Boring Hallway Wall...

I really like to display student work in the hallway for everyone to see. I think the kids show a sense of pride when they see their work hanging in the hallway. Plus-they know there are really high expectations for work going in the hall.

I used to just hot glue some clothespins on the wall with cute little tags on them that went with a theme. They usually went something like this:

Our work is DINO-mite! (dinosaur tags)
Look at our brrrrr-illiant work! (snowflake tags)
We go BANANAS over great work! (monkey tags)
Second grade LOVES to work hard! (heart tags)
Our work is buzz-worthy! (bee tags)

Since I'll be out for an entire quarter on maternity leave, I wanted to do something that stuck with our class theme and I could leave up until after Christmas but still highlighted the kids' work. Enter our new hallway wall design:

Before:

 After:

The stars on the clothespins (36 for $1 at Dollar Tree) all have a colored border, so I matched the star (pack of 36 for $2.99 from Lakeshore) with the coordinating piece of construction paper. The construction paper is laminated for durability. (Kids walk along the wall in our building, and some little hands like to touch...and pull...and tear.) I put a dab of hot glue on the top 2 corners of the construction paper, but didn't flatten it our entirely because I needed to make sure the clothespin would fit. The only way I can describe it is to say that I "popped" it out about a half-inch in the middle to allow space for the clothespin. You can't tell though.

I think it turned out great!