Paper Cloud {tutorial and details}

 Last summer I had a vision of this "paper cloud" I wanted to make to hang on the top of my hall bulletin board. I like to do some kind of decoration that can be left up all year. I have done paper pom-poms and paper buntings but I wanted to do something a little different and this paper cloud was just perfect.

Everything you need can be bought at Walmart or on Amazon.

What you will need:

Cardstock

{amazon link}

I used a variety of different colors and even a ton from my "scrap bucket". 

You will need lots of different colors and sizes.

Foam Piece

{amazon link} 

This picture is the exact piece of foam I bought from Walmart. 

It is a 36x12x1". It cost $7.46 at Walmart or $8.68 on Amazon.

Ball Pins

{amazon link} 

I used 1 1/2 box of these pins. There are 360 in each box. So, my paper cloud has around 500 pins in it. {Sore fingers.. yep! Make sure you pick the pins that have balls on the end.} This little box is $2.97 at Walmart or $4.19 on Amazon.

Pipe Cleaners

{amazon link}

I used probably around 30 different colored pipe cleaners.

Also, I made a matching small wreath to hand on my door to tie in my door to my bulletin board. 

I bought this small foam wreath from the Dollar Tree.

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So, to make the paper cloud {or wreath} is the simplest thing you can do. 

It just takes awhile. Be patient!

Cut TONS of cardstock into different lengths and sizes.

Fold the card stock about an inch from the top or bottom into a L shape.

Pin the folded part into your foam.

repeat, repeat, repeat, repeat and REPEAT

and just randomly throw in some pipe cleaners here and there by 

twisting them around a pencil to make them curly!

 So, just a few other tips or insights...

This took me several hours. But, it was a mindless activity I did while watching TV.

The foam sheds little pieces.. be warned it makes a mess!

 Put down a sheet to cover your floor or table to make cleaning up easier.

Figuring out how to hang it up was the hardest part! Seriously, my mom and I did a lot of thinking! She ended up hanging it with long nails. It is actually nailed into the wall above my bulletin board NOT into the actual bulletin board. 

Don't forget to do the sides and bottom of the foam piece.

After we got it attached to the wall and board I added a bunch more paper to fill in some gaps.

I took my wreath off my door after about a month. It was losing a few pieces. I don't know if this was from the cheap foam piece I bought at Dollar Tree, from it being on a door that was consistently opening and closing or maybe from little hands touching it.

I joked about the cloud on the board that it might not last a month. It lasted ALL YEAR! In fact, I stopped by my room today {June 30th} and it is still going strong. 11 months later! This picture above shows it the last week of school. 

It worked perfect on my hall bulletin board all year and 

I love it just as much today as I did the day I finished it. 

Back to School Bulletin Boards

 

Here are a few pictures I found on my computer from past years- these are my Back to School Bulletin Boards/Doors.

Spring Directed Drawings

 

This directed drawing unit is one of my VERY, VERY favorites! I absolutely love doing directed drawing activities with my students. These are great to squeeze in as time fillers. I can stretch one of these for a whole week.

If you need something fun to do the last few days {or weeks, bless your heart} of school these are perfect!!!

Doodle Bugs Teaching: Spring Directed Drawings

Classroom Pics

Today is my second full day back at school..and I am up at 4:30. Ouch! The to-do list was calling! I wanted to jump in and show you a few picture of my room this year. Not much has really changed since last year. But here we go…

This is the bulletin board outside my room in the hallway. {I am the only first grade class at our school.}

and my matching door right beside it.

Terrible, terrible picture… but I had no idea it was blurry until I just uploaded it now. So sorry! But, here is the board and door together.

Here is a my little check in station right inside the door. Thanks Carson Dellosa for the products to Funky Frog products to try out!

Back to School Info Packs and fresh Zinnia flowers.

Back to school treats

A few personal items. Both crayon pictures were made by former students.

My meeting/calendar board.

Small book table. Classroom pictures will hang on the small bulletin board. The “First Grade is the Best” poster is a few years old. The letters are cut with scrapbooking paper using my Cricut.

Part of my book stash.. these are organized by holiday/theme and only get pulled out during that time. This shelf is behind my door.

This is an inside bulletin board I have.. Most of the time I put student work on it or craft projects. But, these Funky Frogs from Carson Dellosa made it cute for now. .

Names above my coat/backpack hooks.

School boxes labeled and ready to go.

 

 

 

Come join us at Blog Hoppin for Teacher Week ‘13 and show us your room today. And here is the schedule for the rest of Teacher Week..