|
|
|
Character Education
Every parent wants their child to develop positive character traits. One way to supplement your child's character education is to act as a filter for the movies and television shows your child watches, and to review the books your child reads. ...
Chinese Jump Rope
Imagine having a great time playing with just a simple piece of elastic string! Chinese Jump Rope is a jumping game popular around the world! Chinese Jump Rope found me as a child and once again, through my profession as a physical educator. The...
What Kind of Education Should You Get for Today's Market
Wrong question to ask. It’s way too short-sighted.
Why? Because today’s market is just that -- today’s market, and because your life is more than your pay check and you are more than your work.
Education seems aimed at specific goals, often...
What to Buy Them for Christmas - A Simplified Approach
Got something you didn't want last Christmas? Or the Christmas before that? Well, you're not the only one. They got stuff they didn't want either. "They" are your gift-recipients, the ones you gave a stale fruitcake or a can-opener or that tacky...
Women Get Ready, Get Set and Go Global
Today, women are starting businesses at twice the rate of men and becoming a major force both in the traditional and the new global e-business marketplace. In November, The National Women's Council's Interagency Committee on Women's...
|
|
| |
|
|
|
|
|
|
Designing Your Kid’s Room is Child’s Play!
Designing Your Kid’s Room is Child’s Play!
By BatSheva Vaknin
Would your child’s room benefit from some fresh design ideas and reorganization? Most could, but it can be hard to know where to begin and what concepts to use. Obviously, the age and personality of your child, not to mention your budget, will dictate much of the design concept. But where and how to begin? With these easy-to-follow tips, you will be ready to dive right in and decorate.
A room with a viewpoint
Every piece of furniture, wall-hanging and accessory in a child’s room contributes to an overall feeling conveyed by the room. A sports theme conveys excitement, while soft white clouds against a light blue sky add a relaxing, inspirational touch. Choose the design that is right for your child by having a conversation with each object and piece of furniture before you place it in the room, asking what it could contribute and where it would like to be placed. Ask the room what color it would like to be painted, or the walls what they would like hanging on them. Stay open-minded and you will realize the answer to each question is within you.
Give your child the room of his or her dreams - literally
Did you know that children sleep for up to sixteen hours a day and sometimes more, depending on their age? For child development, sleep is as vital for health and well-being as food. So your first consideration when designing your child’s bedroom should be to create a space that feels comfortable, warm and safe. Keep this in mind when planning to decorate, since creating an atmosphere where your child can sleep peacefully is more important than adapting the latest hot design trend.
Minimize distractions, maximize peace of mind
Messy, cluttered rooms add a subtle layer of stress to the inhabitant, and can inhibit proper relaxation. Keep your child’s room well-organized, with as few distractions as possible. Before you begin to decorate your child’s room, remove all furniture, toys, clothes, and wall-hangings. Clean the entire room, using natural cleaners that won’t irritate your child’s sensitive nostrils and lungs.
Color me beautiful
Paint can transform an ordinary room into a world of your child’s own. Color will influence how your child feels, so choose shades or combinations that promote relaxation, security, happiness and love. Green, blue, pink, pastel orange, and beige are all good choices. Let your child help pick the color, but stay away from bright reds and yellows which can be overly vibrant, making it hard for your child to relax, and from dreary grays, browns or black, which can be depressing and may affect your child’s mood. Paint should be freshened every two to four years, and should provide a nice backdrop for the rest of the room.
Bed sheets, blankets and bumpers should also be soothing to the eye, so steer clear of bright, dominant colors. Pastels of any color work fine here, as does plain white or cream. When it comes to room accents, you can be creative with colors. A child’s chair or step stool can be painted in bright primary colors, eliciting feelings of excitement, while a large soft teddy bear or rug can be light blue or pink, enveloping your child in comfort and love.
Clear that clutter!
Once the paint is dry, bring back in the bed. Place the bed in its ideal
location, then one by one, fill out the room with the other furniture pieces (see Feng Shui Tips, below). If the room starts to look cluttered, do not feel you must fit in everything. Trade the chest of drawers for a closet organizer, wire or wood systems.
Clothes that no longer fit should be donated, passed to a friend in need, or stored in waterproof storage boxes in a garage or storage space, along with clothes that are out of season. (Make sure if you are storing these clothes to clearly mark the outside of the boxes for easy identification.) Limit toys and books to those the child makes use of daily and weekly. Give away unused toys, or store them in waterproof boxes in a garage or storage space. The more clothes and toys you get rid of, the more room you will have for future fashions and fun activities.
Feng Shui tips
You may have heard or read about Feng Shui, the ancient Chinese art of object and furniture placement. Feng Shui explains that each area of a room attracts a different type of energy from the other areas. Implementing Feng Shui in your child’s bedroom design can maximize the effectiveness of the furniture and art you are already planning to use. For example, Feng Shui teaches that a bed should be placed in the corner of the room farthest from the door. Your child’s head should be at the end of the bed where the door can be easily viewed, and there is no chance of getting startled by an unexpected visitor.
The northern section of your child’s room promotes stillness, so this would be an example of an ideal placement for the bed. The desk should be placed far from the door, in the Northeast part of the room if possible, since this is the Knowledge/Education Sector. This area is also a great place for educational posters, such as letters of the alphabet or a picture of Einstein. Select artwork carefully, taking time to notice any hidden messages. Each image gives off a specific vibration, so only choose the most positive pictures for the walls.
Of all the activities your child will do in his or her room - including grooming, relaxing, studying, and playing - in mind that sleep is most important and must be supported by the design of the room. Take your child’s personality into consideration, as well as his or her hobbies and special interests. Still, keep all décor in check so that it does not overwhelm or clutter the space. And finally, have fun! The energy, love and care you bring to this project will permeate every object’s placement, adding an invisible yet invaluable element to whatever design you choose to implement.
Please find the original article and more information about this subject at http://www.homeandliving.com/DesignAdvice.aspx?Category=KidsRoom
If you would like to publish this article on your own site, please feel free to do so. Please let us know the url of the posted article by emailing the url to batsheva@homeandliving.com. All we ask is that you include the whole article, without changes, including the link to the original article location, author information, this disclaimer and the following link.
Find great home furniture online at www.homeandliving.com.
About the Author
A Yale graduate, BatSheva Vaknin writes plays, screenplays and short stories. She has just completed her first novel.
|
|
|
|
|
|