“Doesn’t that cost so much money?” “How can you afford to do that?” “You shouldn’t have to spend your money on transforming your classroom!” These are some questions I receive every year when I start to plan for classroom transformations. Whether it is Football Day, Glow Day, Hospital Day, or March Math-Ness, I always Transform on a Budget!
Wishlist
First, I create a wishlist and a Sign Up Genius and share these with my parents. I have found if I give them plenty of notice, parents are eager to help because they know their child will enjoy the activities. I usually do my transformations as a test review the day before a unit test. Therefore, I try to send out the wishlist 3-4 weeks in advance, and I always set the send-in deadline a week before I plan to do the transformation. I allow plenty of time to gather the supplies not sent in AND this allows me flexibility with the date if needed.
Budget Friendly
Second, alway be budget friendly! For every transformation, I cover the desks to match the color of the theme, which makes a huge difference in the feel of the room. Option #1- Tablecloths from the Dollar Tree are $1.25 each, and the same ones at Walmart are usually 99 cents each. Option #2 - use colored butcher paper from your school supply closet. I have never been able to reuse the butcher paper or the cheap tablecloths, so don’t count on that. Other decorations, such as hanging foils or the field post, I can use year after year. So I start small and what parents send in, I can add to each year. This year I have very involved parents, so I have been able to put together goodie bags for each transformation - which is all provided by the parents! Tool boxes and “tools” can be found for cheap at the Dollar Tree for the Place Value Construction Transformation. For our Thanksgiving Escape room, I bring in decorations from my house to add to the theme. I also combine our Escape Room and Friendsgiving party into one day , which makes it easier for parents to contribute to the decorations used for both activities.
Reuse
Third, I try to reuse items I’ve collected for my personal parties to bring in later for the classroom. When I am planning birthday parties for my kids, I try to buy solid color trays, cups, paper plates, and decor. This way I can use those items again in my classroom for a transformation. For example, my daughter had a Glow Party for her 10th birthday so I was able to use all the black lights and neon decor for my class Glow Day Transformation without having to buy anything extravagant to make it a success.
Space Out
Lastly, space out your transformation. I try to space out these fun days and alternate between elaborate and more basic transformations. For example, with our Hospital Transformation, I only ask if parents have a connection to a local hospital. If yes, I ask them if they can ask for donations of hospital gowns, hair nets, and gloves. One year I didn’t have any parents with a connection, so I reached out to my own doctor to see if he could help. He was able to get everything donated from the local hospital for me. Now, when I started this transformation it was before COVID and the students were super excited to get to wear doctor masks all day. Now… not so much! So I do not ask for them anymore because the students complain about wearing them.
All of this to say, I do not spend an arm and a leg every time I do a classroom transformation. I try to limit what I ask parents for and what I spend. “You shouldn’t have to spend your money on transforming your classroom!” These people are right! I shouldn’t HAVE to, but I want to! I enjoy seeing my students’ faces light up with excitement on transformation days. Most of all, I love seeing them enjoy the math content.
If you are ready to do a room transformation on a budget, but are not sure WHY you should do one, head over to my blog post 3 Reasons for a Room Transformation. This will give you my top three reasons you should be doing them in your classroom!
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