Lockdown space

 

"We haven't got the time. We haven't got the space"

Let's look at the space situation, shall we?

Enjoy the following story.

It was during the time of the first lockdown. We lived in a tiny terraced house....with three toddlers. 

Our living room, besides hosting the traditional furniture for this room, housed the toy chests, a huge wardrobe, and two fridge freezers (the kitchen was tiny).

Alexander was working hard on his physiotherapy in the hope he would one day be able to sit, stand, and walk unaided. Thus, our remaining standing room housed his specialised seating and walking equipment, which we tripped over on a reular basis.

There was no official table due to lack of space. The children had a toddler picnic table with attached benches for their learning space, that stood upright against the wall when not in use. We moved the furniture round, depending on what was being used.

We had no storage space for their work, so it adorned the walls and the fridge freezers. There were educating magnets there as well.

The sofa was the base for gymnastic class, that was wrecked as a result. We also had a massive toy kitchen in the middle of the poor room, as this was a major part of play therapy in getting Miss Sophia to eat at the time. Just for good measure, in a fit of lockdown madness I added a toddler size rocket ship, a boat and two cars as part of one of their projects.

It sounds like chaos, and it was even more so in reality.

The wardrobe was where I stored their early years education materials. The girls learnt their early years knowledge sat on the kitchen counters, as there wasn't enough floor space for them all to be safely in there if I was cooking. The draining board was where we dried any paint or glue projects. 

Thank goodness for the garden, which became an extended room to the house.

They had a fantastic, albeit a chaotic early years education experience whilst their dad was retraining for a new career. We had a happy ever after moment. We were able to move to a larger place and we now have allotted rooms for learning and toys, and the living room remains as it should, with just a simple roleplay area.

The message of this tale was to prove that where there's a will, there's a way. 

👍Any space can work for early years education and beyond. 

👍Use the furniture at hand if there isn't space for a designated area. Alternatively, you may actively choose not to have a designated area, it's certainly not mandatory. A beautiful Montessori school room looks stunning and makes the perfectionist in me drool inwardly....but if the students are not engaged, enthused, and eager to learn....they may as well be staring at a blank wall.

👍Along with the right attitude, a sofa and floor is an amazing location for learning, as is the bed, kitchen table, or the lawn outside.

👍You may have space for a picnic table outside.

👍You can utilise their bedrooms; mid sleepers with tables and storage underneath are great investments, with plenty of growing room. You may have room for a little table and chair in the bedroom if they have more of a nursery set up.

👍Beds with storage are useful in any situation, but are also great for squirrelling away supplies.

👍Plastic storage drawers where you can adjust the number of drawers can be invaluable so they can slot in a nook that might be available. Trolleys on wheels are also another great storage option that can tuck away against a wall.

👍Try not to hoard! Have a system and try and stay organised by having regular sort out sessions, keep moving forward with resources, and stay current with their development, desires, and demands.

👍 Local libraries and museums are naturally awesome learning locations, as is the local beach, hill, woodland or park.