Rain Gutter Bookshelves {A Bright Idea}

 Many years ago, I saw these amazing bookshelves made from rain gutters.  I always wanted them in my classroom.  They are PERFECT for that small space under your board that is usually pretty "unusable."  But, I had a different idea...

My students are always wanting to take AR tests on books that I read aloud.  I've always had a great system for books that they read independently, but for read-alouds....not so much.  They never knew how to spell the titles and once one student grabbed the book to test on it, it would be misplaced and other students couldn't find it.

Problem solved!  I had my husband make me two 3 ft. rain gutter bookshelves to go right above our laptop station so that I could place books read aloud in them.  Now, the books are there for all students to see and test on!

It also makes for a great "showcase spot" for themed books, such as an author study.

Here's how I...okay, hubs...made them.  

We bought a 10 foot rain gutter from Lowe's.  We cut it into 3 ft sections.  We chose to spray paint it red to match my room.  We used two endcaps for each gutter and 3 braces.  On the back of each brace, we added velcro.  Heavy duty velcro.  Seriously...the sturdiest velcro you can find.  I found mine in the section with the Command Hooks (industrial strength is best)!  That's it! {Here's the actual link to the tutorial we found on Pinterest and used.}

We put the velcro on the three braces...

and attached it to the wall.  Easy peasy!  One thing that I really love is that it is removable, so if I really need that wall space for something, the shelves can pop right off. 

And then back on! :)

So practical, so easy, so versatile!  How could you see yourself using these in your classroom?

If you enjoyed this bright idea, be sure you are following me on Instagram, Facebook, and TpT.

For more Bright Ideas from 150 bloggers, please browse through the link-up below by choosing the topic/grade level that interests you.

An InLinkz Link-up