Hi! My name is Nancy Fisher. Working in a school, I see many decorative bulletin boards throughout the building. Creative bulletin boards can be an asset to any class, at any grade level. These displays provide endless possibilities for presenting material to learners of all ages. They serve as a way to reinforce material that has been presented.

The bulletin board that I created is made for the primary grade level. I started this project thinking that I would enjoy making a board about spring time. When I began thinking about the students, I came up with the idea of making a board to display spelling words. The final product is a decorative bulletin board that is not only bright and cheery, but it serves the purpose of teaching children their spelling words.

Thank you for allowing me to share my ideas with you.

DISCLAIMER: This project contains minimal risk of injury. As always, caution must be taken when using scissors and staplers. This project has been created for educational purposes. The materials used for this project may not be available in all areas. The purpose of this demonstration is to present an example. Nancy Fisher shall not be liable for any discrepancies between her sample and the learner's finished product.

Step 1: Choose a Theme.

If you are having trouble choosing a theme, you may want to start your search for a theme by asking yourself some questions: What is the purpose of the bulletin board? Who are my learners? What do I want my students to learn? Will the bulletin board be used to reinforce learning? A bulletin board may be used to introduce lessons, reinforce learning, and add a decorative element to the classroom.

Step 2: Select a Color Palette.

Choose a background color as well as complementary colors for your bulletin board. Think about your learners and colors that appeal to them. Consider the topic, too. Bright colors may be appropriate for a lesson about summer. However, these colors might not be appropriate for a history lesson. For my project, I chose vibrant colors because these colors tend to appeal to young children who are at the grade level that would use this bulletin board.

Step 3: Make a Supply List.

Supply List:

Bulletin Board

Stapler (with staples)

Pencil

Markers

Scissors

Wrapping Paper

Wall Borders

Word Strips

Yardstick or Ruler

Removable Mounting Putty (or Double-Stick Tape if you prefer) -- Any mounting material such as the putty may remove some of the material to which it is adhered.

Large Room Decor (pictures)

Before you shop for supplies, take inventory of what you already have. If you are a teacher, you may be able to use materials that other teachers no longer need. Consider reusing items that were part of previous projects.

Step 4: Go Shopping.

Now it's time to purchase any items that you still need. Dollar stores can be excellent resources for teaching supplies. I purchased the wall borders, word strips, and pictures for this project at The Dollar Tree. Most teacher supply stores carry these items. Shopping online is a great option. Instead of using bulletin board paper for my background, I purchased wrapping paper to cut down on the expense.

Step 5: Arrange the Items.

Arrange the items the way you would like them to appear on the bulletin board. Rearrange as needed. Trim any items that need to be cropped. (I made the word strips smaller to fit more words on the board. Also, I trimmed the edges off the pictures of the flowers. Using the markers, I wrote the words on my word strips before adding them to the board.) Once you are satisfied with the arrangement, remove the items from the board. If you think you will have difficulty remembering the placement, take a picture prior to removal.

Step 6: Add the Wrapping Paper.

Measure the inside border of the frame. This will give you a measurement for the wrapping paper. Use this measurement to cut the wrapping paper. Staple the wrapping paper inside the frame (along the edges).

Step 7: Attach the Border.

Decide how you would like the border to be arranged. You may cover all four sides of the bulletin board, two sides, or use no border at all. For this sample project, borders will be on all four sides of the frame. Attach the border using removable mounting putty on the back of the border strips. If borders don't fit exactly, trim the borders to the correct size prior to sticking them to the frame. The mounting putty will be between the border and the frame.

Step 8: Add Pictures and Words.

Put mounting putty on the back of the pictures and word strips to stick them to the part of the bulletin board that has been covered with wrapping paper. Rearrange items as you desire until you are satisfied with how it looks.

Step 9: The Finished Product

Your project is now complete. This bulletin board is just one example of the many themes that may be shown on bulletin boards. I hope this project inspires you to create your own original classroom bulletin board display.

In case you prefer to learn by watching a video, please watch the following video that I created while making the classroom bulletin board.