Welcome to my fifth classroom makeover, I think it might be my favorite makeover I’ve done! (P.S. If Classroom Makeovers are your jam, be sure to checkout all of my past makeovers!) As I was posting classroom makeover sneak peeks on Instagram, so many of you reached out with questions and kind words. This blog is written to inspire you, answer your questions, and help anyone who’s planning on using Modern Neutrals as their their classroom theme! Here’s a quick video to show part of the room!
Before we get to the makeover, let me tell you about Ally – this year’s Classroom Makeover giveaway winner! Ally is a recent graduate of UCF, and she will be teaching 4th grade Math and Science. Ally wanted a neutral classroom vibe that wasn’t overly stimulating but was a place she and her students could call home all year long!
To make that happen, we packed our Honda Pilot with as many goodies as possible to transform Ally’s room! Is there anything more fun than buying decor and making a classroom a home?
Come along for the journey, and ask any questions along the way in the comments below ❤️
This is the view you see when you first walk in. I loved that the classroom had large windows with natural light. I’ve taught in rooms with small windows, no windows, and large windows. Consider yourself lucky if you have large windows like these, but nothing will compare with the large window from Last Year’s Nature Makeover!
This is the front of Ally’s Room – I loved that the white board was split by the Smart Board so that she could devote an entire board to Math and the other board to Science. We also got lucky that the chairs matched one of the colors in the color pallete for Modern Neutrals ?
This cubby wall and this giant wall had SO much potential, like a canvas just waiting to be painted! I loved that they were a little bit off to the side compared to the rest of the classroom so there was plenty of space for decor to make the classroom a home.
Lastly we have the back of the room – I knew I wanted to add some beauty and color to this space, but it was last on the to do list. My focus was the front and sides of the room where students would be giving most of their attention.
This is a quick view of the entire front of the room, I’ll share some more up close pictures. Her board is divided so that the left side of the board is set up for Science, and the right side of the board is for Math.
The lamination may make it hard to see the entire saying, but on top of the board I placed a new product – “Your Potential is Endless” Wall Decor. I started decorating the front of the room with that saying because more than a cute room, I want students who believe that they are capable of doing far more than they ever imagined!
So many students I’ve had in my own classroom had mental blocks and lacked confidence when it came to Math, so I thought this messaging was perfect for a Science and Math Classroom. Plus, the clipart is just perfect for Ally’s room 🙂
From there, I placed the birthday board on the right bulletin board, and more motivational quotes on the left side of the board. Let’s look closer at some of my favorite features of the room!
Here’s a close up of Ally’s teacher chair. Not only do I love how the leather chair contributes to the vibe of the room, but I also loved how affordable This Chair was! A comfy teacher chair is amazing, and if it’s affordable that’s hard to beat!
Let’s take a moment to absolutely adore the Sun Rug from Lowe’s. Yes, you read that right – it’s from Lowe’s! The colors of the rugs blended so perfectly with the Modern Neutral color palette, I knew that I had to use it!
I framed the white board with a neutral printable border, and added twinkly lights. The twinkly lights are perfect for creating a cozy atmosphere. I love to turn off the lights after recess to give the kids some chill out time, and these twinkly lights help create a warm environment.
Lastly, in this picture you can spot part of the “Science” header. To create the header, I used the Editable Birthday Board Header, which means you can use it for any subject!
I love how this motivational bulletin board turned out. The printable borders and wooden background gives this board so much character. And messages like “Make Today Great”, and “Kindness Matters”, students will be surrounded by positive messaging and happy vibes!
To the left of the motivational quote bulletin board, I added an affirmation station with the cutest arch mirror I’ve ever seen. Pro Tip: Putting a mirror at an angle in the corner instantly makes the room feel a lot larger than it is.
But! The look wasn’t complete without some cute plants. The pampas were perfectly balanced with the snake plant and the palm tree plant.
Underneath the “Math” side of the white board I placed this adorable Modern Neutral Place Value Chart as a reminder for the students. The place value comes complete with fractions and “x10” squares (not pictured) to help students gain a better number sense.
This adorable Birthday Board not only brightened up Ally’s wall, it will also brighten up her students all year long! Unfortunately the student names aren’t pictured, but this board truly pops when student names are added to make the look complete!
