The Coolest Fonts for Bulletin Boards

I've had a few questions regarding my bulletin board letters and where I've purchased them.

I don't buy them.  I make them.

Here's my original posting on how I make them.  MAKE YOUR OWN BULLETIN BOARD LETTERS.

Please note that these directions are for Word 2010.

I get all of my very cool fonts from www.1001freefonts.com .  It's an awesome website that some very, very talented people have posted fonts that they have designed.  You download them and they just show up in your Office Fonts.  Super easy, super cool.

These fonts are all free for your use.  Here's the catch.  When you download them, you need to read the little note that is in a file, usually notepad, attached to the download.  Most owners of the font will ask for a small fee if you are going to use their font on anything you sell or if you use it on your blogs.  I've actually purchased a font for the purpose of blogging.  I liked it, thought it "represented" me well and I happily paid my five dollars to the artist for unlimited use of her font in my blog.  She sent me a really nice thank you note and wished me luck.

To make the bulletin board letters, download the font of your choice, follow the directions to change the text to outline without fill, then print out in the size you want.

Text without fill works best.  If you have some fun fill, like a chalk effect, that won't translate to outline very well.  You can always just print in color and cut out.

I store these in a three ring binder, tucked into a page protector.  I write the original message on a piece of paper and slip it in.

Doing my own bulletin board letters saves me money and I always have the letters I need!

Safe Share

Do you know about Safeshare.tv?

It’s an awesome tool to use.  You can find any YouTube video, cut the address from the address bar and paste it into the SafeShare site: www.safeshare.tv  It will show your video without ads or that annoying sidebar.

I try to find a good “technology” video to show in my classes at least once a quarter.  The SafeShare site makes it so I don’t worry what sort of videos they suggest for me!

I most recently showed a video about Derby the Dog.  He has prostheses made on a 3D printer.  It’s an awesome, feel good video.  

Here’s the YouTube link:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uRmoowIN8aY

Don’t forget to paste it into the SafeShare site if you are going to show it!

Big Board in the Hall

I forgot to share my big board in the hall!  This one is right outside my room. . .

I channeled Dr. Seuss for this one. 

 Made with tissue paper. 

 Half of a dollar store coconut bra.

 Bendy straws for the signs.

 Paper and markers. . .

Shapes on Word for the sign.  Loads of fun!

Welcome Back! Bulletin Board Share

I have reused some bulletin boards, but I have a few new ones to share.  Give me a few days to get the free links up. . . I'm crazy busy.

Diacritical marks. . . very important when we do our Spanish brochures! 

 

Doing a little something on plagiarism and citing your sources. . . super easy with Word or with easybib.com.

Rules. . . . 

.
 . . . and manners.

Did my tree again and put where things are in Microsoft Word.  For example, Clip Art is in the Insert Tab, Illustrations Group.

Good luck to everyone starting out the new year!  It's gonna be great!

Getting Your Letters On Straight

School starts in FIVE DAYS!!!  I'm a little crazy right now. . .

I've got the bulletin boards up.  One of the things I have the hardest time with is getting my bulletin board letters straight.  I will eyeball them and they'll go up, or they'll go down, or they'll be wavy. . . but they're never straight across.  Never.

I finally figured it out.

Tape.  Tape is my friend.

It's kind of hard to see on my photo, but that's masking tape right across the front of the letters.

Let me first say that you can only do this on blank walls or FABRIC backed bulletin boards.  I use fabric because it's fun, reusable and doesn't fade.

If you use paper backed bulletin boards, this will rip your paper.

First, line up the letters on something straight.  I use the edge of my desk.

Rip off a piece of masking tape to cover all your letters and lay it over the top.

You can now pick up the entire word and transfer it to your bulletin board.

Adjust.  Adjust again.  Adjust again.  And, if you're me, adjust one more time.

Staple one staple above, and one below the tape line.  Pull off the tape.

Done!  Straight letters!

Please Sharpen

Just a quick posting today!  I stole this idea from another teacher in the building. . .

The picture is very bad!  I need to take a look at the camera!

The idea behind this is that the pencils are returned to the Sharp Pencil bucket, unless they need to be sharpened.  Then they go in the Please Sharpen bucket and I will do it when I get time. 

The buckets are a dollar from the Dollar Store and I made the labels on Word. 

We're starting up in ten days!  I will post bulletin boards soon!

My Favorite Online Field Trips

I briefly touched on online field trips in the last post I did but, in rereading it, I decided I didn't do it justice.  It's one of my favorite things to do with my students at the end of the year.

Online field trips are a great way to explore and learn, all without leaving your seat!  When I do my lesson on online field trips, I show the kids my Tizmos site with all the links.  (Online Field Trips)  I give them a brief synopsis of all the online field trips that I have on the site and then I spend fifteen minutes showcasing two sites.  After that, I let the kids go for it and explore!

1.  San Diego Zoo.  This is my all time favorite field trip.  They have live animal cams in some of the animal habitats, informative and fun videos highlighting different animals, information on different zoo jobs, activities and games.  The kids would spend WEEKS on this site if I let them!  It's well done, easy to navigate and incredibly interactive.

2.  Smithsonian.  This site is a virtual tour of the Smithsonian's Natural History Museum.  I show the kids how to move the camera, go from room to room and how to use the map.  As a class, we visit the Hope Diamond and look at the dinosaurs.  The students go from there.

3.  The U.S. Mint.  This isn't as interactive or as fun as the zoo, but it still has some great information and some good games that are educational.  The students really love making their own coins or looking back at the evolution of our money.

4.  The American Museum of Natural History - Ology.  This site has a great "ology" section where students can explore different areas of science.  The students can click on an area of study on the left of the screen.  It will take them to a new page with lots of activities, games and quirky information. 

5.  University of Colorado Science Experiments.  This site has TONS of science experiments and simulations for students to explore.  It's a fun, interactive site.

I have a lot more sites on my Tizmos site and you are welcome to use those links in your classroom.  These are my top five favorites. I always do the online field trips as the second to last class of the year.  By this time, students are ready for a break and this is a fun way to give them this break but to keep them learning. 

Enjoy!