Author: TCR Staff

Bulletin Board Ideas

Classroom Decorations for Halloween: 8 Bulletin Boards

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Spooky season is officially here!

Celebrate all things creepy and crawly with the best Halloween decor for your classroom. We gathered together Better Than Paper, border trim, and other spooktacular decorations for bulletin board looks that scream Halloween. 

From a rustic, charming pumpkin patch to a monster mash display, these various Halloween bulletin board ideas offer inspiration for every teacher and classroom. 

Ghoulish Welcome

Usher in the creepy season by starting with Black Better Than Paper Bulletin Board Roll or Lime Better Than Paper Bulletin Board Roll as a base. Elevate it with layered border trim, such as Black with White Squiggles Die-Cut, White with Black Squiggles Die-Cut, Orange Scalloped, and Purple Sparkle Scalloped Border Trim for a vibrant canvas for seasonal classroom crafts, such as DIY witches or ghouls.

Add letters from the Black on White Hand Drawn 4″ Letters Combo Pack and seasonal posters from the Fall Small Poster Pack for a quick Halloween display.

Monster Mash

Start a monster-inspired look by hanging Ultra Purple Better Than Paper Bulletin Board Roll, then outline your display with layered Black with White Pinstripes Straight Border Trim and Lime Green Scalloped Border Trim. 

Use Black & White Bold Block 4″ Letters to create a header for your bulletin board, and have students create craft monsters to complete the spooktacular display. Use Monster Stickers for a cute and silly element to finalize the display.

Traditional Halloween 

Black, orange, and spooky all over! Bring classic Halloween vibes to your classroom by mixing these traditional Halloween colors for an eerie, delightful classroom display. Mix Chalkboard Better Than Paper Bulletin Board Roll, Moving Mountains Sunrise Straight Border Trim, Purple Scalloped Border Trim, Black Sparkle Scalloped Border Trim, and Black and White 7″ Fun Font Letters to create a classically cool display base. 

Add in Pumpkins Accents and posters from the Fall Small Poster Pack for a quick seasonal display, or have students create their own ghosts for a boo-tiful graveyard scene.

Modern Haunts

No tricks, just treats!

Create a bulletin board with a modern spin on Halloween with this colorful, energetic combination. Mix the Black and White Big Checkers Better Than Paper Bulletin Board Roll with Purple Crush Straight Border Trim, Green Scalloped Border Trim, and the Orange 4″ Everyday Letters Combo Pack for a trendy take on seasonal decor. Use Halloween Stickers to add a cute and creepy touch!

Rustic Halloween Vibes

Haunted hayrides, dusty trips to the pumpkin patch, and trips to corn field mazes are charming, seasonal ways to reconnect with nature as you celebrate Halloween. Embrace the aesthetic of these Halloween activities with bulletin boards designs inspired by rustic simplicity, such as wood, burlap, and gingham. 

Start with Black Wood Better Than Paper Bulletin Board Roll or Burlap Better Than Paper Roll as a base. Add in Corrugated Metal Straight Border Trim, Home Sweet Classroom Wood Straight Border Trim, and Home Sweet Classroom Bold Block 4″ Letters Combo Pack. Top with elements from the Home Sweet Classroom Happy Fall Mini Bulletin Board for a cozy, rustic Halloween vibe. 

Mix Green Crush Better Than Paper Bulletin Board Roll or Burlap Better Than Paper Roll, Black and White Gingham Scalloped Border Trim, and Burlap Scalloped Border Trim to create a charming classroom pumpkin patch. Add Pumpkins Accents, the Home Sweet Classroom Happy Fall Mini Bulletin Board, hay bales, a friendly scarecrow, and student names to complete this autumnal bulletin board.

Bring fall country charm to your classroom with this sweet and simple display. Mix Parchment Better Than Paper Bulletin Board Roll or Burlap Better Than Paper Roll with Green Crush Straight Border Trim, Orange Gingham Scalloped Border Trim, and Black Wood Straight Border Trim for a homespun, seasonal look. 

Add in additional gingham decorations from the Home Sweet Classroom Happy Fall Mini Bulletin Board and Fall Small Poster Pack, along with bright letters from the White 4″ Everyday Letters Combo Pack for a one-of-a-kind board that’s ready for seasonal student work. 

All-in-One Halloween Decor

No time to curate your own spooky bulletin board? No problem! Use the Halloween Create & Decorate Quick Kit for an instant, inexpensive display you can put on a bulletin board, door, desk, or wall. 

