Setting Up the Environment

This is how our room looks now, in September 2013:

The Writing Center:

Art Storage:

Window Nook/Reading Spot:

Another reading spot:

A cozy cave:

Block and Manipulative Area:

View of our Circle Area and the workbench in the Block Area:

Dramatic Play:

Circle Area on the left and Discovery Center on the right:

Sinks and Diaper Changing Area:

Cubbies and Sensory Table:

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I keep changing things around a bit at a time.  This was how it looked a few months ago.  I gave the couch to the other classroom, because the kids kept jumping on it.

At this point in time, my room is full with 5 kids.  It is a nice sized space.  If we get more children enrolled in my 2's/3's class, I would need to have an assistant.  For now, it is just me ... and that keeps me hopping.

Our couch is made from crib mattresses.  The bottom one is apparently irresistible for jumping on, and I am constantly reminding little people to not do that. I just don't want them to get hurt or knock my CD player off the shelf.

I had held on to the vintage yellow linen fabric for 25 years and decided to use it on the bulletin board a couple of weeks ago.  The little panels for the boarder are from some fabric that I bought several months ago.

I went "shopping" in the puzzle cupboard and found the neat ones on top of the shelves for decorative purposes.

This is our art and discovery/science area.  It isn't very aesthetically pleasing, but it is finally functional.

We use our table for everything.  Last week, the kids were finger-painting with tempura paint on wallpaper samples.  When the paintings were dry, all of the paint flaked off!  What a mess, but who would have known?  Oh well, it isn't always about the finished product anyway; sometimes it is really about the process.