by Carol Davis
Many years ago when I was just beginning teacher training in college I remember being told to start a bulletin board portfolio. We were required to take photographs and create displays of ideas. During my observations and then internship I dutifully took pictures and kept my scrapbook of photos. I don’t remember, but I probably got an A on that little assignment.
Truth: That scrapbook did not prepare me for making bulletin boards. Those photos did not teach me how to attach borderquickly or how to add doo-dads to make the boards more interesting.
And now here I am in my teaching journeyand I still have to make bulletin boards. And to this, I say, “Thank you Pinterest and cute fonts!”
And, thank you to the party section at Target… Keep reading!
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Is This Really Easy? YES!
So, let’s make this as easy as possible. In fact, I love lists (as much as I love bulletin boards) so follow my simple steps:
- Choose a quote you like. (I have tons of ideas!)
- You need a nice background on your board. (I prefer a chalkboard paper because it makes the letters pop.)
- Pick your border. (More about that below.)
- Print your letters and cut them out. (More about that below and it really does not take long to cut the letters out. I do it while listening to an audiobook!)
- Grab some easy to make decor and attach everything to your board! (Target or Hobby Lobby both have so many options in the party departments.)
Choosing Border and Letter Colors
When I first started printing letters and creating bulletinboards like these, I just grabbed my colored cardstock and picked colors I liked. Well, that sometimes works, but I have a better plan for you!
First,choose a border that you like andalso one that somewhat fits your theme. For one of my more recent boards, I picked an animal print made of neon colors.
Choosing Paper
After you have the border chosen, then pick your letter colors. It’s so much easier to do this after you have the border! To go with that animal print border I just chose several colors of Astrobrights cardstock.
Science Boards are the BEST!
This board was inspired by some challenges we were completing that involved Newton’s Laws of Motion. I picked the green border because I knew I was using a lot of red for the letters and decor.
I made the large apple out of tissue paper. I justcut out the apple shape using about 20 layers of tissue. Then I used a glue stick to randomly glue pieces together. When I opened it a honey-comb effect was created. No, I didn’t invent this- I had already purchaseda honey-comb package for another board and just copied it!
Speaking of three-dimensional shapes! If you like those fuzzy circular shapes in the corners try a spherical shape from the party section at Target. You can get so many colors of spheres and other shapes. They are made to make a fully round shape, but for a bulletin board just open them halfway.
You can also find colorful banners in the party section. I add letters to the front of the banner and add those to bulletin boards.
I love this board with the quote about mistakes. The flowers across the top were created with clipart that I printed and cut out.
The boards in the photos were all created in PowerPoint, but when I tried each of these on classroom boards I added all sorts of extras. On the “magic” board I added a magic wand I made with a dowel stick and a glitter covered star!
These were all created using neon colors and when placed on black bulletin board those colors really pop out!
The board with the light bulb took the longest to create- only because I was trying to make the letters different sizes to arrange in a lightbulb shape.
Again, I created the letters after choosing the background color and the border. I match the letter paper to the border!
For two of these boards, I created the letters on colored paper and did not cut the letters out. It created a fabulous effect. (Also, less cutting!)
You can tell from the photos that these are boards on the wall! The pom-poms on the teamwork set were made from tissue paper! Just fold it like a fan, secure the center, and then pull the layers until they are fluffy.
These are so fun to design! Tip: If you don’t have clip art you can enlarge, my resource has some things provided (like test tubes and beakers.) But you don’t have to have clip art! Shop in the party sections of Target of the Dollar-Spot and pick up banners, fans, or pom-poms. Those three-dimensional shapes add great decorative touches to your boards!
Click on any of the images to see more about this set in my store!
You might also enjoy these Bulletin Board posts:
- Mad About Science Bulletin Boards
- Fun Bulletin Board Favorites
