New Teacher Thursday: Classroom Theme Ideas

Having a classroom theme is a great way to tie everything together in your room.  I've been teaching for 9 years now, but I've only had a classroom theme for the last 5.

When I first started teaching I didn't know about classroom themes when I first started out.

When I went to the teacher store to set-up my first classroom, I was too overwhelmed by all of the choices.  Does that happen to you?  I love teacher stores, but it can be very hard to make a choice about decorating when you get your first job.  You just feel so excited and eager to start...  I wanted everything that I saw in the store.  My room ended up being a hodge podge of themes, and most of it was seasonal.  Having a seasonal theme puts the pressure on you to change things often.  It wasn't until I saw a colleague's themed classroom that I realized the possibilities.

I started with a sports theme for the first couple of years.  It takes a while to build up a theme, especially on a tight budget that comes with the first couple years of teaching.  I thoroughly enjoyed building a theme for my classroom.  I began by searching through the teaching material catalogs and finding all of the sports related items (accents, borders, bulletin board sets, rugs, Student binders, etc.). I really loved my sports theme, but I ended up moving on with the same grade level for several years.

                                                                So I needed a new theme....

Three years ago, I picked a new theme.  I choose Rock Star for my new theme.  I absolutely love this theme and have spent the last couple of years adding to it.  For now I'm sticking with it.  I love this theme and the kids seem to really enjoy it too.

There are so many choices out there for themes.... Hollywood, Jungle, Beach, Under the Sea, and more!  What's your pick?  Do you stick with one for the whole year or do you change during the year?