Playroom ideas please x

[PixiePetal]

All your playrooms look lovely,

i used to desperatly want a playroom as got so sick of toys everywhere, i live in a small terraced house and have to use my through lounge diner as living area/playarea.

At one point i even considered moving to a 2 bed bungalow so i could use the second bedroom as a playroom.

BUT my outlook on it has changed, parents place their children with us for home care and not nursery care, and even though playrooms are great they are often set up as 'nursery rooms'.
I condensed a lot of my toys and got rid of quite a few and store a lot in a double wardrobe upstairs, i am lucky at the mo as my mindees are of similar ages so the toys upstairs are mostly the aged inappropriate ones.
i have a large 5x5 expedit unit in my dining room and the toys are stored in nice baskets which 'hide' them, but the children know exactly whats in each.
we get one or baskets out each morn and change them as and when rather than having everything accessable.
just interested to know from the people with playrooms, don't the children just 'trash' it? lol and get EVERYTHING out at once.

What i would REALLY REALLY want instead of a playroom is a downstairs loo

so those people without playrooms don't look at as a disadvantage, its just a different way of working.

saying all that if i did move and had a room i could use as a playroom then i would but i would still set it up to be a living area too. but it would be nice to be able shut the door on it in the eve and to be able to put posters/artwork up which is something i cant do at the mo.

I have to agree - the playroom is great - even though it is small, it has a futon to be used as a spare room too but since moving to this house the downstairs loo is a real winner my kids are teens so great not to have the toys in our living room anymore, but the loo

[nokidshere]

hope this works

Thats Lovely

I used to have a playroom but I only do 1.5 hours after school for older children now and don't really need one. We use the conservatory for toys and games storage but the children use the whole house to play in.

[Dragonfly]

I can really understand what Sweets is saying. childminding is becoming more like a nursery setting. even though I am guilty of having a small playroom. when I started 15 years ago I wouldnt of dreamt of having one and certainly not put things up like a notice board ( yes, got a big one in the playroom).Why Do we look like nurseries? its our homes after all.I bet the parents of the children that we mind wonted a home from home thats why they chose a childminder.

And yes, your play rooms are really, really lovely I dont mean to cause offence.

[Rain or Shine]

I can really understand what Sweets is saying. childminding is becoming more like a nursery setting. even though I am guilty of having a small playroom. when I started 15 years ago I wouldnt of dreamt of having one and certainly not put things up like a notice board ( yes, got a big one in the playroom).Why Do we look like nurseries? its our homes after all.I bet the parents of the children that we mind wonted a home from home thats why they chose a childminder.

And yes, your play rooms are really, really lovely I dont mean to cause offence.

I have a playroom because its inside my Dads house and he doesn't want my business to take over his home. Ofsted have completely changed home from home care, it is more structured than what it once was, but its just making sure we are dedcated to the job and the best is done for the children. Least with it being like this no Tom, Dick or Harry will do it just for the money. Its all the people who abuse childrens faults really, its made the world unsafe for them and now Ofsted are on top of carers.

I was a nursery nurse before i became a child minder so that side of things comes easily and naturally to me. I think thats why my notice board is so over the top.

I didn't create this post for negativity, i created it so i could get some ideas for my playroom and also find out how people set out their homes if they don't have a playroom. I'm only just getting back into it after losing my baby so just wanted a little help.

[Jods]

I was a nursery nurse before i became a child minder so that side of things comes easily and naturally to me. I think thats why my notice board is so over the top.

I didn't create this post for negativity, i created it so i could get some ideas for my playroom and also find out how people set out their homes if they don't have a playroom. I'm only just getting back into it after losing my baby so just wanted a little help.

I am a preshool assistant, and as much will be supporting play through the EYFS, am intending not to provide a 'playroom', there will be opportunities for play, and toys will be accessable, and there will be a notice board lol!!

but I had a really good chat with my ECO, prior to becomming a childminder and its all to do with outdoor play, so maybe look outside a little more than inside x we wont always agree, what suits one does not suit another, and what one parent loves another will hate, but as much as you have a playroom, I dont x different strokes for different folks

[sweets]

I have a playroom because its inside my Dads house and he doesn't want my business to take over his home. Ofsted have completely changed home from home care, it is more structured than what it once was, but its just making sure we are dedcated to the job and the best is done for the children. Least with it being like this no Tom, Dick or Harry will do it just for the money. Its all the people who abuse childrens faults really, its made the world unsafe for them and now Ofsted are on top of carers.

I was a nursery nurse before i became a child minder so that side of things comes easily and naturally to me. I think thats why my notice board is so over the top.

I didn't create this post for negativity, i created it so i could get some ideas for my playroom and also find out how people set out their homes if they don't have a playroom. I'm only just getting back into it after losing my baby so just wanted a little help.

sorry i didnt mean to cause offence or negativity, i love all your playrooms but was just trying to make a point that everyone doesnt need a playroom and that minders can work just as well without one.

[Mrs Book]

I'm jelous I'd love a playroom only because I'd like a room to sit at night and not have to look at toys everwhere and also to give my children their bedrooms back and not have toys they don't play with

[Rain or Shine]

You know the saying, the grass is always greener on the other side, no matter what is said or done people will always want something else or something to be different.

