Bulletin Board: On the Path to Preschool

This is an easy - albeit messy - bulletin board that I did just yesterday. First, we had the kids print both of their handprints on construction paper using tempera paint. Later I cut them out and matted them on top of contrasting colors.

Next, we painted the bottom of each child's foot and had them walk across a long sheet of paper. This is much easier if you have two adults: one to paint the feet and help the kids walk, and another at the end of the paper to pick each one up and dunk his feet in a bucket of soapy water. You could also do it all outside. Either way, make sure you hold on to each kid as he takes the first couple of steps, since the paint is slippery.

Once everything was dry, I just mounted the art and the letters on the board as shown. It really brightens the room and I've gotten a lot of nice feedback from other teachers and parents.

By the way, here's a good tip for when you're painting kids' hands and feet. Even if you're using so-called "washable" tempera, you can make cleaning up even easier by stirring some liquid soap into the paint before using. Regular hand soap or dishwashing liquid work fine. I can't recall who taught me that, but I know it was one of my wonderful co-workers... so whoever it was: thanks.