ktgrok Posted July 12, 2019 Share Posted July 12, 2019 (edited) We are going to study the Middle Ages in the upcoming school year, which we have not covered before. My 9 yr old girl is a bit "ho hum" and saying it's boring, it is for babies, etc etc. I have NO idea where she got that idea, other than pre-pubescent hormonal angst, but I'd really like to make things fun for her, and my 6 yr old is already into the idea and would get a kick out of me expanding the theme. Honestly, the 9 yr old will too, she's into themes, decorations, decor, etc etc, loves harry Potter, etc so she's just being hormonal I think. But anyway....can y'all help me? I'm not good at this stuff. Needs to be not super expensive - I can spend about $100 give or take on this project, maybe a bit more if some of it is not just theme stuff but will last and last, you know? Currently the school room colors are grey, white, and red, which seems like it could work with a medieval castle theme, right? My 2 year old sleeps in that room, on a daybed, so keep that in mind too - it has to be 2 yr old girl friendly, which again seems do-able with a castle theme, right? Maybe some dragons as well, for the boy? I don't have much wall space at all, which is the real issue. I could maybe move the photos that are over the fireplace to the living room - we have plenty of blank wall space in there, and the posters of various countries will come down (yes, Africa is missing, picking up that one at the printer today to start on it). Timeline and map should stay up, the handwriting chart does get used some, but could be taken down as long as I keep smaller charts in their workboxes. So - hit me with your best, creative, fun ideas! I want to surprise them in the fall - probably have DH take the kids somewhere for the day so I can get it done. I MIGHT be able to recruit my 19 year old to help or a neighbor, if need be. (will add pictures in a minute) Edited to add photos, and an apology for the messy room - today is cleaning day. Hopefully all the dust/dirt/hair/crumbs don't show up, but the "project" area on the table is pretty obvious. Also, we do plan to go through and get rid of some toys before school starts, and to cull the school shelves (bookshelf near my desk). Edited July 12, 2019 by Ktgrok Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alisoncooks Posted July 12, 2019 Share Posted July 12, 2019 Pinterest has tons of great ideas for this! I had a lot bookmarked a few years ago because I was going to do that (but I never did). Faux tapestries and shields and fake torches. Search Harry Potter party decor and you'll get more ideas! How fun! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ktgrok Posted July 12, 2019 Author Share Posted July 12, 2019 I'm willing to re-spray paint the teal toy bins as well, it wasn't a bit deal to do them and some probably need a new coat anyway. Also, I'm seeing a lot of metal bins right now at walmart for summer, thinking maybe I should grab some of those? Would these kinds of things go well with that kind of a theme, do you think - maybe for some of the toddler's toys, instead of the current plastic crate (next to my desk currently). Also maybe for the beach towels, which are currently in a white laundry basket next to the back door, hidden by the ikea drawers. https://www.walmart.com/ip/Better-Homes-Gardens-Oval-Tub/55505628 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ktgrok Posted July 12, 2019 Author Share Posted July 12, 2019 ooh, this could be useful! https://www.amazon.com/Stone-Wallpaper-Removable-Castle-Fortress/dp/B072P61RKP/ref=sr_1_15?keywords=castle+decor&qid=1562942507&s=gateway&sr=8-15 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ktgrok Posted July 12, 2019 Author Share Posted July 12, 2019 Ok, so far I'm thinking of hanging some kind of pennant banner on the mantle, putting that stone wallpaper stuff on the wall that has the table/timeline, maybe a coat of arms above the fireplace? Maybe some cool coat of arms or dragon decals on the toy bins? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sherry in OH Posted July 12, 2019 Share Posted July 12, 2019 Coat of Arms or banners - you could make them on posterboard or use felt to make more durable wall hangings. Tissue paper stained glass windows Unicorns were a common tapestry theme - improvise a tapestry by hanging a unicorn beach towel, blanket, or poster. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alisoncooks Posted July 12, 2019 Share Posted July 12, 2019 Hang some blank shields but let them design their own CoA. Fwiw, Homeschool in the Woods (Time Travelers) has a super cute "Knights" pack that we really enjoyed. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Violet Crown Posted July 12, 2019 Share Posted July 12, 2019 You could go very traditional: strew rushes on the floor, get a meat-roasting spit and a tripod with kettle in that fireplace ... looks like you've already got a hound lounging on the furniture, that's a good start! