Thank goodness you don’t have to have a theme or decorate your workplace to have fun or be SUPER.
But in my opinion, it IS fun!
I should hate themes. During my schooling and student teaching years (almost dinosaur era!) thematic teaching was becoming popular. You picked a topic and every subject revolved around that unit theme or topic. For example, if you studied whales, you read all the whale books from the library, held science experiments on blubber, looked at maps on whale migration in Social Studies, counted the different types of whales in Math, and included spelling whale words, etc. Of course, the classroom was decorated to reflect that theme.
My first-time student teaching supervisor was interested in this new trend and wanted to know if I could implement a new theme EACH WEEK while I was in her 2nd-grade classroom. I wanted to tell her that themes usually lasted longer than a week; however, wanting to make a good impression I told her, “SURE!” I put in L O N G hours pulling off that feat and I can now say I lived to tell about it. HA! I was actually having so much fun doing what I discovered I loved, it was a joy! (And go figure, my teaching supervisor’s name was JOY!)
I carried thematic teaching into my first years as an elementary teacher. The classroom décor transformed many times (e.g., caves and volcanoes, outer space, different countries, oceans, etc.). It was a great outlet for my creativity. But please, if you feel like you are not creative, don’t beat yourself up. *insert my daughter’s name here* You are saving yourself a LOT of time! Creative ideas can take on a whole new life. For example, during a unit on Japan, I had the big idea to take the legs off the desks and provide pillows for the students to sit on instead of chairs. I asked my Mom if she could make the pillows. Bless her heart, she spent tons of time (plus money!) making 22 pillows for my classroom…all color coordinated! And…dropping those legs out of the desks was quick, however, putting them back on took HOURS…and hours…did I tell you it took a l o n g time??!#!?
I should hate themes.
When I was an elementary administrator, we had a different school-wide theme every three years. This did not prevent grade levels or individual classrooms from implementing any theme or concept they wanted to. Keeping the theme around for three years was economical. The office and staff spent money (and time) making the décor so you could add a few updates without having to replace every year.
Guess what? I really do LOVE themes.
How about the SUPERHERO THEME? I caught a couple of my first-grade teachers playing Superwoman in the hall. Heroes having FUN!
Remember Lori, my librarian? She is an everyday superhero. The following pictures show how she transformed the library (and herself) into the SUPERHERO theme. (Take a look at her beach decor in the library here. Or check out the many faces and hats Lori wears here…she’s a hoot!)
The fire code prevented door decorations, but the hall beside classroom doors was fair game! These teachers and volunteers did a SUPER job!
If you are a leader, find those on your campus that enjoy being creative! Tap into volunteers, too. Many parents want to help but are just needing to be asked. You can find time-saving helpers to share in the fun. They are out there!
The 100th day of school turned superheroes into the whole campus one year. We ordered plastic tablecloths on bolts (a different color for each grade level) and volunteers cut out capes for every student and the staff. The capes were sent home as a family project with instructions on placing 100 light-weight items on the back of the capes.
Carry the superhero theme to your newsletters, campus celebrations, and activities. My store has stationery, visitor welcome cards, certificates, awards, goodie bag toppers, thank you cards, water bottle labels, bookmarks, etc. with the SUPERHERO theme! Check it out here!
Is your workplace thematic? What theme are you using or will be using for the upcoming year? Tell me in the comment section.
Thanks!
Lead joyfully,
Gail Boulton
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