Fixer Upper Classroom Library Makeover SILO-bration!

Our Fixer Upper Classroom Library Makeover is complete, and the kiddos were begging me to have the SILO-bration I promised. I have to admit, with to sick kids at home, I was kind of dreading having to put on this big celebration. I put it off until the Friday before the 3 day weekend, which was actually perfect! It was easy to set up and tons of fun. (

The classroom library makeover was a week-long activity where students worked in teams to revamp our existing classroom library. Using a Fixer Upper theme, the kids dressed as Chip & Joanna and kicked off the makeover with a Demo Day. (See the details here!) We didn't make any major changes, just moved around a few pieces of furniture, reorganized the books, created a book display, and purchased a barcode scanner for book checkout. Even though the changes were small, the kids were involved in every aspect, and it made for the perfect opportunity to be reenergized about books midway through the year. (Find all the Fixer Upper Classroom Library Makeover goodies here!)

The SILO-bration Lineup:

• Popcorn bag decorating contest
• Cider, popcorn, and cupcakes
• Camera Crew presentation
• Ribbon cutting ceremony
• Book Checkout and Flashlight Friday
• Read!!!

Popcorn bag decorating contest

This was quite possibly the biggest hit at our SILO-bration, and it was so simple. I brought in plain white paper bags and directed the 5th graders to decorate with markers using a farm/silo/Fixer Upper theme. When I announced the winner would receive an extra cupcake, the competition was on! These kids are incredibly creative! Check out the results.

Cider, popcorn and cupcakes & Camera crew presentation

While the kids snacked (we used the white bags for popcorn), the camera crew presented the before and after photos and shared the video interviews they had put together during the project. All I had given them was a blank Google Slides presentation and the ability to document the library makeover in whatever way they wanted. The presentation was impressive, and the kids got a huge kick out of seeing themselves on camera. The interviews were hysterical, complete with bloopers! Chip and Joanna would be proud. We also used an old digital picture frame (borrowed from my mom) to display the reading quotes that Jimmy Don's Sign Team had come up with along with some more before and after photos!

The funniest thing was that the kids were so amazed by the digital picture frame. They couldn't figure out if it was a computer or a TV! I have a feeling this picture frame will have to stay in our library. (Sorry, mom.)

Ribbon cutting ceremony

I wish I had gotten this on video! I dug some ribbon out of the bottom of one of my drawers and draped it all across the library the morning of the SILO-bration. My classroom librarians helped to be sure all the remaining details of the library were perfect, so the ribbon added to the excitement of being able to go in and check out books. We counted down: 3...2...1! Two students cut the ribbon, and everyone clapped, cheered, and even whistled! We really didn't change much about our library, but you'd think we had a whole new library by the sounds of those cheers.

Book checkout and flashlight Friday

The kids went a few at a time to find a new book to check out. The classroom librarians stayed in the library, helping with book selection and using our new barcode scanner checkout. Once everyone had their books, the lights went out & everyone received a flashlight to read with. We played some music and read for the entire afternoon. (I got cozy & read my book too!) It was the perfect ending to a long week.

We are fortunate to have an amazing classroom library thanks to my district, Donor's Choose, and our local library's book sales, but that doesn't mean kids are automatically interested in what our classroom library has to offer. Every few months, engagement with books starts to dwindle, and it's activities like this that bring books back to the forefront.