School buses and apples are the staples for back-to-school decor. Make your class feel welcome with this cute apple bulletin board created by Mary Ann White featured on Classroom Displays and Bulletin Board's Back to School pages. White uses a pre-crafted bulletin board set, but this display could just as easily be created from scratch with materials from your school art supply cabinet.

Welcome Bulletin Board

• Background: Yellow Art Kraft Paper Roll.
• Title: "An A-Peel-ing Bunch"
• Border: Use a pre-crafted bulletin board trimmer of coordinating color or create an apple stamp from a real piece of fruit, dip it in tempera paint and stamp apple shapes around the outside of the bulletin board.
• Decorations: 1) The Basket. Use your classroom projector to enlarge and trace the shape of a basket onto a piece of brown bulletin board paper. If you don't want to mess with a projector, you can also freehand it. It isn't terribly difficult. 2) The Apples. Create an apple template from card stock, tracing it to create apples from several different colors of construction paper (e.g. green, red, yellow). You might also be able to find a black and white clip-art print online or through your word processing software that could then be printed onto colored card stock then cut out. Use a permanent marker to write the names of your new students on individual apples. 3) The Butterflies. If desired, create a template and trace, or find black and white clip-art and print!

However you decide to do it, this bulletin board is sure to be a hit!

We'd love to hear how you welcome students into your classroom, what back-to-school themes you prefer, what bulletin boards you've used most, even how to improve upon this idea! Be sure to let us know!