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I am often asked how to create a nature-based classroom and there are many answers to this question.

Offering students nature immersed lessons and activities is crucial.

Getting students outside for hands-on nature exploration is a must! 

But what about the classroom itself?

Does your classroom read nature?

Can parents automatically recognize that nature is a vital part of your classroom when entering?

Are students curious and inquiring about nature, based on the materials, accessories, and visual aids that you have? 

If you answered no to one or more of these questions, then your first move is to create a classroom that reads nature!

Choose a nature theme for your classroom!

What is a nature themed classroom?

A nature-themed classroom incorporates elements from the outside world into the learning environment. Décor, colors, materials, and accessories that reflect nature are used to inspire, captivate, and engage students in hands-on learning experiences. 

Recently, nature themes have become a very popular choice in early childhood classrooms. There is a strong desire to build connections between children and the outdoors, through free play and discovery, to lessen the connections that have been built between children and technology (television, computers, video games, etc.) 

According to Becton Loveless, author of 50 Inspiring Nature-Themed Classroom Ideas, written for Education Corner, a nature-themed classroom “…connects students with the environment but also encourages curiosity about the world around them, fostering a deeper appreciation for science, geography, and biology” (March 24, 2025).

By giving your classroom a nature theme, you are creating an exploratory and dynamic learning environment for young learners.

The Benefits of a Nature-Themed Classroom:

1. Calming…A nature theme can be calming and emotionally supportive for students. Natural colors of browns, tans, greens, and blues are known to decrease overstimulation, while bright colors and busy visuals can be distractive and overwhelming for students. A neutral-colored theme can help with student focus, self-regulation, and smoother transitions.

2. Curiosity…A nature theme encourages curiosity and inquiry by supporting hands-on exploration of natural materials (rocks, leaves, water, soil, pinecones, acorns, bark, etc.), building observation skills, encouraging why questions, and easily ties-in to science discovery (plants, animals, seasons, weather, etc.)

3. Nature-Based and Play-Based…A nature theme aligns with Reggio Emilia, Montessori, and outdoor-learning philosophies. It encourages imaginative play. It promotes creativity and engaging, hands-on learning. It promotes respect and empathy for the environment and living things.

4. Flexible…A nature theme is seasonably adaptable (fall leaves, winter animals, spring flowers, etc.) It grows with the class throughout the year and does not require frequent updates.

5. Cost-Effective…Although creating any classroom theme will take time and money, a nature theme allows the use of low-cost or free supplies from the outdoor environment. Rocks, shells, leaves, twigs, branches, plants, acorns, and pinecones can all be used as decorations, art supplies, manipulatives for math, science, and the block area, and sensory table fillers. 

Choosing a Nature Theme:

The choices are endless and with some creativity, any element of nature can be a classroom theme!

What do you like? Do you have a favorite animal? An insect? 

Perhaps you love pine trees…you can make it work!

What colors do you like? Do you have a color scheme that you prefer? 

What theme would work best with your favorite colors?

Theme Ideas to Consider:

The following is a list of nature inspired themes to consider for your early childhood classroom.

Environment-Based Themes: 

Under the Sea, Forest Friends, Woodland Pals, A Walk in the Woods, In the Meadow, Jungle, Rain Forest, On the Farm, Mountains, In the Garden, Safari, The Pond, Down by the River, The Orchard, Enchanted Forest, Space

Animal Themes:

Bears, Foxes, Moose, Owls, Hedgehogs, Racoons, Rabbits/Bunnies, Ducks, Frogs, Tadpoles, Snails, Turtles, Lions, Zebras, Giraffes, Tigers, Monkeys, Alligators, Sharks, Crabs, Jellyfish, Dolphins, Cows, Chickens, Birds (in general or specific birds such as Cardinals, Blue Jays, Woodpeckers, etc.)

Plant Themes:

Trees (in general or specific trees such as pine, birch, maple, etc.), Flowers (in general or specific flowers such as sunflowers, daisies, roses, lilacs, etc.), Gardening, Leaves, Fruits & Vegetables, Mushrooms 

Insect Themes:

Bugs (in general), Bees, Dragonflies, Ladybugs, Butterflies, Caterpillars, Fireflies, Ants, Moths, Beetles, Crickets, Grasshoppers, Praying Mantids, June Bugs, Jitter Bugs

Adventure Themes:

Mountain Adventures, The Outdoor Explorers, Outdoor Adventures, Camping Adventures, Woodland Adventures, National Parks, Safari Adventures, Timber Explorers

As you can see, there are many nature theme ideas that you can bring to your classroom, and I am sure there are many more that I did not think of!

What to do next:

Did you see a theme that interests you? 

Do you have a theme idea that you are considering?

Contemplate how you would immerse the theme into your classroom to bring a nature feel to the environment.

Furniture:

Classroom furniture is very expensive, so it is very hard to tell someone to purchase classroom furniture that radiates a natural feeling. We are teachers. We are not rich. We already put a lot into our classrooms and furniture should not be another expense we incur. 

I have had many teachers frustrated by the furniture in their classrooms. It can be very frustrating to go all out into a décor theme when the colors of tables and chairs and cabinets clash. 

I suggest that before a nature theme has been chosen and acted upon, consider the classroom’s furniture. Will red, blue, yellow, and green tables go with a theme embedded with soft, neutral colors? Probably not. I know, for myself, the clashing of colors would eventually overwhelm, frustrate, and dishearten me.

In this case, maybe a theme that encompasses bright, primary colors should be chosen? A farm theme would work well. Wildflowers, butterflies, gardening, fruits and vegetables, caterpillars, and birds would work beautifully as well.

Remember to evaluate the classroom before you make a theme choice. Take note of what can be removed, what must remain, and what can be changed in some way, so that you can make your nature theme everything you dream. 

Furniture may be the one classroom element that is permanent to the environment. 

The Circle Area:

With your theme idea in hand, check out Teachers Pay Teachers and Etsy for theme-based circle area bundles (calendar, alphabet, numbers, shapes, colors, etc.) Yes, these shops cost money but they offer many ideas to feed your creativity. 

Buying a complete nature-themed décor bundle will cost between $25.00 and $50.00. The good thing is that they are easy to download and print out, but additional costs such as printer ink, paper, card stock, and laminating sheets should be considered too. You will have access to the bundle purchase indefinitely if it remains on your computer.

If purchasing a bundle is not in the budget, I encourage you to still look at the décor resources from Teachers Pay Teachers and Etsy to gain ideas. Many times, I have created my own décor using my own artistic skills, Canva, PowerPoint, and Word. However, it is time-consuming and requires subscriptions to Canva, PowerPoint ,and/or Word, and it also costs money to create (printer ink, paper, card stock, and laminating sheets).

The choice to purchase or not to purchase is yours, but great ideas can be had by examining the wonderful décor bundles available on both platforms!

Flooring:

I like to have rugs throughout the classroom that coordinate with my overall theme. Rugs are expensive, there is no argument there, but they are an easy way to tie a theme together visually within the classroom. 

Themed classroom rugs are available from many merchants, including Amazon and Walmart and are available in many sizes to accommodate different areas of your room, but as I mentioned before, they can be quite pricey.

If an expensive rug is not an option, then I suggest making rug choices based on the theme colors. Rugs in single colors are much less expensive and readily available through numerous merchants.

A forest theme would work well with rugs in shades of tan, brown, and/or green. An ocean theme would do well with rugs in shades of blue. A ladybug theme? Perhaps polka-dotted rugs in red, black, and white?

Local thrift stores, yard sales, and Facebook Marketplace are excellent resources for rugs as well.

Labels:

Incorporate your theme into your classroom labels. Mailboxes, cubbies, teacher storage, and seating cards can be themed and bring a cohesive nature feel to the room. I have a forest themed classroom and using themed labels has really tied it all together.

I have 25 students in all and 5 forest animal groups (bears, hedgehogs, moose, owls, and foxes). Each animal group has 5 different images (found via Word, PowerPoint, and Canva). I used watercolor images but there are many styles available: bold and vibrant, cartoon, realistic...it’s your preference. 

At the beginning of the school year, each student picked an animal. To save myself from arguments among the students, I had each student pick a piece of paper from a box, which told them what animal they would be. From there, they chose which image they liked from the 5 images. At the end of the process, I had 5 bears, 5 hedgehogs, 5 moose, 5 owls, and 5 foxes, with each child having their very own image.

This image is used to label their cubbies, their nap buckets, their mailboxes, and is used every morning to take class attendance (refer to the picture). 

This has been a very successful endeavor, with my students loving their animals and wanting to learn more about them. It also provides any easy way to break the classroom into groups; ”If you are a bear, please line up to wash your hands.” 

For table seating, we use leaf shaped name tags. I made the name tags in varied leaf colors (green, orange, red, yellow, orange, and tan) using laminated card stock for extra durability.

For seating at circle, Ms. Abby and I found realistic images of sliced logs via Word. We printed them out in full-page size, individualized them with student names, and laminated them. Now, each child has a “log” to sit on during circle and group time.

For teacher materials and storage, we opted to not use pictures. We simply made signs with colored card stock in a theme color. 

The various labels throughout the classroom have added to the overall nature theme. The students love their individual animals and take great pride and ownership in them. They also like the community feeling of being wonderful forest animals together.

Borders:

I use borders in my circle area and throughout the classroom on bulletin boards. Borders, in varied themes and colors, are available from many merchants, including Walmart, Amazon, Dollar Tree, Michael’s (use your teacher discount), and Target. Other than at Dollar Tree, borders are not readily available in-store but are shipped fast via online orders. 

Many nature-themed borders are available (trees, frogs, flowers, rainbows, etc.) but if you cannot find borders to go with your chosen theme, choose borders in colors that match the theme instead.

Both Teachers Pay Teachers and Etsy offer printable border packages. They range in price from $1.00 to $6.00 and are beautiful in color and detail. If you are having difficulty finding borders that will coordinate with your theme, I suggest checking these platforms first because their selections are vast and they are created by teachers who dream the same ideas for their classrooms. But again, additional costs are important to remember when deciding (printer ink, card stock, laminating sheets, and time). As a bonus, most sellers of borders have matching bulletin board letters, flags, and pennants available for sale to get a complete and cohesive nature look!

Why not make your own nature-themed borders?

If you are comfortable drawing, then you can make any theme into a border. Measure out the width you would prefer for your border (1.5”, 2”, or 3”) on cardstock. Repeat the measurement on the sheet of cardstock (I can usually get 3 sections vertically or 4 sections horizontally). Draw and decorate each section exactly as the others. Copy and print, laminate and cut, hang and enjoy!

Purchase border in a color that coordinates with your theme, as well as themed stickers and create a one-of-a-kind border that everyone will love!

Wrapping paper in your nature theme can be used too. Cut the wrapping paper to fit inside the laminating sheets, laminate, and cut into the desired widths.

Why not use real nature items?

Leaves, twigs, pine needle bunches, pinecones, birch bark…your options are endless. You can decorate your bulletin boards with an array of natural items you just have to be extra creative in how you attach the items.

Fake leaves, flowers, vines, pine boughs, etc. make eye-catching, nature borders that are easy to hang.

I have found great border finds at the Dollar Tree during seasonal times of the year such as felt apples, leaves, acorns, pumpkins, flowers, seashells, feathers, etc. During the Christmas season, I like to find snow-dusted pine vines (some with tiny white lights) to decorate my bulletin boards and classroom for the holidays. 

Visual Aids:

Incorporating your theme into your classroom’s visual aids is another way to add to the nature feel of the classroom.

I like to make signs for each learning center. For my forest theme, I framed each sign with brown paper to make it look like logs and added green paper leaves for accent. Every center has a sign, and all signs are uniform in style, color, and appearance. 

Throughout the classroom, I have affirmation posters. I created my own using Word and some of the watercolor forest animals that I had used for my students, and each poster is framed by brown paper logs and leaves like my center signs.

We have a welcome wall as you enter our classroom that uses our forest theme, along with our students’ forest animals. The sign reads: Welcome to Our Neck of the Woods! and it is framed in brown logs and green leaves like the other visual aids. Each student’s animal is printed out, framed in a theme color, name added, and laminated and hung below the sign. It is a welcoming visual aid that spotlights each child and our nature theme!

Plants:

Plants bring nature to the classroom in a clean and vibrant way. Their greenery brightens the classroom and filters the air. Students love the responsibility of taking care of the plants and are eager to measure their growth. They make a great addition to all classroom centers, especially in the dramatic play and science centers. Snake Plants are very easy to care for, and Spider Plant babies can be transplanted into new pots as a cooperative science activity. 

Learning Materials:

Miss Abby and I love incorporating nature into all our learning centers. Loose parts from nature make great inexpensive learning manipulatives, and students love to help find and collect them! It can make for a wonderful outdoor adventure!

Wood Cookies, twigs, and stems are great for building with, used as measuring and weighing manipulatives, and are a great addition to playdough fun.

Acorns, pinecones, hickory nuts, seed pods, pebbles, and small shells make excellent counters and sensory table fillers. 

Pine needle bunches, leaves, flowers, and grasses are great for painting with and for creating nature collages. 

Pebbles, rocks, and stones are excellent for scientific exploration, weight and size comparison, sensory play, and for block area manipulatives.

