Friday, August 7, 2015

Weekend Project – DIY Cute Fire Drill Teacher Clipboard


Apologies for any typos etc in this post. My ADD has been really bad the last few days (just ask Janice how our planning session went yesterday, or count how many time in the past two hours I've said "Damn it, what did I just think to do?").

Disorderly Teaching - DIY Cute Fire Drill Teacher Clipboard


On Tuesday I posted about how we handle fire drills in our classroom. A key component of student check in is an easy to find clipboard. The clipboard we use in our classroom is super simple, just a regular board with a paper owl (from the dollar store) taped on. I covered the entire owl with packing tape to protect it.

With my sister getting her own classes this year (go Momo! So proud of you for becoming a teacher), I decided to make a stand out clipboard for her to use during drills as well. It’s cheap, easy, and perfect for a Weekend Project : )

Note: This clipboard is great for any time you need students to follow or meet up with you. Be creative!

Project Completion Time: Half Hour (not counting buying supplies)

Supplies:
  • Clipboard
  • Decorative item(s)
  • Strong tape or glue

DIY Teacher Clipboard to take the hassle out of firedrills, classroom transitions, fieldtrips and more


Since this is her first year teaching, we went a bit fancier with her clipboard. First, we found this MAKEMarket chalk style clipboard at Michaels on clearance, which matches her chalkboard classroom theme.
 DIY Teacher Clipboard to take the hassle out of firedrills, classroom transitions, fieldtrips and more

Then we found these adorable painted wooden decorations (does anyone know what these are actually called?). You can find a wide variety of these in their woodwork section so choose one that matches your style and make it something that stands out. Momo originally picked out the bee because she loves bees, but it didn’t pop quite enough to stand out in a large crowd, so we added in the crown heart to make it the queen bee for her students to flock to : )


DIY Teacher Clipboard to take the hassle out of firedrills, classroom transitions, fieldtrips and more

If you want to keep your clipboard flush, go with a paper based decoration. You can find teacher cut outs in the dollar store, large embellishments in scrapbook stores, or cut something out yourself. Just make sure you stick to a clear, bold design so that it stands out. A collage of magazine cut outs may truly represent you, but it’s not a great sign post.

Now, just attach your decorations to the back of your clip board. Position them as close to the top as you can for when you hold the board up in the air (especially if you’re short like us).

For the wooden decorations, I attached them with my handy e6000 (one of the best crafting adhesives to have in your arsenal. I use it for everything!).

DIY Teacher Clipboard to take the hassle out of firedrills, classroom transitions, fieldtrips and more


If you’re using paper, tape will do fine. I like to cover the entire thing with packing tape to protect the paper from tearing or water damage. That way it will last for years.

The last thing to do (assuming you use this for fire drills) is to clip in your attendance roster for each of your classes. Now you’re all set!


DIY Teacher Clipboard to take the hassle out of firedrills, classroom transitions, fieldtrips and more

If you decide the make one of these clipboard, PLEASE share pics with me. I'd love to see what you come up with and how you use it!!!

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