*Permanent Marker on your dry erase board or lamination?  Try coloring over it with  a dry erase marker, wipe with nail polish, or use some "goo" removal product!

 ***MAKE A TREE!!!***

This project works really well if you have a pole into which you can put staples, but it can also be assembled with tape or other materials on a wall- the more "dimensionality" the better.  It also helps to extend the branches across the ceiling if possible.

Materials used: Scissors, staple gun, staples, map pins, newspaper (or scrap paper), ceiling hooks, string, brown kraft paper, asst. green kraft or fadeless paper (for a 10ft tree I recommend 15yds brown and 20 yds green paper of a 3-4ft width).

To begin, staple newspaper & scrap paper to the pole/wall to give it dimension.  Next, crumple long sheets of the brown paper and attach them vertically running down the "trunk".  The branches are made in a similar way, but attached to the trunk on one end and up to the ceiling (using ceiling hooks and string or tucked into suspended ceilings). The branches can be stuffed or hollow - the crumpled paper usually holds its shape pretty well.  Using a regular stapler, bunch and staple sections of the brown paper together running vertically down the tree like "spines" to create a bark effect.

Once you have the tree trunk and branches arranged, crumple green paper and attach to the branches and ceiling.  Depending on the type of ceiling in your room you may use map pins, staples, packing tape, ceiling hooks, or string to affix the green paper.  If you use varying shades of green paper, it will look more realistic if you keep the darker greens toward the middle of the tree.

Add apple cutouts, animals, or twist long skinny strips of green paper into vines for a rainforest tree!  Be creative and have fun!

***MAKE A CASTLE!!!***

Using cardboard boxes to make the castle 2-dimensional, cut and shape the boxes to make towers as tall and wide as you like.  Don’t forget to cut the edges to look like the battlements on the top of the towers!  Leave a small flap of cardboard on the back of the boxes for attaching to the wall.  I recommend using both packing tape and staples (a staple gun with longer staples works best or even small nails if it will be up for quite a while).  The drawbridge can be cut out of a large box and simple allowed to fall to the floor.  HINT: Don’t cut the flap off the bottom of the box; that way when you cut out the drawbridge it remains attached to the tower. 

 If you want tall towers, simply stack two boxes together with packing tape.

 Once you have the skeleton of the castle attached to the wall, begin to cover it with stone printed corrugated paper (available at Teacher Heaven).  This can be done with a stapler or packing tape.  Carefully cut the paper out around the battlements on the top with a sharp utility knife or scissors.

 After the castle is covered, add finishing touches such as cutting out windows, adding flags, or having a damsel in distress in one of the towers.  Flags can be made by rolling up brown butcher/kraft/construction paper to make poles, then glue or tape colorful paper triangles to them to make pennant-type flags.  Poke holes in the towers wherever you want the flags to protrude.  You can also color or paint the drawbridge to make it look like wood.  Teacher Heaven has rolls of paper that have sky and clouds to put behind your castle if you like!

 Adapt the castle to your space and add any other medieval touches you desire.  Teacher Heaven has several products to add medieval touches such as:

B55718                  Medieval Cutouts
CD410006              Medieval Times Bulletin Board Set
McV1604               Medieval Knight Colossal Poster
McP113                 Middle Ages Poster Set
SC54646-X             Middle Ages Bulletin Board Set
B55657                  Jointed Castle Tower
SE159                   Castle Notepad
SE151                   Knight Notepad
TCM2774               Knights and Castles Teaching Unit (book)
MTDS12                Medieval Period I  Teaching Unit  (book)
MP3397                 The Middle Ages  (book)

Materials used:  Packing tape, Brown Kraft paper (for flags)*, Staple gun, Stone corrugated paper (1-2 rolls)*, Staples, Asst. colors kraft paper (for flags), Scissors/utility knife, Cardboard boxes, asst. sizes*, Brown crayons, markers, or paint*

 *available at Teacher Heaven