Autumn decor for the classroom

My philosophy about the classroom environment is that the classroom should feel like home. We certainly spend an incredible amount of time there, and also, I like my students to be able to interact with the same kinds of things that they come into contact with at their own homes.  Since I routinely decorate my own home for different seasons, it feels natural to me to decorate the classroom seasonally too.

Over the years I’ve found that if I add a few seasonal pieces to my collection each year, it is more affordable. I also do a lot of DIYing to create decorative elements.  Oriental Trading has become my go-to source for easy autumn decor that really makes an impact (and that I don’t mind of the children touch).  You can check out all of the great projects that I made for the classroom last year right here, but I’ve got a couple of new things to share with you today.

Both of these projects were completed using pre-cut burlap leaves, which made my life a million times easier!

For both the wreath and the accent block I hot glued the burlap leaves to felt, and then cut around the leaf, leaving a bit of the felt showing. This helped make the leaves stiffer, and made each color stand out. I have a ton of little burlap leaves left, so I’m thinking a garland or banner is going to be my next project!