Shoe Storage for Boomwhackers: A Tutorial

How many of you have boomwhackers in your room? *raises hand*
In the past, I have stored my boomwhackers in plastic coffee containers. My room was large but had a nice instrument cart for them to sit on top of. In my new classroom this year, I have very little storage. I barely have enough room for movement materials and classroom instruments, let alone eight separate containers of various sized colored tubes.
For the first month of school, my boomwhackers laid on the floor in the plastic wrap they came in. I was stumped and was about ready to create shelves or something. Then, I stumbled upon a genius idea from the Facebook group for music teachers: plastic shoe organizers!

I knew immediately that this was the answer. Thank you, Laurie E.!
So, how do you go about making this? Have no fear - I am here to share! My materials maxed out at about $20 and I completed the project in 15 minutes. 


To begin, you will need the following items:

• plastic shoe organizers (I used two, which ended up holding 8 of each color)
• scissors
• hanging materials (I used command hooks, but over the door hooks were included)

Step 1: Spread out your shoe organizer on your work area. Think of the top as row 1 all the way down to row 6 at the bottom.

Step 2:

For this step, you will be focusing on rows 3 & 5 of slots. Cut the fold at the bottom of one of the slots and then cut across. You are removing the slot from the organizer so it opens up. You should be able to stick your hand through it. This is where the taller boomwhackers will slide through. 

Step 3: Repeat the process for all of the slots in rows 3 & 5. Pull the plastic out so it creates a shoot. Again, the plastic is attached at the sides, but the top and bottom are open. This will encase the boomwhacker. 

Step 4:

Prepare to hang your organizer. I attached basic Command hooks to the wall, using holes one and four. Included with mine was an "over-the-door" option. If you don't have a lot of space but have doors, this would be another space saver idea!

Step 5:

Fill and organizer! On my wall, I was able to fit two side by side. The longer tubes (C-F) should slide down through the hole you cut into the bottom slots. The shorter tubes just fit normally into the shoe slots. This is my set-up, but you are welcome to get creative and adjust it to your needs.

EASY! It actually took me longer to put together this blog post giving you directions than to make both of them, hang and stuff. We've already used them a few times and clean-up is quick. I love how it makes use of a blank wall with bright colors. 

Have you had to be creative with storage in your classroom? I'd love to hear new ideas - please share below!

Changes!

Some big changes are happening in my music room this year! I have been asking (and nagging) for this for the past year or so. I had my hopes up last year, but it's finally come true this summer. 

.........................................DRUMROLL PLEASE...........................................

IT'S CARPET! WOOO-HOOO!

I know this probably isn't as exciting as you thought it would be. However, I have been hinting at carpet for a year now. The tile floor was falling apart, it was extremely slippery and it was always dirty. It was always difficult to do dances, relay races, and activities because the kids didn't want to sit on a dirty floor or they would try to scoot around/slide when teachers weren't looking. It was just a disaster!

I'm excited for carpet and the new adventure it brings. I'm planning on taping my rubber dots to the floor for lining up spots and purchasing Sit Spots for seating arrangements. Check out 2nd Grade Snickerdoodle's blog post about them:

There are going to be so many new things in my classroom this year (aside from the carpet, of course!). I thought I'd share a few of the things I'm most excited about.

Noodle Ponies

At the Artie & Denise conference this summer, I had the opportunity to meet Tracy King. She presented a wonderful workshop all about centers. She also shared her noodle ponies! I couldn't wait to get home and put together some of my own. My cat, Eleanor, was NOT very helpful, so this took longer than necessary, but I'm super excited to use them!

Thanksgiving Fun

The day before Thanksgiving is always a toughie for the kids. We get out early and they are super charged. I was checking out the Music in Motion website and came across something perfect for that day! It's a story book with the song "Over the River." So cute! It tells the tale of a family of turkeys going to Thanksgiving dinner and trying to avoid the farmer. There's a happy twist at the end, though! Also, I found this awesome hat to go with it! Again, my cat was not very helpful with this at home, as you can see in the picture. 

Instruments

After attending the workshop and digging into more materials I had, I have a great plan for more instrument play in my classroom. I also acquired a couple of large congas from the MS band director to store in my room. He was gracious enough to let me store them, as he has brand new ones. I also used my intermediate budget to purchase more bongos, sound shapes and rhythm sticks. Can't wait to use all of these and teach more beat/rhythm with all of my students.

Stretchy Band!

I have been taking inventory of all of the resources I have and some things that I would really like in my classroom. My previous post mentions several things for movement in the classroom that I requested via DonorsChoose.org. I'm only $72 away, so please check it out if you can :)

http://www.donorschoose.org/mrsskog

Anyways, I have been crafting to create more things for the kids these last few weeks. It is finally getting nice outside, but the kids are testing. All day testing = crazy kids!!! Movement is always a winner during these times. Plus, I want to review everything we've learned, while also making positive musical impressions on the kids before they leave for summer. 

First, I created some ribbon wands for the 1st grade program. They are doing a program all about our environment to connect with their driving idea and common core standards in the classroom. I have already heard a ton of parents connecting with the Raffi songs at home! Woot woot! At the end of the program, the kids will be dancing to "Let it Grow" from The Lorax. 

I created blue and green ribbon wands using this website and its' instructions: 

http://buggyandbuddy.com/make-dancing-ribbon-rings/

The project I was most excited about was the stretchy band. I love Artie Almeida's resources! Her movement activities are really fun and educational. Check out this resource if you don't have it - so awesome!

http://www.westmusic.com/p/parachutes-and-ribbons-and-scarves-oh-my-839232

The one item I was missing was a stretchy band and these things cost $50-$80 at West Music. Maybe, someday, I'll buy a real one, but until then, I made one. I found the tutorial from another blog site. It has great visuals with the instructions!

http://musicalchildren.wordpress.com/2013/08/01/games-and-movement-band/

I found my loom refills at Walmart. I also modified it a little and did bunches of 4-5 strings together. I wanted it thicker to hold on to for my larger groups. I literally took 10 minutes to put together. However, it takes FOREVER to take apart. Make sure you know what you want before you assemble the whole thing. Still, this is going to work great and will wash well to take care of germs. I hope to get some photos of it up in action and will post back with its' upkeep. Here's my homemade stretchy band: