Classroom Theme

I must say...I L-O-V-E LOVE Trend products. With that said, I cannot get enough of the monkeys, coconuts, and lizards! For the past few years, the theme in Kindergarten has been centered around those monkeys. This year is no exception.

What I wanted to show you was the one item that sets my room apart (in my opinion) from others who have this theme - the palm tree! At IKEA, they sell these palm leaf bed canopies. That was where this whole idea got started. I bought three. Knowing that my local carpet store threw away the cardboard carpet rolls, I called to see if I could get one. They were more than happy to get rid of them!

Next, I needed a base for my palm tree. After a quick trip to Menards for some plywood and a PVC pipe, I was set! My dad was kind enough to drill the PVC pipe onto the plywood. He also put the carpet roll on top of the pipe and then secured the two together. I bought some burlap to cover the base and asked the janitor at my school for a roll of brown paper towel.

Here's where the fun comes! You will need: a drill, the roll of brown paper towel, and a staple gun. Wrap the beginning of the paper towel around the drill bit, then start drilling! This twists the paper towel into what looks like a rope. It is definitely a 2 person job - one drilling and the other unrolling the paper towel! Once you have your rope going, start wrapping it around the carpet roll and stapling with the staple gun.

I also got some brown fabric and stuffing to make coconuts. I'd  say it turned out very well!