...but how do you make the bulletin boards like so perfectly put together?!? I'm planning on using fabric on my bulletin boards, and I'm not too worried about putting that up, but I have so many ideas on what to place on top of the fabric, I just don't know how to actually follow through with them. Do you just draw whatever shape/item from butcher paper and staple that to the board? I hope this makes sense.. I want to make a BB with a white fabric background, a paintbrush on the corner, and blotches of "paint" in all different colors, with the words "Our Class is a Masterpiece!" on it. How do I make the paintbrush?? Oh the things newbies worry about lol:help:
I personally find a free clipart image that I like, and use the overhead transparency (opaque projector while in college) to enlarge to desired size using the main background color paper, or white paper & outline with sharpie & color with colored pencil. I've freehanded a few things but only when they are going to be the size of regular paper. I'm not too good with enlarging freehand.
If your school has a set of die cuts, you can see what they have. You can also purchase things at a local teacher store. They have many die cuts or cut outs as well. You can draw an image and cut out. I also love the overhead trick, it's the reason that I still have mine.
It sounds cute. I don't spend much time worrying about my BB since I cover it with fabric and immediately put up student work to display.
I do the same when trying to enlarge items. Put it under the projector, project it on the wall, and trace with pencil. Re-trace with black marker. You can do bits and pieces on different colors and glue them together. You can even laminate them when you're done to make them last longer and resist fading.
One little hint: if you're putting up any sort of lettering, start with the MIDDLE letter (in the middle of where you want it to be) and work outwards. (Don't forget to include spaces between words.) Your letters will be centered every time.
This is so very true. I had to learn this the hard way of noticing I had crooked letters a few times before I caught on!
Could you let the kids each add paint to the fabric before you add the words? A hand print and their name under it is one idea. If you see a lot of children in your room it would give each one "ownership". You could put a dollar store shower curtain under the fabric if you are worried about it bleeding through.
Oh, and back to the letters: If make them intentionally uneven, it's a whole lot easier than trying to get them to line up. So vary them: move one letter half an inch up, the next 3/4 inch down. And plan the whole thing out on paper first.
Me too! Another hint is to use masking tape or painters tape to make a line so your letters are even. I also try to do ones that will last - your masterpiece idea is a good one because you can just change the children's art. I have also done a "Pride Wall" in the past where they can post things they are proud of. Okay, this may sound controversial but some teachers spend way too much time, energy and money on bulletin boards. My advise for young teachers is keep it simple - display their work - spend your time on the more important aspect of teaching - teaching! You have enough to worry about.
Me too...or at least I did this year because I put some TLC into a few boards that I need to make sure there's enough room for everything that's going on them.
Great thread because I am horrible at BB. One year that might be on my target goal list, but right now it isn't. I am enjoying looking at all of these suggestions because one day I would like my BB to be a little more stylish. Oh, I actually have a book and making BBs interactive and fun, so if I get a chance to look through that and see anything interesting, I'll post it.
Find a clip art of a paintbrush. Open up a Word document and copy/paste the clip art to Word. Enlarge the clip art so that it fills the page. Print it out on cardstock. Laminate it if you want it to keep for years. Otherwise, slap it up there and make it again next year if you want to. For the paint splashes, you could cut out irregular shapes from construction paper, but it will fade. You could actually paint right on the fabric, but then you can't use it again and I'd be worried it would bleed through and ruin the board behind it. I like the idea of kid's putting their handprints up there, but you probably want this done before they come in. So I would go to insert then shapes in word and find those that look like splashes. (Or make your own using the drawing tool. It's harder to use that.) Drag down one corner to make them unusual shapes. Play around with "shape fill" and "shape outline" until you get the color combination you like. I think it would also be fun to fool around with the "gradient" so that the paint looks heavier on the bottom. When you get what you want, print it on to cardstock, cut it out and "ta-da"! Besides a paintbrush, you could use clipart of other paint related items. My brain is not working right now and I can't think of the name of the thing that you put dabs of paint on. If you are brand new at using some of these things, send me a message and I'll help. I like this colorful paintbrush. http://www.wpclipart.com/art/brushes/stubby_paint_brush.png.html
We can't do cutesy bb . They must be used to display student work, student commentary, and teacher commentary. I make a nice back-to-school display on my door.
One trick I have started is to tape/ sticky the BB letters onto paper and then staple the paper to the BB. It adds an extra flash of color and is easy to put up. It also can be done at home & not in the hot, hot classroom. The second trick I have started using is just typing everything & printing it on colorful paper. I saved all the classroom mgt. stuff from last year & will just print it on different paper this year. So instead of putting up RULES with individual letters, I just type it in a fun font & make it super big. I can print it at home or send it to school & print it there.
I like the pushpin idea! Sometimes I stagger the letters too. Generally I free-hand most of my stuff. I only really decorate the big board outside my room and one inside. I just cover the rest of the boards with colored paper and fill them up with work, notes, etc. as the year goes on. I have gotten away from using manufactured items other than letters. It helps keep my costs down.
