Crafty Displays

I love our kids' school. It was built when I was in 5th grade. Our whole class played our harmonicas at the ground breaking. (I didn't realize how funny that was at the time.) But the main reason I love our school is because of the community. I know most of the teachers, who truly care about our kids, and everyone comes together to make it feel safe and rewarding. There are a lot of volunteer opportunities for parents, and I will jump in whole-heartedly someday. But for now I feel like there is a lot I shouldn't do yet because of our little kids. Like being a classroom aide - I'm not sure Jonathan's third grade class wants a 3-year-old running around throwing papers while the baby chews on their pencils. So I feel a little handicapped as far as volunteering during school hours. But this year I was asked to decorate the display case at the school. That should require minimal neglect of our younger kids, right?  So I said yes. 

The display case is in the main hallway, right across from the office. It was originally a trophy case with glass shelves. But the shelves are being replaced (that's a nice way of saying they're broken) so I had the whole case to fill up. 4' by 4' by 18". I could fit all five of our kids in there! Not that I've tried. Anyway, it was a lot of space to fill up, but I had fun. I have pictures for most of the months. Here's the breakdown: 

SEPTEMBER: Well, I forgot to take a picture. I did this one just a few days before Josh was born. I did Fun Facts about each of our three new teachers, displaying some of their favorite hobbies, foods, etc. 

OCTOBER: No picture this month because I had a new baby and somebody filled in for me. 

NOVEMBER: I made some Native American teepees on the left and Pilgrim houses on the right. They're all made of paper and sticks. It was impossible to get a good picture, but there were fun details for the kids to see up close. Looking at this makes me want pumpkin pie.

DECEMBER: I forgot to take a picture. Sigh. This is the last one I forgot, I promise. I made a sign for the Santa's Workshop and then a huge stack of wrapped presents, along with rolls of wrapping paper and ribbon and supplies. It was one of my favorite months. (I had to buy more wrapping paper to use for our presents at home, once I realized ours was locked up at the school. Oops.)

JANUARY:  The boys raved about the huge snowman I made. I also put up some Fun Facts about snow and displayed our snow shoes from Alaska. (Yes, saying they're from Alaska makes them cooler.)

A few of the Fun Facts: The largest snowflakes ever recorded fell in Montana. They were 15" wide and 8" thick. * The average snowflake falls at a speed of 3.1 miles per hour. * A snow storm becomes a blizzard when visibility is under 1/4 mile and the storm continues for more than 3 hours with winds of 35 mph. * Snowflakes aren't always white. They can be gray if they are formed around coal dust or pink if they are formed around particles of red soil. * 80% of the world's fresh water is locked up as ice or snow. * A cubic foot of snow can contain roughly one billion crystals.

FEBRUARY:  I already showed a close-up of the tree on my Valentine's post. Even though the holiday is in the middle of the month, I left it up for all of February. That was the plan all along and I didn't get fired so I guess it's okay. (I asked three friends ahead of time and they all agreed with me.)

MARCH: The rainbow took way longer to make than I expected it to. It's little squares of tissue paper glued  on to make the colors. There were words above the rainbow that said something about Lucky Pot of Gold or something like that. I did the closeup picture so I could get the little leprechaun. I made his clothes. Yes, I'm silly.

APRIL: I like this one a lot. The thing in the middle is a flower pot with a packet of seeds. In retrospect, I should have arranged it with everything crumpled up in a pile on one side of the display. This spring we have gotten tons of wind instead of rain. "April wind brings..."?

MAY:  I don't have to do May. The library claimed it for Summer Reading. So I'm done with my job for the year. Woohoo! It was fun, but also kind of hard to put together. I swear I was always sick the few days before it was time to decorate. But I'm glad I was able to help in a small way at the school. Thanks to my mom for helping with the kids a few times, and to some friends who let me borrow stuff. And thanks to you for looking. Which month was your favorite?

Only six more weeks until school's out. I can't wait!