Reinforce Key Concepts
Vocabulary acquisition is foundational to comprehension. Teachers who use visual prompts such as these assist student in acquiring new vocabulary, and the hanging words remind teachers to spend a little time in quick review. Our retracting ceiling hangers make it easy to change, remove, or reposition your reinforcements, all from the safety of the floor. Adhesive sheets are applied to the back of decorative paper, then letters are cut with an electronic cutter such as a Cricut or Ellison machine.
Materials used: ribbon, cardstock, Sizzix repositionable adhesive sheets.
Hang-Mate on Pinterest
We have just created a Pinterest site with a variety of ideas for classrooms, libraries, and personal use. Check us out: Hang-Mate on Pinterest
Position Informational Signage and Tame Tall Ceilings
Sometimes you just need a quick sign to direct traffic for a special event... Hang-Mates™ allow you to quickly place and easily remove signage. Here, a back-to-school informational sign is positioned on a ceiling 22 feet above floor level.
Materials used: 22 x 28 signage dry-mounted to foam core (we used MS Paint to create the sign); optional longer extension pole (for ceilings higher than 11 feet ); optional locking plastic 18" extensions; and hinged saw-toothed hangers.
Create Suspense
Group exercises in libraries or classrooms sometimes require many materials. By suspending the materials in inexpensive buckets above the work area, instructors can create active anticipation of fun activities, but keep materials above active hands until they are ready for use. Hang-Mates™ retract approximately 6 ounces, but hold approximately 16 ounces in suspension, allowing heavier items to be pulled down and pushed out of the way until ready for use. Inexpensive buckets or baskets, used to hold lesson manipulatives, can be elevated above the work space until the teacher is ready to put the contents into use.
Celebrate Student Excellence
Melanie uses our Hang-Mate™ Wall System to reward her students' achievements. Melanie's wall design was featured in LibraryJournal.com: "What's Hot, The latest in library products and furnishings."
Directions for creating this signage: Celebrate Excellence
The removable magnets on the front of the boards hold student work in place, as they are strong enough to attract one another through the foam core. In Melanie's class, students had the pleasure of adding new work to the display space The Hang-Mates™ kept students safely on the floor, allowing them to pull the display boards into hands' reach.
Free Whiteboard Space
Teachers regularly post thinking strategies and learning targets in classrooms, often at the expense of valuable whiteboard spaces. Creating signage that is both elegant and easily changeable frees those interactive spaces for instruction and student interaction. Since Hang-Mates™ make it easy to rotate signage, the backs of these signs offer additional space for reinforcement of key concepts.
Directions for creating this signage can be found here: Thinking Strategies
Repurpose and Inspire
Small recycled bottles hold sand, broken shells, and instructions for a group activity involving survival on an abandoned island. Hang-Mate™ lines wrap around the neck of the bottle, clipping to themselves, and afford instructors the ability to put materials within student reach when they are ready for the activity. Until then, a simple push upward moves materials safely out of the way.
Click here for a couple of fun, free links for island simulations:http://www.sitesalive.com/oil/tg/private/oiltgsurvival.html and http://insight.typepad.co.uk/lost_at_sea.pdf
Showcase Your Associates
In this application, a patron wall with an industrial, yet finished look was desired. Extra-long Hang-Mates™ were specially made to accommodate the needs of the space. Two rails were installed, both at ceiling and floor, and the Hang-Mates™ were extended between the two rails to form a floating linear backdrop. 10X10 photos of the bank's patrons were affixed to the Hang-Mate™ cording, held taut with the retracting reels, effectively creating a gallery. Cornices were positioned over the rails at both ceiling and floor height to finish the look.
We celebrate the fact that this idea was featured in LibraryJournal.com's issue of "What's Hot: The Latest in Library Products and Furnishings".
Instruct or Inform
Sometimes a little visual reinforcement can help you bring home those important concepts. Within these professional spaces, a dentist encourages her patrons to take care of the little details.
Create a Triangular View
Three faces, here-three key mathematical concepts, present themselves for concept development or product signage. Our retracting ceiling hangers make hanging and changing educational reinforcements easy and safe. If you're interested in creating simple signage just like this, you can find the instructions here.
Direct the Flow
Moving patrons or students from place to place can be done efficiently when using Hang-Mates. Here, a pre-cut paper mat frames a simple sign, and a ribbon suspends all.
Hang-Mates Outside
Hang-Mates can be used in exterior applications, as well. Our Heavy Duty Dual Lock holds a Tape Hang-Mate™ from a painted wooden ceiling beneath a portico. BOOtiful...
Hanging Wider Items?
Number lines, alphabets, and interactive story boards have previously been difficult to hang. No longer. Hang-Mates, coupled with our Aluminum Rail System, make hanging wide items feasible, all the while offering retraction ability. Here, a section of a classroom number line is suspended by two Hang-Mates. With a simple pull, the entire number line comes within the reach of both teacher and student.
Involve Your Students Safely
Great teachers want their students to feel invested in their work. Here, students assist each other in assembling the back-drop for their play. Hang-Mates™ are so simple to use that even younger students can get involved!
Transform your classroom into a theater!
Displaying Multiple Charts?
This image was sent to us by a teacher who used to stand on desks daily to update her Dolch words for students. Wanting to group the signage she created, she used our locking extensions to link two charts to one Clip Hang-Mate, unifying her display. Additional locking extensions can be attached to the Hang-Mate, acting as a pulling wand to simplify frequent changes.
Special Hanging Needs?
Sarah wanted to hang reinforcements for literary terminology. She teaches in a beautiful high school that happens to be historic, with the accompanying hanging restrictions. She planned to use the Tape Hang-Mates, but discovered that the Clip Hang-Mates™ could be easily attached to her lighting, something she preferred. If you have unique hanging needs, contact us for assistance!
