Bulletin Boards

The last mini-project I have going is is fixing all of my wall hangings and bulletin boards. I went to Joann Fabrics the other day, and lo and behold, they were also having a huge sale! Most of the fabric was 50% or even 75% off. I don't know how it is that I have now hit Michael's when I needed paper, and there was a 60% off paper sale, and then Joann's when I needed fabric, and there was a huge fabric sale. Plus, both stores offer a teacher discount. Michael's accepted my pocket teaching license, but Joann's requested an actual school-issued teacher ID. Since mine was at school, I downloaded their Android ap and still got 15% off because of the current electronic coupon.

Anyhow, I covered each board in black fabric and hung one of my framed pictures on a board using T-pins. I simply drew a line with a pencil along the bottom edge of the frame. Then, I pushed the pins in every 2-3 inches. I rested the frame on top of this row of T-pins and pushed more pins along the side and top. I turned the pins so the the T part was perpendicular to the frame, keeping to flat against the bulletin board.

I will write my "I can" statements on the whiteboard to the right of the frame. I will also put the unit objectives (which I didn't post last year and which caused my to get a 4 instead of a 5 on one of my evaluation categories) to the left of this frame. The bottom half of the board will have an area to post sentence stems.

The T-pins are silver, which means you don't really notice them until you get up close.

I used heavy-duty Velcro to attach the other frames to the board and walls. I have found that the Velcro is great because we have cinder block walls, so you can't use nails, and if you apply the Velcro correctly, it will hold very heavy objects up. (Correct application means you have to stick the Velcro to the wall and the object and leave them unattached for at least 24 hours before you hang it.) Here are my homework and daily schedules of my whiteboard. (Sorry about the bad lighting.)

I have been thinking and thinking about how to line my boards, and nothing has been working out. To maintain my black and silver theme, I thought that buying 2"-3" wide silver ribbon would be perfect. Cheap, easy, and with a nice, shiny look. What's the problem? I can't find any suitable silver ribbon at any store I have been in (Target, Wal-Mart, JoAnn's, Michael's, etc.) Every other color has plenty of options, but the silver is all either covered in glitter, sequins, or sheer. I need solid silver ribbon 2 inches wide- not happening.

Which lead me to a google search and this website:

http://www.kimskorner4teachertalk.com/classmanagement/bb/borders.htm

This teacher has lots of great ideas. I had previously settled on painting my old borders silver. However, with all of the painting I've been doing lately, I was reluctant. Funnily enough, I have actually decided on another idea that will require painting, but the effect is going to be super neat so I am actually excited about it.

I am going to go buy some old puzzles at thrift stores, get some of my old border (the ones that a teacher gave me once that I never use because they are animal patterns from the 80s), and glue puzzle pieces at random to cover it. Then, I will spray it all silver. (Still painting, but with a much cooler end result than plain silver paper border.) I am still considering two other options I read about, and perhaps I will try all three and pick my favorite.

Option 2: When I trim the black and silver fabric that I purchased for covering my bookshelves, I should have some strips that are about two inches wide. The above teacher mentioned laminating the fabric strips, and this could turn out to look really neat.

Option 3: Use aluminum foil. I am not quite sure about the logistics of this one because foil tears easily, and it might just look a little trashy. Like I had too many leftovers at school and just stuck the foil up on the board. However, it might look really awesome. The good news about this option is foil is inexpensive, so I can try it out and if I hate it, I can just take it down. (And wrap up any leftovers in the general vicinity.)