Today’s post isn’t necessarily teaching-related as classroom-related!   But it is teaching-related in that we all need a home office space to use to be creative and prep and plan!  One of the things I get asked about more than anything when I post pictures and when we do videos is my home office and especially my desk!   The desk….everyone wants to know about the desk…so I want to show you the desk and explain how easy and cheap it was to make!  Yep…make!  My TBFF Jenny and I made this desk.

I do want to clarify that this space is used for recording virtual PD sessions, conference sessions, and doing Facebook live so that’s why we have the studio lighting!   But I’ll admit I use those lights all the time!  The brightness is great for working!

This space also came in very useful during virtual teaching.  In fact, Adelynn calls this “Dad’s classroom” and she loves to come “work” in the classroom.  She really loves all the fun things she finds to play with!

Home Office Version 1

I wanted a desk that gave me lots of room for working and making stuff for my classroom…but also room for my computer that didn’t require me to move stuff each time I wanted to do a project on the desk.   I also wanted some storage space.   So…here’s what we did…ORIGINALLY!

It’s so easy ya’ll.  You need a hollow door from Lowes or Home Depot.  Mine was about $40 or $50.  It was not painted so we painted it white.  The door does not have a hole for a doorknob!

You will also need 2 bookshelves.  Mine are from Wal-Mart and were about $20 each.  These are also white.  We assembled those.

To assemble the desk, you lay the door on top of the shelves.  I used some Command strips to secure the door but this isn’t necessary.

In the picture, you’ll notice one shelf is turned out and the other is facing in, under the desk.  The reason I did it this way is that there’s no space in my office to position the desk so both shelves face out.  The shelves provide extra storage and having the one right under my computer lets me keep stuff down there that I might not need as much.

The last thing I added was two clear desk protectors.  This protects the paint and gives me a nice smooth surface to work with!  These desk covers are from Office Max!

AND BAM!   A desk with plenty of storage and workspace to get creative and plan awesome lessons and engaging activities!

Home Office Version 2.0

When we moved into our previous home I got a bigger office!  I chose a room with lots of space, great windows for natural light, and a giant closet to hold my collection of Dollar Tree cutouts and plastic eggs!

Here is the new Kindergarten Smorgasboard World Headquarters!   New colors, new larger desk!

You see, I LOVED my door desk.  But with more space, I knew exactly what I wanted.  A DOUBLE door desk.  So I ordered two more bookshelves and another door.  And doubled the desk.  Can I just say how happy this makes me?!  I mean..A dedicated space for my computer.  And PLENTY of room for projects…anchor chart making, center creating, vinyl cutting, glitter spilling projects.  (And yes, there is a Sonic drink on my desk. That is a requirement!)  The rainbow carpet is from At Home.

Here are the sides of the desk.  Just simple white bookshelves from Wal-Mart.  I added a small printer on one side and put my printer paper next to the printer just for ease of access.   The opposite side of the desk has my Cameo machine, Cameo Mint, paper cutter, and a laminator.  It’s the machine storage area!  hehe

And here are pictures of my newest office in our new home!

Same colors.  Bigger space.  New additions:  more shelves, pegboard, and refrigerator stocked with Coca-Cola and Reese cups! The photographs on the wall are Mixtiles!

The Closet

Another feature that I love about this office is the closet.  It’s like a teacher supply store.  Just walk in, do some shopping, and find all the things.

The plastic storage containers and the shelving units are all from Wal-Mart.  The shelves are 8 cube units that hold these storage containers perfectly.  The containers contain all of my center-making supplies, vinyl, etc.  The larger totes hold my prized collection of plastic eggs and Dollar Tree cutouts and other fun items that come in handy when a new idea for a game or center hits!

To see some of the things that we create in this space, check out these posts:

Spring Centers

Dollar Tree Centers

Differentiating Instruction With Dollar Tree Cut Outs