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-----------------------------------------------------------------------sorry it took me so long to post them. i thought id start a new thread for them. please tell me what i can do to imrove her room to make it more waldrofy.. i know i have to put up some playsilks or something on the back of her playstand to cover the backs of the computer,dvd players etc...
i am so inspired!!! one day, i will take pics of our playspace and share. i never think to do that, which is funny as much as i love looking at other playspaces.
I've enjoyed the playroom pics on this and other threads and thought I'd share our space.
It certainly won't seem as Waldorfy as some, but you have to understand, I used to be all about educational toys and posters everywhere. My play spaces for children have changed a lot in response to my changing, Waldorf-influenced ideas about what childhood should be like.
My home is also a home daycare for children ranging in age from 10 mo through 11 years. I need to have toys and play areas that can be kept tidy and cleaned easily, that appeal to and are safe for a wide age range.
I started my toy collection years before I ever heard of Waldorf, and, while I enjoy the look and play value of the natural toys, I will not replace what I have until/unless I need to. For example, I still have the plastic kitchen I got for free a few years ago--- it suits our needs very well, both as a kitchen and as a room divider. If a good-sized wooden kitchen fell into my lap at an excellent price, I'd replace it, but I'm not pining away for a wooden kitchen.
Quote:
Originally Posted by ourdayourjourney
I was curious if anyone would be so kind to share pictures of play areas they have for older children, say a 5 1/2 years. I really need inspiration!!!
Quote:
Originally Posted by RollerCoasterMama
What kind of things did you have in mind that would be different for a 5-1/2 yr old vs a 2-1/2 yr old?
My older children are 11 and 5.5 now and do play a lot with the wooden toys. I am looking at different kinds of wooden blocks, maybe some keva blocks, for our next investment.
Wheel of the year calender This is directly inspired by a link from one of the Waldorf threads. It is hanging in my kitchen, where we do most of our crafting (forgot to take photos of that area).
Ooh, Aubergine, I really like your playstand substitute. That was a great idea. I may borrow that, if you don't mind. I've always thought those play stands are really just expensive shelving (and I just know that my acrobat of a daughter would climb and topple over!). We have a wooden bench that we love and that dd uses as a car, boat, etc., like they say you can use playstands (although oddly enough I never see them used that way in pictures, just set up as shelving).
I think your play space is lovely and seems very open-ended and creative. I don't think wooden toys necessarily equals creative play. I've actually found, in our case, the opposite to be true.
We actually went so far as to measure and plan for a set of pvc pipes and connectors to build our frame for playsilks, before we realized we had something similar already to use. Please feel free to run with that idea, and post a picture if you make one!
Quote:
Originally Posted by calynde
Here are a few messy views of our play space.
I had promised that I would eventually post a picture of the play kitchen made out of old pieces of furniture we had.
I finally had time to take one. Sorry for the quality of the pic, it is a darker room, and so it was hard to get a good and clear shot of it.
Originally Posted by Neptune2
I had promised that I would eventually post a picture of the play kitchen made out of old pieces of furniture we had.
I finally had time to take one. Sorry for the quality of the pic, it is a darker room, and so it was hard to get a good and clear shot of it.
Originally Posted by Neptune2
I had promised that I would eventually post a picture of the play kitchen made out of old pieces of furniture we had.
I finally had time to take one. Sorry for the quality of the pic, it is a darker room, and so it was hard to get a good and clear shot of it.
Originally Posted by operamommy
Aubergine, I really like your wheel of the year calender. I'm going to have to steal that idea!
Thanks! Three months after we put it up, we're having a lot of fun with it and talk about it/make changes every day. We have pretty much decorated the fall quarter with pressed leaves and acorns and have snowflakes ready to put up when the snow finally comes. We put photos of family and friends up in the appropriate spots on the wheel for our birthdays and my three year old keeps looking at the wheel and saying "I want to be in the green, mommy!" and moving the "We are here!" sign to springtime because he misses the warm weather.
The kids are learning a LOT! It has been so worth it to put this up for them.
