The theme for the month of August
is construction. After searching the Internet and not being able to find
a lot of ideas on how to decorate the classrooms/center we decided to
come up with our own. Here are a few ideas that our teachers came up
with or found online to decorate their classrooms. All of the
decorations that we made were laminated for durability. Plus, it will
give us a jump start for decorating next year since we going to save
them.
1. Skyscraper with hand print windows -
This was made by one of our two year old classrooms.The skyscraper was
created using construction paper. The teachers cut squares out of white
construction paper. Next the teachers painted each child's hand with
different colored paint and pressed it to the squares. The children used
the same paint to paint tongue depressors. The tongue depressors where
glued together around the hand print to make the frame for the windows.
Once dried the teachers taped them to the skyscraper.
2. Homemade Blocks - These blocks were added to discovery lab to encourage the children to "construct" big skyscrapers and buildings.
To make the blocks you need:
Wrap
the boxes like you would when wrapping a present. The butcher paper
will need to have all the edges sealed with tape so the children can't
unwrap them.
We
started out with the butcher paper but found that the colored contact
paper was better to work with plus it eliminated the need to have to
tape up the edges of the paper. The boxes also stand up to the wear and
tear better when the children are playing with them. Another idea is to
have the children decorate the butcher paper blocks. Either way the
blocks turned out really cute!
3. Blue Prints
- We used blue prints as decorations around the classroom. The
children also made their own blue prints. You can find blue prints at
construction companies. Usually they are glad to give you old blue
prints for free. Another idea is to let the children color the blue
prints and display them around your classroom.
4. Egg Carton Dump Trucks - Our four year old class made these cute little dump trucks. The children had a great time making them!
5. Bulletin Board/Wall Display:
Children Working Together - One of our four years old teacher came up
with this cute display. Along with our construction theme the fours are
learning how to "work together." It takes team effort to help "build" a
great classroom! Everyone has an important job to do, just like the
construction workers!
To make this display you need:
Poster board
Pencil
Black permanent marker
Foam letter stickers
Letters to spell out - Kids Working Together (You can buy or make them yourself from construction paper)
Foam letters (for the children's name)
Construction boarder (optional)
Ruler
Making
the crossword pattern will take some planning. Using a scratch piece of
paper, start with the longest child's name in your classroom and go
from there, creating a crossword puzzle design. Each display will be
different based on the names of the children used. Once you figure out
how to have each child's name connected to the other, use a pencil and a
ruler to make the crossword pattern on your poster board. When finished
trace over the pencil using a permanent marker. Finally, place the foam
letters in the boxes. After hanging your display place boarder around
the poster board. Add the title, and you have your "kids working
together" display!
6. "Roadwork" Collage
- Here is a cute idea for an art project. All you need is construction
paper and glue. Cut out white construction paper for the white lines on a
road, yellow for the yellow lines on the road, and orange for caution
cones. Have the children arrange them anyway they like!
7. Construction Signs - These signs were created using construction paper and a permanent marker. Then they were laminated.
8. Construction Signs
- This sign was printed on yellow copy paper and laminated. We found
this sign using Google search. It was displayed on our glass door
leading into our center from the front office. How cute is that!?
9. Building Houses Craft
- Our three year old class "constructed" these houses out of various
containers and boxes of different sizes. They taped and glued
construction paper on the containers. Then they colored and decorated
them to look like houses.
10. Construction Patterns - We
used Google to search for various construction patterns. Some cute ones
we found were of a construction hat and traffic cone. These were
printed on yellow and orange copy paper and then laminated. We also
found a construction theme bulletin board set at our local teacher
supply store. They made great decorations for around the center! You
can also find plenty of coloring sheets of cranes, trucks, and other
construction machines.
11. Caution Tape
- Caution tape makes great decoration for a construction theme. The
only problem is that we didn't have very much and it is extremely hard
to find unless it is Halloween time. So we decided to make our own! All
you need is yellow construction paper, ruler, and a black permanent
marker. We also laminated them.
12.
Pictures of "construction"
- You can find pictures of construction related vehicles, buildings,
etc. in magazines and off the Internet. When printing pictures, make
sure they are in color and then laminate them for durability. These
pictures should be placed around the classroom and especially in the
block center on the children's eye level. This gives the children the
opportunity to talk about the pictures with their teachers and peers. It
helps get the creative juices flowing!
13. Caution Sign File Folder Game - here is a math file folder game I made. You can find it on my TpT store for free!
http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Store/Kristina-Foss/
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File Folder Game |
Bringing it all together: Along with the above ideas, here are a few other things that you can do to bring the construction theme all together:
Add different block and/or building materials to the block center
Add tools (real or toy) to block center
Add hard hats and tool belts to dramatic play center
Add books about tools and construction to literacy center
Add saw dust to sensory table
Use tools instead of cookie cutters for play dough
Add
pictures of construction and tools in color around the classroom and
encourage children to look at and ask questions about them.
Add
a scrap wood with nails hammered into them (just enough so they don't
come out), small hammers, and small hand held saws to the sensory table
(this would be a well supervised and for older children activity) For
younger children you can use golf tees and have them bang them into a
cardboard box with a hammer.
I hope you enjoy these ideas and good luck in your classrooms!