Are you a teacher that wishes to create an eye catching tree display in your classroom?
Whether you want to celebrate the start of spring or you simply want to add some color and vibrance to your current classroom setup – a 3D paper tree is one of the best ways to bring your classroom to life!
The only question is, how do you make your very own 3D tree display?
If you’re currently in this boat and you aren’t too sure how to go about making your very own tree display for your classroom, then rest assured that you have clicked on the right article!
Below, we are going to be talking you through a simple, step-by-step method that allows you to create a beautiful tree display for your classroom.
The best part about this particular method is that it is super versatile, and can be used in a variety of different classroom sizes and layouts.
So, without further ado – just read on!
Step One: Get Your Materials Ready
Before you get started with this project, there are two things that you need to ensure that you have available before you begin.
Firstly, you’ll need to make sure that you’ve got all the materials required for this particular project. This includes a few items such as colored pencils, construction paper, scissors, glue sticks, tape, paint brushes, and a ruler.
Secondly, you’ll also need to make sure that your classroom has enough space to fit your new 3D tree display.
If you don’t have enough room to fit it into, you may want to consider moving your classroom layout around to make space for the wall display.
Step Two: Cut Out Circle Shapes With Your Construction Paper
Now that you know what you’re going to use for your tree display, it’s time to cut out the pieces that you need. You’ll firstly need to cut out three to five circles from white construction paper.
These circles should be around the size of a basketball, although feel free to mix and match the sizes as you see fit.
These will be located on the very top of the tree and will form the foundation on which you will put your crafted leaves on top of.
Step Three: Add Green Paper Mache
Once you’ve cut these circles out, you’ll need to take them over to your desk and lay them in front of you.
With your green paper mache of choice (we recommend various shades of green to add dimension) you can begin scrunching up pieces of Mache and gluing them to the circles that you have set out on the desk.
As you do this, you will begin to see your tree taking shape.
You can do this step by yourself, but if you would like to encourage your class to take part, then they could help you glue the paper mache to the circles.
Step Four: Create The Bark And Branches
Next, you’ll need to move on to creating the bark and branches of your tree! To do this correctly, we recommend that you take your construction paper and begin drawing an outline of a tree.
Once you have done this, you can cut it out and set it aside for later. Then, with more paper, you can then go ahead and trace the branches (which will connect to the circles you have completed).
To make sure that your 3D tree display looks as impressive as can be, we recommend that you color the branches and the tree trunk in various shades of brown.
If you wanted to make it look as realistic as possible, you could even trace lines throughout the branches and trunk, as this will make it look like real bark.
Again, just like with the paper mache step, you could ask your children to take part and color each section with you.
Step Five: Add Finishing Touches
Finally, once you’ve finished painting the tree, you can start adding some finishing touches.
For example, along with the leaves that you will have already made, you could choose to add flowers to the top of the tree to bring more color to the display.
If you would like to do this, then you could try making flower shapes out of construction paper and attaching those to the top of the display. This will help to make the display look more eye-catching and vibrant.
Besides being a decorative display, many teachers like to use their 3D tree displays for various purposes.
If you’d like some ideas for how to personalize your classroom tree, check out the following options for inspiration:
Kindness Tree
Why don’t you consider turning your tree into a “kindness” tree? Ask each student to write something kind on a piece of card or paper flower, and then place it on the tree.
Your students will love being able to read the kind messages each morning.
Family Tree
Another popular way that you can use your 3D tree display is by turning it into a family tree. Ask each student to bring in a photo of their family, and hang it up on the tree.
Target Tree
Last but certainly not least, another way that you can elevate your classroom tree display is by turning it into a focus tree.
On each leaf that you make, ask your students to write down something that they want to focus on for the month. This will serve as a great visual reminder during their classes.
Wrapping Up
Hopefully, this tutorial was helpful for you when it comes to how to make a 3D tree display.
It is important to remember that while this is a fun activity to do, it does require quite a bit of patience, but the finished result will be more than worth it.
Thank you for reading!
