| Author | Content |
cathy4
St. Louis County, MO
(Zone 5a)
June 25, 2009
06:10 PM Post #6738501
| Hi, my daughter and grandchildren are moving in, and the 4 year old girl and the 5 year old boy will have to share a bedroom. I'd like to make the room special for them since they are having to get rid of so many of their things, but don't have a ton of money and I don't want it too childish so it grows with them. They will each have a twin bed, the walls are off white right now, and hard wood floor so any colors will be okay.
Any ideas would be greatly appreciated. |
missingrosie
Hillsborough, NC
June 25, 2009
06:47 PM Post #6738670
| Cathy - the kids can only share a bedroom for so long and with their ages being so close --I bet whatever you come up with will work just fine and be pleasing to them right up until the time that they age out of ability to share and need the privacy.
Most kids like the beach.
Could you hang a net across the ceiling and put in it big goofy starfish and other sea creatures? A blow up beach ball etc. The sea animals are real easy to make from a cardboard outline and with strips of colored construction paper glued on (they end up with paper 'hair' and look real nice) You would only have to do one side since the kids won't see but just one side of each creature. In the room... you could hang a wooden backing strip on the wall and attach beach pails (or painted larger metal pails) ...perhaps mount three in a row next to each twin to act as a nightstand or just a place to store their small stuff - screwed directly in the wood or hanging from hooks if you want them to be able to move the pails off. Ditto you could make a lamp shade upside down pail. A few beach towel throw pillows (make the cases) Beach towels on a hamper rack for their dirty clothes. Small kiddie sized beach chairs for sitting. Fish or similiar knobs for the furniture (you could paint or use decals on plain wood knobs or they could make their own). A small saw, pencil and plywood would be all you need to draw and cut out some 'waves' as wide as the window (s) paint and hang up as a 'valance' for the windows. A throw rug with a seaside theme. It wouldn't take any money at all and I bet it would carry them for a few years. If the twin beds have 'feet' that are exposed... cut a hole in flip flops and give the two legs at the bottom of each bed flip flops to wear on the beach or even diving flippers if you can locate inexpensively. (Craigs list) (I'd spray paint them a beachy-fun kid color if you get from Craigs list) A wall decoration can be as simple and as inexpensive as a beach float (the tire shaped...with a red cord to hang it from a nail...like a life preserver) Kids like the water and the beach and it is sort of unisex. On the wee gal's side you could hang a small bathing suit on a hanger and on the little boys side you could hand a diving mask and the flippers or even a brightly patterned boys swim trunk --or other beach article. Terry spreads and you are done! (you won't even have to repaint!) I bet they will love their special room whatever you decide. |
cathy4
St. Louis County, MO
(Zone 5a)
June 25, 2009
06:59 PM Post #6738713
| What a wonderful idea! Hopefully jobs will be found and they will get life back to normal, but I'm expecting at least a year. |
missingrosie
Hillsborough, NC
June 25, 2009
07:15 PM Post #6738765
| Meanwhile you get to have them for a year! It may be a wild hare ride at times, but all in all what a wonderful opportunity for you and your daughter and her family. And what a thoughtful grandma you are to say 'I am looking forward to you coming and staying a while' via the special bedroom. |
missingrosie
Hillsborough, NC
June 25, 2009
07:20 PM Post #6738776
| PS We made a lifesize ...moose... and we used the curly box packing (the brown paper stuff) just glued it on and we had a big furry guy and he was glorious. Using any of the heathers (in colors) etc glued on would work well --but that is not that inexpensive when buying enough for your project. These end up looking like a pinata. |
greyma
Mukwonago, WI
June 25, 2009
07:52 PM Post #6738924
| when my guys were little we painted the walls, especially in spots that would get dirty, with their handprints. multi-colored handprints. they dipped their hands in paint and pressed to the wall. it was a great time!
they are well into their 20's and the prints are still there in some spots. |
cathy4
St. Louis County, MO
(Zone 5a)
June 25, 2009
09:06 PM Post #6739216
| I am looking forward to the company, I'm alone all day. They can stay as long as they need, but I know my daughter and her husband will want to have their own place. He's working half days instead of full days, she's going to sub at the school district until she finds something permanent again.
