Whether you are a primary or nursery school teacher you will know that classroom
walls are an important place for educational and fun wall displays which can be completed by students as part of a project, or by you as an education tool. Here are some great ideas for both.
The Vikings
If you are doing the Vikings as part of a project why not try a long boat. This trademark of the Vikings is the perfect large art project that all ages can contribute to. Starting with the boat section, the shape can be extended as long and as wide as you need to fill a space. The oars can be made by students from anything from pipe cleaners and milk bottle tops, to real twigs. The ship can be filled with portraits of student with Viking helmets on and the sails can be made from scraps of material decorated by children.
Jungle
An excellent project is to grow a jungle on your wall. With a green background, the kids can draw or paint and cut out their own pictures of real or imaginary animals which they can find in the jungle. This can be accompanied with environmental lessons about deforestation and how paper is a resource which should be recycled.
Christmas
Every year this holiday comes around and classrooms are festooned with tinsel and Christmas trees and images of Santa Clause and umpteen reindeer. Why not try instead a snowy scene. Start with a white background and build in 3D with cotton wool, papier-mache and polystyrene blocks. Windows in the room can be decorated with spray snow and handmade paper chains make fun Christmas decorations which the children can help make. It can be important to remind the kids that Christmas is not just about getting presents, it is about sharing and being generous too.
The World Cup
Now that the FIFA World Cup is almost upon us there will be no escape. Instead of stopping your students from wearing football shirts and talking about games, join them in their interest and make it a project. Create a wall planner of the games and use each day to teach them about the different countries. Learning about the cultures associated with the teams can be in contrast to the commercialism and passion of the event.
Always remember when undertaking a new project to include activities of interest to both boys and girls, and try not to let on which team you support if you go for a World Cup project.