Here is a list of all of the ideas I received! Thank you to all who=20
contributed! I cut and pasted several of the responses. I hope I'm not viola=
ting=20
copyright! This is my first question to the LISTSERV. Am I supposed to docum=
ent the=20
names to go with the ideas? I can do that! Hope you find the information=20
useful!=20
- A giant paper crane painted gold and hung near a poster of Sadako and the
Thousand Paper Cranes that I drew and "colored" with pastels.
- A giant spider web that I spray painted white and would white thread into
saying "Some Pig" with a poster of Charlotte's Web
- A large horse made by some students from the description of Black Beauty
- A paper wasp nest hanging from a branch over the 500's
- A giant rocket (about 5' long) painted silver with "sparks" coming from th=
e
bottom hanging over the 600s
- A giant papier-m=E2ch=E9 elephant (about 4 feet tall) standing on one of t=
he
book shelves
- We also displayed other student work from time to time
- 'yard flags' hanging from the ceiling
- stuffed animals and decorative objects with a note about the Dewey number=20
(vehicles, 629; dogs, 636.7
Oriental Trading sent me 2 free pink flamingos as a substitute for something
else I ordered. They are rather large and made out of windsock
material.(They have streamers hanging below them, so they may be considered
a windsock.)
For a while, I didn't know what to do with them, but last year I suspended
them above the circulation desk. I hung notes around their necks that say,
"Fly high with reading" and "Soar to new heights with a book."
Inadvertently, they've become the focal point of my library, and they really
add a splash of color in an unexpected place.
I am really trying to make my K-6 library feel homey. I have a couple of fak=
e=20
plants (I kill real ones) and am putting up a nice map border (actual wall=20
paper) in my reference section. Can you put any lamps anywhere to help with=20=
the=20
lighting problem? I don't think I would have any place to put them myself. I=
'm=20
also trying to put up as much signage as possible. (This doesn't just help=20
the kids... many teachers need help finding their way around, too!) You migh=
t=20
find some of the ALA READ posters that would appeal to your older kids. I ha=
ve a=20
presidents border (freebie from a vendor) in my nonfiction that those kids=20
really like to look at, surprisingly enough. If you are looking for somethin=
g=20
really inexpensive that kids love...put up their work. Have them make some=20
posters. You could put them on pieces of poster board that are the same colo=
r to=20
make them look more planned and decorative.=20
Remember to check with your administrator before you do anything other than=20
posters and stuff. I had a friend get in a BUNCH of trouble for doing someth=
ing=20
to her classroom in another district and I will never assume that I can do=20
anything without checking first. I had considered bringing in my futon and=20
coffee table for the newspaper area, but when I checked I found there was a=20=
problem=20
and I couldn't do it. Glad I asked before I lugged it over!
A lms friend of mine was about to find inexpensive "artifacts" and pieces of
art to place on top of her shelves. They are really attractive and according
to her inexpensive purchases from garage sales and discount type stores
I recommend all school contests and especially involvement bulletin=20
boards. Maybe the book Motivation and the School Library Media Teacher=20
would give you some ideas. It is an '88 copyright but the contents still=20
work. Try interlibrary loan or your university curriculum lab
One of our parent volunteers made a skirt for the circulation desk and=20
attached it using Velcro. The fabric had several government buildings on it=
, which=20
made our circulation desk look very official. It never once fell down or wa=
s=20
pulled off during the school year. Several of the parents purchased small=20
flags and stars. The flags were inserted into the potted planters we have o=
n our=20
bookshelves and the stars were attached from the ceiling. This year our=20
parents will make something in a wilderness fabric to enhance our Lewis and=20=
Clark=20
decorating theme.
=20
Like you said, stuffed toys and puppets are a big hit with students and=20
teachers. I also used painted buckets found in dollar stores and stuffed th=
em with=20
colorful tissue paper to add some interest to the student tables. Look for=20
novelty fabric placemats and add a matching gift bag stuffed with tissue pap=
er=20
for another table decoration. Believe me, the students admire them and do n=
ot=20
bother table decorations at all. Demco sells a tri-fold plastic display=20
holder and you can add photos of your students reading and use those as d=
=E9cor=20
throughout your library. Demco also has an 8 by 11 =BD inch sign holder, ju=
st right=20
for holding scrap-booking papers. You can put Dewey numbers on the paper or=
=20
messages about books, or whatever you can think of, and stick them into thes=
e=20
plastic holders.
=20
Oh, another thing I tried this year was using novelty fabrics. During the=20
spring I found some cute fabric with bugs all over and put insect books on t=
op=20
of the arranged fabric. The books on the fabric go fast so be ready to put=20
more out.
I like having the upper graders make large posters of book covers. =20
Last year they used ideas from both picture and chapter books. They=20
created using multiple media (water color, crayon, colored pencil,=20
etc.). Stunning and motivational for both the creators and the younger=20
students asking where the books can be found.
I have a calendar of The Cats of Charles Wysocki. It includes full page
art of cats with sewing machines, fashion bags, food, sporting goods,
herbal medicines, flowers, gardening supplies, "Audubon" birds, a tree,
travel related items, books, and even cuddling in front of a fireplace.
I'm going to display the pics in the appropriate sections of my library.
Ideas of this sort would work with any calendar that features full page
art or photos.
I have a lot of displays on my shelf tops. Most are items purchased at=20
yardsales, gotten from my kids, etc. Ex: I have a Statue of Liberty=20
Bank, 3-D picture of Astronauts walking in space, Glass animals such as=20
a set of 3 turtles. I also have stuffed animals, puppets, happy meal=20
toys, etc.
On the window blinds I hung brightly colored kites. I used unfolded=20
paperclips to attach them.
I hang a lot of mobiles, but also things like snowflakes, hearts,=20
shamrocks from the ceiling. I recently purchased a mobile with small=20
plastic planes on it, the kids love that one.
If the ceiling is high enough windsocks are a good thing to hang too.
If your tables are not used for class work you could set up a few with=20
puzzles, games (Chess and checkers for example), art supplies, etc.
I hope these ideas help. I find that all students love even the most=20
routine early childhood decorations such as Clifford, Arthur, etc.
I too am in an interior room, with no windows and no natural light.
We use a lot of ceiling decorations, which I suspend on fishing line
(lightweight, strong, and virtually invisible. I suspend three dimensional
paper objects, that go with the season or the holiday. I have purchased
these over the years from M & N International, although if you have another
party goods store available, they would work as well. However, I have found
M&N to be both reliable and relatively inexpensive. While it can be
expensive to get started with this, needing a different set each month (and
for my large room a set means approximately 18 large hanging items) we now
store everything we buy in portfolios, and find they last for years. I have
just replaced my 18" snowflakes, which I first purchased about 10 years ago,
as they were finally getting rather tattered looking. We find having a
variety of different "sets" really helps the place look festive, and the
students always notice it appreciatively when they come in and the decor has
changed for the month. If you;re interested, the M & N number is
1-800-479-2043, or their web site is ww.mninternational.com. Hope this is
helpful!
Andrea Atkinson/Media Specialist
Dye Elementary, Flint, MI
andie245@aol.com=20
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