Got the kitchen area and toddler area pretty much finished! Once the Christmas tree is put up, I am going to move the cubbies, but it's progress!
Cute! The house looks great! I got lucky and found wider boards for my dollhouse---you've got great perseverance/stubborness to splice boards together like that!!!
I cut the boards out last summer for a dollhouse and I'm just now getting around to finishing it up this weekend with the family at the inlaws!
Then, I have the fun task of integrating the playroom into the (significantly smaller) livingroom. Pics someday after I unpack the boxes!!!
kitty witty, so cute! We love our cubby system, too. We re-arranged it a bit after the move though.
Rollercoastermama, I hear you! Thats what we are doing. No more play roo, but part of the living room and kitchen. We are still unpacking too. I can't remember if I posted this 'in progress' pic though:
Got the kitchen area and toddler area pretty much finished! Once the Christmas tree is put up, I am going to move the cubbies, but it's progress!
I love the little kitchen cubbies! We just got our first playfood today for dd so I'm trying to figure out how to rearrange things. It's terrible because I'm such a packrat that it makes it difficult to keep things super neat and so her play area is always a disaster. Hope to keep getting some great ideas here!
Thanks, everyone. I can't believe I waited so long to make cubbies. They are so useful! Right now she has a bookshelf, but it's so deep, it's easy to overlook everything and kind of dark. I can't wait to get the tree out and rearrange again. I am going to make playstands as soon as I get tax return money and can buy a saw and some poplar.
The kitchen is kinda crowded but our kitchen is so oddly laid out, that's the best I can do! And we don't have a playroom, either. We have a library with no space left and a living/dining room that seconds as the playroom.
Originally Posted by counterGOPI
kitty witty, so cute! We love our cubby system, too. We re-arranged it a bit after the move though.
Rollercoastermama, I hear you! Thats what we are doing. No more play roo, but part of the living room and kitchen. We are still unpacking too. I can't remember if I posted this 'in progress' pic though:
LOVE the cubby idea. Makes much more sense that the set ups we have for our 3 dollhouses ~ one is on the dress up trunk, one is on a bench & one is on a little table. The cubbies might steer the kids away from making additional "houses" on the bookshelves.
How did you fasten the "walls" of this cubby system? It looks super easy to make (easier than all of the MAPLE trees that we made for Christmas! ~ I'll post pictures of these soon ~ I only had blue & green watercolors so I haven't painted the trunks. After I get some red & mix up a brown shade & finish them, I can apply the beeswax finish & they'll be complete!)
I'm wondering what king of glue everyone uses. We have Elmer's carpenter's wood glue which is the only glue I could find that conforms to the ASTM non-toxic regulations. I also have Titebond premium wood glue which is FDA approved for indirect food contact (cutting boards) & non-toxic. I need to glue the stairs on Dd2's dollhouse & am not sure which to use.
Wondering if the cubbies are glued or fastened with screws...
I bought ours from an un-finished wood store but ours are screwed and/or nailed, not glued. We try to avoid glues as much as possible after reading 'home safe home'.
hth!
Well, it took me a lot longer than I expected to update with pics from our new place.We don't have a playroom in this house but the girls have half of our kitchen (b/c we couldn't use it). You can see it here: http://frontierdreams.blogspot.com/2...ls-corner.html
The rest of their things are in the living room, our bedroom and their bedroom. More pics someday soon
Originally Posted by counterGOPI
Well, it took me a lot longer than I expected to update with picsfrom our new place.We don't have a playroom i nthis house but the girls have half of our kitchen (b/c we couldn't use it). You can see it here: http://frontierdreams.blogspot.com/2...ls-corner.html
The rest of their things are in the living room, our bedroom and their bedroom. More pics somedaysoon
Omgoodness nicole it looks amazing!!!
You have no idea the inspiration you are giving me. After this huge move, i was feeling as if life will never settle, but your house looks amazing!!
It also makes me realize how badly our kitchen needs a beeswaxing!!
We are hopfully moving to to a "new" home for us, and hopfully with space for a "play area". I do so hope we are finally able to move, as I can't wait to get all our things out of storage and re-set up!
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