A Peek Into Our New Learning Space

Now that I have everything unpacked, sorted, and checked; now that I have our room cleared out and shelves put up; now that everything has a home -- would you like to take a peek at our new learning space?  I've mentioned before that our original plan was to have the schoolroom and playroom together in the basement (along with my sewing table and exercise equipment, and . . .)  I've found over the past months that this just won't work for us at this stage.  E is far too distracted by everything else in the playroom to work well, and I was afraid of materials getting damaged or having to put them up every time we had friends over.  (That's what we were doing with our Tot School shelf - how exhausting!)  So we converted our upstairs loft office into a schoolroom last week.  The computer is still in here - someday it will probably move down to the main floor, but not yet.  All E's Montessori materials are on shelves that take up one whole wall, and other "Tot School," theme work, and practical life work are on her old Tot School shelves.  Here, let me show you!

Tot School shelf and E's table

 Table, random cat (Felicity), and half of the Montessori shelves

 Other half of the Montessori shelves and a relatively clean computer desk

And I know some of you are curious of what exactly is on those shelves, so here is a breakdown of the Montessori shelves.  The Tot School/PL shelf still gets rotated quite frequently, but the Montessori shelves will stay mostly the same so E knows where everything "lives" - where to get it from and where to put it back away.  I apologize for the picture quality - I was so excited, I took these the night we got the shelves up.  Couldn't wait until morning for better light.

  the entire wall

 Math and Geometry

top: cards for the geometric cabinet

middle: spindle box, sandpaper letters, Melissa and Doug pattern blocks

bottom: geometric solids box, geometric cabinet and tray

Sensorial

top: knobless cylinders, touch boards, brown stain

bottom: knobbed cylinders, pink tower, (spindle box)

 Language

top: alphabet cabinet (miniatures), sandpaper letters, alphabet BOB book set

bottom: moveable alphabet, (knobbed cylinders)

And, just in case you're still curious, here is what was on our Tot School/PL shelf when I took all these pictures.  Like I said, this changes regularly - you'll have to wait until this week's Tot School post to see what is on the shelves this week. :)
 

E wants to point out that there is a "gwobe" on top of the shelf.

top: counters and popsicle sticks, spelling E's name, what's different activity

middle: sorting, pouring

bottom: button snake, bird cards and figures, color dominoes

I just found out that I might have another "student" for the summer!  My neighbor saw my setup and wants her son to come work with E and I a few times a week.  He goes to regular preschool during the school year.  I'm excited, I think it will be a good chance for me to see if I want to pony up the money for Montessori teacher training or not, and it will be a good for E to get to work with another child.