Bulletin Board Ideas for the Ocean

• Ocean themes can employ a bright color scheme. Sri Maiava Rusden/Stockbyte/Getty Images

  Use an ocean theme for your next bulletin board to liven up your classroom. Draw your students' attention by using blue background paper, or paint the background blue. Add waves using paint or cutouts from construction paper or tissue paper. Add a bit of white to the curl of the waves. For bulletin boards that relate to a particular unit, add the components of the ocean that are being studied; for example, plant life or sea creatures. Label the pictures or incorporate this activity into your lesson and have the students do it. Allow the students to assist you in finishing the bulletin board.

Bulletin Board for Behavior Management

• "Fishing for Good Behavior" or "Let's Dive into Good Behavior" are two examples of titles for behavior management boards. Place a green fish (go), a yellow fish (slow down), and a red fish (stop) in a vertical row on the far left side of the bulletin board. Place three horizontal rows of small pockets about the size of a playing card at the top, middle and bottom of the bulletin board. Make the pockets from index cards or poster board. Put the name of each student on a card slightly smaller than the pocket. Students begin each day at the green fish row. They move their name to yellow if they get a warning and red if they get a time out. This helps motivate students to behave appropriately.

Bulletin Board for Displaying Work

• "Fin-Tastic," "A School of Smart Fish" or "What a Catch" are titles for bulletin boards used to display students' work. At the beginning of the school year, take pictures of your students or have the students bring in a picture. Give the students poster board or cardboard to make a fish or other sea creature. After coloring and decorating, have them cut it out and glue their pictures onto the heads. Place them on the bulletin board and display the children's work under their sea creatures.

Bulletin Board for Classroom Rules

• An octopus in the ocean can be used for displaying rules in the classroom. On the first day of school, go over the rules with the children and one by one attach the tentacle to the body of the octopus on the ocean bulletin board. A school of fish can be used to write out the rules. Starfish, jellyfish and seashells can also be used. To promote classroom cooperation and a positive atmosphere, use a starfish and encourage your students to gain an arm a day. If the class has all five by the end of the week, they get to choose a prize. You can take this a step further by having them complete four starfish in a month for a bigger prize, such as pajama day or an ice cream party.