Bulletin boards can be a great inspirational and motivational tool for teachers of young children. Having a bulletin board provides the children with something exciting to look at and contribute to. Here are a lot of great ideas for teachers who want to really do something fun with their March bulletin boards:
Bulletin board themes for the month of March
“In like a lion out like a lamb” – This saying is generally used to describe the weather trends in the month of March. On your bulletin board, you can use this March saying literally and fill the board with depictions of lions and lambs, or you can use this saying as it is intended and give your bulletin board a weather theme. For your lion and lamb theme, use construction paper or paper plates to cut out the main shape of the two animal heads. For the lamb use fluffy cotton balls and the lion can have a yellow and orange yarn mane. If you would like to use this phrase as an indication that spring has sprung, cover your bulletin board with paper flowers. Use pastel colors. Add these colors in by using light and airy materials like tissue paper and pipe cleaners. Make sure to add elements of the weather like a sun, a rain cloud and maybe even some rain drops.
Saint Patrick’s Day – Saint Patrick’s Day can be celebrated in a number of different ways. One way is the fictitious and fun way to celebrate the holiday with leprechauns, rainbows, pots of gold and shamrocks. There are dozens of different ways that you can create crafts out of these ideas. If you feel it appropriate you can learn the history behind the holiday and who St. Patrick actually was. Naturally, using these themes to make the content and border of the bulletin board opens up a great number of possibilities.
Letters and numbers – For the month of March you can theme your bulletin board around the letter of the month and the numbers associated with the month. Create art and craft projects around the letter “M.” Add math to the mix by using things like four-leaf clovers to practice addition. You can also learn the value of money by assigning value to coins (either real or made with craft paper) and filling a “pot-of-gold” up to a predetermined value.
Basic bulletin board materials
* Butcher paper (you can also recycle table cloths or solid gift wrap to form the background of your board)
* Tissue paper in a variety of colors
* Construction paper in a variety of colors (make sure that you have lots of green if you are doing a St. Patrick’s Day theme).
* Stencils, template, or die cuts
* A stapler and staples
Supplemental bulletin board materials
* Felt
* Foam
* Metallic paper/foil
* Yarn
* Cotton balls
* Glitter
* Markers
Naturally, it is important for each individual teacher to select appropriate materials for the chosen theme, time and budget constraints. Often times beginning the process of creating a bulletin board is the most difficult part. Once you get a few ideas going the rest is a lot of fun. Remember to involve the children and let their contributions be your guide. Many teachers find that the best bulletin boards are created very simply and then really given their crowning jewel by the creative ideas of the kids that are in your class. Keep this in mind and remember that this process is a fun way to express some of your own creative contributions. Have fun this March in your classrooms!