How to Decorate a Classroom Using a Garden Theme

There are many different reasons to decorate your classroom with a garden theme, such as the spring bloom, the fall harvest, environmental consciousness or nutrition The key is to remember everything that goes into a garden--the fruits and veggies, flowers, critters, tools and even the dirt. Here are a few suggestions on how to decorate your classroom using a garden theme.

Things You'll Need

• Gourds
• Strings
• Pressed flowers
• Old magazines
• Scissors
• Poster board
• Glue
• Construction paper
• Markers
• Paints
• Paint brushes
• Crayons
• Tape

Instructions

1. Make good use of gourds. Gourds are pretty, interesting, durable, inexpensive and resistant to rot. They can be hung from strings, made into crafts or simply put on your desk.

2. Grow some stuff. Native flowers, fruits and vegetables are a great way to add some local color to your classroom. Alternately, you can have the kids vote on what to grow.

3. Press flowers with the students. This is a lot of fun particularly for younger kids. When they are done, you can hang them up as decorations (See Resources below).

4. Make nature photo collages. Cut pictures of flowers from old garden or nature magazines such as "Better Homes and Gardens" and "National Geographic." Paste them on poster boards for decoration.

5. Put up gardening tools. Toy shovels, buckets, hoses and sprinklers make a good gardening display and are safe for young kids to play with. They can be hung from strings or taped up on the wall.

6. Get an ant farm. Ants are an important part of the lifecycle of plants, and have a lot to do with how well gardens grow.

7. Have your students draw out their favorite vegetables and insects. They can use paint, crayons, markers or colored construction paper. Use these drawings for decoration.

Tips & Warnings

• Take advantage of any parents who are interested in contributing. If you have enthusiastic gardeners, ask if they would like to donate plants or bring in homegrown vegetables to share.

• Library sales are a great place to pick up old magazines for very little. You can also often find parents willing to donate them.

Resources

• How to Press Flowers