Christmas (Sunday School Bulletin Board)

Categories: Sunday School Bulletin Boards

December is a time to "Sing, ye joyous children, sing," to the tune of "Hark, the Herald Angels Sing." So our bulletin board this month will be a musical one.

PICTURES: I found seven used Christmas cards in my collection that portrayed children singing carols. I scanned them, then enlarged them to print on 8"x10" photo paper. I also found seven more pictures on the internet, using the search words - "children caroling, image."

BORDERS: Bright colorful borders in red, green and blue are eye-catching and happy. In place of the usual construction paper, I chose a more expensive border at a nearby office supply store. I bought three packets of five pocket folders (letter-size), each in a different color. This brand is laminated (shiny), but I've seen them elsewhere with a matte finish. I folded them open and cut each folder in half with a paper cutter. Each half measures a little over 9"x12". So each folder will provide two picture borders, 30 all together. Cut only the number needed. Each picture, including the border, will be the same size, creating a symmetrical look.

CHILDREN: Children like to be involved in bulletin boards. While searching the internet, I found four black and white pictures of carolers for the children to color. I copied the pictures onto 8x10 computer paper to give to the children. They can take it home and color it with paint, crayons, markers or colored pencils. You can wait for the children to bring back their pictures before arranging the pictures on the board, or you could add theirs later. When they bring their pictures to class, glue the pictures onto the same borders so they all match.

The sample board pictured here shows both the colored pictures and the black-and-white ones that the children will eventually color. If I receive more than expected from the children, I will remove several of my colored ones and replace them with ones by the children.

TITLE: The title of the board is "Sing, ye joyous children, sing."

• I found the music in a hymnal and drew a staff on 11" x 36" white poster board. You can adjust the size according to the size of your board.
• The 5 lines on the staff were approximately 1 1/4" apart.
• I placed the treble clef on the staff (I found a gold and sparkly one at a party store).
• You can use a bold black marker to make the notes. (I cut mine out of black paper, 2 1/2" high. I then put a small spacer between the note and the poster to give it depth.)
• The first 5 words of the song are in a nice bold font, 1 1/4" high.
• I placed a black border around the title.

The photo I took of the board this month will change as the children bring in their pictures to add to it. You should have a festive bulletin board for all to enjoy!

Olene Carroll