Our town is getting ready for our local Relay for Life event for the American Cancer Society.  For those of you who have never been to one of these events, it’s a LOT of fun!  (and it raises money for a great cause!)

Have I mentioned that I’m a teacher?  Well, I am.  I teach art and music.

Our school makes up a team for our local Relay every year.  Last year our theme was Alice in Wonderland.  And, being the art teacher, I was (and still am) in charge of the team’s campsite design.  We have 2 ten foot canopy tents to decorate.

So, how to start.  I always start with a backdrop.

I purchased 2 king sized sheets… (Thrift shops are a great place to start, since things are cheaper there!)

I then found an image that I liked online.  Then, I taped the sheet to a wall and used a projector to project the image onto the sheet and traced it.  Now it’s time for the kids to start painting it!  (at this point, it’s just like coloring in a coloring book!  the lines are there, they just need to fill it in!)

When it is done, we cut some slits in it (to keep the wind from turning it into a giant sail and knocking the tent over!) and hang it on the back of the tent.

And….  TaDa!  We have a great backdrop for our campsite!

This year we are doing a peter pan theme.  I’ll let you know how it turns out!