From Puppies to Pirates

Last year was the first time in many that I was lucky enough to be able to decorate the outside of my classroom's door.  When I first started working with this head teacher, she had a vision.  A vision of a puppy door, but was in a panic to get it accomplished in time for meet and greet.
"No problem,"  I said.  "Don't worry, it'll be fine."
And in to work I went to create a puppy.

Now, I must mention about this puppy, we're the first classroom at the opening of the hallway for pre-kindergarten, kindergarten, and first grade classrooms.  All of these children pass by this puppy to go to class in the morning, to the library, to the gym, to the office, to the playground, ANYWHERE.  Anywhere the children had to go, they had to pass this three-dimensional temptation.  Even the tails points to the fire alarm switch of temptation.
Shockingly enough, this puppy was still standing until I tore it down in March to make my Lorax scene.  The children left it.  The teachers and other paraprofessionals worked with their students on leaving it alone and they did it.  The children loved seeing that puppy and they let it be.  Even students who lost their cool never hurt our puppy.  Now, that electric outlet down there I think found home to a dinosaur by one of the students at the end of the year.. But our puppy was never once harmed.

This year, we've moved from puppies to pirates!

Both of these doors only took less than a day to put up.  It might be hard to see, but we're actually working on putting beads in this pirate's hair.  I know our class list will be "Our Scurvy Crew" but we're also taking suggestions on a welcoming message the pirate could have written in a speech bubble next to the door.  "We ARGH Ready for School" or something of the sort.  I saw a cute one about the "Learning the 3 ARGH's" but we're a pre-kindergarten class ssssssoooooo.....  "Ahoy, Welcome to the Crew!"?  

And then something like this outside the door as well.  I love my job.