I don’t know about you, but I am the WORST at hanging things on the wall. There is a 99% chance that they will be crooked. This will result in me being irritated and rehanging it (crooked) again. It’s a horrible cycle.
Although I haven’t mastered the ability to hang things on my walls at home, I have gotten better at hanging classroom decor. Last school year I did a major classroom makeover and managed to hang everything ONCE! For the first time ever, I didn’t have to take down anything and rehang it!
If you’re wondering how I managed this miracle, I’ve put together a list of my top “straight hanging hacks” for you below:
Use Cinder Block Lines as Guidelines
Any time I’m hanging something on a cinder block wall, I line up the item I’m hanging with the cinder block lines. For example, if I’m creating a faux bulletin board, I will line up the bulletin board paper with the cinder block lines as I am hanging it. Unless you’ve got crooked cinder blocks (yikes), this will make your board straight every time!
Tape Before Gluing
Another tip I have for hanging on cinder block walls is to use hot glue to hang up your faux bulletin boards. But holding up a roll of paper with one hand and a hot glue gun in another (while probably committing multiple OSHA violations by standing on a chair) is not exactly ideal. Plus, once the paper is on the wall with hot glue, it isn’t going anywhere. So if you mess up, it’s an annoying fix!
My solution to both of these issues is to tape the paper up before gluing! I use pieces of painter’s tape to temporarily secure the paper first. Painter’s tape will work well because it will stick to the wall long enough for you to reinforce the hold with glue, but it shouldn’t rip your paper if you’re careful.
After I have temporarily taped the paper, I step back to make sure it’s exactly where I want it. If not, this is when I make adjustments. Then I go back in with my glue gun underneath the paper and take the tape off as I go. Then I have a straight faux bulletin board exactly where I want it! I’m also much more likely to come out of the process without burning myself or falling off a chair. (maybe)
Use Measuring Tape
If I am working on a wall that is not cinder block, it can be a little trickier to get those straight lines! My favorite trick to use on regular walls is to use a tape measure to measure up from the floor. This works best when hanging something large, like a faux bulletin board.
Here are the steps I follow:
- Decide where on the wall you’d like to put the item. This includes how high up you’d like it to be on the wall, as well as where the length of it will start and finish.
- Starting at the floor use a measuring tape to measure to the spot where you want the top of your item to be lined up. It is helpful to measure to the spot where you’d like one of the top corners to be.
- Use a pencil to mark the spot!
- Move down a foot or two and repeat the process. You want to have a few marks on the wall so that you can keep lining up your paper and it won’t get crooked!
- Once you have enough marks to guide you for the whole length of the paper, you can start hanging! Just match up the top of your paper to the marks and attach it to the wall. I usually start in the corner of the paper–match it, attach it, repeat–until I’ve reached the other end.
Hanging Letters in a Straight Line
This last tip is NOT my own–I discovered it somewhere on Instagram last summer and I’m so glad I did! Here’s how to hang your letters in a straight line:
- Lay out the letters in the position that you plan on hanging them. I like to put a yardstick under the letters when I lay them out to ensure that I am laying them in a straight line.
- Tape a long piece of painter’s tape to the letters to keep them straight. It’s important to have some tape coming off the edge of the letters so that they will temporarily stick to your board or wall.
- Temporarily stick the letters where you want them and step back to make sure they are positioned correctly. Reposition if necessary.
- Attach your letters to the surface using hot glue, staples, or masking tape and then remove your painter’s tape. You’re done!
I hope that these 4 hanging hacks make setting up your classroom less stressful!
Want more tips for back to school math activities? Check out these posts:
