With all it's beauty, winter can be a tough time for many teachers. The season is full of distractions! In November and December, students are distracted by the coming holidays and time off school, and in the months leading to spring students are distracted by their pent up energies and wishes for the freedom that warmer weather brings. With a room full of distracted students, it's hard to keep them motivated and focused on the tasks at hand. Tonya Skinner has designed a fun, winter-themed bulletin board to remind students not to fall behind on their work despite the distractions of the season!

Don't Get Snowed Under... Bulletin Board

• Background: Fashion a sky from bright blue bulletin board paper and a sledding hill from white bulletin board paper. NOTE: You might need two layers of white paper in order cover the blue entirely.
• Title: "Stay On Top Of Your Work...Don't Get Snowed Under!"
• Border: Skinner's bulletin board display features a solid red wavy bulletin border. You might also consider a winter-themed bordette or trimmer.
• Decoration: 1) The Students. Skinner's board portrays two different types of students; those that stayed current on their assignments/studies and those who have put everything off. You can freehand the bulletin board characters onto white card stock or construction paper and use graphic art tools to color them in, or create the characters from pieces of colored construction paper. The students who have chosen to give into the distractions of the season, find themselves "floundering" in the snow, while the student who has kept up with their studies waits at the top of the hill - book in hand - to sled down in a sleigh! 2) The Sleigh. You can freehand this onto red construction paper or you might be able to find a black and white clip art image online or though your word processing software and print it directly onto colored card stock. 3) The Snowman. Use construction paper to cut out and assemble a snowman to place at the bottom of the hill. 4) The Snowflakes. Create a template from card stock, using it to trace and cut snowflakes from white and gray construction paper, or find a black and white clip art image and print it directly onto colored card stock. 5) The Clouds. Create a template from card stock, using it to trace and cut several clouds from white construction paper, or find a black and white clip art image and print it directly onto card stock. You might also consider using cotton balls to create fluffy clouds.

How do you keep your students motivated during the monotonous winter months? We'd love to hear about it! Thanks so much for stopping by!