Decorating Your Classroom Winter after the Christmas Holiday
Santa has yelled his last “Ho…Ho”… Christmas is over, but it’s too early for Valentine’s Day décor. Winter is still here. So, you may be wondering how to decorate your classroom after the Christmas Holiday days. I know I have been stuck in this winter conundrum before too. However, there is a safe middle ground for decorating your classroom after the Christmas holiday. Here are some cute, and cozy, winter decorating ideas.
Winter Colors
Start your decorating process by using winter colors. Winter colors don’t all have to be black, white, or gray. You can liven up your winter décor with all shades of blue, green, brown, silver, and gold. Save those bolder colors for summer. A good rule of thumb is to go for neutral tones.
If red is your favorite color, then you don’t have to completely ditch it for after Christmas. Instead of that bright, seasonal red use brick red, rust, or terra-cotta.
As for me, I love to use the winter blues. If you had some Christmas blue items, don’t worry about taking them down. Leave them up. Just make sure that they don’t have anything that screams Christmas on them.
This year, I went pink. I didn’t do the loud pink, but the pretty, girlie-girl pastel pink. I add some gold to the mix for the holiday, so these colors are still great to use for after Christmas. All I had to do was eliminate the Christmas tree and any Christmas wreaths that couldn’t be transformed into simple winter themed decorative items.
Pine Cones…Pine Cones Everywhere
I live in the South, so I am blessed with an abundance of pine trees. With pine trees come pine cones. Pine cones can be transformed into simple yet seasonal winter decorating pieces.
First, you can take those cones and paint them various colors such as white, green, or blue. If you really want to get creative, you can sprinkle them with glitter or add some glue and small cut up pieces of colored craft tissue between the open spaces. These turn out absolutely gorgeous. Now, add them to bowls or place them strategically throughout your classroom.
If you want to be lazy, you can grab some colored pine cones from your local dollar store. I picked up a few from our local Dollar General. These were Christmas tree ornaments in their former life, but they are now do double duty as part of your winter décor. Here’s a hint: These former Christmas tree items can be found on the clearance aisle. They are actually between 70% and 80% off at this moment.
Candles
Candles can be used in several different ways to help create that county, cozy winter look. You can choose between real candles or the flameless kind. I would advise you to get the flameless ones to be on the safe side. However, if you want to use the real ones, just be sure to put them somewhere out of the reach of your sweet students.
Confession: I have lit real candles in my room, but they were always on a shelf out of reach. And, I made a point to ensure that my smaller students couldn’t reach them.
I purchased some flameless candles from Bizzy B Consignment, our local consignment shop in the town where I live, and I purchased a “real wood” looking set online from Amazon. Be sure to check out the link.
Candles can be placed on your classroom shelves or added to your windows as is. You can also jazz your candles up by adding colorful pieces of fabric, ribbons, or artificial flower blossoms. Go rustic and add them to large pieces of cut wood blocks. If you want to be a little bit more classy, you can place them under clear glass cloche pillar candle holders and add some green candle rings.
Snowmen…Penguins…Winter Animals
What’s winter without snow? I live in Mississippi, so we don’t get a whole lot of snow. However, that doesn’t stop me from decorating my classroom with snowmen, penguins, or any other winter animal.
Dried Flowers
In the wintertime, dried flowers can easily be added to green wreaths to give them a touch of color, or you can create your own design using wire wreath form. These wreaths are for your classroom door as a replacement for those Christmas ones.
Dry flowers can used them to create decorative candles by mixing in with the candle wax. And, you can create your own winter lantern with dried flowers, mason jars, tea candles, and Mod Podge.
Door Decorations
Don’t forget your door! “Deck your door” for the “after-Christmas” season. Just like your classroom, you can add those festive snowmen, penguins, and snowflakes to help create a winter themed display. If you want to take the more laid-back approach, you can always simply add a winter wreath.
Winter decorating doesn’t have to be dull. Instead, liven up your winter décor with some pretty, wintry colors, candles, and accessories from Nature herself.
Other Article to Read: