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Show by KATHY PEEL Make YOUR CHILDS Bedroom fumr Furrctional A childs bedroom is multip- urpose. It's a place where they wind up, wind down, play; learn, dream, create, and express who they are. They want to feel at home" in their room, which means it needs to be fon as well as functional. And they want to be proud of their room when their friends visit. Whether your child's room needs damage control or just a little reorganizing, these ideas will help you create a room that's inviting and practical. Choose the ones that work best for your family. a Hang a small net hammock in a comer to store and display stuffed animals and dolls. Paint a small table and chairs in bright colors. Paint your child's name on the tabletop or seats of the chairs. Use only nontoxic paint. a Designate one area of your childs room for ongoing, creative projects. a Consider covering one wall in the room with butcher paper, or painting a port of it with chalkboard paint for artistic expressions. a Make sure your childrens books are easily accessible. Help them arrange their booksby topic or author so theyll have a sense of pride and ownership in a growing library. a Hang a mirror at your child's eye level, a Frame your child's artwork in inexpensive, clear plastic frames to hang on the walls. a Put gjpw-in-tdark stars on die ceiling of the room for a wonderful effect when the lights are out. a Simplify bed making. Set your childs bed slightly away from the wall. Use a comforter instead of a bedspread. a Make it as easy as possible for children to put away their toys and belongings by creating storage areas they can reach. Put most he frequently used items in the lowest, yrfcc plirft easiest- - a Divide closets into two ports: one for hanging cloches and one for shelves. Have two rodson the hanging side, a high rod for rod. and seldom-wor- n clothes, and a child-lev- el for closet small stool in little the Keep a step ones to reach higher shelves. a Ifyour children share a doset, paint each half of the rod a different color to prevent bickering. a Keep a small laundry basket in the closet collect to dirty cloches easily. a If you have the wall space, hang pegs or hooks at child level for pajamas, backpacks, hats, and such. a Avoid stuffing drawers so foil that items cant be removed without making a mess. Regularly remove outgrown won't be damaged. Even if your own kids know certain items are especially meaningful or valuable, their friends dont. a Store toys with small parts up high so that someone older has to help get the toys our. Allow only one multipiece toy out at a time. When it's time to clean up, have a clean dustpan handy to scoop up the pieces. KMtby Pit, pmident of Family Managtr Inc. mid tbt anther of 15 hooks, is rtguUr contributor to S & x.v f American Profile. Able County: TOM MILNER cloches. a Buy drawer organizers or use empty shoeboxes to divide socks, tights, and underwear. a Slide a suitcase or other container under the bed for extra storage. a Use clear plastic boxes to hold children's belongings, such as a rock collection, art supplies, action figures, and doll clothes. For puzzles, either reinforce die box comers with clear plastic plastic bags to tape, or use store puzzle pieces, along with the picture of the completed puzzle cut from the box. a If you have a toy chest, glue cork or foam to the bottom edges of die lid to prevent smashed fingers. a Put fragile toys or collectibles on a high shelf so they' are on display but self-seali- ng Tool; Mow! I got y mm al organiznr Page 10 X American Profile i m wny Infill TOT 7 E |