An Updated Peek At Our Playroom!

Ch-ch-ch-changes! Spring is in the air (with the exception of that slushy white stuff that was also in the air this morning) and it was time for a playroom revamp, especially after a long holiday at home. In other news, Y is very mobile these days. He may not quite be walking independently yet, but he sure gets around and into everything. For S, this is a mixed bag (kind of like that "Spring" weather I mentioned earlier). Y is very playful and loves nothing more than to join his big brother in all of his escapades. S enjoys the company sometimes. Other times, he feels frustrated at his little brother who is now able to get into just about everything at his level.

When S began to move around this much, he was quite a bit older. He understood when we told him "no," and his personality was such that he was most content playing wherever the adults in the house were with whatever was set before him to play with. Y has a different personality. He is most content playing EVERYWHERE with EVERYTHING. Whereas we used a baby gate maybe once or twice with S, Y is faster than the speed of light and sneaky to boot.

We have made some changes in the house to best accommodate these exciting milestones, one of which is that the boys are working toward sharing a room now. S is thrilled about this change. Y is learning to be thrilled about it. S even helped set up the new mattress, pick out sheets and offered his stuffed Lightening McQueen to Y (a toy he chose with great ambivalence upon giving up his pacifier last summer). Mattresses directly on the floor are easy for both my boys to access and Y has already mastered safely maneuvering on and off. In related news, staying in bed is not currently his forte.

Changes in our playroom were also a necessity. Y has discovered with great zeal the joy that is dumping things off of shelves within reach. Particularly art supplies! I could spend all day moving things up higher and higher, but that would leave things out of everyone's reach (S included), be boring for Y and probably be exhausting for me. Creating a space that is conducive and accessible to both boys seemed a more practical approach at this point. S has loved being able to access and lead art projects on his own. Although, after quite some time with our art center looking the same, it needed a little sprucing up and our new set up allows S to access art supplies from the top shelf and Y and S to access items from the bottom two shelves. (See photo below.) I know it is only a matter of time before Y does manage to get to that top shelf, but for now, the set up works perfectly and we will traverse that terrain when we get there.

Introducing the new and improved art center & toy shelf!

 I love these plastic drawers. For one thing, they are space creators--even though "losing" two rows of shelving limits the amount of space for art materials in our art center, the use of drawers creates room for more without taking up additional space. Our small drawer set is home to options for coloring. Right now we have colored pencils, crayons and skinny markers out, though I like to change it up a bit and rotate in some of our other supplies when I notice these get a bit "stale." I also used a stacking tray organizer (Dollar Tree) to create two rows for paper products. We have solid paper in white and pastel spring colored cardstock out right now as well as some bird coloring and tracing sheets. I keep our scrap paper tray on a shelf that Y can reach as he also loves to explore, dump and tear scrap paper and those are skills I don't mind him cultivating right now! There is room alongside and above our smaller drawer set for our family's sketch books and some writing utensils.

 In our larger drawer set, I stashes some new Spring themed materials like beads and beading elastic for my little fine motor lover. S was thrilled with these! He made a necklace for himself, one for me and has a date with his Tatty to make one for him tonight! Using real beads and materials with little ones might seem strange, but this is a great way to practice those fine motor skills and "real" art materials carry a true sense of value to our budding arts. We show that we respect their creative process and they tend to treat these materials with reverence as well. This, of course, does not mean that you must spend a fortune. You can find quality art materials on discount at big box stores, secondhand stores and dollar stores. You can also find clearance items and purchase with coupons at craft supply stores.

Spring is in the air and we love collage opportunities here. A selection of Spring themed stickers, gems, and floral fabric scraps invite all kinds of creations. I stashed a small stack of pastel toned felt rectangles with embroidery floss stitched to the top to create blank banners. Creating pictures and collages on paper is always popular but sometimes offering an alternative medium (like felt, fabric or even artists' canvas) can inspire artists young and old.









Additional staples like tape, glue, scissors and paper edger scissors are stored in the bottom drawer along with some Spring themed additions like floral patterned tape, roller stamps and a leaf-shaped hole punch. 

I must say that as much as I adored the "open container" look on the shelves before, I love the tidiness and accessibility of the closed drawer look now! Our bottom rows are home to some favorites that both boys can use and appreciate. I attached a laminated print of a Spring themed painting depicting a bird in a blossoming tree. I love including "real" art in our art center to inspire the artists in our family. I used to set out a glass picture frame with art in this area but now a laminated version affixed with Velcro makes it accessible and safe for both boys to remove and appreciate. Y in particular has taken a great love of removing laminated labels that are attached to other areas with Velcro! Both boys love the colorful nesting boxes I saved from their Purim shalach manos (Dollar Tree) and a basket of plush ducklings alongside some bird and duck themed books perpetuates the bird and Spring themes that have infiltrated our play here. The bottom shelf is currently home to some Bristle Blocks, Magnatiles and toy trains. Both boys are loving the set up and both are far less frustrated now!

Meanwhile, our main toy shelf (pictured at the top) is currently storing items to inspire small world play that is safe (with supervision) for both boys. Extra small items are stored on top including a Playmobile playground set S recently got (and does not want to share) that he knows he must play with at the table. The middle shelf is an expansion on our bird theme that includes bird figurines, tree blocks, tree cookies and driftwood blocks as well as some artificial nests, eggs and a small collection of stones S and Y recently brought home from the Science Museum. As with any small items, it is important to carefully supervise and consider choking risk. The bottom shelf is storage to our dollhouse furniture, a doll family and our wooden barn--items both boys can safely play with together.

In considering spaces that are shared by multiple ages, creativity, ingenuity and patience are required! We want our home to reflect the developmental and play needs of both of our children. We also want it to be inclusive and accessible to both of them while reflecting their current interests and curiosities. Now, if I could just also synchronize their napping schedules...

Until then...

Happy Playing!