Shoestring Teaching: The Portable Puppet Theater

Looking for a classroom drama resource that’s quick, easy, inexpensive, and will take up practically no additional space? This tip is for you.

What you need: a tension rod to fit the doorway of your room, and a curtain with a slot at the top to fit the chosen tension rod. That’s it. Just make sure the curtain is long enough to at least reach the floor. It’s OK if it’s a little long. You can just balloon it out for more drama.

What you do: Slide the curtain on the rod. Assemble it across the doorway to the room. That’s it. Students can watch inside, while on the other side of the curtain performers have as much space as they need without worrying about being seen by the spectators. When the performance is finished, simply roll up the “theater” and place in a file drawer or on an unused shelf. Easy!

This idea is also great for traveling performers, or those teaching specialists who have to travel from class to class without a room of their own. I ran across this idea years ago on the teaching circuit. Those of you who may have used thistechnique . . . we would be thrilled if you’d post a link to your own blog or to an online image. And of course, personal success stories are always welcome!

Photo Credit: Jude Pics

DIY Whiteboard and Homemade Cleaner

Need a whiteboard, but suffering from budget overload? Help is here. Read on for ideas on how to create a DIY version for yourself.

Starting up a new school and need a bunch of them? Homeschooling and need to squeeze out every extra penny? Or perhaps you are starting your own home office to pursue extra income. Whatever your reasons, saving money on an otherwise expensive whiteboard is a good thing.

Basically, you go to your handy dandy giant neighborhood hardware store and pick up some shiny smooth finish shower board (otherwise known as smooth tile board). This is the stuff that white boards are made of. You can pick up a large piece of it for usually under twenty bucks. Frame it or not, it’s your choice and affix it to the wall as you see fit. Most people recommend making sure it’s flat to avoid warping, and to make for a more stable writing surface. Some folks have even used glass against a colored wall. The principle is the same, and the cost is similarly cheap. You could easily do a whole wall as a whiteboard for a giant team brainstorming area or a place for children and teens to feel creative.

Some construction ideas from around the web?

• This guy has a very short list of materials and a simple design. I’d personally cap off the ends and do more of a direct attachment to the wall instead of a hanging fixture, but definitely a simple idea.

• This gentleman has a similar suggestions, but shows some alternative layouts, gives some additional rationale for the large versions, and also has some suggestions for a slightly different (although more expensive) version which also accepts magnets.

How do you keep them clean?

Other than looking for a bargain deal on the traditional Expo cleaner for whiteboards, there are apparently several homemade versions posted around the internet. One of the simplest was a simple solution of water and rubbing alcohol. I’ve also heard that certain types of dryer sheets can work, although I’m not sure that’s the greenest option. Here are a few posts I found on the subject:

• This person tested various suggestions she’d heard of in a controlled manner and rated the results in a spreadsheet with notes for your review. Score!

• This individual uses baking soda to remove tougher long term stains.

• Loads of DIY whiteboard cleaning solution ideas here. Bonus? They are dirt cheap.

I wish I had known about this years ago. My husband’s been asking to have a large white board at home for some time. I think we may finally carve out a space this spring after a trip to the nearest Lowe’s. Do you have a DIY success story with your own whiteboard? Let us know.

Flickr Photo Credit: Cyrenaic