Okay, this has to be my favorite part of the room – especially with how it tied into the sun rug! One of my first questions when I was planning this makeover is whether or not we could paint the wall. Most schools don’t allow teachers to paint, but if you do get to paint you have officially hit the lottery because painting a wall – even if it’s simple can drastically change the whole room.
To start off the project I took some of my printed decor to Lowe’s and asked for an interior paint that matched the decor. I was absolutely amazed at how closely they were able to match the paint with the red and orange from the color palette.
Once I had the paint, I had two amazing friends tape out the half circle and begin to paint. If you want to create something like this here are some of the the things we learned:
Okay, okay, okay….maybe I spoke too soon. This might be my favorite part of the room with how cozy and educational it is. For starters I printed 4 of my Modern Neutral Math Posters at Staples as a 16″ x 20″. Instead of using a bulky frame, I used these cute and easy to hang wood frames on a push pin. The best part is that because the posters are hanging by a string, they can easily be turned around during testing. Next, I filled a little bit of space with some Skip Counting Numbers. I printed those two to a page to make them fit this space nicely.
The chairs and side table made this space such a home. They were incredibly easy to set up, and totally transformed this space from a sterile bland area to a cozy place that I would love to drink my Starbucks coffee! The plant is from Target.
I wanted her teacher desk be a place that she would love to be. To create a warm atmosphere I used my Better Together Back to School Neutral Bulletin Board to decorate the wall with the names of all her students. Even though she didn’t have a bulletin board near her desk, it’s amazing how you can use a bulletin board product to totally transform a wall. To the left of the bookcase, above the filing cabinet I created a picture gallery of Ally and her boyfriend to look at all year long.
Next, I set up her teacher toolbox so she could easily find everything she needed. On top of the teacher toolbox is a picture of Ally and her boyfriend in Rome! Filling your space with pictures of the people you love can have such a massive impact on your mental health in the classroom. The look was completed with the most amazing boho mini lamp and the plant from Five Below.
Behind her desk, I used the Math Labels and binder covers to give her a head start on organization. These simple bins were from Wal-mart and could fit everything she would need. The Dollar Tree and Wal-Mart are my favorite places for storage bins because you can save SO much money!
Trust me, if you’re putting time into decorating your classroom – focus on back wall last and don’t be afraid to keep it simple! Not because the back of the room isn’t important, but because having empty wall space can be a blessing and bring the entire classroom together.
In the case of Ally’s room, I put up a simple wall sign from Hobby Lobby that says “Welcome to 4th Grade Math and Science”. The product came with plenty of letters, so Ally can change out the message all year long!
Underneath the message I added a little touch of pompas grass and a small potted plant. To fill the gap between the cabinets and the counter I added some dreamy quote posters that added color and were right at the eye level of her students so they could see their positive message all year long.
Lastly, I wanted to make the wall by the door a welcoming space while also adding some functionality. The “How We Get Home” signs will help Ally keep track of students at dismissal. They aren’t pictured, but this product is so easy to use while adding clothespins with student names on each one. They’re easy to move when students change how they get home midway in the year.
Lastly, I added a large quote poster and a mirror to add some beauty to this space. Plus, it’s at Ally’s height so she can check her smile before she picks up her kids from specials. Maybe I’m the only one, but one of my biggest fears is having salad or food from a snack left in my teeth that I have all day long. Gotta have a mirror to make sure the smile is on fleek!
Lastly, on the wall directly to the right when you walk in I added some classroom jobs to help Ally keep the classroom running smoothly.
Pro Tip: Always look for ways to have students take ownership of the classroom and make your workload lighter!
Altogether, I’m thankful for how Ally’s classroom turned out – I hope it’s a warm place to be all year long that she and her students love thriving in! I want to give a huge thank you to the amazing Dr. Spalding (pictured above) – a UCF professor who connected me with Ally. A huge thank you to Ally for trusting me to give her a classroom of her dreams, and a huge thank you to my family and many others who helped me every step of the way.
I had to include this picture so you can see Emma’s smile compared to the first picture. It’s amazing how powerful offering a single M&M can be! Pro Tip: A single M&M can be such a powerful motivator for your students too!
I hope this classroom makeover was helpful and inspiring. The reality is every classroom is different. Some of us inherit walls with terrible colors, or amazing spacious rooms full of possibility. No two classrooms and no two teachers are the same. Set up your classroom in what you’re comfortable in, and make it a place you’ll love all year long.
If you have any questions please let me know in the comments below!
