A science
based theme for a child’s room, if presented in the correct
way, has the ability to get them excited about learning. If you
tell them about the interesting aspects of the subject, explain
to them some of the cool effects you can create within the theme,
and get them eager to help you design the setting. Then you may
be able to ignite a spark of curiosity in them that will lead them
to want to know more. One scientific theme you may be able to get
your child interested in pursuing is the weather.
Weather
entails everything from violent tornados ripping trees out of the
ground, to a mild summer day. It involves titanic forces, towers
of air reaching into the sky, chaos, and violence. All you have
to do is look at the way Hollywood has cashed in on weather based
disaster movies to understand that it can be a very interesting
topic. Weather can also be lovely, and this theme will allow you
to create some very cool effects in a room, from clouds, to rain,
to lightning and hail. For this reason, you may be able to entice
a child with one of the many aspects of this theme, and as you proceed,
inspire them to want to know more about this subject.
Another
great thing about a weather based theme is that it can be seasonal.
You can decide to make the decorations simple, and change them as
often you like. If the winter is particularly cold, try decorating
a warm sunny day into the child’s room. Alternatively you can
follow the seasonal weather, matching the child’s room to the
world outside. The theme can be changed as often or as little as
you like. However, you should be careful to match the simplicity
of the theme to how often you want to change it. Changing a complicated
decorative scheme over and over is going to be tiring for both you
and the child, and may cause them to completely lose interest in
the activity.
Before
proceeding, be certain to talk with your child and explore the various
possibilities this theme may present. Try and excite them about
the idea of towering tornados, lightning, hail, and blizzards. Together,
come up with some ideas about the interesting, or beautiful weather
you could creat in the room. Let them lead the way, and try to inspire
their curiosity as much as you can.
Most
of the weather effects you will create will be based on decorating
the ceiling and the walls. This can be done using paper or cloth.
Trace the image you would like onto the material, and then cut it
out with a scissor or exact-o knife. This cut out can then be easily
taped or thumb tacked to the ceiling or walls.
For
a more finished look, try stenciling directly onto the walls. If
you are creative, you can design a scheme which will allow you to
add effects to these paintings that can change the feel of the room.
For instance, white billowy clouds can, at a later date, be given
grey tinges to indicate that a storm is coming.
The
construction paper method above is great for creating fairly solid
structures such as tornados. Scatter tornados around the walls,
and use cut out red H’s and Blue L’s, to indicate where
the high and low pressure zones would be to create this effect.
You can add a flying cow or other farm animals floating around the
tornado for a comic effect.
To
create the appearance of precipitation in the room, tape Christmas
tinsel, or strips of reflective wrapping paper to the ceiling. Dark
billowing clouds can be designed using puffs of cotton painted grey.
These can be strung with some twine and hung at different levels
to add a dimensional feel to the effect. You can even make lightning
bolts with cardboard covered in yellow or reflective gold sheets.
Snow
is also easy to simulate. Get large numbers of white throw pillows,
or pillow cases, and scatter them around the room. Additionally,
you can take a white sheet, and draw snowflakes across its surface.
Using a snowflake stencil will make this much easier. Then drape
the sheet across the floor, walls, and or ceiling to cover the room
in snow. Paper doilies hung from the ceiling, and complimenting
the walls, are another way to create this effect
Your
decorations can be as simple or complicated as you like. You will
probably want to start off with just one or two ideas, and get a
feel for the child’s interest level, and how the effects work
together in the room. Experiment, and work with them to come up
with your own ideas. The whole process should be an attempt to inspire
your child’s curiosity and creativity.
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 causes any damage to the child’s safety
