Here at Scholastic, we’re huge fans of Pinterest, the social network that enables users to “pin” images from around the web to virtual “pinboards”. The site’s popularity has skyrocketed over the course of the past year; in fact, Pinterest recently surpassed Yahoo! as the fourth-greatest driver of referral traffic worldwide, and studies show that users spend more time on Pinterest than on Twitter, Google+, and LinkedIn combined.

Though any social media platform has its pros and cons, we love Pinterest, not only for its stunning visuals (I can’t go on the site without wanting to bake, re-decorate my apartment, re-vamp my wardrobe, travel the world, organize my non-existent spice rack, or buy a puppy…) but also because it allows us to connect with our followers on a whole new level.

After starting our Pinterest account back in November, we began to notice teachers posting fantastic classroom content—everything from bulletin boards to book suggestions, anchor charts to learning activities, room decorations to healthy snacks. We love seeing the different ways in which teachers around the world are using Pinterest in the classroom, either as a planning tool or as an integrated part of the curriculum. With back-to-school season officially upon us, what better time to explore some of their strategies?

• As Tyler mentioned in a July OOM post, many teachers have had busy summers preparing for the implementation of the Common Core State Standards. Pinterest has quickly become a go-to place for teachers to share links and resources, and ones related to the Common Core are no exception. Check out this great page full of Common Core resources for kindergarten teachers.
• Mrs. Orman, an English teacher and avid Hunger Games fan, has some awesome education-related pinboards, including Common Core resources, teaching activities, suggested blogs, and an entire board dedicated to teaching The Hunger Games trilogy (it’s not affiliated with Scholastic, but we love her enthusiasm and creativity!)
• Pinterest is a great way to discover new books to read, curate wishlists, and line up the titles you want to read next. Many teachers opt to pin their required reading lists and book recommendations, and there’s even a feature that allows multiple users to pin to the same board (great for those who teach different sections of the same grade and want to collaborate!)
• Anchor charts abound on Pinterest. It’s a great way to see what teachers across the country are doing in their classrooms. (A cool example is this “Addicted to Anchor Charts” board.)
• Pinterest is teeming with printables and educational activities for students of all ages. (Just type “printables” into the search bar and you’ll see what we mean.) We’ve started collecting some of our own printables on our Classroom Ideas board — more to come soon!
• When it comes to classroom organization and decoration, there’s no better place to turn for inspiration than Pinterest. We’re constantly impressed by the awesome bulletin boards, cozy classroom libraries, and meticulously organized art supplies that teachers pin. This Pinterest page has some wonderful examples!

How about you, teachers? Are you using Pinterest, either in the classroom or to plan for the school year ahead? Let us know your thoughts in the comments!