I won’t actually be able to get into my classroom for a few more weeks but I figured I’d share my plans for classroom decorations now…

Every year I do the same “theme” if you can even call it that – black bulletin boards with bright pops of color.  I’m a creature of habit so this year’s “theme” will be no different :-).  I do, however, have some new decorations to add to my room this year that I’m pretty excited about…and I have spent only around $15 on it all!

•  I made a “Mathematicians” acrostic poster that lists some of the mathematical process standards as well as other traits/skills students use in math.  I didn’t want to spend alot on printing, so I looked around and found shortrunposters.com.  I got it printed in 18×24 with 1.5 MIL Glossy Lamination for just $6 plus around $4 for shipping!  It took about a week to get the poster after ordering and it came out awesome – I couldn’t be happier with the quality (or price)!!  If you are interested in purchasing the poster to print yourself or have printed professionally you can buy it from my TpT store for $1.25.  (The download includes the black background version I printed and a white background version of the poster).  Click the picture below to buy the poster.
•  Comics: Most years I hang up some corny math “funnies” in my room.  They are a great source of FREE decorations for the classroom.  This year I am tying them in with my black & brights by printing them out in black & white, mounting them on different brightly colored papers, and putting black construction paper “shadows” behind each one.  I think that will really help tie them into the room decor better this year.  (If you need a good source of math jokes, comics, and puns, you may want to check out my Math/School Humor Pinterest Board – I have well over 100 pins to choose from!)

• Target Dollar Spot finds:  I LOVE the dollar spot in Target!!  This year I found some fun bright colorful decorations that will go perfectly in my room!  I got a pack of punch out signs/pictures for $1 that included a welcome sign and some motivational quotes that I will put up.  I also found cute packs of colorful pennants.  (24 per pack, $1 each – I bought 2 so that I’d definitely have enough).  I am writing the names of all of my homeroom students on them and will then punch holes in them, string them, and hang around the room.  The best part is they are dry erase so I can use them year after year! (Not bad for $2!)

• I also found cute bulletin borders at the target dollar spot that match the little pennants.  They were packs of 15 for $1, which is great…but I made it an even better deal by cutting them in half lengthwise to make 30 skinny border strips per pack!
•  I wrote about my ABCs of Algebra Math Alphabet last year… It was a big hit so I made a couple of new versions of the math alphabet this year – the ABCs of Middle School Math and the ABCs of Geometry.  Each one has the same fun, bright design and features a vocabulary word for each letter of the alphabet.  I am planning to hang the middle school version this year in my room.  I will be hanging it above my chalkboard on black paper.  I am using the skinny borders I made as the border around the alphabet.

You can buy my math alphabet sets in my TpT store for $4 each and print them at home for free – I kept the backgrounds white to make them printer friendly.  Click the pictures below to purchase!

I will have a better idea of what, if anything, else I need for my classroom once I get in to look at what I have.  I hope this gave you some budget-friendly ideas for your room! 🙂

Thanks for reading,

Christina