- 1). Make trees on the walls with paper. Use brown construction paper or paper bags to make the trunk of a tree. Overlap them slightly and tape each piece of paper to the wall. Extend the trunks up to a few feet from the ceiling. Cut leaves out of green paper. Tape them to the top of the trunk, extending them onto the ceiling to make a canopy of leaves overhead. If your school doesn't allow you to hang things from the ceiling, make the trunks shorter and put all the leaves on the wall.
- 2). Bring in potted plants to put on top of shelves and cabinets. Artificial plants will work as well. You might make growing plants a class project in the weeks before the rain forest theme. Give children plastic containers or cut the top off a 2-liter plastic bottle. Children can fill the bottom with dirt and push in a few seeds. Water the plants each day and leave them near sunlight.
- 3). Cut animals out of construction paper. Make snakes and birds, and hang them in the trees. Draw spiders and bugs onto the trees as well. Make monkeys and iguanas, and hang them in trees or put them on the floor. You might also bring in or ask students to bring in stuffed animals that are appropriate for the rain forest. Place them throughout the room.
- 4). Lay down green or brown area rugs throughout the room. These rugs symbolize the forest floor. You can also use beach towels in this color scheme. The textures of rugs and towels can help make students feel as though they are walking on dirt and grass.
- 5). Buy a CD of rain forest or calming music. This CD should have the sounds of rain, animal sounds or flute music. You might also find appropriate music from the library. Put the music on quietly. Set the CD player to repeat and keep the music on as background noise throughout the day.