Cool Kids Furniture

Furniture for this theme

What could possibly be more exciting, more varied and more educational than travel? Crossing the High Sierras of California on horse back, navigating the waterways of the Amazonian jungles of Brazil by boat; traveling across France in a hot air balloon, to train travel on the Siberian Express - Russia to China. Real places to see and things to do that are vastly more varied and richly inspiring than perhaps any other theme imaginable.

Stimulation:

This theme can be tailored to any taste or level of sensitivity. Active children who seek and enjoy high levels of stimulation, will be enthralled by the adventurous possibilities of travel. Races across the globe by all forms of transportation. Riding a llama across Peru; experiencing an ostrich race in South Africa, a horse race in Arabia, crossing Thailand by elephant and Europe by helicopter. Trains and cars, planes and bikes, the possibilities are endless. For our quieter intellectuals, the sight, sounds, food and peoples, the animals, history and geography of our world should present ample opportunities for pleasing research, entertainment and imaginative wanderings.

Colors:

Infant: Beige, cream, pale sage, pale blue, pinks, deeper blue.

Toddler: Beige cream, mustard, azure blue, saffron orange.

Child: British racing green and deep blue, beige and cream, saffron orange and warm yellow.

Teen: Blue, green and white. Turquoise and navy blue. Red, white and blue. Older teens. Red and white with black or navy blue accents.

Opportunities for Learning:

This theme is wonderful for many reasons, and it has to be said that chief among these is a tremendous quest for experiences, sensation, and knowledge. A world atlas, a globe and an encyclopedia can provide gateways into the farthest reaches of the planet and the imagination, pictures of and descriptions of places corresponding with pins on a map can inspire a lifetime's excitement and learning. Opening little hearts and minds to many places and peoples far and near, creating balanced appreciation and understanding into adulthood are qualities certainly worth cultivating.

Reassuring and Comforting:

There is an interesting piece of psychological research that has been repeated around the world many hundreds of times. It is called 'The Blue Eyed/Brown Eyed Experiment.' Without going into detail, its findings suggest that children who, through personal experience, appreciate that being the object of prejudice and bias is hurtful and illogical, come to find a greater level of self confidence in this knowledge, so much so that their capacity to retain information actually improves!

Feng Shui:

There is so much variety possible in this theme that it is not possible to summarize likely imbalances simply try to balance all of the elements: Fire (Metals and warm colors); Water and Wood, Air and Earth (Stone, rock). Use materials, representative imagery and colors to do so. For more information read our article on Feng Shui.

Budget versus Talent:

The most essential element of this theme is a world map, the larger the better. Given the complexity and detail of a world map mural (see the Mural section on this site). It has to be said it is better to buy than make one, but here are a few creative suggestions for customizing it. Buy a plastic coated map that allows you to paint hot air balloons, boats, trains, animals and people right onto the mural (use water based paints) and then simply wash them off when it is time for a change, and create a whole new look.

Use fabrics and textiles from around the world, brightly colored felts from South America (use for rugs and bed covers etc.) Indonesian batiques, Tibetan prayer flags, African animal and abstract prints, but be careful to keep to a color scheme and not to introduce too much clutter or distraction. For those with less time on their hands, a collection of rocking trains, boats, planes and cars should produce an instant affinity for travel and transport.

Click here for Nursery Rhymes and Songs related to the Around The World theme