What do you use to keep bulletin board pieces up?

I've been showing you all these great new bulletin board pieces -- and more to come! -- and now you need to put them up int he classroom. More and more schools are forbidding the use of hot glue and staples (those burns and stabs will be a thing of the past), so what's a teacher to do?

Switch to Mavalus Tape. Click on the name to see what this wonderful stuff is. You have probably heard about it, but you might have heard it called "miracle tape," "magic tape," or even just "that tape."

Here's what's great about Mavalus Tape: it holds things up, and then it comes off. Your stuff doesn't fall down or get damaged, and the paint stays on the walls. The manufacturers say that they can keep a fish attached to a tree in a rainstorm, and I believe it, though I confess I've never tried that. We've used it to keep things up for years on end, I use it all the time to put up things I want to move around (like calendar days or timeline pieces), and our customers use it on surfaces like theater curtains and burlap.

If you think it's expensive, you may be using too much. We calculate that you can put up 61 average posters with one roll. Can't beat that.

What's Good for Calendar Work?

First let me give you a great web resource:

• Everything About Calendars

Anything you want to know about calendars, you can find there. And I hope you are enjoying this month of Thermidor.

Calendar work in the classroom is a great opportunity to fit a lot of things into a small space. Using a pocket chart like this Calendar and Weather chart lets you introduce and review concepts about weather, numbers, time, calendars, holidays, verb tenses, and more -- while also gathering data for later use in analysis and graphing.

Bulletin board set calendars, like this cool "Confetti Calendar" from CTP, are great when you like to change things around a lot, or want to be able to have more control over the space and arrangement of elements than a pocket chart gives you.

Sets like these give you the most for your money, since they usually include calendar grids, calendar days, month labels, and extra pieces.

If there are bits that you don't want to use for daily calendar work, you'll find that they come in handy for making centers and big books.

If you like a minimalist approach, though, or just want to change some of the things from last year, you'll find that you have plenty of choices in individual pieces as well.

What's New for Back to School?

There's so much new stuff on our shelves at A Plus, it's hard to know where to begin!

CTP's Stick Kids are still going strong, so you can add a new Welcome bulletin board set and continue using the pieces you already have. This way, you get a fresh look while recycling what you have on hand from previous years.

The Trend Mischievous Monkeys are still very popular, and there are some new safari letters and welcome banners to extend those pieces, too. Carson-Dellosa has a new monkey set, with their signature look, if you like monkeys but want something fresh.

With the Olympics coming up in September, a sports theme is a great choice for Back to School 2008.

"Welcome Back Team" from Teacher's Friend is a fun starting point for this theme.

The emphasis on teamwork gets the class off to the right start, and the pieces can be used later in the year to spotlight student work.

CTP's Back to School with denim, schoolhouses, or fall leaves are always quick and easy to put up. Each has a welcome piece and plenty of cutouts for student names, and they'll fit on your door. These are great when you want to get your classroom ready fast, and when you have limited bulletin board space.

A versatile option is the Big Treasure Chest from Carson.

Let your new students know how precious they are to you by adding their names to the jewels and doubloons, set up a bulletin board that shows how much you treasure learning, or go with a pirate theme.

There's lots more in the store! It's the time to come in and browse, see your friends, and get in the mood for school.

And don't forget that you can shop with APlus Educational online, too! We deliver to your school for free in North Arkansas, and now in Northwest Arkansas, too. Purchase orders are always welcome.

See you soon!

Does time fly when you're having fun?

Yes! I can't believe it's the big sale day already! Sail on in. Right now. You're missing all the fun.

When's the next sale at A+ Educational Supply?

We had such a good time at the Midnight Madness Sale, we're having another! July 22nd, sail right in for a summer sale -- we'll have drawings and door prizes and lots of fun, plus the chance to see all the newest goodies for Back to School!

Watch this space for details!

If I can only have one pocket chart, which one should I have?

Tough question. Let me give you three possible answers.

First answer: get the Original Pocket Chart, which gives you pockets all across the front, but get it in red so you can tell it apart from your neighbor's blue one. The original will hold sentence strips, word cards, index cards, and most everything else you'll want to put into the pockets. Since the pockets are not divided, you are not limited to items of a particular size. There are ten pockets, which gives you enough room for poetry, charts, and even quizzes.

It'll fit on your pocket chart stand, too.

The original also comes in yellow now. If you have your heart set on blue, think about going with the Original Plus -- it has storage pockets on the back.

Second answer: go with a graphic organizer.

Which graphic organizer you choose depends on what you use most often. Likely options include the graphing pocket chart, the web organizer, the hamburger sequencing chart, and official graphic organizer pocket chart, which has both a Venn Diagram and a T chart.

With any of these, it is possible to use the spaces as you would the original pocket chart, but you also have your graphic organizers ready to hand whenever you need them -- what a time saver!

The third answer may sound a little frivolous: get a cute one.

The star shape, the big apple, the crayons pocket chart, or the new farm chart can all be used in lots of different ways, but they also add fun to your classroom. If you can only have one pocket chart, you might want to go with something bright and playful.

The best possible answer? Go ahead and get your one pocket chart, but then start working on rearranging the budget or the classroom so you can have more. There are hardly any other classroom resources that are as versatile and useful as pocket charts.

When is the best time to do Back to School shopping?

In a word: right now.
Okay, that was two words.
Either way, this is the time. The store is fully stocked, and not as crowded as it will be even next week. If you wait till August, there will be lines to wait in and it is possible that your favorite planbook will be sold out.
If you want to see all your old friends and have the exhilarating experience of shopping in crowds, wait till August.
If you want to avoid the whole thing, shop from our online catalog and we'll deliver everything to your school.