Our Play Spaces

As I mentioned in the last bit on toys (why we sold most of our toys), we've been paring down and clearing out. These are the two play spaces we now have in our home. (I guess I should also mention Ada's doll closet in her room. I will get to that another day.). 

Why two?

Because the basement one doesn't get tons of use in the warmer months. In winter, we're down there a lot. So, it's worth having an extra area in the family room. It is also adjacent to my desk and workspace, which is helpful if I'm finishing a deadline, like today, and need the kids occupied.

Anyway, here they are after our clear out:

I wish I had snapped before photos. But I did this all on a very crazy nesting high. Basically, the living room benches had tons of random toys in them that would spill out all over the first level of our home. And the basement had two 9-cube organizers overflowing with toys and puzzles, blocks all over the ground, and a bunch of other multiples of things like dolls, puppets, and other assorted things the girls never played with.

Picture chaos.

Yeah.

That's it.

I have the highest hope for the cart in the living room, so I thought I'd show you what's in it. I have always complained about the age difference between my girls, but these toys seem to occupy them both nicely. And, OK. I'm not trying to drink the punch . . . but I'm getting more and more into Waldorf philosophies with regard to play and child-rearing.

I don't plan to follow all of it or send my kids to a specific Waldorf school (or homeschool, here's why). But I have always felt like organized sports/activities for younger kids and coached education from young ages . . . well, it just wasn't something I agreed with. Waldorf says kids need to play and explore and be exposed to the world without that type of structure. Toys are very open-ended and made from natural materials. Nature is priority. Seasons and holidays are to be celebrated with ritual. And predictable rhythm is so very important. I won't get into all the details right now, but it jibes with lots of stuff I've absentmindedly been striving for and is cool to see it in one place.

Here's where I'm starting in our home.

With the play cart.


This leads into another discussion and more explanation. But -- microblogging. Today I simply wanted to show you our spaces. We have so much less than we used to have. It might still be more than you care to have or you may -- instead -- feel like we don't have much. Who knows. Whatever the case, I'd love to gather questions or other directions you guys want me to take (the stuff you want to hear about) for the next post.

Leave a comment on the blog or on another platform so I can gather them! I will also discuss some of the homemade stuff we've put in the play cart to lower the price tag of all the expensive things you can buy. Because you can go crazy with Waldorf-style toys. They're gorgeous. But I cannot afford them. I digress!