Have you ever dreamed about a classroom display? Last night was my first—at least that I can remember! In my dream, I had a spiffy pumpkin-themed display. Large pumpkins covered an entire wall. Nothing wrong with that, right? Wrong! The rest of the school was decorated for Valentine’s Day! In my dream, I kept searching and searching and searching for red, pink, or purple paper. It was awful!
I admit that I’ve been thinking about bulletin boards. I’m curious, for example, how much time teachers spend creating bulletin boards. I also wonder how teachers find the time to keep up with classroom (and hallway) displays throughout the school year. Can y’all help me out? And if you’d like to share timesaving and storage tips that help keep you up-to-date with your bulletin boards, that would be totally awesome!
A tiny bit tired, 🙂
Diane
I teach Kinder and I always take pictures of my bulletin boards so I can remember how I did them the next year. I also usually use kid artwork and incorporate it into my display.
I love doing bulletin boards. I store my many borders in a storage box upright and that has kept them looking good. I actually have had most for many years because of the way I store them.
I teach Prek.
My favorite boards are the ones that incorporate the children’s work. As a long time teacher I of course have themes that I use yearly I plan the kids boards based on those themes During the summer. I change all the boards monthly.
Ezample I know every January I will use the theme snowmen. Over the summer I just plan it in my new plan book. I mark use for bulletin board. When I do my January planning I know to save work from both ages I teach. 3 year will have a smashed snowmen on their board and the 4 year will have snowmen they dressed. Keeps my room displays coorindated too and best of all easy work. I always like to plan a head.
Hello, nothing like school dreams to keep you up at night! I teach third grade. I love to use fabric for my bulletin boards, as do other teachers. They come in great colors and pattens. Fabric is awesome for seasons and themes. It doesn’t fade like paper and can be washed and reused. Teachers also get a discount at certain fabric stores!!
I have part of one board covered in felt to use for felt board stories. Everyone can see that wayt.
Doing bulletin boards is therapy for me. I am actually upset that I am moving into new room this fall that has fewer bulletins to set up. I too take pictures of them so I cam remember…. plus I take pics of other too for ideas.
I painted my bulletin boards years ago. I then try to use resources or inspiring themes that can be left up as long as I like.
I used to do new bulletin boards for each new content, but with all of the demands with data collection..and my own children, I have learned to appreciate boards that can be useful throughout the year without changing.
I do enjoy doing bulletin boards but we now have to include standards and benchmarks on the boards and they always include student work. I have black fadeless paper on the board at the beginning of the school year. It can always be tied into what is being displayed and allows things to “pop” with the colors of the display. I also like to use photos of the students sometimes. The kids love seeing themselves with their friends and classmates!
What great ideas ladies! I do a seasonal board in the room and then use the doors and walls outside my room to display art work by theme.
I use the same themes year after year. SO I save my borders in a wrapping paper saver (the hard plastic long one) all the border fit right in and then don’t get bent or anything. I also have them laminated so they don’t get ruined from staples.
I also laminated all the letters I have used for each theme and holiday and store them in file folders along with laminated cut outs and decorations. When it is time to change the boards all I have to do is pull out a file folder and I”m ready to go. For larger boards I use the expanding folers (so I don’t lose anything).
I have a lot of hand man decorations like construction paper grass for spring, I tend to laminate everything and save it for next year.
I use a lot of the children’s work and their photos so their parents can keep them in a memory book (we make as a class project with all the kids pictures from the year). At the end of this past year we did a two week theme: the first we made wanted posted with black and white frowny pictures, the following week we captured the children. I made a “jail cell” out of tri fold board, ironed on “CAPTURED” to an orange shirt. The kids loved it and the parent thought it was adorable. The poster made up our bulletin board with MOST WANTED and REWARD IF CAPTURED on it. It was so cute.
Before teachers left at the end of May, we were informed that our assigned hallways will have certain bulletin board themes for next year: one hallway will be ocean life, one hallway will be jungle life, and the third/fourth grade building will be Texas life. I am in the ocean life hallway.
Does anyone have any ideas to share for ocean life?????
I don’t know what age group you teach Ruth but I have used the ocean theme yearly. For a welcome board I would put up a blue paper with a variety of ocean fish and plant life. Then cover with saran wrap. Then add the heading Welcome to Mrs. _______ ocean aquarium.
I often have the kids make a variety of ocean fish, and life depending on my focus and have them stuff them with paper and staple. then I hang them with a thin monofilament thread (available at any quilting store)in front of the board. They look like they are swimming.
Good luck.
Hi, Darlene!
I teach pre-k (age 4). Even though we are supposed to have our bulletin board ready to go when the students arrive, I like your idea of having students make fish. I think I will save space on the board for the students’ work.
Thank you for your idea! 🙂
You’re welcome Ruth. I teach 3 and 4 year olds. Have fun with the fish.
I do a monthly bulletin board. Not only do I use a lot of student work (every board requires fresh learning to be displayed), but the board must have the learning standard that the work reflects. It’s a lot of work, but I love to come up with new displays and I am always proud to show off my students learning!
I’m sorry, I forgot to say that our main bulltin boards are in the hallway and EVERYONE looks at our boards. I also take pictures of all of my boards (just in case I want to use one another time (alltered by current class–no two boards are ever exactly the same).
We have four large bulletin boards in our preschool, so we make every effort to maximize the background paper and edging trims, to last for several months. In August, we layer on 4-5 different colors of background paper to last all year, and then decorate the top layer with back to school, welcome, apple or fall is coming themes, with the new children’s names on leaves or apples in a basket or on a tree, so that they feel welcome when they arrive. Then, as the year goes along, we add their dictation, artwork, photos and captions to let the parents know what skills we are working on. They love seeing their child’s projects and being involved with what we’re teaching. Changing bulletin boards is time consuming and takes planning, but it really brightens things up when a board is changed and it promotes so much conversation with the children when they notice some new theme or their own art being displayed! Keeping the edge strips and extra pieces in labeled folders makes it all organized and ready for the next time.