A (not so) New Idea!

While I was writing this I stumbled across another post from 2009 pretty much outlining the same thing, so I immediately re-titled this post to "A Not So New Idea". 
I went to my classroom today for only the 2nd time the whole summer. The first time all I did was unpack boxes. I am really proud of myself because I usually spend countless days up there working on things. I will admit that being up there today was a reminder of how much needed to be done and how much time I really didn't have.
So, I decided that I wanted to use my same slogan from last year to post outside of my classroom. We are not pirates at this school, and we change the theme every 2 years. 

This year we are Australia. So instead of the pirate monkey, I have found the cutest picture of a koala bear making a funny face. When we change the theme, I'll just swap the koala out for some other animal or creature that matches. (cartoon alien for outer space, cartoon funny fish for deep sea, etc.) Can you tell I have already put some thought into this? I have also put some stock into the fact that I will be in the small spot for a while *fingers crossed*. 
Ok, now to the post... I threw away my letters from last year (NOT SMART!), so I'm starting from scratch. I made a set in black and one in red. I went with black, and I left them for my teacher friend moving into my classroom. Just changed the name. I threw the red set away. EPIC FAIL! I always get questions about the font for my bulletin board letters. Most of the the letters in our school are either store bought, or from the Ellison machine. It only takes a second to realize that my letters don't match either description.
About 7 years ago when I was student teaching, I noticed the same thing about the bulletin board displays in that school. They all had these great fonts, but you could tell that they were traced onto construction paper. How? I wondered. They didn't match anything from our local teaching supply store, or from an online store, and they didn't match the very signature font from the Ellison. They were created using a little ingenuity. 
Here it goes.
First decide what font you like in Microsoft Word. The fluffier the font the better. It will make it a lot easier to trace once it is cut out. I can't exactly remember what font I used, so I searched for one that was similar enough. The one I found years ago was an outline type font, but it doesn't make a difference. 

SCRIBBLEBOX

Of course, type out the alphabet. Make sure you have the letters the exact size that you want them. Place the thickest card stock that your printer can handle in the multipurpose tray. I think the paper I used years ago was about an 18pt. card stock. About the thickness of a really impressive business card. Our local paper mill donates it to the area schools. It was thick enough to make a pattern from, but also still flexible enough to get through the printer. Once the letters printed, I cut them out and I had my patterns.

Just for tonight's example, I'm making a red ELA for my standards board. The letters for the outside display will be taken care of in the morning. Flip the letters over when you trace them so you won't have to look at the stray marks from tracing. Once you cut them out and flip them over, the pencils marks are on the opposite side.

Not the best tracing job. That's why I trace it flipped over.

Flip them over and VOILA!

The added benefit. While I am cutting and tracing, my middle daughter is having a great time matching the cut out letters to the patterns. Yay, she matched the Es!

I started this post earlier. She is off to sleep at this hour. I promise!

I enjoy using my patterns because...

• they make my letters look different from others.
• I can make letters in my pajamas.
• I don't have to worry about color choices or running out of a letter. I make the decisions. I can use scrapbook paper, wrapping paper, etc.
• No cost.
• Invents a very educational game for my precious child. 

Cons...

• Time consuming, but it is free and the flexibility to do it whenever I want to trumps that. Plus, if you teach the upper grades, you always have a great helper who has the gift of phenomenal tracing and cutting skills.

Just sharing!