I must admit…I’m not a huge fan of Boomwhackers. In my mind, they’re the musical equivalent of whacking a stick against a tree, and I’m pretty sure I did that a lot as a kid. Don’t ask me why.
To be fair, I do think Boomwhackers are helpful in teaching students about pitch, and how it relates to size. Whether or not they do in fact sound like sticks being whacked against trees is up for debate. And of course my students enjoy playing them, which is why I went on a hunt last summer for a better way to store them in my room. Up to that point, I’d kept them in a box, which was an unorganized eye-sore. Sadly though, no matter how long or hard I searched Pinterest, I just couldn’t find any storage method I liked.
Which led me to this thought, how can I store Boomwhackers without taking up any more space?
Then it came to me…
put them on the wall.
So I did.
I bought Velcro squares (1 1/2 in.) at the local hardware store. I mapped out where I wanted to put them on the wall, making sure to keep them within kindergarteners’ reach. Then, I began sticking the Velcro to the wall and instruments. Thankfully, I remembered to put the soft, fuzzy side of the Velcro on the Boomwhackers, and not the wall, so the students didn’t have to touch the rough side.
I’ve used this system for nearly a year now and can honestly say it beats anything I’ve seen or tried before. I was initially concerned about whether or not the students would put them away correctly, but they’re surprisingly particular about making sure the Velcro squares line up, even when I don’t remind them. I’ve even witnessed students policing others, reminding them to line them up properly, and then adjusting the rows to make a perfect line.
I think it says something about me, that I appreciate the students who do this. Who doesn’t love a straight line?
Musically Yours,
Jennifer
My students would love boomwhackers but I would definitely need Tylenol. Haha. I really like your new blog. Really cute. Congrats!
Thanks!
Hi Jennifer,
I found you and your blog from the TpT forum, and have enjoyed reading it! I just started blogging in October, and I know that it is a lot of work especially at the beginning. I nominated you for a Liebster Award for new blogs. You can read more about it here:
https://playtolearnpreschool.blogspot.com/2014/02/liebster-award-nomination.html
Good Luck, and keep up the great work!
Jamie
Play to Learn Preschool
Thank you Jamie! It was a hectic weekend (we attended school on Saturday), so I wasn't able to respond sooner. However, I'm so glad you took the time to leave a comment, and a great one at that! I've read a little about the Liebster Award and hope to write a follow-up post soon.
Thanks again,
Jennifer
I just read your blog for the first time today and really enjoyed it. I especially like your iPod board idea! I was wondering if you had to add more paper to your lists by the end of the year? I teach inthe cafeteria and wall displays can' t take up much space in my corner because the students line up along the walls. I might be able to keep them up if they are fairly small, and also find spots in the rooms I travel to also. I know what you mean about having occasional trouble remembering what grade has done what song! by Friday afternoon it can get a little blurry. I'm looking forward to more blog posts!
Thanks! I haven't had to add any pages to my bulletin board yet, but this is the first year I've had them up, and they are nearly full. If I do have to add paper, I plan on putting another list over the original and just stapling the top. I'll have to lift the top paper to see what we worked on at the beginning of the year, but I figure at least our most recent pieces will be easily seen. I may need to follow up on this post at the end of the year to show how it all worked out 🙂 Thanks again for stopping by and leaving a comment!