Back to school bulletin boards can be a real chore. Try these time-saving teacher hacks to get your boards hung right the first time and help you beat those bulletin board blues!
Plan your wall space
When planning your classroom set up it’s just as important to plan out your wall space. Once I have a plan, I hang my boards first, before moving any of the furniture. Use the empty floor space to lay out your paper or fabric to help visualize where you want to place your boards on the wall. Keep in mind the other things you’ll be adding around the boards such as pocket charts and posters. You don’t want to have to move them once they’re up.
How to make sure your bulletin boards are straight
This year as I was using my handy dandy level necklace my teammate wandered in and said, “I was hanging pictures this weekend and I discovered I could put a level on my phone.” I never even thought of that!
When covering your boards, fabric is a great alternative to butcher paper. It doesn’t fade and is super easy to store. I get most of mine at Walmart, on clearance at Hobby Lobby, or my local fabric store. I store extra paper behind my filing cabinet or in a clean trash can behind my classroom library shelf.
Save time by layering
When reporting back to school, our custodians aren’t always finished cleaning our classrooms. We sometimes have to wait for the carpets to be cleaned before we can set up furniture. Keep your back to school bulletin board supplies in an easy to reach place so you can use that time to get started on your walls. When packing up at the end of the year I always pack my bulletin board board bags LAST so I can get to them FIRST.
Hanging back to school bulletin boards doesn’t have to be a chore. With a little planning ahead and these simple tips you can save a lot of time and energy and get your classroom back to school ready in no time! Check out Part 2 of this series, Making Your Bulletin Boards POP!
For more ideas on decorating your boards and for the first week of school, visit my Back to School board and Bulletin Board Ideas on Pinterest! Let’s connect on Facebook, and Instagram too!
Love all of these tips! The level necklace is going to happen for me this year! Thanks for sharing.
Burke's Special Kids
Between your post and your Pinterest board I just kept pinning and pinning, your tips are terrific!
~Fern
Fern Smith's Classroom Ideas!
Fern Smith's Pinterest Boards!
Buy and sell new and used modern, outdoor, office, bedroom and home furniture.
Choose from a great selection of gently used furniture for every room in your home.
More here used furniture
Oh my goodness Linda.. you are amazing! These tips will save people a lot of time! I'm with Michael: I love your photos!
🙂 Shelley
The Write Stuff Teaching
Love these tips, Linda! And I'm just in love with your images in this post. (I realize this doesn't have much to do with your actual tips, but they are just SO thoughtfully done I had to say something.)
I didn't know about the leveling App. Have to get that. Thanks for all your great ideas.
Mona
First Grade Schoolhouse
Awesome ideas!! Thanks for sharing! You've simplified my life!
The title of your post caught my attention. I am bulletin board challenged. They are never straight. Thanks for sharing the app!
Kathy Griffin's Teaching Strategies
I just joined the "downloaded the app immediately" club! Bulletin boards are not my favorite part of preparing the class, but I love when they're done! Thanks for the tips!
Sally from Elementary Matters
One other tip I do that people are like "oh" is I overlap the borders or staple the extra borders right up so you can't see them. I find my borders stay better organized when they are all together even when they are up on a board. Does that make sense?
Jennifer from Simply Kinder
I like your board in a bag idea! I'll have to try that this year!
Diane
schoolhousetreasures
downloaded it as soon as I read it. I hope i got the right one. Thanks Linda
Seriously! A leveling app??? How did I not know this? Thank you so much for sharing! ☮Monica
The Schroeder Page
Get out of town, Linda Kamp! A leveling app you say? I am all over that. Thanks for these great tips that will help me with one of the teaching duties that I loathe the most.
Nicole
Mrs, Rios Teaches Second Grade
downloading the level app as I type! Great ideas!