Try a fish theme. Make it look cool with effects such as seaweed, air bubbles and a black or dark blue background to represent being underwater. For the heading, use “Fine Fish” or “Fishy Friends.” Try alliteration: “Fascinating First Grade Fish” or “Fabulous Fourth Grade Fish.” Incorporate your name: “Mr. Lu’s Little Fish” or “Ms. Banner’s Little Fish.” Give each student one paper fish to decorate. Put the final pieces on the board.
Use a snow theme. This option is ideal for those cold, wintry school months. If you teach a specific subject, tweak the theme to fit. For example, try an “English Is Snow Much Fun!” heading with cool effects such as white and silver snowflakes or a large multicolored iridescent A+ or enlarged covers of novels. Try an “It’s Snowing Science!” heading with a mix of falling snowflakes and items such as light bulbs, beakers, magnets and magnifying glasses.
Outer space is another good theme. Cool effects you could use include Martians, comets, meteors; glittery, shiny, glow-in-the-dark stickers; and a dark gray or black background to represent outer space, then a fun heading which explains the theme. Over moonmen, spaceships, planets or rockets with students’ names on them, use a heading such as “Reading Class: Out of This World!” “Over the Moon for History,” “Mr. Keller’s Astronauts,” “Blasting through the Universe!” or “3rd Grade Explores Space.”
Use an activity as theme, for example, camping. Think up a fun and fitting heading: “We’re Happy Campers!” or “Camped out in 2nd Grade!” or “Camping Out in Math Class!” Next, add camping-related items bearing students’ names. Ideas include hiking boots, tents, logs on a fire, kayaks, canoes and backpacks. For your cool effects, hang on the bulletin board such items as a pair of binoculars, a lantern, a compass or a pair of oars.