- Decorating a Child’s Room
with an Underwater Theme
- by Joey Lewitin
Getting a child to learn something
is often a process of tricking them into paying attention. This
can be done by creating games and activities that are fun for
the child, and slipping the knowledge in when they aren’t
looking. One activity that will both engage a child, and literally
immerse them in learning, is to work with them to decorate their
room, using an exciting science based theme.)
Oceans are huge bodies of flowing
water that cover most of the earth’s surface. They are a
world unto themselves, full of exciting adventures, strange looking
creatures, and beautiful formations just waiting to be explored.
Beneath their dark waves, everything becomes mysterious. The
ocean also provides an opportunity for children to learn a great
deal about nature, and science. If presented in the correct manner,
a water based theme for a room can provide an excuse to engage
your child in the world of marine science, getting them excited
about it in such a way that they never imagine they are actually
learning. Lead them into an underwater adventure, while gently
floating little snippets of knowledge past them every once in
a while.
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Research should be the basis
for this project, and as you proceed you should be certain to
have many books about marine life on hand, preferably ones that
contain large colorful pictures. Use these books as an inspiration
for your work. With your children, learn the names of the different
plants and animals, as well as the different levels of the ocean.
Engage the child in conversations about what you learn, and encourage
them to use their imagination to envision the places you are
referring to.
To create the feel of an underwater
world in the room, you want to start with the walls. If you have
anything except blue, green, or white walls, you may want to
consider painting or wall-papering them. It’s difficult
to create an underwater illusion with yellow or red as the major
theme in the room.
An alternative is to cover the
walls. This can be done by purchasing some large blue or green
sheets of paper. Draw wave patterns on the backs of the sheets
in black marker, and then cut the tracings out with scissors.
As always, be careful when using sharp instruments around a child.
When you have the sheets cut, attach them to the walls overlapping
one another using thumbtacks. Clear or double sided scotch tape
can help to keep limp waves from flopping the wrong way. Slightly
different shades of blue or green makes it easy to create the
various levels of the ocean. |
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Another way to achieve the look
of being immersed in water is to use a large piece of cloth draped
along the wall as a mural, with paintings of waves and sea creatures
on it. This method allows you or the child to add to the wall
as you like, and change it whenever you want.
If the room already has a blue
or green carpet then the underwater look will be enhanced. Simulate
this by buying several large rugs and covering the floor with
them. Rugs with underwater patterns or bubbles can also be used.
There are many accessories you
can add to the room to compliment the marine feeling you are
trying to achieve. A blue light bulb placed in an extra lamp
can bathe a room in a wavering blue glow. This kind of illumination
is not conducive to reading or seeing very well, and should only
be used in conjunction with a regular light, as an occasional
experience.
Translucent flat marbles in blues,
greens, and clear colors can be glued to almost anything to create
the look of bubbles. Gluing them along a door frame, around a
light switch, or on furniture or other personal items will increase
the underwater effect you are trying to simulate. These beads
can also be taped or glued to pieces of string, and hung from
the ceiling. Combined with a blue light this will create a shimmering
colorful effect. However, these beads are very small and should
not be used for any room of a child, where it might present a
choking hazard. Always use caution when decorating a child’s
setting.
To create sea life, trace pictures
of your favorite fish onto large pices of construction paper.
Cut the figures out, and write their proper names on the back.
Fill in the details, eyes, scales, as much or as little as you
like. Then attach these images to your walls using thumb tacks.
This method is also great for creating artificial waves, or underwater
structures such as coral reefs.
Additionally, figurines of various
sea creatures can be purchased and displayed around the room.
Whenever you purchase the child a new underwater decoration,
the two of you should sit down and research the animal and its
characteristics, before deciding where to put it in the room.
Position them in the room in a logical way, such as putting predators
near their favorite prey.
Blue and green bedding should
be matched to the rest of the room. An underwater themed bed
spread is a great gift and will further the illusion you are
going for. Blue pillowcases or throw pillows can also be purchased
to add to the effect.
Another aspect of the ocean that
may interest your child, and provide further chances for learning,
is boats. There are a huge variety of different boats, and they
have a long and famous history. From pirates to battleships,
boats can be an exciting icing to the watery adventure you are
taking. This gives you countless other options to be as creative
as you like in what you and your child research and how you decorate.
Be certain to base the room as
much as you can on real research done by you and your child.
You want to give them an experience where looking up facts is
fun and useful for them. Maintain the idea that this is an adventure
into a mysterious world, and help them explore with books and
other reference materials. If you excite their imagination, they
will pursue the knowledge themselves.
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.
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