Frightfully Fun Decor for Every Classroom

From Frankenstein monsters to ghostly graveyards to the pumpkin patch, these bulletin boards offer inspiration for a wide variety of Halloween decor. Use these suggestions to elevate your classroom during spooky season, for a display loved by students and teachers alike.

Bulletin Board Ideas, Teacher Resources

Light & Dark Academia Decor Inspiration

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Embrace an aesthetic that celebrates the pursuit of education, a love of books, and all things academia with these classroom mood boards. Featuring inspiration for both Light Academia and Dark Academia, these decor boards offer a visual blueprint for transforming your classroom into a space influenced by a love of literature.

Light Academia

Sun streaming through library windows, antique paintings, marble busts, vintage trinkets, a wall of old books, and light, natural colors: Light Academia is the visual equivalent of a breath of fresh spring air after a long winter.

Create the perfect base for a charming, literature-forward classroom aesthetic with these neutral, book-inspired decor pieces. Use Creme Brulee Better Than Paper Bulletin Board Roll and Stacked Stone Better Than Paper Bulletin Board Roll to cover walls and bulletin boards for a look reminiscent of an old university library. Use Creme Brulee Fancy Scallops Border Trim, Classroom Cottage Sage Green Stripes Straight Border Trim, Sage Green Scalloped Border Trim, and Light Brown Scalloped Border Trim to add warmth and depth to any display. Layer the border trim for a look unique to your classroom.

Hang Classroom Cottage Rosettes Mini Accents for a dreamy, cozy element on any bulletin board, along with letters from the Burlap Bold Block 4″ Letters Combo Pack or the Light Mauve 4″ Modern Classic Letters Combo Pack for a prominent message or display header. Bonus points for hanging up student work inspired by this theme, such as handwritten poems or letters on papers dyed by tea to make them look old. Add pressed flowers for a nature-inspired touch.

Proudly feature your love of reading and the pursuit of knowledge with the Travel the World Through Books Positive Poster, vintage maps, or a display with student book recommendations.

Dark Academia

If Light Academia is literature with a side of spring sunshine, Dark Academia is literature with a moodier, gloomier edge, like the blustery days of autumn. It sits at the intersection of intellectualism, melancholic themes, and a love of literature (with a touch of opulence).

Often associated with collegiate gothic architecture, philosophical pessimism, and books like “The Secret History” by Donna Tartt, this aesthetic embraces rich, dark hues, candlelit libraries, and nostalgia with an edge. Carry this vibe over to your classroom with the Black Brick Better Than Paper Bulletin Board Roll or Black Wood Better Than Paper Bulletin Board Roll, paired with border trim options like Classroom Cottage Gray Floral Straight Border Trim, Modern Farmhouse Blocks Die-Cut Border Trim, Home Sweet Classroom Wood Straight Border Trim, or Modern Farmhouse Boxwood Straight Border Trim.

Complete the look with Gold Glitz 2″ Classic Self-Adhesive Letters Uppercase, a Modern Farmhouse Calendar Write-On/Wipe-Off Chart, and the A Little Progress Each Day Adds Up to Big Results Positive Poster.

Bulletin Board Ideas, Classroom Organization, Teacher Resources

Middle & High School Classroom Decor Tips

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Setting the right tone in your secondary classroom is critical for creating a space where students feel calm, focused, and ready to learn. By middle school and high school, academics are complex, class time is limited, and students need less visual distractions to be able to lock into learning.

high school students sit in a classroom during class time, looking at laptops, tablets, and paperwork at their desks.

Create the ideal environment for every older student with these decor tips. Whether you’re teaching literature or algebra, this advice will help you elevate your classroom decor so every student feels comfortable and engaged.

No harsh lighting, ever!

Invest in inviting lighting solutions that create a cozy atmosphere, so it’s easier for students to manage their stress. String up twinkle lights, buy desk lamps with warm bulbs, and cover fluorescent LED lighting with fabric light covers to create a more visually appealing space.

Keep student work the star of the show.

Create bulletin boards that shine a spotlight on student work. Choose a bulletin board paper base in a solid color or non-distracting pattern, and keep the decorative accents or border trim simple and to a minimum. This will allow your students’ projects to shine 

Embrace nature-inspired colors and designs.

Natural color palettes and nature-inspired decor is a great way to bring serenity of the great outdoors into your classroom. Neutral bulletin board paper, plant-inspired border trim, and decor inspired by natural materials (such as wood, bamboo, trees, bricks, and stone) give your classroom tranquil vibes that every student appreciates. 

