Hello friends! As back to school time approaches, bulletin boards are a constant topic. Today, I am linking up with Ashley from Schroeder Shenanigans in 2nd and Angie from Lucky Little Learners to share some tips and tricks to make your bulletin boards beautiful (and not too stressful!). Hope you enjoy!
If you haven’t noticed already, I am (just a tad) OCD in my classroom. There is a place for everything, everything is in its place, and everything is tied together with COLOR. I have used blue, green, and brown with small pops of yellow for the past two years and absolutely love it! Why do I keep my color scheme the same? 1 – It’s expensive to purchase this stuff! Using it from year to year is important to me. 2 – A color scheme can go with almost any theme you wish.
Why blue, green, and brown?
There has been research done that shows the color blue produces a sense of calm. Yellow on the other hand, can be a very strong color for students who struggle with attention disorders or students who have autism. Think about ambulances and stop/yield signs. They are either red or yellow. These colors spike our attention and make us very aware of our surroundings.
When creating a classroom environment, color scheme is KEY! Pick a few colors and go for it. Your bulletin boards are going to be the pops of color that “ground” your classroom and pull everything together for a cohesive look. Layer borders to give your bulletin boards more detail and “curb-appeal” from far across the room. I use brown paper in the back of my room so that I can add more color when the student work is added. In the front of the room, I use the brighter green paper (seen in the first image with the chevron border).
You can see from the images above that I have many different colored bulletin board papers and borders in various arrangements. However, all of the colors are in the same “family”.
Here are the links to the specific borders used in my classroom:
Key border: Dollar Tree
Brown and lime chevron borders: Creative Teaching Press
White wavy border: Creative Teaching Press
Lime polka dot border: Teacher Created Resources on Amazon
Lots of Dots brown border: Creative Teaching Press
Brown Bordette: Pacon on Amazon
All bulletin board paper is the Fadeless brand from my local teacher store.
This year, I knew I wanted to put a quote above my boards to fill the blank space. We are not allowed to paint any walls, so this idea added a large pop of color. Our grade level theme is Fantasy, so I chose a Mary Poppins quote that I just ADORE for kindergarten. This is the focal point of our classroom. Your eye is drawn to it the moment you walk in…and you may just start singing “oohhh a spoonful of sugar helps the medicine go down”.
How do I create one for my classroom?
If you are interested in creating a large quote for your classroom, it is VERY simple. Just create a PowerPoint document and insert a text box on each page. Type one letter per page and choose a thick font you love at a large font size. I used KG The Last Time at size 667. Click format and change the font fill to “none” or “transparent” and the outline to “black”. Print it on bright paper. I used the green from this pack and teal from a pack parents donated last year. I layered the two for a textured look. When you print, be sure to click on “Fit to page” or “Shrink to fit” so the edges of the font don’t get cut off!
 |
| Here’s another focal point example from my first grade classroom two years ago. Kids and staff alike LOVED our tree. Plus, it tracked our AR progress! |
Here’s a quick tip to leave you with…
Imagine you just created a “fake” bulletin board on the ugly back of some cubbies, but you weren’t sure if you want to use white or green lettering. 🙂 Yup…that was me!
I’m not sure why I didn’t think of this before, BUT all you have to do is take a picture of the blank board. Then, insert it into a PowerPoint and type right on top of it! (See mine above!) Mess around with the colors and fonts until you get something you love. Then, simply enlarge the letters, print them, cut them out, and tape them up. Ta-da! I wish I had thought of this sooner. I would have done every bulletin board this way!
Be sure to check out the links below to get more brilliant bulletin board ideas for back to school!
I love it! We have the same classroom color scheme. Green, blue and brown. I have also added some yellow! Thanks for sharing. I need to work on mine tomorrow morning so I can share! =)
Awesome! Love those colors (obviously!).
🙂
The last tip about putting your blank bulletin board into PP and messing around with it is GENUS!!! 🙂
-Megan
X is for Apple
Right?!?! Why didn't I think of it earlier?
I love your huge quote! Such a great idea! Now I'm regretting my splashes of yellow in my color choice though. heh! Thanks for writing a thought provoking and interesting post!
-Jessica
The Whimsical Teacher
Thank you! I love it too! 🙂 Don't regret! I bet your room looks awesome. I don't want you to think I'm saying avoid yellow like the plague…just be conscious of how much. Little bits here and there are beautiful touches!
Your room looks great! I love how everything coordinates! That quote is awesome and looks great!!
Bonnie
The Cutesy Teacher
I'm a big fan of picking a simple color scheme. It really makes the room look cohesive. Nice job!
Stephanie
Applelight Moments By Stephanie
Your bulletin boards look beautiful! The quote looks really nice. Hope you have a wonderful school year!
I love the color teal too! I agree with Stephanie! A color theme is definitely the way to go and the last tip about blank bulletin boards is awesome!
Victoria Moller
Teach With a Smile