Under The Sea in Grade Three...(Magnetic Bulletin Board=Win!!)

I am love love loving how all of my "under the sea" and beach ideas are coming together.
I can't wait for the kids to see the room next week!

Math Workshop:
Last year I struggled with being able to easily regroup my students and tell them which stations they were supposed to be at.

This year the answer seemed obvious--magnetic bulletin board for grouping!

(Grab my custom math workshop

signs here to complete this board!)

 

First I wrestled some fade resistant (I plan on leaving it up for a while...)

green paper onto my metal closet doors.

(I wasn't TOO worried about the edges being perfect because of the boarder trim)

 

I used packing tape to tape the green paper directly to the closet doors. Quick and Easy!

 

I found the great board at the Dollar Tree! I got 16 pieces, about 18 inches long for a DOLLAR!

(Needless to say I bought the last three packets at that Dollar Tree

and was SUPER tempted to visit a few more and stock up!)

 

Since I was going through all the trouble of creating magnets I decided to run the boarder trim and all of my other bulletin board decorations through the laminator for longevity!

 

I bought the largest role of magnets I could find at Michael's.

With the teacher discount (yes!) and a 40% coupon

 I spent about $6 or $7 on several yards of magnets

(you'll see later I use magnets in several other areas of my classroom)

 

After I laid out the boarder trim (magnets are SO much easier than staples!!)

I added some snails and shells from Oriental Trader's Under the Sea kit

While I normally enjoy making my own embellishments, I loved the letters in this kit!

 

 

Next, I printed and laminated (work smarter, not harder--I want this to last!)

my "Math Marina" group signs.

 

I like to divide my students into 4 or 5 groups depending on the topic/size of the class.

 

I use the left side of the bulletin board to show students what group they are in.

To stick with my classroom theme I have:

Flip Flops,

Sand Pails,

Anchors,

Palm Trees,

& Dolphins.

 

I grabbed the starfish labels from another TPT user click here to check them out!

 

I did typed the names of my students onto the labels, printed, and laminated them.

(I also laminated a couple of blank ones just in case I get that January surprise student and don't have time to type, print, and laminate before I need it!)

 

I did make the student's names in magnets as well.

This way I can easily manipulate what group they are in.

Plus future planning? Cute to add to an end-of-the-year gift!

A custom magnet!

 

 

 

On the right side I have these great wooden pieces from Michael's again.

Even before the teacher discount (wooo!) I think they were maybe 59 cents each?

 

I normally do two rotations during math workshop a day.

So once students see which picture their name is under,

they then check which station their symbol is under. 

 

It takes a little practice but after a few days the transition runs rather smoothly.

 

Note: While I LOVE these little wooden pieces, I did have to hot glue the magnets to the back.

The stickiness on the back of the magnet was just not enough to hold the wood up!

 

Check back soon to hear about my different math work stations and grab some

great math workshop printables!