I like the hand print idea, too, they would love that. |
MaypopLaurel
Cleveland,GA/Atlanta, GA
(Zone 7b)
June 25, 2009
10:50 PM Post #6739768
| Cardboard mountains work well too. You can affix a series of cardboard mountains together between beds or surrounding the walls. They can be tropical, alpine or from another time, place or even planet. Each kid's side can be different, so one can have a moonscape and one a tropical oasis. I've got two kids, less than a year apart, girl and boy, who had separate rooms, but were inseparable. They often chose to share space. They're now adult and not weird. Missingrosie is right on, they'll be ready for separate spaces any time. Try to make the shared space dividable.
|
cathy4
St. Louis County, MO
(Zone 5a)
June 26, 2009
12:04 AM Post #6740040
| I'm confused, I grew up in a large family and we didn't have privacy unless we were in the bathroom. Should I expect the 5 year old to need privacy soon? |
JuneyBug
Dongducheon CpCasey
South Korea
(Zone 4b)
June 26, 2009
06:25 AM Post #6740470
| I think the privacy thing starts around age 10. I'm from a large family too, and yeah, the bathroom WAS the only private place in the house. |
missingrosie
Hillsborough, NC
June 26, 2009
08:21 AM Post #6740691
| I agree -- each person is different but I think 10 was about right for my kids. Before noticeable changes to the body came the changes to the mind I guess and their hobbies and interests and friends diverged too about that time. |
cathy4
St. Louis County, MO
(Zone 5a)
June 26, 2009
10:23 AM Post #6741083
| Thanks for the responses, I was freaking there for a minute. God willing they will be back on their feet long before he reaches 10. |
Samigal
(Pegi) Norwalk, CA
(Zone 10b)
June 26, 2009
10:24 PM Post #6743805
| What wonderful ideas for fixing up the kids room. Sounds like you will have fun doing the work with them. I never got that creative with my boys, wish I had now. |
cathy4
St. Louis County, MO
(Zone 5a)
June 26, 2009
10:43 PM Post #6743882
| I'm leaning toward the hand prints, we can do some pillow cases to match and they can each pick a solid color simple cotton spread to put hand prints on, too, maybe around the edges. |
denimangle
Oakwood (Butler,TX), TX
(Zone 8b)
July 03, 2009
12:09 PM Post #6772678
| Big Family here too But an easy way to get the kids just a little bit privacy You can hand a cool looking sheet between the beds cheapest way for a temp. wall. you can use a pole or rope and if you run it through the hem of the sheet it can slide for times its not needed. and then each can kind of have their own room. |
JuneyBug
Dongducheon CpCasey
South Korea
(Zone 4b)
July 03, 2009
01:29 PM Post #6772947
| Yeah! That is what my SIL did. She had their bookcases and dressers backed up to the sheet like it was a wall between their "rooms". |
cathy4
St. Louis County, MO
(Zone 5a)
July 03, 2009
01:46 PM Post #6773009
| I measured the room today to see if I can put the chests in the middle to make a sort of wall, with a poster on the back so it isn't ugly. It might work if I don't put them too close to the window, then use a short curtain when they need it. |
Samigal
(Pegi) Norwalk, CA
(Zone 10b)
July 03, 2009
02:04 PM Post #6773072
| Years ago a mom had 3 daughters growing up very fast and she was so lucky to have a very large room that they put a partial partition so each girl had her own space for bed and small dresser. Partitions didn't go all the way down the room so there was room for extra dressers, etc. Very clever, but not every one has such a room, sad to say. |
missingrosie
Hillsborough, NC
July 03, 2009
04:00 PM Post #6773499
| cathy
you may find that by doing the dressers that way - you have less moving around room.
I bet the kids won't need that separation now. I think if you just let them personalize the room (like if you go with the hands etc.) it will be special and mean alot. ..especially if you add your 'hands' and their parents hands to the 'artwork.' they will have a ball! |
