[iteach4]

I am thinking about installing rain gutters in my classroom for book storage. Any suggestions? Can they be easily moved if you change rooms? How did you install yours? Any pictures?
Thanks!

[CageyBee]

Go to this site to see pictures and read all about Jim Trelease's other ideas:
http://www.trelease-on-reading.com/

[NC5th]

I love this idea, and really think it would help encourage kids to read more. How easy was it to convince your principal to allow this? How much did it cost for everything?

[Teach'n'Learn]

I did this in my classroom last year, and it was very easy to convince my principal. I just said, "Is it okay if I spend my own money to improve my room? I want to put up new shelves." They can be moved; I don't know how easily. But my DH is going to move mine this summer.

Those pictures from that website are great!!

[stephanie]

This is a great idea! I actually have some 'dead space' in my classroom that would be perfect for this.

[Lodi 3rd]

I have only one set and would like more!! The only problem is the person who put mine is cut them in half, for some unknown reason, then overlapped the cut center!!! If I do this again I would not cut them and I would put up two rows under the chalk tray! The first row would be for paperbacks and the second for picture books size books.

[yesteach]

As someone who is ADD and has an ADD child, may I make a suggestion to not put something like this under a chalk/white board you will be using for instruction - it is terribly distracting to us... we'll look at the books rather than the teaching.. :-)

Also, my DD in addition to the ADD is also OCD, and freaked out when I showed her a picture of these and asked "what do you think of this idea".. her first question - "Why are they all different sizes? Why would you do that?" She would be the child who the FIRST chance she had would go over and rearrange them all by height so they "looked right." Another reason I thought of the "under the board" suggestion.. she'd spend the whole instructional time rearranging them in her head while you were teaching.

[NCteacher]

OMG!!! I just looked at the picture for these bookshelves- that would make me completely crazy! I cannot stand for that much stuff on the walls. I would feel claustrophobic with all those books and shelves hangin around me.

I may have to post on here later this summer- I am one of those minimalist, boring teachers who cannot stand tons of "stuff" laying or displayed around a classroom. I think it is great for teachers to show their creativity in their rooms and wish I could- but I am afraid I would spend more time organizing and cleaning than planning and teaching.

[iteach4]

I think it would be fine to put one or two rows on a back wall to give your students a chance to see which books are available. It drives me nuts to see books on a shelf not being read!
Just a thought....

[bamagirl]

I have a couple rain gutter bookshelves up in the back of my classroom at our library. My dad used concrete screws to put them up. They can be easily moved from one classroom to another...I moved mine when I changed schools.

bamagirl

[ismile]

I also have rain gutters in my classroom. I just got one long one and cut it into thirds and used concrete screws to hang them up. I also got these little plastic bracket things to place on either end to support the gutter. I use mine to display current books or topics we are going over. The rain gutter library on the link was a bit overwhelming, but, done in a more subtle way, I think it can help "advertise" the books we have available.

Also...I heard somewhere you can get them in different colors...or at the very least, you can paint them before hanging up to go with your theme. My partner teacher was thinking about doing a Mary Englebright theme on hers. Just a thought!

[iCreate]

Such a great idea! Can't wait to try it!