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Cheryl
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Congratulations, Jennifer!!! 
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Cheryl
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Jordan
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That's so wonderful, Jennifer! Congratulations!
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You guys are so sweet - thanks for all the congrats and prayers!!! We're very excited here. 
A whole room for science and nature study Theresa???? No wonder I feel cramped! That's what I need! Sadly, I don't have a room to give up, and my floor plan is so darned open, I'm having trouble thinking of a creative place to locate all our treasures!!! I'm going to keep thinking on it though because I have to have more horizontal space to devote to our science/nature area!!!!! Ugh! I hate being frustrated in this one area when the rest of the room came out so well!
Oh - Wanted to say welcome Louise! How exciting that you're working on some geography items. I am amazed again and again at how very key these are to the children in this book. I'm sooooo happy we decided to invest this year! Our little geography area is about the neatest area in the room! I love the little boxes I got for my continent boxes. The whole thing has really come together. I found (on Montessori Services I think) a collection of coins from each country. I thought that'd be really neat to add along with some toob animals we've got here. Hopefully, hunting around the house will yield a few more things for continent boxes.
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Meredith
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Mackfam wrote:
| I love the little boxes I got for my continent boxes. The whole thing has really come together. |
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WHAT kind of *little boxes* did you find??? I am having a hard time locating something suitable. I want them to be plain (for the most part) and not too big or too small. Thanks, I know I should just go to Michaels but I get so distracted there unless I am solo 
Blessings!
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Meredith
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Mackfam
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Meredith - the boxes came in a set of 3, and the set was $3. So for $18 (cause there were only 6 sets there) I got 18 boxes. They are white and plain heavy cardboard type boxes. I decided against the photo box because I wouldn't be able to fit them all on the bottom of my geography cabinet, and I wanted them to all be there together.
I posted about the learning room set up today, and included several close-ups of the geography boxes. That might help you visualize them a little better.
Michaels is always a challenge with the little people in tow, but it does keep me from overspending...at a certain point, you just throw up your hands and decide "we gotta get out of here right now!!"
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Jen Mackintosh
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Meredith
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Thank you Jennifer, it's a wonderful view into your newly organized learning room! Such an inspiration for us all! I love the geography center, well, I love ALL of it frankly, it's wonderful!! WE have the same favorite nature journal, I can't go anywhere without mine 
Thank you for the boxes info also, it's very helpful and I love the size, they're exactly what I was thinking of!!
Blessings!
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Meredith
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lapazfarm
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I am drooling over your schoolroom, Jennifer! And those boxes are perfect!
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Theresa
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Eleanor
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Thanks for posting the photos. Your learning room is lovely and inspiring.
And we'll be praying for you to have an easier time with this pregnancy. (Try to drink lots and lots of water, if you can... one or two big glasses, every time you feel the slightest bit of thirst. It really seems to help with the sickness.)
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Thank you all so much for the kind words I feel flattered. You're all too kind!
Eleanor,
Yes, water would be good, and I am really trying to stay as hydrated as I can up front, but it would have to stay down to work  . When I say sick, I mean that a central line has to be inserted into an artery to feed me and the baby. No fun, but sometimes technology is a blessing! And I'm grateful for it. This will be our 6th pregnancy, and by now, at least there's comfort in knowing the drill, KWIM?
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Jen Mackintosh
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ALmom
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BTW: Jennifer's learning room stays just as neat all year, at least every time we've been by. Also, in case folks are looking, Wal_Mart has the same shelves in the lighting department and right now the vertical one with double doors is half price at least by us. We got two of these and one open shelf to put in our entrance foyer for the Cathechesis of the good shepherd materials. I saw a cabinet at Lowes with slanting metal shelves and thought of the insets. I need to figure out the price of this and whether or not I want very many closing door units in the Montessori room. So far I only have open shelving (seems more enticing to the dc) but I cannot close off this room so I have been thinking about when extended family visits with all the numerous infants and toddlers and what I will do to make sure the material doesn't get improperly handled. At first I thought I'd just label shelves and store things back in the rotating closet temporarily and I still may do this - BUT there may be a few things I don't want to keep moving. What have more experienced moms come up with?
We are currently in the woes of, oh my, we only have a month and everything is everywhere and I don't know where to begin. It is nice looking at others and seeing what is possible at the end of the panic and done so well in space much tighter than my own.
