Rainforests are filled with not only tall green trees, but flowers and plants in every color of the rainbow. Use plants to create a lush rainforest in your own classroom. Bring in real or silk potted plants to arrange on bookshelves and in classroom corners. If these plants aren't enough to bring the rainforest to life, cover the walls with trees and flowers cut from construction paper. These plants will instantly let students know that their classroom has been transformed.
According to Scholastic, one of the distinguishing characteristics of a tropical rainforest is that the tree tops form a canopy of leaves overhead. Create this effect in the classroom by decorating the ceiling. Cut large leaves out of various shades of green construction paper and tape the leaves to the ceiling. Rain forest canopies also include hanging vines. To make vines, run pieces of brown rope and green yarn across the ceiling underneath the leaves.
Despite only covering 2 percent of the world's surface, rainforests are home to half of all the world's animals according to the Nature Conservancy. Teach students about these animals by posting pictures of the animals throughout the classroom. Print photos of monkeys, insects, lizards and birds that live in rainforests and tape the animals to the trees you've hung on the classroom walls. If your students are old enough to read and write, ask each child to do research and fill one piece of paper with information about one type of creature hanging on your walls. Hang these sheets next to each picture so all children can read the sheets.
Even if the classroom looks like a rainforest, the effect won't be complete unless it feels like a rainforest too. There are a few ways to create a rainforest atmosphere. Cover the windows with gauzy green fabric. This fabric will still allow light in, but the light will be muted as though it's being filtered through trees. Borrow a CD of jungle sounds from the library and play it on repeat throughout the day. To complete the effect, turn the heat up a few degrees when students are entering the rainforest for the first time.