| |
| |
|
Interior Decorating Information |
|
|
|
Turning Your Childs Room into a Mysterious Jungle
(When designing a child's room, you want to create an atmosphere that inspires and stimulates them mentally. The room should be interesting to the child, and should reinforce both rational thinking, and creativity. One way to achieve this goal is with a fun science based theme, which will present a topic in the natural world in an exciting manner.) The jungle is a dark and mysterious place, full of dense shrubs, towering trees, and shadows within which any number of strange animals could be lurking. It is a place of predators and prey. It is a place of exciting adventure. It is also a place that is full of the opportunity for learning more about animals, plants, and nature in general. If you present it in the right way, a jungle-themed child's room can be an engaging, inspiring project that may encourage them to develop a long term love of learning and nature. When preparing to develop a jungle themed décor, the first thing you should do is research. Get as many books as you can on the various animals and plants that live in the jungle. Encyclopedias and websites can provide good background knowledge, while books and magazines will give you more specific facts. Make copies of any pictures that inspire you, and take notes on anything that you and your child find interesting. When you are ready to start applying your research to decorating the area, you will want to begin by building the jungle's vegetation. Buy large pieces of construction paper in as many shades of green and brown as you can. Lay the paper out on the floor or a large table, and trace the various plants you learned about in your research onto the paper. If you know the name of the plant, or anything about it, write this on the back of the tracing. Carefully cut out the shapes that you created using either scissors or an exact-o knife. Always be very careful when involving sharp tools in any project that you undertake with your child. When the plants have been cut out you can use double sided scotch tape to adhere them to the walls. Thumbtacks can also be used, but be careful using them around any child for whom they may become a choking hazard. Start with just a few trees and plants, and add more until you feel that your jungle is dense enough. Another method you can use for creating plants is to create stencils of the many different shapes that you want, and then trace them onto your walls with paint or colored pencils. This will give the room more of a finished look, and will almost certainly be more attractive than cut-out designs. The drawback to this method is that it is much more permanent than construction paper and removing the stenciled drawing when you are ready for a new look will be more difficult. To create the look of hanging vines, dip pieces of rope into green paint and wait for them to dry. Then string them from ceiling to wall across the room. Be careful that the rope is out of the reach of the child, and doesn't present a strangulation hazard in any way. Small monkey figurines can be hung from the rope to give it added effect. 3D plants will solidify the illusion you are creating. To create a vegetation model, buy plastic plant pots and attach long cardboard tubes, upright, to the bottom of them using tape. These tubes can be found in the center of most rolls of wrapping paper. Use construction paper to create the leaves and the branches of your plant, then cut them out and attach them to the top of the tube. If you find that the construction paper is too weak to create a solid branch, try placing two pieces of construction paper around a piece of cardboard to provide support. An even better way to create a full jungle look is to bring in real plants. This should be done cautiously and with full consideration that a child can harm or damage a plant if they are not aware of the responsibility of having a living thing in their room. Before adding plants to the area, discuss with the child all of the implications that the plant will have. It is a life, in their room, and they are responsible for guarding the plant against harm, from themselves and others. If you feel the child is ready, you should move only one or two plants in at a time. Give the child some of the responsibility for watering their plants, and carefully monitor its health. If the youngster proves that they can handle having a living entity in their room, you can continue to add to their plant collection. Once you have your vegetation in place, you can start to populate it with the many strange animals that live in a jungle. Using the construction paper cut out method you used to create the wall plants, draw and cut out some of the animals that you researched. When placing them on the wall, situate them slightly behind some of the leaves and branches of the plants that are already there in order to better incorporate them into the scene. Expand on your flat animals using stuffed animals and statues. Animal toys and figurines can be arranged in action poses against the plant background. Stuffed animals can be scattered around the room, hidden behind dressers or with faces poking out of the shadows of the closet. Using items such as these makes the room more interactive, and turns the whole setting into a toy. A simple finishing touch is to make a recording, with your child, of the various animal noises that you would hear in a jungle. Watching National Geographic and episodes of various other nature specials can give you an idea of what a jungle would sound like. You will want the recording to be at least five minutes long in order to be effective. As you place the different elements in the room, write technical information that you researched on the back and underside of the items. That way, when it is time to change the theme, you and the child can revisit many of the facts that you learned while building the decorations. Compliment the child on any facts that they remembered, and go over the information to freshen it in their heads. Working with your child to develop a themed room offers many chances for meaningful interaction with them. Use this experience as a way to get to know them better. Ask them questions; find out what they like, and how their minds work. As you develop the look and feel of the room, you will also be developing and deepening your relationship with the child. Children should not try any of these ideas out themselves without the consent and supervision of an adult. Caution should always be used in any activity that involves a child. Make certain that none of your decorative efforts puts your child in danger in any way. Joey Lewitin is an artist and interior designer who has always advised the use of creativity in decorating ones home. For many years he has been one of the premier Pebble Artists working with PebbleArt Inc to create unique home décor accessories using natural stone - These designs can be seen at PebbleZ.com
