Sigh, My Daycare Space Is Finally Done. :)

[Heidi]

I love the loft and the stairs the most. The whole set up is very, very nice.

If we ever sell this house and build (as planned), I get a whole basement too, with a seperate entrance. Oh, I wish I wish I wish!

[nanglgrl]

I love it! I plan to do something similar when I move to a bigger house. I am curious tho where did you get that shelf for the diapers?

Thank you! I bought the shelf for diapers through Kaplan but it would be incredibly easy to make one for 1/3 of the price they charge.

[nanglgrl]

Outstanding!

May I come over to play...plzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz

Looks great!! happyface


Can I come play?

I would like to enroll myself! Have I aged out? I sleep for naptime/totally potty trained/eat well and play pretty well.

Let me know!

You guys are all welcome to come play as long as you don't laugh at me when I get totally involved while playing with the legos, dance like a freak or sing of key!

[nanglgrl]

Amazing! Did someone build the loft for you? What age group do you have? I think my 20 mo olds would drive me nuts if I had set up that way. They are the "dump and run" type!

My husband built the loft for me, I drew it out and he made it happen. It was a really simple plan, basically a deck with the house shaped front. I never planned on having a loft but the state rule is that we have to have stairs that go up to our egress window. I thought the stairs alone would be a waste of space so the loft was born. Originally there was a half door at the bottom of the stairs for safety but I took it off when I realized it was more of a hindrance than a help. The boys have become quite able at walking down those stairs in high heels!
I have one 16 month old, five just turned 2 years old, one 3 year and one 4 year old and they have all been playing in this space (although it wasn't completely done) since before they reached 2. There is really not much they can dump out. The blocks, a baby doll and a few supplies, some dishes and food, some costumes, a few instruments etc. are always out and even if they get everything they can reach and dump it on the floor it's still not really messy. I rotate the types of items I have out in the centers (different play food, costumes etc.) so they don't get bored and if I see the group really engaged in one center I will get all of the items out for that center so they can expand their play.
I'm sure like most providers my biggest problem is the sand from the sand table but the Roomba takes care of that problem for me. happyface I did anticipate them getting all of the science/sensory materials out and causing a mess, or ruining some items, but so far they only touch the stuff that is on the top of the storage unit unless I get something out of it for them.
I will say though that in the baby/toddler room (I didn't post any pictures of that) they do dump everything out, step on toys and make a mess. Maybe it's because they are all the battery operated, fun for a few seconds type of toys and the centers are more engaging? Maybe it's because in the main room I can see almost every area from my post so it's easy to redirect a child and the baby/toddler room is not in my direct line of site unless I'm in there, in the doorway or looking through the window. I'm sure some of you guys will be able to answer this better than I can I'm just glad the space never looks like a tornado hit it and that I can close the door to the baby/toddler room when it gets too messy!

[nanglgrl]

Very nice! I still love your puppet stage; my kids would play with that all day. The loft is pretty cool and of course the wall of storage is to die for

Thank you! Isn't it so funny how kids can be so different? Mine rarely play with it. They usually grab the puppets of the puppet tree and run around with them on their hands. They do get some pretty good games of peek a boo going though!
I think I bought it at Kaplan.

[HappyHearts]

I LOVE everything about your setup! Colorful, friendly and inviting! I want to come play too!

[Country Kids]

You guys are all welcome to come play as long as you don't laugh at me when I get totally involved while playing with the legos, dance like a freak or sing of key!

I have a friend that lives in Mt. Vernon (I think thats right). So when I decided to go see her maybe I'll stop by. I mean we only live what 9 states away-::

[nanglgrl]

I love the loft and the stairs the most. The whole set up is very, very nice.

If we ever sell this house and build (as planned), I get a whole basement too, with a seperate entrance. Oh, I wish I wish I wish!

That is exactly why we bought this house. I loved that parents could come right through the door by the driveway and down to the basement and skip seeing my sink full of dishes or baskets of laundry that need folding. It helped that it was in a nice neighborhood and had a huge backyard but that entrance is what hooked me!
It took me 10 years to get this set up how I wanted and at times it seemed unattainable. When I first started I had all of these ideas but no space. I was in a rental duplex and used the downstairs living room, kitchen, half bath and dining room completely for daycare and the upstairs bedrooms were ours. We spent about a year eating at that child sized table! :::: and the only adult furniture in our living room was a red couch that I bought specifically because it matched the toys...artwork? posters about shapes and colors. Oh the memories! ::
Keep wishing! It will happen.

[nanglgrl]

Thank you!

I just want to say a big thank you to everyone for their compliments. It means the world to me. lovethis It's sites like this and people who share their spaces, ideas and knowledge that helped me design my space. I love seeing the children enjoy the space but having adults appreciate it too makes all of my hard work so worth it.
There are several ideas that I did in my space (the circle time center and peg board for instruments just to name a few) that I used because other people shared them. Thank you for sharing, without you this wouldn't have been possible.
One thing I've learned through this endeavor is that there is never enough space. Even if I had 1000 square feet I would find ways to fill it up! Thanks again.

[spud912]

OMG, I LOVE your setup! When I redesigned my playroom a few months ago, I had many of the same ideas, but it definitely did not turn out as nice as yours! I especially love all your storage space, the science station and all of your puppets. Of course I love love the idea of a loft too! Want to trade spaces for awhile?!?!

[LK5kids]

I'd love to come play too and I'm only about two hours away!
Your space is beautiful beyond words!

[daycarediva]

I LOVEEEEEEEEEEEE THIS!

I wish I could pull my sand and water tables back out, but my 2 year old toddler tornado won't allow ANY of it to stay IN them.

[LaLa1923]

And some more photos....

Very nice!! I might need to see this in person!! I lOVE IT!! Where did you buy the things you used? I love the changing table!

[nanglgrl]

Very nice!! I might need to see this in person!! I lOVE IT!! Where did you buy the things you used? I love the changing table!

You're welcome to stop by! Everything has been collected over the last 10 years. Most of the basics (including the changing table) were purchased through Kaplan, a few things through Lakeshore learning and some from Discount School Supply. I always find a coupon code though so I never pay full price. If my daycare was doing well I invested more money into it and if it wasn't I just paid the bills. I guess looking back I must have had more good years than bad. LOL.

[Sunshine74]

I love, love, love your music center. And the loft with the rainbow stairs. And the puppets. Your whole space is fantastic, but those are my three favorite areas.

Did you make the crayon artwork yourself?