115 Takes on COVID-19

With all of the craziness going on right now, obviously our classroom procedures are going to have to change just a bit. Does that mean we aren't going to have a good year? ABSOLUTELY NOT. I am doing everything I can to make sure this year is as normal as possible, and just as fun as ever. Here are a few of the adjustments I am making to make us safe while we make some art:

1. Hand Sanitizer--EVERYWHERE I have added a heck-ton of sanitizer to the classroom. At every point where you may touch a common use item there will be a handy-dandy bottle of sanitizer waiting for you. I couldn't stand the boring bottles, however, and had to googly them up. You'll find a ton of googlies this year.

2. Mac Station Gloves I have added single use gloves to the station where we take our portraits for drawings and paintings. When you go to take your photo you will grab one glove, place it on your dominant hand (the one you write with), and use that hand only when working with the Mac keyboard or mouse. Then you will be able to dispose of the glove in the nearby trash can. This will keep all of our hands from spreading germs around the computer that we have to share.

3. Paint Brush Collection I bought a sink caddy that will be brought around to collect paintbrushes this year. It can hang over the sink to let the paintbrushes be cleaned without everyone crowding the sink and without me having to touch every single brush.

4. TRAYS Y'all. I have wanted trays for the classroom for years (supply prep anyone?) and I finally found them at Dollar Tree this summer. Each tray will be labeled with a number and will hold your supplies during class so that you only use your own. (These trays will have to be shared across grades, but will be wiped down between each class.)

1. 5. Student Access Most items in the classroom will be either easily accessible with limited contact or will be passed out by me personally after a serious hand-wash. I have placed items that will be gathered by students in a way that students can see what is in the location before digging around. This will prevent unnecessary touching of shared objects. I want to prevent as much cross-contaminating as possible.

I'm looking into more options for safety in the classroom, and limiting projects where those safety options will not work. I will be adding to this list a lot in the next few weeks as I work on making my classroom a safe haven, both emotionally and physically. In brighter news... WE GOT NEW CHAIRS, Y'ALL. No more getting your pants stuck to your seat or being afraid the chair will fall apart at any second 🤣. I am pumped.

Stay tuned for more updates! I will post as often as I can just to keep everyone in the loop. Everything is uncertain right now, which is frustrating I know, but I promise I am working to still make it the best school year that I can. Ms. Riggles