A Different 'School' of Thought! - Ocean Theme Bulletin Board Idea

Elementary Ocean Theme Motivational Bulletin Board Idea
Photo © 2011 Enokson, Flickr

Check out this fabulous display created Shannon, junior high math and music teacher, and featured on Flickr by colleague, J. Enokson! The beautifully vibrant colors, 3D effect, and motivational message make this bulletin board perfect for a back-to-school ocean themed classroom or spring/summer themed display. 

A Different 'School' of Thought!

  • Background: Cover the top two-thirds of the bulletin board with light blue or aqua background paper. Cut several long strips of natural butcher paper, using scissors to cut an uneven edge, and cover the bottom third of the board. For a more authentic 'sand' look, you might also consider purchasing a roll of sandpaper!
  • Title: "A Different 'School' of Thought!"
  • Border: None needed.
  • Decoration: The detail on this board is amazing! It looks like Shannon created all of the elements from craft foam to give the board a three-dimensional look. We suggest finding ocean animal templates - as well as seaweed, coral, and sandcastle shapes - online that can be printed and traced onto craft foam sheets of assorted colors, then assembled and arranged on the board. For the motivational message, create fishing hooks from grey craft foam and attach them to the board using 1) a white paint pen to create the fishing line and 2) purchased craft foam or sticker letters in white to create the inspirational words - caring, responsibility, creativity, etc.
[NOTE: Joelle shared this fantastic tidbit with the bulletin board photo on Flickr... To make things easier from year to year, Shannon glued each piece of this bulletin board to one large continuous piece of blue background paper. Then, to take it down, she simply removed the staples from around the edges and rolled it up like a poster so it could be used again! What a novel idea!]