This bulletin board should be used with primary grades as a fun phonics activity. You will need Velcro strips and a set of laminated animal pictures whose names begin with A-Z--you will need duplicates of the vowels and some of the common consonants. You may also want to use insect names, plant names, historical figures, or country names to make this suitable for higher grades or just for a different purpose. Attach small pieces of Velcro (the "fuzzy" side) to the back of each of the laminated pictures. On the bulletin board, attach several long strips of Velcro (the "grip" side) and run them across horizontally. Use this to make a secret message that your students must decode by using the first letter of the name of the animal. You may want to use this as a morning activity or as part of a center. You might want to include a key to the pictures if you use insect names (that are sometimes difficult) or words that are hard to pronounce. Attach a pocket to the bulletin board in which to keep the unused pictures--a Ziplock bag works well.