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jenny in Florida Posted July 12, 2019 Share Posted July 12, 2019 (edited) I used to hit up the teacher supply store(s) at the beginning of each year. You can often find fun posters inexpensively there. Another option is to poke around on Teachers Pay Teachers. Their stuff is searchable by topic and resource type, and they often have stuff you can print at home, some of which is free or super cheap. I did a quick search for "middle ages" and "posters" and came up with some fun items. Medieval Siege Engines Poster Set "Welcome to Our Castle" Banner Vikings Info Features of Castles Word Wall Pennants Anglo Saxon Runes Most or all of the items I linked are under $5, so you could go pretty crazy with $50 and a color printer. Edited July 12, 2019 by Jenny in Florida Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PeterPan Posted July 13, 2019 Share Posted July 13, 2019 (edited) When my dd was that age I hung butterflies from the ceiling. You can get them in packages from the teacher supply. You can also do those yard decor whirlie flowers that twirl within themselves. I know that's not medieval, but I think it's hard to pull off in a room that big. Like I would probably do *one wall* if you tried, and I'm not sure I would. I've done a bunch of whole room (or more, haha) parties for my dd where we went all out, and medieval is hard to pull off in a room that big. The butterflies, flowers, teen decor you could nail. You could have princess caps or regal robes they wear for school that would overlap with harry potter. So instead of going BIG you could go more finite, more on the person/imaginative. And I tend to think flowers are sort of teen/medieval. Your map wall could go medieval nicely, with the shields and some projects. Do you have any *art* plans? You could do art pushing toward medieval and then display it. My dd did a dragon in a cave painting for a class one year and that's on my wall. It was painted on this fabricy stuff and kind of big (2'X3'). The mantle decor could change. That might be a really finite place to go with your theme. You've got a lot of family pictures there. Maybe just remove all those and stick to that ONE location for your medievaling. Like think all things medieval and put it just there for impact. And fireplaces are sort of medieval, with meat roasting or candles or something. That would be a good spot to employ the theme. Then you could change it next year for the next thing. And maybe like go a little crazy and get big prints of the art of the month and put it up on the mantle. Could be crazy cool in a weird sorta way. Like printed 2'X3' and up there as a discussion piece with medieval clothing, shield, crown, whatever around. If you do the fireplace medieval, add some heavy draperies to bring in that sort of feel. Oh it's just the one window and the other is a door. So just over the one window and then pull it back. And throw down some kind of fur or fake fur rug. You can get them at IKEA. It would be a little over the top, lol. Then they can recline. I just noticed your red rug. Well that could work, with the candles, the curtains, the medieval altar... Edited July 13, 2019 by PeterPan Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wintermom Posted July 13, 2019 Share Posted July 13, 2019 If the idea is to help get your dd excited about the topic, and she is interested in decorating, then I would do some preparations of showing photos, visiting a castle/fort, watching a movie or reading a book with great illustrations to give her a visual idea of what the middle ages can include. Pick out a couple things that really excite her, and then build on this. If she is interested in the ladies' gowns and hats, then go with that. If she is drawn to the armour and stone walls, then go with that. When we studied the Middle Ages, my boys were all about the swords and armour, and they could care less about decoration. They just wanted to study the weaponry and read adventure stories. All the art work we explored would result in pictures of weapons. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ScoutTN Posted July 13, 2019 Share Posted July 13, 2019 We got foam board, lots of acrylic paint, some stencils and a book about heraldry (Design your Own Coat of Arms or something similar) and made shields. Very fun. Lots of archaic vocabulary and discussion about what chivalry meant and means, about symbols, manliness, King Arthur etc. while we were tracing painting, cutting. We've made similar ones on a huge scale for church VBS, using the 4'x8' pink foam insulation boards. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Meriwether Posted July 17, 2019 Share Posted July 17, 2019 If you can get a large appliance box and have a bean bag chair, you could make a castle reading nook in the corner to the left of the bookcase. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.