Back to School Wreath

Updated on August 12, 2024

Back to School Wreath. Make a fun and festive wreath to celebrate returning to school in the fall. Great for teachers and parents, alike!

Last year, I auditioned to participate in SYTYC (So You Think You’re Crafty) Season 17. Our theme was back to school. I created a fun back-to-school wreath to hang on my door and welcome the beginning of the new school year!

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How to Make a Back-to-School Wreath

Supplies:

• Foam Pool Noodle and Packing Tape (or a pre-made foam wreath form)
• Fabric
• Glue Gun
• Small School Supply Items (crayons, pencils, scissors, etc.)
• Crayon Border*
• Baker’s Twine
• Apple Chalkboard
• Fabric and Felt (to make flowers)
• Large Ribbon

*The crayon border I used is no longer available, but this pencil border from Michaels would work great!

The first task was to create a foam wreath base. You can purchase these premade, but they can be kind of expensive. I purchased a pool noodle from Dollar Tree for only $1. Now is a great time to buy them because they are often on clearance.

How to Make a Wreath with a Pool Noodle

Figure out how large you want your wreath to be. I wanted mine to be 44″ in circumference. Using a tape measure, mark your wreath where you need to cut.

Cut your noodle to size using a serrated knife.

Place the two ends of the noodle together and secure using packing tape or Duck tape to create a circle shape. I chose clear packing tape because I was using white fabric. I didn’t want anything to show through on the finished wreath.

Create a Fabric Wrapped Wreath

Next, using the foam wreath base, cover the entire wreath with strips of fabric. I found this alphabet fabric at Jo Ann’s. I cut the fabric into strips that were about 4 inches wide.

Begin wrapping the fabric around the wreath. Secure the fabric with hot glue as you go. Start and end the fabric pieces on the back side of the wreath.

Decorate Back to School Wreath

Now it was time to decorate the wreath. Start by creating felt and fabric flowers. I adhered them to the right side of the wreath with hot glue.

How to Make an Apple Chalkboard

Supplies:

• Wooden Apple Shape
• Red and Green Acrylic Paint
• Contact Paper
• Chalkboard Paint, Black
• Elmer’s Painters Paint Marker

I created a little chalkboard apple to be able to write the kid’s grades each year.

I started with a small blank apple shape from Jo Ann’s. These little blanks are less than $1. 

I started by painting the apple red and the leaf green. Allow to dry.

I cut a circle shape out of contact paper I had on hand. I used a small glass to trace the circle shape.

Place the contact paper sticky side down on the apple and fill the circle with chalkboard paint.

Allow to dry and add a second coat. You can add a third coat if needed for coverage. (Follow the manufacturer’s instructions for your paint.) Peel off the contact paper.

I used a white paint pen to outline the circle.

To create the crayon banner, I cut apart the crayon pieces from the border I found at Dollar Tree. Then, hot-glue them onto the twine. Lastly, I attached the banner to the wreath with pearlized pins. 

I created little bundles with some crayons and pencils. I glued them together with hot glue and tied a ribbon around each one.

Then, each bundle was hot-glued to the wreath. I also added some scissors.

To finish the wreath, I tied a large red ribbon to the top to hang it.

My kids go back to school in August, so this is the wreath I put up between summer and fall.

Do you decorate for back-to-school?

You may also like:

• Wreaths for Every Season
• Balloon Party Wreath
• Faux Succulent Wreath