Highlight your subject area.

Having separate classrooms for each subject gives teachers an opportunity to choose decor that speaks directly to the knowledge students will acquire in their classroom. Start with a base of neutral or solid bulletin board paper and border trim, then add a minimal amount of accents and posters that fit your subject matter.

Social Studies: display decor inspired by vintage maps, famous historical quotes, social studies posters, or accents and bulletin board sets with historical facts and photos. Use recycled newspapers, world maps, magazine clippings, and replicas of historical documents to help students better visualize the history around them every day.

English/Language Arts: hang up well-known quotes from literature and literary figures, notebook-inspired charts, and posters with writing inspiration and elements of literature.

Math: use decor that doubles as reminders of essential math rules and basic information, blank reusable grid charts, and posters that cover the basics of graphing and algebraic expressions and equations.

Science: display charts and graphs that cover essential elements of physical, earth, and life sciences, or funny science-themed posters to help students crack a smile.

Avoid cutesy, but still have personality.

Too many matching decorations or themed pieces may feel childish to your students, but that doesn’t mean your classroom needs to be drab or boring. Keep ample space to showcase student work while including a few design touches that speak to your personality. Quirky border trim, a thriving houseplant, a thought-provoking bulletin board, or a simple, powerful poster can liven up your learning space without giving kindergarten vibes.

Parents

90s Summer: Screen-Free Essentials for Kids

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With the increase of unregulated AI, social media lawsuits, and studies that show negative effects of digital consumption on children, many parents are simply opting their kids out of being big tech’s guinea pigs. 

90s Summer Nostalgia

Now more than ever, there’s a growing market for products that return to the old-school days of our youth—with modern control features that keep children safe from the dangers of the digital wild west. 

Here are some of our favorite picks for keeping kids curious and allowing them to explore within reasonable boundaries. 

Library Card and Books

Free, empowering, and imaginative? Check, check, check. Get your child their own library card and encourage them to check out books on their own. This small taste of independence builds pride, competence, and confidence. Plus, literacy gains are only a piece of the puzzle; many local libraries offer summer reading programs along with libraries of things, such as cameras, board games, garden tools, and art supplies that kids can use to explore a potential hobby for free.

Retro Music

Sure, streaming is convenient, but what happens when monthly subscription costs spike and ads infiltrate every platform? Reclaim ownership of your music library and introduce kids to lesser-known albums the old-school way using a record, cassette, or CD player. Scour thrift stores for affordable options, or check them out of the library for free. We love the crosley x loog record player for aspiring vinylheads, or the durable Lakeshore Portable CD Player for fuss-free music playback. Bonus points if you have a surviving CD collection to pass on to your progeny!

Home Phones

It wouldn’t be a 90s summer without an old-school landline. Avoid the oft-reported horrors of social media and AI chatbots with a home phone. VoIP options (like Tin Can and Ooma) give us the nostalgia of a landline with the safety of strict parental controls, while repurposed “dumb phones” for the family (usually kept in a designated shared space) offer kids the freedom to contact approved friends directly without world wide web connectivity. Plus, they give children the opportunity to learn proper phone etiquette (why do they always hang up without saying goodbye in movies?).

Offline Audio Players

Sometimes, children just need a story sans pictures to allow their imagination to run wild. Featuring catalogs of beloved books, songs, meditations and more, child-centered devices give kids the option of picking what to listen to without surreptitious data collection. Tonies figurines and players turn libraries into literal works of art, while Yoto Players allow kids to build out card collections of their favorite titles. They even offer blank, customizable cards for a modern-day equivalent of burning CDs!

If you have access to a fire pit, you could even listen to (or tell) stories around a campfire, complete with s’mores. Nothing screams 90s summer quite like gooey marshmallows, chocolate bars, and crispy graham crackers.

People-Powered Rides

Get out and exercise with person-powered transportation. Rollerskates, skateboards, scooters, and bicycles (with helmets!) offer kids the freedom to roam nearby. If you’re super committed to a 90s summer, tell them to be back by the time the street lights come on, but if you’re nervous about letting them loose in the neighborhood, consider attaching a device (such as an Airtag) and giving specific instructions about when to be home.

Make Summer Magic Again

Most parents want to protect summer as the season of slowing down, building friendships and social skills, and making memories that last a lifetime. Adopting a 90s summer mindset gives everyone (including parents) permission to ditch the screen time, kick up their feet, and enjoy full days and starry nights, old-school style. Revert back to analog to calm your mind, reclaim face-to-face time, and revel in simplicity all season long.