Tree bark is a great addition to the block area, the science center, the sensory table, and in the art center for rubbings.

Dried beans, rice, flour, corn kernels, leaves, grass, hay, and pine needles can be used as sensory table fillers.

Most of these items can be found outside for free. It is important to remember that many of these materials are food and homes for animals and insects, so they should be gathered with care and understanding of their value to the outdoors environment.

Shells and pebbles can be purchased inexpensively from the Dollar Tree. 

***Bark, leaves, twigs, and stems should be gathered from the forest floor, not pulled from the trees. 

***Wood cookies should be made from fallen trees.

*** Any natural materials that are no longer being used or have broken can easily be returned to the outdoor environment so that animals and bugs can reclaim them for their livelihood.

Accessories:

There are so many accessories that can complete a nature-themed classroom. It’s really what you like, what you want, and what you find. 

I am always on the look-out for forest themed items when shopping (in-store and online). Thrift shopping, going to yard sales, and searching Facebook Market Place have landed me some wonderful items for my classroom. Facebook also offers other groups besides Market Place that you can join to find items (town/city groups, free items groups, yard sale groups, etc.) 

Here are some examples of what Ms. Abby and I have purchased or found to build our forest themed classroom: 

For our Cool Down Corner, we found two soft moose pillows ($10), a fake maple tree (free), and a small canvas that reads You Are My Sunshine (free). These items make the space cozy and calming.

In our Library Center, we have a beautiful tree-shaped bookshelf from Amazon ($100). We added to that a tan rug (free), forest animal reading buddies (free), a black bear shaped rug from Facebook Market Place ($10), and a wicker basket for additional books given to us by another teacher. Our library is the first thing you see when you enter our classroom. It is welcoming and fully embraces our love of books and nature. 

Through Facebook Market Place, we found a collection of high-quality puppets for sale. It was a group of forest animal puppets from a retired teacher (1 large black bear, 1 grizzly bear, 1 baby owl in a tree stump, 1 large barn owl, 1 large moose, 1 small moose, and 1 cotton-tailed rabbit). With shipping costs included, we paid only $35!

We purchased a set of 3 pine tree printed canvas totes from a yard sale for $20 and use them for storage of extra books and bedding.

On Facebook Market Place, I found a lady who was selling 3 Audubon Bird Stuffies that played authentic bird calls. She was asking $4 for the group, but she lived over two hours away…too far for me to drive. I asked if she would be willing to ship them and if so, I would cover the additional cost. She was hesitant, but when I explained that I was a preschool teacher and that the stuffies would be an amazing addition to my nature curriculum, she happily agreed. She offered to add a few more to my package for free! I paid a total of $12 for the stuffies with the shipping costs. What I received was a box of 22 Audubon Birds that play authentic bird calls and information cards on each bird species! It was amazing! It is my favorite classroom score!

Miss Abby found a local resident who was selling a potted spider plant for $10. We added it to our Circle Area, and the students are currently replanting the babies to put in other areas of the classroom. We also have a pothos plant that we were given for free that is in our library, and we are searching for more inexpensive plants for our classroom because our students have shown great interest in our plants’ care and growth.

I found 4 sets of tan and cream buffalo check curtains (valances and tiers) at a local thrift shop for $10 that work perfectly in our classroom. 

A teacher was getting rid of a large rug that we grabbed for our Circle Area (free). Its neutral shades of tans and browns with leaves is a perfect fit for the classroom theme.

Final Thoughts:

I believe a nature-themed classroom brings so much to its students!

Seeing and feeling nature within the classroom leads to a curiosity and intertest in nature. 

Students develop ownership of their classroom theme, a sense of community builds, and you develop pride in the environment that you have created for your young learners, indoors and outdoors.

It is not achieved overnight. It takes time and thought to get it exactly where you want it, but in the end, it is so worth it.

To Theme or Not to Theme?

My answer to that question is YES!

Please Remember to…

***Be safe when purchasing from Facebook Market Place and other sites. Never go by yourself to pick up items and meet in a public place.

***Check your state’s rules and regulations regarding what plants are allowed in your classroom.

Teaching Through Nature is not affiliated with, nor paid by, the following mentioned merchants and/or platforms:

Amazon, Dollar Tree, Etsy, Facebook Market Place, Michael’s, Target, Teachers Pay Teachers, Walmart

Loveless, Becton. “50 Inspiring Nature-Themed Classroom Ideas.” Education Corner, 24 Mar. 2026, www.educationcorner.com/nature-themed-classroom-ideas/