Professional made sign
You will need to provide text and design. When ordering signs, consider:
Material - Aluminum lasts several years; plastic only a couple years. Signs may also be coated to withstand the elements.
Attachments - A sign company will ask where to add any pre-drilled holes. Will you attach signs to wood or metal posts? You can also attach signs to large trees.
Color – Make sure the text contrasts well with the background (e.g., black-on-white). Sample color contrast checker. If using school colors, provide the CYMK or RGB values. Ask for fade-proof ink.
School-made signs
Ask your district sign shop to create and install signs and posts if you have one.
Ask the shop class to create and install posts of treated wood or metal throughout your school forest.
Classes, scouts, volunteers can make wood-routed signs.
Children can paint designs and text on wood or acrylic paint on treated lumber, which can be mounted on posts. Use stencils if you like. Treat the final sign with a weatherproof sealant.
Teachable moments using signs
Children’s poems, artwork, story text, etc. can be laminated and stapled to wooden T-posts. This works great for storywalks too.
Hang numbers on a selected trees. Then use these numbered trees to organize students outdoors.
Find four trees located along each of the cardinal directions. Then hang signs “north, south, east, west” and teach about navigation.