I just read Montessori-Loris post about arrangement in the classroom and, well, it left me wondering. I don't have a 3 - 6 classroom. I have primarily a 3-6 but I also hava a whole lot of olders who will also be using the area. I also am not sure what I want to do with practical life. Do you store practical life trays in your classroom space or in the kitchen/laundry room, closer to the sink. I'm trying to think this through. My main Montessori room is in the dining room (formal room we do not use and used to be a toy room) next to the kitchen. I still have to remove the sofa that is going to the garage sale and am waiting for my orders and still going through older stuff and purging. I'll have a lot of room in here. I plan to keep the Montessori music materials in the living room (where the piano and all our violins and cello and music books are). It is really open to the dining room so that part shouldn't be a problem. This room is in dire need of major overhaul - mostly because my 2 oldest keep using it and their stuff is sprawled. Now during school, except for breaks, our oldest will be in college so her music should be containable. My next tends to use the room as her study hall (and moves chairs in front of sofas to hold her piles of books). I'm hoping that when I move the youngers to the Montessori classroom, she will actually move back to the schoolroom where we have all the books and desks and extra lighting at least with the clutter. Of course, we hope for her to join us in some aspects of the other but at 15 this may be more limited. There is something about teenage study habits that seem to inspire books/study clutter to form indepnedent pathways through every room in the house. (Or is this just me and some other moms have inspiring ways to keep this under control).
The catechesis material is going in the entrance foyer - although the liturgical wheel and a few items will be on my low kitchen hutch as this is really where we spend most of the time and need the memory jogger. I'm a bit torn about splitting up this materiall, but I do want the children to have a quiet place for reflection with the catechesis material and then I want materials like liturgical calendar, saints quote, etc. to be where we see it often --- ie the kitchen. I also want my blessed mother and sacred heart statue here. The kitchen is far too noisy and busy to encourage quiet reflection but it is where we often come together for informal discussions, and we work on some things together like a virtue or memorizing saints quote and we somehow tend to spend a large portion of our day here. I'm thinking we'll end up with 2 sort of prayer tables downstairs - the one in the kitchen as a reminder in the midst of our business and the one in the never used foyer where children/mom can slip for quiet moments. We're a busy and noisy bunch. I'm hoping this will work. (Even the postman avoids our foyer as we have stairs gazillion so the front door is very, very rarely used). If this doesn't work we'll have to come up with another corner - maybe by the bay window in the family room. Has anyone else done anything like this? Any pros and cons to share about where to set up something like this.
I know we have a set place in the house where we store the broom which is close to where we tend to need it the most (in the kitchen) and we have a child sized one (my dh made it from a broken something or other). It makes more sense here since our Montessori classroom, unfortunately, has carpet. Lessons on sweeping, will by necessity, be done in the only room without carpet - our kitchen. We plan to replace much carpet with wood one day but it will be a long time away. Are some of the practical life materials too far flung. It just seems silly (to say nothing of ugly) to clutter my Montessori room with brooms, mops, buckets and such.
I know many of mine are chomping at the bit for using the baster and eye-droppers and pitchers. These involve water. Do you pre-fill with water or do you have the children do that part and carry it back and forth? Seeing as it has colored water in a lot of these --- and the track record we have of getting colored stains out of carpet -- well, I've contemplated pre-filling using a jar with a lid. I don't want them to actually do the task at the kitchen table as this is too high up for them really. The 4 yo will learn better at their own sized table. I really like the idea of them filling a pitcher and carrying it back - if there is a safe way to the sink. I love the idea of them carrying a tray with an open water container to have the test of grace of movement. I'm not keen on having trays of water in my learning room unless they are sealed jars. Aah the decisions.
I'm thinking of shelving units in the dining room for practical life trays - just not brooms, mops and that kind of thing, sensorial, math, etc. After Montessori-Lori's post I'm thinking I could have the first shelving to catch the eye be practical life - right across from the door and then it would all wrap around till it came to next to the door (this is more hidden when you first walk in the room by the door in the kitchen). I will have to print out the color code list. That sounds like a good visual clue to where to go in both choosing and returning items. I may have to tag some baskets with color coded ribbons and such. I know someone said they painted all their wooden trays. This is sounding very appealing. Brooms, mops and such should be tucked in the laundry room just behind the kitchen/laundry room door, next to my own cleaning items.
I really am curious about the logistics when you are a bit more spread out. It is not that my dc don't use the sinks - they do and way more than I care to think. Maybe that should be a whole different presentation and I really should have a better means of them reaching the sink than climbing onto the counter and walking along the edge of the sink (yes, mine really do this  when they don't feel like dragging our big kitchen chairs over or when they are watering their plants stored in the plant window that the chair just doesn't quite get them close enough to. And, yes it is very scary to see this in progress - usually I'm the last to know the latest technique for achieving some aim). The chairs are too big for them to carry, Montessori style, plus a chair by the sink ends up getting in older people's way when it is not returned to it's home (another lesson, I know). Any ideas for some easy, compact step-stool that a 4yo, 6yo and 10 yo can handle? I had a folding one once, but that one tended to pinch the littles fingers. I don't want something big and bulky that has to stay out or I cannot get dishes done. We have a small child chair by the laundry room sink but no one seems to want to use that sink - logistically further from everything, I guess and not near the plant window.
Organization is my weakest suit. I'm diving in though and hoping we are ok in the end. I love Jennifer's work room - it is inspiring to see and even better in person.