MORE RESOURCES:
Interior-Decorating - Google News |
|
|
|
RELATED ARTICLES
Fruit Basket Delivery Probably the single most important component responsible for making the fruit basket the most popular gift in history is the modern technology applied to the delivery of the product itself. Overnight delivery from almost anywhere in the world, is what makes the fruit basket the most versatile and exotic of gifts available. Protecting Your Down Comforter A down comforter is a luxury item that can be enjoyed year after year -- if it is properly cared for. Frequent washings can damage a down comforter. Where to Buy Wholesale Picnic Baskets Perhaps you are a vendor who would like to begin offering picnic baskets at your deli, grocery store, hardware store, gift shop, or other retail outlet. You might be wondering where you can get wholesale picnic baskets. Long-Strip and Engineered Hardwood Floors Longstrip hardwood floors are wide and long, and each plank has 2 to 3 strips of thin hardwood. These planks can be floated, stapled and glued-down. Psychology of Color - Decorating a Kitchen for the Subconscious Psychologists have studied the influence of color on the mind for years. While they have not found any effects that generalize to every society, they have found that people from the same society are affected by colors in similar ways. Creative Decorating Ideas Using Old Windows A Room With A ViewHave you ever wished you had a great view right outside your bedroom window but all you see when you wake up in the morning is the wall of the next-door neighbor's house? Well then follow these easy steps to create your own window with a great view.What You Will Need for This Decorating Project:1. How to Decorate Ethnic FIVE EASY STEPS TO DECORATING ETHNICNEW YORK, NY - With all that is happening in the world today - the threat of war, falling stock prices, a recession (in spite of what economists say) - more and more of us are nesting. That is, we are spending more time at home. The Benefits of Outdoor Wood Stoves Outdoor wood stoves use renewable energy, are less expensive than many other heating systems, and are safer than indoor wood stoves.Outdoor wood stoves create heat by pumping water heated by the wood fire into the house through underground pipes. Decorating Your Kitchen With Accessories Just like a nice outfit, your kitchen can benefit from accessories! If you are thinking about redecorating but don't have a lot of dough to put into your kitchen, try simply adding some accessories in a matching theme or color and see how it transforms the room!Now before you rush out to the store, you should probably decide what sort of theme you are going for. Do you want the look of old Italy? How about a cottage theme? Why not try a country style kitchen? You will want to buy different accessories depending on the theme you choose. Make The Right Choice When It Comes To Futon Frames As you begin your search for a futon you should pay close attention to the style and frame material. There are two options for futon frames, one is a bi-fold futon frame that folds in two length-wise creating a sofa. The Benefits of Exterior Shutters When you see a house for the first time, one of the first things you notice are the windows. Are they big or small? Are they a simple square or an unusual shape? Are they plain or decorated? And do they have shutters? Shutters complement most homes -- they add an element of traditional beauty. 5 Tips to Preschoolers Bedrooms, on a Budget Decorating on a budget can always be a challenge, but nowhere do our hearts yearn to provide a beautiful room as much as when it comes to our little ones. Luckily, there are some great ideas you can do today, to punch up your preschoolers room, and keep the costs as little as they are!1. Easy Dining Room Makeover A dining room can be such a fantastic place to entertain, but it can easily be underused if you often eat in the kitchen or in front of the telly instead. Here are a few hints to make it a more special place to spend time?1) Adding a table cloth and a vase (a pint glass or milkbottle will do for that 'shabby chic' look that is very in at the moment) full of flowers (pick wild ones from your garden/balcony or pick a small bunch of something simple like freesias and gypsophila at your local florist/supermarket) adds instant homely atmosphere to a dining room. All About Closet Organizers Most people like you love to keep everything in its place. They like also to clean up every room of the house often. 10 Tips to Care for Your Antique Glassware Antique glassware needs a gentle hand. This month we'll give you some useful tips to help you care for your antique or modern glassware. The Value of Antique Grandfather Clocks These days, everything from ovens to telephones silently mark the minutes in glowing red and green letters, rendering the "tick tock" of the mechanical clock increasingly unnecessary. Digital clocks might be more convenient and accessible, but they will never hold our affection the way a good old-fashioned round-faced clock does. 7 Tips To Note When You Decorate Your Home When you decorate your home, think twice about the colors you use. Plan out properly the color scheme before you even buy the paint. A Guide to Wine Picnic Baskets Wine picnic baskets are just the ticket for two, four, or more people. When it's just too nice to spend the day indoors, why not go for a hike in your garden, in the woods, along the beach, or up on a mountainside? The great outdoors beckon. Beautifying Your Home "Learn how to be happy with what you have while you pursue all that you want." --Jim RohnAs a frequent traveler, I'm often amazed at how dramatically my mood changes depending on where I am staying. Tips on Budget Decorating Home decorating on a budget is the ultimate adventure in decorating. It requires a little bit of planning, creativity, and patience.
|
| home | site map |
| © 2006 |
