Painted Paper Everywhere: My Solution

A few days ago I read a post on In Art Class about having tons of scrap paper and what to do with it. I thought would post my solution to having tons of scrap paper that I can't bring myself to throw out.

Stackable laundry baskets! They are a life and space saver. I bought them from walmart for about $4-$5 each. Now that's a large amount to drop at once, but I foresee these baskets lasting until I retire. Also, they can easily be slid out of the way as one.

I have a black, blue, green, purple, orange/brown, yellow, red, and multicolored/painted paper baskets. As you can see, the painted paper basket gets really full. This is where all the scrap paper goes from my Eric Carle Animal lesson. This paper does get reused in other projects a lot.

Sometimes, after a project,  I have to cut down the scraps into usable pieces and recycle the itty bitty pieces. This system keeps my room clean and organized. Just like I like it!

The Art Room Is Finished!

. . . well, almost. I'm not sure if I'll ever truly be finished. I'll always find an image or resource that I will want to hang up. I, as well as most teachers, constantly collect different materials and art related nick nacks. For the most part though, my room is finished!

I love having a word wall. Because I have multiple grades in one day, and limited time, I put up all of my words at once. I would like to put a word up as it's introduced, but that would be a lot of putting up and taking down.

This year I also get to implement my dream bulletin board. The artist of the week board! I have wanted to do this board in the past, but I didn't have the space. Each week I will put up a new image with facts about the artist. I will also try to tie them into the lessons if possible. The first two weeks we will be working on portraiture, so this board will fit in nicely. 

I of course have the class rules posted front and center. They include being safe, respectful, and always do your best with a great attitude. 

To the left of the board is where I display the lesson's essential questions and standards. I hot glued clothesline clips to the wall so that I could easily change out the questions and standards. I write them up and put them in the red folder for easy access. I know a lot of teachers have their own system, and some are a little bit easier to use, but this is what works for me.

Can I just say right now how absolutely excited I am to have cabinets! This is something I have not had in the past. I'm such an organizer and labeler that I have put a list of contents on each cabinet door. I taped sheet protectors to the door and inserted a typed list of contents. I like to keep a running inventory and what's great about this is if I run out of a supply, like glue sticks, I can write in dry erase marker on the sheet that I need more. That way, whenever I get a chance to order supplies I'll know what I need.

View from the door.

My desk. I love my desk! From the MOMA calendar to my Batman pen holder, I love my desk. On pinterest I saw a tutorial on how to make large tissue paper pom poms. I thought they would be a great elements to hang above each table to color code them. It took me 30 minutes to make each one. I had them hanging and got many compliments. I also got an education in fire safety and was told that I couldn't have anything hanging from the ceiling. My fellow teachers will understand when I say this, but if you didn't know, flexibility comes with the job. I thought to myself, "What am I going to do with these now, cause I am so not getting rid of them?" I decided to use them to decorate my desk. I really like it, and I've gotten compliments for this as well.

This is my color board. I hand made all of the elements except for the border. It took a while, but I think it was worth it. I did however run out of border if you didn't notice. Guess who went to the teacher store over the weekend. This girl. 

Now I have to give credit to The Bees Knees Cousin. I got the idea for the style of the art element posters from her blog. I enjoyed how clean and minimal they were. I am a minimalist at heart after all. 

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