Just when you think you understand how your child’s school operates within its district’s budget, power changes hands, funds are found and then re-designated, and new expenses appear. Keeping up with the financial flow can feel like a full-time job (dedicated PTA members, we salute you). Most schools experience the same strain we do when it comes to balancing the books between educational spending, the wear-and-tear on campus facilities, and a dwindling supply of, well, supplies.
Kids might be blissfully unaware of fiscal situations, but their need for colorful, interactive environments never changes. Making sure your kids spend most of their early learning days in an intellectually balanced setting can cement creative learning abilities that lead to invaluable skills in the future. As the school year continues and the budget dwindles, the nuances of a good education truly become a community-wide responsibility. Parents, teachers, and student supporters can help by supplying bright ideas to help local schools produce aesthetic, engaging classrooms for less. Here are five ideas to inspire your own:
1. At the beginning of each semester, teachers could hold classroom decorating parties and allow parents to bring items from home that are appropriate to use as classroom dcor. For example, one parent could supply a thick beanbag to create a cozy reading nook, while another could contribute a seldom-used lamp.
2. Never underestimate the power of an inanimate classroom mascot. Suggest that your child’s teacher ask the class to bring one or two decorative items from home that can be easily applied to the wall. Once the pile of materials is big enough, he or she can use the items to design a mural-sized dragon, horse, or other animal the class votes to create. Older children can help with the application process and may want to dream up their own whimsical creature.
3. Students can collect art supplies during a weekly nature walk in order to create curriculum-inspired decorations for multiple holidays throughout the year. If the class is studying the Pilgrims, they could create a harvest table set with the natural materials the original Pilgrims would’ve had access to. Besides, who doesn’t need to know how to make a stick fork and leaf placemats?
4. A decoration-trading program between classrooms for similar age groups can save the school money by eliminating the need to buy multiple kits. If the decoration requires constant updating, each participating teacher could start the accompanying lesson earlier or later so the decorations spend less time in storage.
5. If they must spend money, push the powers-that-be to purchase classroom decorations that are sturdy and can be easily repurposed. Paint and construction paper cutouts only last so long and require constant upkeep, which is something stretched schools simply don’t have.
One of the many benefits of multifunctional decorations is the potential for reinvigorating spaces over and over again. A renewable environment can do wonders for kids and teachers, and your child’s school administrators would probably support free feng shui if it enhances the students’ day-to-day experiences.
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