{In honor of International Talk Like A Pirate Day coming up on September 19th, we found some super fun pirate themed bulletin boards that would work great in any early childhood or upper elementary classroom! ...Not to mention, they'd be perfect if you're planning to create an entire pirate classroom theme this year!}

The first board we found over at Little Learners Preschool Ideas {via Pinterest} and loved the positive back-to-school message - each and every student is treasured in the classroom! While the cutesy pirate clip art is super cute, there are a few other additions/ideas you might consider for your treasure map bulletin board...

• Add your kiddos' pirate mug shots to the map, highlighting the message of the bulletin board.
• Tweak the board theme just a little. Instead of adding pirate clip art, add relevant clip art/labels for each subject area - i.e. a beaker for science, a book for language arts, etc. - and create a treasure map of learning. Finish off the design with a tweaked title, "Ahoy, Mateys! We Arrr Excited For The New Year!"

Whatever design you settle on, we know your little scalawags are sure to love the theme!

Arrr Class is Arrr Treasure!

• Background: Cover the entire board with light blue bulletin board paper. Cut large rectangle of white bulletin board paper - cutting the edges to make them uneven, crumbling the paper, and lightly running a piece of brown chalk over the entire piece of paper  to make it look like an old treasure map. Mount the 'map' to the center of the board.
• Title: "Arrr Class is Arrr Treasure!", "Ahoy Mateys! We Arrr Excited For The New Year!", etc.
• Border: The original board did not include a border, but you might consider adding a complimentary solid color trimmer or subtle patterned border.
• Decoration: Add the details to the treasure map! Find clip art images online to print onto white card stock - pirate themed images, subject themed clip art, or another theme of your choice - and add as 'destinations' on the map. Fill in the empty spaces between the clip art images with a winding 'path' created using small rectangles cut from black construction paper. As expected, add a large red construction paper "X" at the end of the map and fill in any empty space with other pirate themed accents!