Start with Something Easy

[and low budget].
Let’s say you’ve decided you want to spruce up your room and you don’t know where to start. Today I am going tell you about starting simple with an affordable way to create a more engaging space for your students to focus and learn!

Start Small

• First think: which areas of the room draw the most attention. This will get you more
  bang for your buck! If you focus your attention all over the room, you’ll put in a lot of
  effort and people will notice less. If you choose a focal point, you can do LESS WORK for
  more gratifying “oohs-and-ahhs.”
• Okay, so some easy focal points: BULLETIN BOARDS, wall color, & general front of the
  room [wherever students look for most of the day- which might actually be the side of
  the room if that is where your main content is posted, or if that is where the projector
  points].

Let’s Talk Bulletin Boards

1. Choose a “vibe” instead of a “theme” …unless you are super gung-ho about a particular
   theme, then by all means- go for it!
2. What’s the difference? When you think “vibe,” …ask yourself what you’re drawn too,
   and what makes you either feel relaxed, happy, or inspired. For example, ask: what
   kinds of things do I like? What colors and things make me happy?
3. For this bulletin board, the teacher I was working with narrowed it down to these ideas:
   she wanted the décor to feel more like someone’s home, or a cozy café. She wanted a
   slightly artsy feel, and a boho look. She thought of muted colors, with a few bright pops
   to liven things up. She knew that nature and plants were images that relaxed her. We
   got creative with how to tie these together! [Likes: boho & artsy. Feel: like entering a
   home or cozy café. Colors: calming, with shades of greens, blues, and peach.
   Inspiration: nature & plants.]
4. How to start: As silly as it sounds, create a mock-up drawing or better yet a Pinterest
   board. This way you can collect ideas and weed through what you like most, as well as
   what would be the cheapest to re-create.

Get Our Look

(Total Cost: $160) Joann’s Fabrics

1. Fake flower & plants, focusing on the colors you
   like to highlight, with lots of greens to portray the “calm” of nature. We chose greens,
   whites, peaches, and even some orange. Pro tip: fake plants go on sale up to 70% off at
   the change of a season.
2. Tassels. These are much cheaper that fabric and the added
   the bohemian flair we were craving.
3. Multi-colored “loop” yarn…this looked similar to plant leaves, and it was able to drape and hang. It also added color, texture, and interest without costing the same as a colorful fabric. Originally, I had wanted lace, but this was significantly cheaper.
4. Wood-colored posters. Some posters come with prints already on them, and the fake wood matched our natural look. It also added interest to the side bulletin board.
5. Walmart – Something to create a boarder. We choose peach contact paper and teal duct tape. Pro tip: duct tape comes in ALL types of colors and patters and while it’s not super cheap, it will save you TONS of time/ aka labor.
6. Brought from home: I already happened to have random boho accents and small furniture pieces left-over from my wedding and from other past home displays. Pro Tip: Always clean your closets and see what you already have before spending money!!