'Swim into the new year' with a stunning bulletin board display. Perfect if you're planning a beach or ocean theme for your upcoming school year! This idea was submitted for a bulletin board contest we ran last year. We love how the creator of the board crinkled the bulletin board paper to create a 3-D effect. It's a great way to add interest and really brings the display to life!

"Swim Into the New Year"

• Background: Light blue bulletin board paper for the ocean and brown for the bottom of the sea (crinkle and bunch the brown paper to create the 3-D effect).
• Border: No border is necessary.
• Title: "Swim Into the New Year"
• Decoration: 1) Create the coral from green and orange bulletin board paper. Crinkle and bend the paper before you attach it to the board to create a life-like feel. 2) Use assorted color construction paper to create the sea creatures (fish, octopus, sea horses, star fish, etc), one for each child's name. There are several options here: you could free hand the creatures, use a die-cut machine, find clip art images online to trace, or if you're running short on time you could always buy a package of ready accents like these. 3) Find a treasure box image online you can use to trace with your classroom projector onto brown bulletin board paper. Then draw in the edge details with markers. Complete the box with actual treasures: gold coins, fake pearls, jewels, etc.