THE WELCOMING CLASSROOM.

Dress up your classroom with teacher-tested ideas

A Ceiling of Names

Before school starts, I decorate my first grade classroom by hanging the children's names from the ceiling. It's a great way to welcome each child and give each one a sense of belonging right from the start, and the children love to look around the classroom to find their names. I use Ellison 4" block letter die cuts and staple or string the letters together vertically. The bright colors give the room a cheerful appearance, and I always receive many compliments from both parents and teachers. Once the children make their own projects to display, they get to take their names home.

--Theresa Pinamonti, St. Theresa School, New Cumberland, PA

Classroom Community Puzzle

On the first day of school, one of my goals was to incorporate a community building activity. I chose to make a large (4 feet x 8 feet) class puzzle that would make our room special. First, we talked together about characteristics that were unique to each person in the class. Each student decorated a puzzle piece with symbols, illustrations, and magazine cutouts that reflected their interests, family and friends, and special talents. The puzzle pieces were cut out of tag board. Once students decorated their pieces, we then worked to put the puzzle together as a large bulletin board. This activity was wonderful because it allowed the kids to focus on themselves as special individuals, and it required them to work as a team (community) to accomplish the task. - Jodi Gasparini, Paseo Hills School, Phoenix, AZ

MORE BULLETIN BOARD IDEAS

* Information Please! Post class schedules, school calendars, helper lists, birthdays, and news articles.

* Trivia Challenge: Each week, post questions based on a current theme or news event. Soon students will want to write and post their own questions!

* Twister Fun: Use the mat from a Twister(r) game or a colorful plastic tablecloth for a quick and easy background.

* Picture Perfect: Hang baby pictures of the children. Students can share their memories with the class as you construct the board.

Room 209 Is Hooked on Third Grade!

For the welcoming bulletin board in my classroom, I decided to use an underwater theme to highlight all the exciting things my students will be learning this year. I put up little fish, each with a child's name. Then I hung paper hooks and string in front of an ocean background of blue paper and cellophane. As "bait," I hung the different units of our curriculum such as poetry, zoo animals, and long division. I also hung the words that represent the Six Pillars of Character: "Respect, Responsibility, Caring, Trustworthiness, Fairness, and Citizenship." The title of our board: Room 209 Is Hooked on Third Grade!

--Jessica Hoffheimer, Deway School, Evanston, IL