Customer Reviews

Big Bulletin Boards: A Cooperative Approach

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As an elementary teacher, I believed that bulletin boards should be made by my students and not me! I wrote Big Bulletin Boards with this concept in mind. Most of the boards within my book have been successfully constructed by students. Children will be introduced to 23 different forms of art mediums; while developing creativity and building self esteem. The boards are quick, easy, fun and creative for both boys and girls. What a wonderful way to teach cooperative learning! Big Bulletin Boards: A Cooperative Approach was previously published by Prentice-Hall, Inc. selling over 16,000 copies. I revised the book and released the Second Edition in 2001 under Hide and Seek Press. I hope you have fun making BIG bulletin boards with your students! I sure did and they became the "talk of the school."! *Note: This is a great book especially for beginning teachers, preschool/elementary teachers or librarians.

This book is a radically different approach to bulletin board construction. It is perfect for elementary school aged children in any context (school, daycare, libraries, etc.). The cooperative approach means that each child in the group creates a special piece of the bulletin board. Then, the child sees how her/his piece contributes to the objects that make up the bulletin board. For example, each child creates an individual snowflake that the teacher then assembles into a snowman for a winter bulletin board. The child experiences a group of people working individually and collectively toward a group goal, much the same way the classroom should function.

Whereas other bulletin board books come with templates to create myriad identical bulletin boards, this book gives clear, detailed instructions for creating bulletin boards unique to the children and teacher of a class. There are four bulletin board projects for each month of the school year. Yet, most importantly, this book provides ideas and directions that teachers can use to invent new bulletin board projects that are meaningful to her/his group of students. Lastly, the materials list for each bulletin board consists of normal elementary school art supplies or materials that children can easily bring from home.

I LOVE this book! I used it all last year and my colleagues were always exclaiming over our finished projects. The ideas matched a lot of my theme units. And each page comes with a great illustration for those of us who are visual learners. The best part is that the teacher has a very small role in the making of classroom displays (other than pinning student's creations to the wall). The students have complete artistic control!

The cooperative approach for making classroom bulletin boards means that kids are the ones making them!! That means they will like them and look at them and enjoy them. This book has lots of suggestions, over four years' worth, so you won't run out of themes and ideas. The kids will love it!

A book obviously written by a teacher. Ideas are clear for students to understand and assemble. One page directions with materials easy to find and prepare. Workable plans for huge displays that engage all students. Projects celebrate creativity at all abilities and provide students with art lessons that enhance seasonal themes. Extremely useful for the classroom teacher with artistic limits, that wants to introduce students to a variety of art media.

Robbins has come up with a great idea for creating bulletin boards that classrooms need, and kids ultimately enjoy. She suggests the involvement of children in creating ( !! over four years worth !!) bulletin board ideas...more than enough from which to choose. The best part is that kids are the winners because they are involved and valued...and they will actually look at the bulletin boards because they are involved in creating them. I'm always all for anything that involves the children directly. The theme suggestions are inspiring too. This book is great.

Lots of ideas for putting kids names on the board. Kids seem to enjoy seeing their name "up in lights" and this book has great ideas for that.

Now and then, you have to invest in a book that pays big dividends in time and creative energy for you, as a teacher.
Karen Robbins has given us just such a book -- generously sharing nearly a hundred pages of bulletin board ideas for all the months of the year, including summer! We know that learning takes place best when we get children involved with all their senses -- what I especially like about this book is the "cooperative" in the title, because from now on bulletin boards will not be a teacher chore, but a child's delight! Thank You for this guide for those of us who are less artistically inclined!

I appreciate that the ideas for Karen's bulletin boards because:1) Each bulletin board is by month thru' out the year;2) The ideas allow for student creativity within the bigger guidelines of the bulletin board theme;3) The bulletin boards stimulate the teacher's ideas to create/add other objectives;4)Not only can you as a teacher add your own ideas within the guidelines of the bulletin board ideas but it is great to also take the ideas Karen presents and just go with it...It is student/teacher friendly just as it is!As a teacher with all of the changes in education ,how nice to simply pick up a book and do what it says with no educational jargon!! The explanations are very easily read and interpreted!!!5) The book also allows for definite cooperation between students,as the sub-title says.Thank you Karen Robbins!!Most of the bulletin board ideas are perfect for a kindergarten teacher! How fun and creative for both student and teacher!

This is a fun book filled with creative craft activities for children. Kids can celebrate the seasons and see their artwork displayed in the classroom, library, etc. Each child contributes a piece that helps to create the whole. This is a useful book for anyone who works with children.