What a cute idea! I love it!
*How about buying some of those giant magnifying glasses (you can usually find them at the Dollar Store or toy stores) and hot gluing them around your room? That would tie in with the exploring theme. I have one that sits on my desk and the kids love it!
*A giant treasure map would be cool too! Maybe you could get it printed like poster size at a copy center and then have the landmarks be the things that you will be teaching throughout the year?
*Compasses would be another thing you could use as decorations! If you have round tables as opposed to desks, you could hot glue a compass to the center of each table. The seats could be identified as North, South, East and West. You can get 144 mini ones from OrientalTrading.com for $7.99!
*Maybe you could have the students keep a passport about the things they learn/places they "visit" throughout the school year. Or you could do a journal ("Explorer's Notebook)for each student!
*You could purchase/make small flags for various countries around the world. You could line the tops of your walls with them!
*Each week you could spend some time learning about a different culture. Maybe at the beginning of class each day, show a picture of that culture or share an interesting fact about them. On Friday, you could prepare and bring in a dish from that culture for the students to sample or play a game from the culture etc.
*I found these books online on another teaching website, check these out and see what you think:
1. Around the World in 100 years
2. Scholastic Atlas of Exploration
3. Explorers Who Got Lost
4. The Usborne Book of Explorers
5. Portraits of Outstanding Explorers (Great back to school book for your theme!)
*Fanny Packs!!! You could keep one at each table as opposed to table bins for their supplies! Since many people used (Maybe some still do, lol!) while traveling!
*Purchase some old/vintage suitcases. Have the students decorate them (graffiti style) the first day of school and set them up around your room. You could use them as storage boxes for supplies etc. You could get some stickers with country/city names to put on them too! Hobby Lobby has lots of these stickers!
*Collect postcards/brochures from various places. Ask the other staff members to do the same over the summer. Have a bin for these!
*A teacher at my school is making her classroom door look like a time machine door....
*Flashlights are something else you could decorate with
* You could purchase outback style hats (Hobby Lobby) and allow the kids to decorate them during the first week. They could wear them during this portion of your class! (I am doing the same thing with aprons in my science class).
If I think of anymore, I'll post! Hope this helps!
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04-05-2010, 02:32 PM
