There you stand, staring at the vast area of emptiness. You wonder what you could do with that place on the wall. You want something that will catch the students', teachers' and parents' eyes. You want a venue to display your Physical Education curriculum/program so others may see we are not Recreational Specialists who oversee organized games of dodgeball. You want a board that will enhance instruction and support your curriculum. What do you do? Sometimes you will rack your brain thinking of some creative idea and it keeps leading you to put up pictures of famous athletes (which there is nothing wrong with doing that).

In the past, I have used the elementary school teacher's bulletin board ideas and adjusted them to meet the Physical Education theme. I have seen different publications such as magazine and newspaper photographs/articles used. I have solicited other teachers' ideas both personally and on internet bulletin boards (the other bulletin board!) I have incorporated interdisciplinary themes into the bulletin board that overlap into Physical Education. I have creatively adjusted past boards and added something new.

Any publication involving sport and physical education can be displayed and communicated with others. Whether it is a professional athlete, a former student at your school who is doing great at the high school, a local adult or collegian, some younger students will look up to them and possibly strive to "Ébe like MikeÉ" (Yes, Charles Barkley, like it or not, you are being looked up as a role model). It is a great idea to laminate your pictures and articles so they are protected and will keep for reuse. Other colleague's ideas can help as well. Getting an idea or seeing what they have done and adapting it to your needs, can help convey your message. Interdisciplinary/Cross curriculum themes always appeal to everyone. When others see how educational subjects overlap, tie into, relate or associate with Physical Education/Sport, they can be exposed and enlightened to Physical Education's place in the well rounded, educated student's curriculum. As much as you incorporate the interdisciplinary subject matter into your class, incorporate other subject matter into your bulletin board.

During a floor hockey unit, I decided to use the internet and search hockey logos. After printing over 200 hockey logos from The Hockey Database, a fellow teacher and I laminated, cut and posted them onto the bulletin board. Along with the logos was a list of every league and their dates of existence. The students were amazed as they passed the colorful board of hockey logos. Before entering the gymnasium, I informed the children about the logos. I pointed out one's that I liked and solicited the same from them. I talked about how art is involved in sport. I informed them about the occupation of a graphic artist and affirmed with them that not all people who like Physical Education have to be a professional athlete. For the next two weeks the students would continue to stop and look at the logos. Around St. Patrick's Day, we informed the students to touch the logo of the San Francisco Shamrocks for good luck (ala Notre Dame). It was amazing to see the number of students walking through the hall and going out of their way to touch this logo!

Other bulletin boards included student photos of them and their families doing something active in the snow. I entitled the board as "Winter Funderland". I did a board on Lacrosse. It contained the history of the game and the different Native American tribal names for the sport along with the history, rules and logos of leagues and teams from around the world. Other picture boards can include photos of families at fun runs. This helps highlight local events, school and family participation and encourages other students to participate the following year.

These are just a few ideas to get your creative juices flowing. Remember that the bulletin board is a valuable tool to add to your instruction, support your curriculum and it is a tool to "advertise" your Physical Education program. Now stop staring and get going on that fabulous bulletin board!

Contact Dan Rayome for any further information.