Items filtered by date: November 2011

2 pages. A sparkling bulletin board for December that you can keep up through January. Great home-school connection. Get to know your students through this wonderful family writing prompt.

Get To The Point!

A Lovely December Bulletin Board Idea

Cover your bulletin board with black paper.  If you want to add a 3-D effect, twirl some green crepe paper and use it as a border.

Run off the leaf pattern on green construction paper.  Each student needs two leaves.  One they will add “veins” to with a green marker or crayon.

On the other leaf they will complete the sentence: In December I like to…

Before hand, assemble your students in front of the board and brainstorm things they like to do in December.

Write the list of activities on the board so that children can choose several and compose a sentence that they will write on their second leaf.

Students cut out their leaves and glue them to the back of their poinsettia flower after they have glued it together.

Run off the petal template on red construction paper. Each student will need 12.

This is a lot of cutting for younger students, so you might want them pre-cut and folded by a room helper.  Older students will have no problem.

I think these poinsettias are prettiest when run off on red construction paper, but you could also shrink the pattern and have your students make a smaller white version with less petals as well.

When you scatter both the large red and smaller white blooms on the black background you will have a really striking December bulletin board.

Students rub glue on the folded part of the petal and glue it to another folded part of another petal continuing until they have connected all 12 petals so they have a huge poinsettia flower.

The day before, make gold glitter blobs on yellow construction paper.  Children or a room helper can cut these into circles.

Students make a 3-circle clump and using glue dots, stick it to the center of their poinsettia.

One big yellow pom pom also works well, but I think the glitter is more striking.

Using an Ellison die cut machine, cut letters out for your caption and run it above your bulletin board:  “Our Writing is Blooming!”  “Wishing you a Brrrr-illiant December!”  “A Bouquet of December Thoughts.” “Our Writing Skills Have Blossomed!”

Click on the link to view/print Poinsettia December bulletin board pattern.

Click on the link to view/print History of the Poinsettia.  You can print this off and hang it on or next to your December Bulletin board.

Be sure to check out the other December Bulletin board ideas by scrolling down!

As always, if you have a December bulletin board idea you'd like to share, I'd enjoy hearing from you! diane@teachwithme.com

December Does Double Duty

A Snowflake December Bulletin Board Idea You Can Keep Up For Your January Bulletin Board!

Since December seems to simply fly by, I like to make one of my bulletin boards wintry so that I can leave it up through January. 

This snowflake bulletin board does the trick, gets your students writing as well + involves their families!

Here’s how:

Click on the link to view/print a copy of the “My family is ‘snow’ special!” Snowflake December Bulletin Board pattern.

If you'd like a copy of my sample, click on the December bulletin board Family Snowflake sample link.

Run off copies on white construction paper and send home along with a note to families explaining the December bulletin board.

Click on the link to view/print December Bulletin board snowflake letter home to parents.

Cover the bulletin board with royal blue or navy paper and spray with silver or opalescent glitter.

They sell it by the can in most craft stores for less than $2.00 a can.

The smell can be a bit over powering, as it's alcohol-based, so you may want to run a fan, or open a window briefly, and then follow up with a few spritzes of cinnamon air freshener. The sparkling effect will be worth it!

To add a 3-D effect, twist some silver or white crepe paper around the edges or add white sparkly garland.  Twinkle lights look festive, if you have a plug nearby.

Tissue paper, plastic, or white tag board-die cut snowflakes, that are suspended from fish line and dangling from the ceiling, just above your bulletin board, will also add interest and pop.  I have a dozen like the ones pictured, that I purchased in a package at The Dollar store.

Hang your December bulletin board “caption” above the board.  Use an Ellison die cut machine to cut out black letters that spell:  Brrrr-illiant work! Or “_________________’s class is ‘snow’ special!” OR “Snow special sentiments from ________________’s class.” OR “Let is snow!” OR “A blizzard of Brrr-illiant writing!”

Sprinkle your students’ snowflakes in an interesting pattern across the bright blue background.  Your students will enjoy seeing their family's pictures displayed through out the month, as well as have their self-esteem built by having their wonderful writing up on the wall!

Be sure and check out the other December bulletin board ideas in more blog articles by scrolling down. Tomorrow I'll have one last one that's just beautiful, so be sure and pop in!

As always, if you have a December bulletin board idea you'd like to share, I'd enjoy hearing from you!  diane@teachwithme.com