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  • Activities and Competitions

    Organizing activities and competitions can be fun but there are times you need some fresh input. In the activity drop-down menu below, you can find heaps of ideas. What about a Paper Plane Competition?

  • Activities

  • TIP: Think inside the hat!

    Party hats, store-bought or made from pages of an old book or scrap paper are very useful for a display. You can staple the hat to the board as a container for whatever you want to showcase. Or hang them in front of the board filled with little notes, poems, toy animals or whatever takes your fancy

  • TIP: Staple at an angle

    Removing old display items will be much easier when you hold the stapler at an angle when you tack items to the board. The staples will stick out at one side - perfect to get hold of and pull them out when you change displays.

  • TIP: Use a glue gun

    Glue guns are the most fantastic tools for creating displays. You can attach all sorts of materials like hard plastic, metal, fabric and everything else you can think off. Be careful with your fingers (blow - blow) the glue is very hot and you easily get blisters

  • TIP: Create a 3D effect!

    Create a 3D effect by hanging objects in front of the display board, like fish in a Sea Life display or lanterns in a Spring or Garden display.

  • TIP: Don’t overdue it!

    Too much text, images or books on display too close together distract the eye. It all becomes a blur. Each object needs its own space. Think of a shop window that is more than full with appliances, you can’t distinguish one object from the other, while carefully placed objects attract the attention.

Personality types

There are 6 main types of personalities

Realistic

· Likes to work with animals, tools, or machines; generally avoids social activities like teaching, healing, and informing others

· Sees him or herself as practical, mechanical, and realistic

Likes mechanical and realistic displays. Wheels, (ticking) clocks, engines, buildings, tools, cars, boats, bridges. Likes to see lines and images that  are connected. Trees and plants with leaves or larger animals like cows/horses or birds that can be seen around the house. Recognisable/Predictable. Colours not too dark or  bright.

Investigative

· Likes to study and solve math or science problems; generally avoids leading, selling, or persuading people · Sees self as precise, scientific, and intellectual

Likes numbers, puzzles, wordplays, scientific displays, astronomy and problems solving displays. The displays need to be very tidy and clear. This type likes large images, straight lines, pastel colours but also likes to be surprised with unexpected images, hidden messages and creative text or puns. A 3D display is the display for the investigative type

Artistic

· Likes to do creative activities like art, drama, crafts, dance, music, or creative writing; generally avoids highly ordered or repetitive activities

· Sees self as expressive, original, and independent

The wilder the better. Hidden messages, flowers//butterflies/colourful people, bright colours, the unexpected, songs, puns, poetry, suggestive and extravagant are very much appreciated. Wants to be challenged and surprised. This type appreciates  the unexpected, the ‘genie out of the bottle.’

Social

· Likes to do things to help people — like, teaching, nursing, or giving first aid, providing information; generally avoids using machines, tools, or animals to achieve a goal · Sees self as helpful, friendly, and trustworthy

Light colours, familiar images, good purpose displays, people of kind and culture, children, fundraising. Not too wild or suggestive. Message can be a bit hidden because the social type is curious and likes to find out what is going on. It will take time to study the display and read the smaller lines. 

Enterprising

· Likes to lead and persuade people, and to sell things and ideas; generally avoids activities that require careful observation and scientific, analytical thinking · Sees self as energetic, ambitious, and sociable

Larger images, short text, colours don’t matter as long as the message is clear. Upward images like towers and high rise buildings or giraffes and eagles. Aeroplanes and racing cars, sportsmen or powerful animals like lions and tigers. This type doesn’t take the time to read heaps of small text and will see what you have to say at one glance.

Conventional

· Likes to work with numbers, records, or machines in a set, orderly way; generally avoids ambiguous, unstructured activities · Sees self as orderly, and good at following a set plan

Tidy images neatly stapled. Even smaller text will be carefully read. This type likes images of streets/highways, trains and railroads, houses or books in a row or people in orderly groups. Repetition.  Pastel and darker colours. Not curious but wants to know what to expect at first sight. Unusual shapes and unconventional images are not appreciated.

 

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  • An idea for your next display? Wishful thinking

    Keep on the lookout for unusual, funny or cartoon-like images in magazines, on internet or in the daily paper like the image above. Cut or copy them and store them for when you need inspiration.
    One of those unusual images can be the basis for a great display. You don't need to do the whole design yourself.

  • Or what about this one? Free will, an illusion?

  • TIP: Use old umbrellas as a display unit!

    Old umbrellas without the fabric but with a good frame are fantastic as a display item You can hang little objects like birds, light bulbs, little books and art objects from the frame. Fluffy fabric draped over the frame will give it an extra elegance.... let your imagination run wild and experiment!

  • TIP: Keep an action list

    I am not particularly good at it myself - I'm an ad hoc person - but it is one of my recommendations when I give display workshops. It helps you keeping track of what you're going to do. Make a rough sketch of how the display will look like and write down what materials and tools you're going to need Create a time-line / checklist: This week copying and laminating - Next week: buy or beg materials - Two weeks: covering display boxes with matching paper - Three weeks: collect books matching the display etc. till you reach D-day and start getting nervous....

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