subject: How To Decorate Your Classroom For Autumn [print this page] The fall tide brings cool mornings, changing trees, and new ideas for creating classroom decorations inspired by autumn. The theme of trees and leaves are central to the fall season and can be re-created in many classroom decorating ideas.
Falling for a Classroom Tree
Using the themes of trees and leaves to decorate the door of your classroom works really well or if your door does not provide you enough space you can decorate one of the walls in the classroom. The first thing you want to do using either cardboard or brown construction paper is make the trunk and the branches of the tree. You can have the students add detail to the branches and trunk by using paint, colored pencils, or crayons.
After you have the branches and the trunk completed it's time to begin making the leaves using brown, orange, red, yellow, and green construction paper. You can even create multi-colored leaves by gluing a couple or several of the colors together to show that the leaves are in the process of changing color. Next, have each child write their name on one of the leaves they created and hang the leaves on the branches of the tree using glue, tape, or staples. If you would like to you can even add more detail to the tree by making birds and cats out of construction paper and hanging them up in the tree.
Inspiring with Watercolor Leaves
Watercolors, with their soft, dreamy tones and the gentle bleeding of one color into another, lend themselves perfectly to autumn classroom decorating. One simple craft is to invite your students to create large watercolor paintings on both sides of thick paper, allowing them to dry in between Then cut out the watercolor paintings into the shapes of leaves and hang the leaves from the ceiling or tape them to the windows. The watercolor leaves make really cool classroom decorations!
You can string together some of the small leaves to make a border for the cork board or chalkboard. Mix the watercolor leaves with construction paper leaves to make the garlands more dynamic. There are also some really nice fall themed bulletin board trimmers you can buy if you would rather do that. If you or your students cut extra large leaves, those can be used as a background for autumn poetry.
Decorating With Words
Because fall is the time of year when students return to school, a great way to get their minds moving (while also creating classroom decorations) is by brainstorming. Ask them to think of as many words as they can that remind them of autumn. After you have a nice selection of autumn themed words, use large stencils to draw them onto different colored construction paper. The words can then be cut out and put up around the room or used as classroom door decorations.
Decorating With Squash and Pumpkins
Create a beautiful display by arranging small pumkins, squash or gourds either on shared tables or a side table in the classroom. These veggies will last a long time and bring the bounty of nature into the classroom, as well as enhance your classroom dcor with their colorful skins.
These classroom decorating ideas will help get you started on creating an autumn classroom cornucopia. Use bright autumn colors combined with leaf and pumpkin themes to make classroom decorating interesting and fun. Involve your students by having them make watercolor paintings, cut leaves, and share inspirational words.
