And Behind This Curtain. . .

While looking around my room today, my eyes settled on the green curtain on my bookshelf.  I thought that it might be a good tip to share.  I have a long row of shelves below the windows in my rooms.  Two of them I use for storage of my teacher books and supplies.  While setting up my room, I thought it looked a bit messy.  I was going to get some fabric and a tension rod to make a curtain, but then thought of something I have used in the past.  Here's how my shelf looks now:

And, here is what is behind the green curtain:

I think we can all agree the green curtain is much nicer to look at.  In addition to hiding my mess, it provides a nice pop of color that matches the bulletin board near it.  That green curtain is actually a plastic table skirt from the party store. They are amazing for the classroom.  They're just the right length for any table or book shelf you have as they are banquet table height.  You just cut off the length you need and apply.  I'm planning to cut up the middle of the one above so it's easier to get to the books. 

These banquet table skirts come with a self-adhesive sticky strip behind the ruffled top.  It's the part that would stick to the edge of the table.  In the package below, it shows where the sticky strip is.

These hold up really well, and one package can cover a lot of shelving or skirt a couple of classroom tables.  It's great for hiding storage items you may have under a table.  Also, they come in a ton of different colors, so you can compliment your room nicely.  In my area, one package is $6.99. 

I don't think this tip is groundbreaking news, but I know sometimes I see the most simple idea in someone's classroom and think, "How did I not know about that?"  Maybe this is one of those kind of ideas for someone else.   :-)