Spring is a fun time of year because it has so many changes in weather. All the changes in temperature make the world around us wake up, and bringing this dynamic into the classroom is easy. Pinterest boards show some inexpensive, creative ways to welcome Spring into the classroom. It’s also popular to get a Spring Bulletin Board Set or border and use them for several years.
Many spring things work perfectly into STEAM activities, with the students creating decorations during their studies:
Maple syrup is the result of tapping trees during specific springtime weather conditions that cause the sap to run. New York Agriculture in the Classroom has a nice list of maple syrup resources with handouts and lesson plans. The Young Naturalists offers a teacher’s guide for multidisciplinary classroom activities. Scholastic has some great book ideas that would be attractive decorations in the classroom. Silloway Maple offers recipes for cooking with maple syrup and a look at how a small family operation has changed over generations. Classrooms often tour their new wood- and solar-powered sugar house on field trips. As students learn about sugaring, they could each make a maple tree, creating a sugar bush forest, and string the trees together with all the lines coming to a sugar house where the sap is boiled into syrup. Pictures of the students making and/or eating the maple recipes can be put up around the sugar house.
Life cycles are exciting at this time of year because kids can see things finally happen. An incubator can be wonderful if you follow the rules for a successful school hatching project. If your classroom lacks room for real chickens, make the process clear by decorating bulletin boards with large illustrations. There is even a live HenCam available to check in on real chickens. Add some books and models of other types of life cycles for a complete learning nook that doesn’t make much mess.
Flowers and rainbows are classic spring icons, and they can be used in many ways. These 30 Epic Examples of Inspirational Classroom Decor show that no matter what type of room your students are in, there are ways to decorate it for the season. Something as simple as a tissue flower kit or elaborate as a rainbow mural of student handprints on a blue paper roll can bring the colorful anticipation of the season into the classroom.
Every season is a reason to decorate the classroom with new, exciting ways to learn. Spring is one of the most anticipated seasons, and your classroom can be part of the fun!
