Classroom Tree Bulletin Board
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Creative ideas for a year-long seasonal tree bulletin board.
September
Rescue a rather large tree branch that has fallen to
the ground in a wooded area. The bark can be left natural
or spray-painted with white or muted green paint. Place
it in a large coffee can, secure it with rocks, and pour
plaster of paris into the can so that the tree will set up
firmly. For September, have students make large apples
from shiny red paper to hang from the tree with loopy
green yarn. It adds an aesthetic touch to the classroom.
Each month the items can be changed, and this will be
addressed throughout the book. Occasionally change the
location of the tree too. Sometimes it can be up high on
a countertop, sometimes on a table with a book display underneath, and sometimes on the
floor so students can crawl under it.
Observe the trees from the classroom windows. Go outside and observe them during
recess. Note the size, leaf shapes, and leaf colors. Can students encircle the small trunks
with their hands and larger ones with their arms? How many huggable trees are in the
school neighborhood? How many are in the students own backyard? Make bark rubbings.
We're getting ready to see quite a change in trees during the next month or two, and this
sets the scene for an awareness of these giants in nature.
October
Take down the apples
from September, and replace them with colorful leaves painted by the students.
To make the leaves, give each student a sheet of 9" X 12" white poster paper,
and have them dab two or three colors onto the paper with tempera paint and
sponges. Then, when paint is almost dry, use paper toweling to have students
wipe the paint off. This blends the colors just a little and gives a glossy
finish. When the paper is dry, students can cut it into a big leaf shape and
hang it from the tree with a piece of colorful yarn. The tree can be placed up
on a countertop or tabletop and surrounded with books about autumn. (Perhaps
the scarecrow that you made can lean against the wall next to the tree for a
touch of autumn.)
November
This month have the students make construction paper birds
of a variety of colors. They can use the basic shapes of triangles, circles,
squares, rectangles, and ovals. Staple a string to the birds and tie them to the
tree branches. They are stopping over on their migration route to the south. Put
a collection of bird information books under the tree. This can be an area that
can be under the direction of Butch the Bird and the Wise Old Owl.
December
This month the tree is bare after the colorful construction
paper birds migrated and went south at the end of November. Children enjoy
decorating the tree with red and green paper chains, and construction paper
ornaments that they make during indoor recess. They can turn it into a classroom
holiday tree by adding hand-made ornaments that represent various countries.
If it is not appropriate to have a holiday tree in the classroom, select an area
of study from the December curriculum and make appropriate items to hang from
the tree. Now is the time to collect real bird nests from outdoor trees that
have been vacated. They can be brought in and housed in the December tree.
Scrunch newspapers into a ball, and wrap them with twine. Then stick real leaves
or leaves made from brown construction paper all over the outside to act as a
covering. This can represent a squirrel nest in the tree for the month, and may
begin to interest students in the subject of hibernation. Since the squirrel is
snoozing and does not want to be awakened, it is also a useful device for
helping to keep classroom noise level at a low level during this very exciting
month.
