Calm Down Corner

Calm Down Corner 

1-2 New Things out of 180

       So I'm on a mission to do 180 new things this school year to become a better teacher. My first challenge was to set up a calm down corner in my classroom. The class that I'm getting has several challenging students, they run out of the classroom, hide and have sensory issues. I wanted to create a safe environment the help them so first I created a sensory board. Most of it was on CLEARANCE!!!! I went to Michael's and JoAnn's and found things in the clearance section that I could use like marbles, beads, felt, wooden letters, twist ties. I also used things I already had in my classroom or at my house: pipe cleaners made into shapes, stickers, colorful cotton balls glued to a Brie container (so delicious), tile from home depot, packaging material, electrical tape, shells, string that I glued in a spiral. The only other thing I had to buy was more glue sticks for my hot glue gun, cardboard background, and 2 wooden frames in the Michael's Wood Aisle. My Sensory Board letters I made out of felt. I also had old Jeans I cut the pocket from and an old travel hairbrush that I broke in half so a mirror on one side and the prickely hairbrush on the other side. My recommendation when making one is to find stuff in your classroom, things around the house that you don't need that are different shapes and textures.

 

Next up...create a covered safe space. I made sure to put it away from any doors or to a loud center. I ordered a set of sheets from amazon but you could always get some fabric at JoAnn's Fabric. Click here for the sheets I got at Amazon. I hung part of it on the wall using a 3m hanger. Then I hung a string from the ceiling. I put a piece of yarn from the wall hanger and the string, so it looks more like a tent.

Tied the yarn from the wall to string from the ceiling

Make a hole to tie the yarn and string around

Tying away

I also attached it to the nearest bookshelves by tying it around the ends. I'm not an engineer and I know there is a better way to hang it up, so I won't take it personal if you choose to make yours look completely different. Now for the best part I added some lights and a calm down kit. It's AMAZING! Just print and laminate..it's filled with great strategies and boards for your students. You can get it on TPT right here!

 

 Next, I put play-dough, a stuffed animal, squishy toys, a whiteboard plus marker, silencing headphones, and a book in a box for some extra calming relief. I also made a label and instructions that you can get at my TPT store for free to edit to your needs here. Voila!!! I'm done and I love it....hope you enjoy making one as much as I did.

The kid's pictures totally caputre this corner!

Editable to put in your own picture