Planning Kids Rooms-Part 1

October 26, 2010

It’s important to consciously plan your children’s space in a Slow Home.  Here are several reasons why:

1. Overall space in the home is getting smaller, so often times that means the bedrooms are smaller as well and there is no separate play room
2. There is so much technology out there that all those waves can seriously overstimulate your child, causing dis-ease and dis-function
3. Because of technology such as TV, video games etc… and dual income households, children have short attention spans and serious communication problems over 140 characters
4. Also, because of kids being glued to technology they don’t get outside as much…read…or spend quiet time just using their imagination
5. Due to budget cuts in the schools children do not get the same exposure to arts and crafts
6. Children can be as over scheduled as the parent…leaving neither the child nor the parent happy or connected to themselves and to each other

Like adults, children’s lives today are fast pace, noisy and they are bombarded with information constantly.  More then anyone, they need that landing pad, the place that’s their own where they can slow down and re-charge their batteries.  And also a place where it is quiet enough that their imagination can develop and their minds can expand in a way that is personal to their inherent gifts and talents.  It’s their private space, with the ability at the end of the day to join the rest of the family in the communal living space…re-connecting with family and friends then.

In talking about Slow Bedrooms, my preference is to keep technology out of the bedroom completely.  But these days that is hard to do as by the time your child is 8 to 10 they are doing homework and research on the computer.  While I think it is every parents desire to keep their eyes on their child and to watch over their use of the internet, often times the best place for the child to have the quiet they need to truly learn to study and also to learn to do it on their own…the best place for the computer ends up being their bedroom…unless you can carve out a study spot like a study office in a closet.  Somewhere you can close the door on at the end of the day.  When the computer is housed in the bedroom I recommend putting all technology on a power strip and have a major portion of a 24 hour period where it is totally shut down.  This is good for both energy use as well as to shut down the emf’s that hang in the air.  Anything that can separate the computer from the bed where the child sleeps is also good.  Think curtains closing off the bed, creating a space and lending a feel of complete privacy from the outside world.

To help absorb or disperse lingering emf energy you can use products such as the crystal salt lamps, good for use as a night light, and gio wellness chips on all highly charged technology, particularly cell phones and computers.  While studies for both sides on the question of the ramifications of emf’s are scrambling to prove whether or not emf’s really have any affect on people, I say why wait?  These are low priced items that may help if emf’s do affect us.

Stay tuned for part 2 on the elements of creating a fabulous kids room!…