Library Bulletin Boards...you don't scare me...much. Thanks to Pinterest.

When I embarked on my current career adventure into school libraries 5 years ago, children didn't scare me, public speaking didn't scare me, having to read constantly didn't scare me. Even being called to the principal's office didn't scare me. What scared the bookmarks out of me was the idea of having to create bulletin boards! And my library has a lot of bulletin board space to fill.

I think of myself has fairly creative "in concept", but converting the concept into something tangible is where I doubt myself. When I'm done, I frequently feel like it looks like a 10 year-old's art project. I mean no offense to the talented 10 year-olds among us, but that outcome is never my goal.

I know that there are products you can purchase that make bulletin boards easier. They have thematic kits that are professionally produced and no doubt would give me a more "finished" result. But this doesn't work for me on two counts. Firstly, I have no budget for bulletin board supplies and no personal fortune to fund them. More importantly, I do have good ideas and it is a personal challenge to me to bring them to fruition with my own two hands.

What to do? Enter Pinterest and the Internet. There are as many ways to search for inspiration as there are ways to ask Google a question. Do you have a theme in mind? Book title? Catchphrase? Search that way. If you're totally clueless, just search for bulletin board ideas and you'll be overwhelmed with ideas. Warning: set a timer. It is easy to get sucked into the Pinterest vortex and emerge from the other side realizing that hours have passed.

Now that I have a physical picture of what I'd only been able to see in my brain, I can see what I will need to do. Frequently, I only need to peruse the pictures, but if you need to have more detailed instructions they are available as well.

All of this doesn't mean that my boards don't look like a 10 year-old did them, but I hope that with better visualization and practice over time, they'll all improve. Here are a few that I'm particularly proud of...

Crinkled butcher paper tree, leaves are die-cut from old discarded book pages.

This board is still under construction. It needs a better defined road. The theme is cyber-safety.

The warning signs are tips that I got from McGruff the Crime Dog.

Sentence strips allow students and teachers to contribute why they think Reading Rocks.

Back to School and I'm Already Planning Next Summer's Trip!

The summer just ended, they kids and I are back at school/work, and we're already talking about how we will travel next summer. The two best trips are the one you just finished and the one you are planning, so I'm right on track.

The current plan is a looooong trip back east. If we can make it happen, Ted will fly to NJ to stay with Grammy, get a job in her area, and do some service work for his CAS certificate at graduation. Chip, Claire, the dog, and I will start driving a week later. We'll meander a bit before we get to Virginia Beach first, then head up to New Jersey to join Ted. We think we'll be able to have Chip go back and forth a time or two on his business flying miles, and Claire and I will visit relatives and site-see. Ted will join us as his schedule allows. And at the end of this probably overly long trip east, Ted, Claire, the dog, and I will drive back to Mesa, AZ.

We'll be doing the whole thing on a dime and trying not to stay with any one family too long so as not to wear out our welcome. We'll get some history in, some culture, some recreation, and a lot of togetherness, and we'll get back just in time to start school again.

Chip has never driven cross-country with us, so this will be a chance to change that. I can't wait!

Oh, as a side-note, I'm less than 5 pounds from my goal weight! More on that in another post later.

Hi ho, hi ho, it's back to work I go...

My posts are usually family and personally related, but I had a productive day today and thought I should document it.

This is my new "Great Opening Lines" bulletin board. To the left are the opening lines from 14 different children's books. In the center are the title and instructions. On the right are the source book/author combinations. There is also an answer key in the bottom right corner.

In an effort to reuse and recycle, the black spiral border is the last bulletin board butcher paper, cut into strips, twisted and stapled around the border.

Just pick the books that you think will spark interest just from the opening line and you can make a board of your own!