theme going in my classroom. Usually it just looks like a rainbow exploded, and while it's still very (I can't help it) colorful, it's also focused on the ocean. 

My classroom library has always been decorated like a beach ('cause who doesn't love reading with their toes in the sand?), but this year I added the fishing net with sea life to the ceiling.

A few years ago, a group of my students' parents decorated and donated an adorable "Polar Express" desk for my classroom. But after some wear & tear over the years, it was in need of a boost. I decided to redecorate it with the ocean theme in mind. A little decoupage & hot glue later...

I also extended the theme out into the hallway with this bulletin board:

More pictures to come as I add sand dollars and starfish aplenty. Here's hoping the school year goes "swimmingly"!

UPDATE: So the ocean theme has gotten a little deeper (see what I did there?). For our class jobs, I made a "Dollars for Dollars" display with sand dollars that have the positions written on them. 

I also found some really inexpensive, cute, blue fish curtains on Amazon to give the room even more of an under-the-sea feeling.

I bought some ocean creature party favors to hang from the ceiling for our table numbers (I also bought some address number stickers from Home Depot to put on them). 

Our word wall letters have fish for the consonants and starfish for the vowels, which I found at our local Parent Teacher Store.

At Open House, I asked parents to write a "fish wish" note for the first day of school and had those sitting on the students' tables when they arrived in the morning.

So basically, I'm loving the ocean theme. I'd eventually like to order a large area rug that fits with it as well. I also saw an adorable "Reader's Reef" reading strategy board on Pinterest that might have to make its way into my room one day. But for now, I have to say we're floating along pretty well.