19 Jan Hang it up!

Adding Another Layer

We love to hang things in our environment. We hang things on our set each week, but we also hang decor that enhances our theme throughout our environment (ceilings, walls, entrance, etc.)

We do this for several reasons:

• Decor beyond your stage adds another layer to the entire set. Kids feel like they are a part of what is happening on stage when it surrounds them as well.  
• When things around the environment connect to the larger theme, you have the potential to create a WOW FACTOR. When kids walk into an environment and are “wowed” it’s a win in my book. Chances are they are going to want to stay and find out what it’s all about. Plus, it communicates that this place is going to be super fun. Kids love fun! (So do I!)
• When things around the environment connect to the larger theme, you have the potential to create a STICKY FACTOR. Decor can help drive home the big idea you are trying to communicate. In addition, it helps kids remember things and helps them makes connections to what they are learning. It makes it stick!

Examples From Our Space

For a long period of time, we had paper lanterns hanging from the ceiling in various colors to go with our elementary environment theme  – Discovery Island.

We’ve since moved to decorating our environment around a monthly theme, so we’ve created a more generic decor for the space in it’s entirety. This gives us the opportunity to hang things from the ceilings (or around the environment) that enhance whatever the theme/Life App is for each particular month. For example, to enhance the Unwrapped Theme for the Life App of Generosity, we hung small gifts throughout the environment.

Hang it Up, Take it Down… Repeat Weekly!

We face a bit of a problem with hanging things up in our environment.  While we love to have elements that represent our theme all over the environment, we share our space with student ministry each Sunday and our space is a multi-purpose meeting space throughout the week. As a result, we need to remove all decor that represents children’s ministry on a weekly basis. Sometimes it feels a bit like we are a portable church. Don’t get me wrong, we wouldn’t dare compare ourselves to those of you who are portable, and do the incredible work of setting up and breaking down for church each and every week . I’ve been there and understand how difficult it is however, hanging things from the ceiling and walls can create a lot of work if you need to remove them each week, so we’ve come up with a a few ways to make things a bit easier. Read about our systems for hanging decor here.

How are you using decor to enhance your environment? Comment below and share your ideas.