Hi friends,
If you’ve been following along my art teacherin’ journey then you know that I won’t be returning to a physical classroom in the fall. :'( While I will miss my students and my classroom terribly, it’s ultimately the best decision and I couldn’t be happier about what’s ahead. BUT! Before I left the school I was teaching at I completely transformed the room I was in.
The first 2 years I was teaching I was in a very small room with very little storage and NO SINK. *womp, womp* I was finally able to move to a room that was more appropriate for an art room and I documented the whole transformation process. It was a kind of overwhelming task because I did (most) of it myself and I really wanted the space to be fun, bright, and creative while still providing a good learning environment for my students.
With back to school season being here already (how did that happen), I wanted to share the 5 hacks for a creative space that I used!
Hack #2: Label EVERYTHING. Knowing where anything and everything is will be priceless. It’ll take some time, and make sure you try to group like items together, but it will be SO worth it.
Hack #3: Go vertical. Put some things above cabinets! Not only will this maximize your storage space but I also used it to display various projects throughout the year before the art shows.
Hack #4: Give ’em something to look at. Decorating your space is up to each person’s personal style but, for me, it was go big, go bright, or go home. I wanted it to be VERY evident that my students were coming into an art room but I also used my decor as a teachable moment. I also DIYed tons of things.
Hack #5: Free art options. This is a great way to get kids exploring creative options after their projects and even outside of class. I have a whole list here of free art option ideas.
What do you do to make your space more creative? I’m working on redoing a studio space and am looking for new ideas! Let me know in the comments!
Check these other Back to School DIYs!
[…] up a classroom. Last summer I set up my new, bigger art room and wanted to make sure that it was a creative space for me and my students. I’m even planning on following the same steps for my new […]