I'm happy to keep the real messy play in the playroom rather than around Dads house. We can use all rooms but he just doesn't want it to completely take over. I want my playroom to look appealing.

[Ant_h18]

I was going to upload our playroom but cant upload for some reason.

But it say this down the bottom of the page

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[Rain or Shine]

I was going to upload our playroom but cant upload for some reason.

But it say this down the bottom of the page

You may post new threads
You may post replies
You may not post attachments
You may edit your posts

You currently only have a really basic profile, once you make so many posts you then become entitled to upload pics. Best to ask Pauline or Sarah as i'm not sure when it will change x

[kim-d]

It looks great
Hers some pictures of mine I have only been doing this since april. My son and I have painted the window this weekend. I hope they have worked.

Sorry keeps saying its failed don't know what I am doing really sorry did try.

[mumto3]

I thought having no playroom was a disadvantage but after reading this I sort of agree with the home from home thing, it is true, playrooms are lovely but do look alot like nursery rooms but there is nothing wrong with them, its peoples choice how they choose to work, I do however have a downstairs loo and I love it when we have guests, no-one needs to go upstairs which is a bonus

[blue bear]

I think play rooms are just convenient, it's all there ready to go, no lugging boxes around and you can shut the door and Its gone when last mindee goes home.
On the whole mine prefer playing in the rest of the house or garden and play room is more like a massive wardrobe with toys stored in there.

Yes it does look like a nursery room but it's the type of care you give that gives childminding that home from home touch, we don't spend all day in there like you would in a nursery it's just storage really

[Rain or Shine]

I think play rooms are just convenient, it's all there ready to go, no lugging boxes around and you can shut the door and Its gone when last mindee goes home.
On the whole mine prefer playing in the rest of the house or garden and play room is more like a massive wardrobe with toys stored in there.

Yes it does look like a nursery room but it's the type of care you give that gives childminding that home from home touch, we don't spend all day in there like you would in a nursery it's just storage really

I totally agree Fi Fi x

[ziggy]

i have just taken sofa out of my playroom as it was used as a trampoline, given me lots more space and after reading this, cant wait for mindees to go home so i can go mad and totally reorganise playroom

[Ant_h18]

Hi here is are playroom dont know if its ok

[Rain or Shine]

Hi here is are playroom dont know if its ok

Its lovely, looks really nice xxxx

[glitzygal]

Here is my sensory garden, the tubes are great fun, the children find the balls that i hide and roll them down the tubes, they are excited when they come out the other end.

I have lots of outside play, even in the rain, we have great fun, making a mad dash to the gazebo........


As you can see in the picture my LO has a nice sleep under the gazebo in the shade, while we play in the garden, he is on a cot matress.

[sdean]

I am struggling to attach my photos but I have a facebook page with some photos on.
ttps://www.facebook.com/pages/Sarah-Dean-Childminding/129648067109473

[chibault]

Hi Rain or Shine,
you're so lucky to have a play room, I'd soooo love to have one! My play room is basically every room in my house other than the bathroom.

This page should give you lots of inspiration for your playroom.
http://pinterest.com/thelittlelist/learning-spaces/

Personally I have incorporated the Montessori method into my home and find it's much nicer to live with, as everything is neat and tidy and a pleasure to look at. I tried plastic boxes of toys and they drove me round the bend. Also it's cheaper to make the toys and you don't end up with piles of plastic toys everywhere.

My advice would be have areas, as it's easier for the children to select what they want to do next and where the toys are to be put away, so even if they're not put away exactly right, they're still in the right area. So I have areas and change the items once the children stop playing with them:

- a music area (tray on a shelf with a few musical instruments which are changed regularly).
- a book nook/literacy area by the sofa (books, shapes to draw around, pencils, paper, sandpaper letters, a simple painted alphabet, phonics cards)
- a nature area which covers botany and zoology (tray with different things from nature, such as feathers, conkers, sticks, leaves, pine cones and stones, plus magnifying glasses, plastic animals to match up with the flags of the world they come from, a leaf, tree and flower puzzle - this names all the parts of the flower, wooden puzzle matching baby animals to their parents)
- practical life area (play post box, a set to learn to use tongs to pick up pom poms - made from egg box, mini tongs and a bowl on a tray, basket with pegs in - to peg around the edge, money box and change, two bowls and a spoon with cereal - to learn spooning, jugs and water - to learn pouring skills, threading buttons, nuts and bolts board, hammering).
- sensorial area (generally montessori materials I have purchased or made, like sand paper cards, which kids match the grains of sandpaper to develop their sense of touch, colour matching games - made with laminated colour cards (made from paint charts) and a box of matching coloured items like buttons, toys, stones, spoons and coloured wooden blocks. Anything else which develops their senses, like tasting cups (to match flavours), sound pots (to match sounds) these are film canisters filled with things like rice or pasta, but superglued down! And a few russian dolls and a wooden sequence puzzle)
- geography area (land and water forms made from sculpey - lake/island, strait/isthumus, peninsula/bay, home made globe painted so the water area is blue and smooth and land is rough and mustard colour, flags.
- science area (mainly magnet play as other science things I tend to set up every so often)
- art area and others such as dress up are in flux, as I am currently working on moving the remaining plastic items (such as toy shop/kitchen) out to the playhouse.

There are loads of websites and blogs out there on how to make your own educational equipment, so worth checking it out.

Good luck,
Becky x