Multiple colors and decor can be distracting for students so instead opt for a minimalist and nature inspired surroundings for the children.
We have found the top 9 tips for creating a nature-themed classroom to help you and your students.
We take a look at nature themed learning tools, incorporating plants, wall art, display areas, camping and reading corners and even how to change up the furniture.
Use nature themed learning tools to engage your students more fully in their learning and keep them interested.
You can use nature themed posters for learning the alphabet, or use real nature items such as acorns for counting practice.
There is so much opportunity for blending nature with the lessons you are teaching. One of the best things is that a lot of the tools are completely free.
Gather some acorns, shells or pine cones for number learning, crafts or just to learn about nature through these things.
Use nature themes in lessons such as painting and display students work around the classroom to decorate the walls adding to the nature theme.
Nature is a bountiful resource for teaching, so the only limit is your imagination when it comes to using nature themes as a learning tool.
Bring the outdoors in by placing potted plants around the classroom. Get the children involved by choosing plants that will do well in shady areas of the room and others that need to be in direct sunlight.
Encourage them to care for the plants, keeping them watered, taking out dead leaves and checking for disease.
This is a wonderful opportunity to not just introduce a more calming decor, but it is also a teaching and learning experience.
Lessons learned from caring for plants can stay with kids all their lives, so it is a wonderful thing to introduce into the classroom. They will see that a plant that is well cared for will thrive while one that is neglected can wither.
Plants in the classroom will create a much more calm and relaxing environment for the children. If they are too small to care for real plants then simply use artificial ones which will still create a soothing atmosphere.
There are so many ways to incorporate nature themes into the decor of your classroom. If you are unsure, start with something small like a leaf garland around the bulletin board. Before you know it you’ll be doing full wall murals.
If you are not artistically inclined then luckily for you there are lots of ways in which you can decorate the walls with nature inspired art.
You could use tree themed wall paper or a woodland scene stick-on mural to create a great backdrop for your classroom.
Get the students involved in planning and decorating what goes on the walls, so they will feel like it is their own work.
You can use different walls for different eco systems such as seashore, mountains, woodlands or deserts.
Let the children feel involved by giving them the backdrop art on the wall and then let them decorate it as they want, under supervision of course.
As well as putting great nature themed art on the walls you can create a nature themed classroom by adding natural elements to the furniture in the room.
Wooden tables and chairs are a good starting point, but things like wicker baskets rather than plastic boxes for books, supplies and toys also work really well.
The texture and natural material is better for small children who encounter plastic and metal everywhere.
You can also integrate existing pieces of furniture by adding some simple decor. Some faux ivy around a door, or artificial plants on top of the bookcases will integrate the nature theme without remodeling the entire classroom.
A soft grass-green rug in the reading corner or faux sunflowers in the painting area are simple and inexpensive additions to extend the nature theme around the classroom.
Just like adults love to read under the shade of a tree, giving children a quiet, nature themed area will instill their love of books and nature.
Create a nature inspired book corner and reading area for your students to help them develop good reading habits.
Use some wooden crates or wicker baskets to hold the books. A soft green rug with plenty of nature themed cushions is perfect for little ones to settle down with their favorite books.
We’ve seen some great tree stump printed cushions which would be perfect for this area.
Position some potted plants in the reading corner. Or if you’re feeling ambitious create a full sized paper mache tree complete with bark and leaves for the children to sit and read under. Make sure to include plenty of books about nature in the reading corner too.
Keep the nature theme going in the area where your students display their work. A great idea for this is to use a garden trellis that they can hang or pin their work on.
Another option is to have a small tree that they can use clothespins to hang up paintings or drawings.
There are many different eco systems that can be celebrated in the classroom so don’t forget about the desert, the mountains, the sea and the river for display areas.
Use your local area as inspiration for the type of nature theme you can use in the classroom.
Provide leaf or shell shaped outlines on the walls for the students to show off their accomplishments or write their achievements.
You can go as big or as small as your resources allow for ideas to display your students’ work in a nature themed classroom.
A nature table is a wonderful way for children to contribute to their classroom decor and learn at the same time.
When they are out walking with parents, ask them to collect nature items for the table such as leaves, nuts, shells, pine cones or feathers.
They can then bring what they find to school for the nature table. Encourage them to talk about what they found, where it came from and how it came to be where they found it. You can use what they put on the nature table as writing prompts too.
This is a fantastic opportunity to introduce lots of aspects of the natural world to children, and it encourages curiosity.
You can also use the nature table as inspiration for creating a story using all the different elements they have found.
As well as a reading corner you can also create a camping corner in your classroom. It’s an idea to change the area regularly to introduce new ideas.
A woodland camp corner is a great place to start using lots of greenery, a fake campfire and wood stump seats.
You can also create a beach or mountain camp area so that you are introducing the students to different eco systems.
This can teach children about respecting the different environments they may visit, as well as introducing them to the different flora and fauna of each.
Let the children explore their imaginations with the things that they add to the camping corner. This is also a great place to have story time, sitting around the campfire. Kids are also never too young to learn about fire safety, so this is something to include too.
There are so many ideas for creating a nature themed classroom, and it’s good to know that you can access plenty of printable materials to help.
You can buy decor bundles which provide learning materials and tools as well as help to decorate the classroom.
Combine these bundles with your own collections from nature to create a unique and inviting learning space for your children.
The great thing about this resource is that it can allow you to easily swap out one theme for another in some areas without changing the whole room.
This is particularly relevant as the seasons change and nature changes with it. So to keep your classroom nature theme topical and relevant use these fantastic resources to maintain kids interest and enthusiasm for learning about nature.
Final Thoughts
Most parts of your classroom can be incorporated into creating a nature themed environment. Designated areas can be used for creating seasonal learning experiences and opportunities or changing the emphasis on various ecosystems.
However you decorate your classroom with a nature inspired theme it will definitely have a positive impact on your students.
This is especially true if you involve them as much as possible in the process and encourage them to interact with all aspects of the theme.
We hope that this guide has given you some ideas and inspiration for your classroom.
Hi, my name is Helena Waters and I was a teacher for 40 years before retiring last year.
During my time as a teacher I dedicated the majority of it to making classrooms as fun as possible, with educational parties, fun activities, and low cost entertainment that made the children excited about learning.
I taught children of all ages, from preschoolers to high school students. Now, with the pandemic having uprooted everything that children once knew about school and learning, I think that the need for my ideas is bigger than ever.
That is why I created School Sparks, a place in which I can write down and share all of my ideas on how to get students excited about going to school again. I hope that you’ll find some useful within a school setting, even at home too!
