Preparing a Travel Themed Classroom Part 1

So now that I actually have all summer to think and plan for next year, and I know what my classroom is going to look like (for those of you who are confused, I was hired on Thursday and started new teacher training Monday last summer), I can actually do a lot more planning than last year.  Since I teach world studies, I thought a travel themed classroom would be ideal.  I poked around Pinterst and did some work on my own, and came up with some ideas.

First, I bought some letters from Michaels and used de-coupage to decorate them with cheap maps I bought from a second hand bookstores in the area.  Ultimately, the letters spell out my last name, which I'll then hang up in my classroom above my desk.

I also stenciled signs with locations we'll be learning about this year.  Underneath, I used this website to measure how far each location is from my school.  I created smaller signs, which I hung underneath with twine.  At first I was going to hang the signs around the room pointing in the direction of each location, but I decided not to.