What boxes do you use for the catechesis materials. I'm thinking of putting the various Mass lessons on trays that fit in the closed door shelf and then put the other catechesis material that has been presented in its boxes on the open shelving. I know Jennifer used a hat box for the Good Shepherd presentation. I haven't found a hat box - am thinking about looking at Michaels as I want something large enough that I can safely store our Good Shepherd statue and He not get nicked by the rock. Any ideas. I did see gold imitation spray paint and am thinking of spraying all my Catechesis trays gold. OH, I am so sooooo indecisive. I want containers with lids for most of these presentations but I think I will leave the Mass materials out on different trays just because they are so beautiful to look at. We built a wooden altar but I'm thinking it would make more sense to use the top of the shelving for this and use the altar we made as a credence table. It is so low to the ground. I also think my 4 yo will need a few more years before he can take that one out and set it up with putting in the legsa and all. With the stackable shelving, our altar can get taller as the children do  and I know as they get older, we'll need the extra storage that will then go underneath.
Well a lot of panicky ramblings. Love the ideas that keep coming. I feel so behind all of you.
Janet
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Meredith
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ALmom wrote:
| ...That sounds like a good visual clue to where to go in both choosing and returning items. I may have to tag some baskets with color coded ribbons and such. I know someone said they painted all their wooden trays. This is sounding very appealing. Brooms, mops and such should be tucked in the laundry room just behind the kitchen/laundry room door, next to my own cleaning items....Love the ideas that keep coming. I feel so behind all of you. |
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I am so grateful for Lori's post as well and I love the color coding ideas, no matter what the medium, I love the colored ribbon idea!! And believe me when I say you are NOT at all behind!! I'm still waiting for a few orders to arrive and am not sure which house I'll be living in as to where I'm going to fully set up
I really appreciate how you think through all your ideas here Janet, it's so helpful to see the big picture and talk it through! You're doing a great job and your dc sound delighted with your new Montessori attitude
Blessings!
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Jennifer, I can't seem to find the link to the beautiful shelves you have in your learning room, were they Target or Walmart??? I'm so grateful for any help here.
Blessings!
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Meredith
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Mackfam
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I couldn't find a link to show Janet either Meredith  . You can find them either place, Walmart or Target. You have to hunt a bit though - I don't understand why they don't just put all the shelving stuff together.
Ok - so keep in mind that we're in Alabama, so things could be arranged differently geographically....
At Target you'll find them with the closet organizers right around their small sampling of hardware items and bathroom organizers and bathroom knobs. The Target shelves are about $1 more than the Walmart version, but basically the same thing!
In Walmart, you have to head over around their paint and hardware section. Back there you'll find some bathroom organizers, and around the same area, hopefully you'll find the closet organizers. Sometimes, ours are on the very, very back wall.
Hope this helps you Meredith. Lots of luck!
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Jen Mackintosh
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I'm with you here Janet - a lot of practical life takes place in the more practical areas of the home. I just don't have the space in my learning room for the cleaning and room care materials - I like fostering a sense of order, but other than providing workable tools, I'm not moving these to the learning room. I provide each child a cleaning kit, which I keep in my large pantry. I present how I want a certain room/item cleaned, and then they complete the task. When it comes to cleaning up messes, we've always insisted they clean things up themselves. I do show them how to accomplish the task, and make sure I have the appropriate materials for them to use.
Our plant will be in the kitchen, with flower arranging taking place where it will benefit the family most, on the kitchen table. The fish up in Mark's room will be fine to continue learning about the care of an animal - I do wish they were in a more central location - but it's the space issue again.
The rest of practical life, like the sorting/scooping trays I will set out in the learning room, although I also have thought of including something in the kitchen so that John Paul and Mark will have something productive to do that makes them feel included in the dinner making process.
Our home atrium is separate from the learning room as well, and I think this has worked out better for us. Although our home atrium and family Feast Day table are one and the same. It was a necessary combination to use space wisely.
I'm looking for a more useable/toddler-moveable step-stool too Janet. I like one I saw in the Michael Olaf catalog, but it is big and bulky, and $$$expensive. I'd love to hear anyone's solution here. The problem with the foldup step-stool we have is that it doesn't get you right up next to the counter, then you have to lean, and that makes for unsteady balance, and step stool that is encouraged to slide.
You are sweet to say those kind things about my learning room Janet - but, you're not far behind! You have such lovely spaces in your house, with such potential. It is good that you are putting so much thought into the placement of all of your materials. This initial time investment will pay dividends as you move through your year! I can't wait to see how your Montessori room comes out!
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Meredith
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Thank you Jennifer, I will check them both in all the various locations, it is helpful  Much appreciated!
I'm thinking on the step-stool option. We have some two-step wood stools that I found at Target years ago, they happen to be Winnie the Pooh motif, but they are nice and sturdy, not tippy, a bit too heavy for the 2yo still (which is a GOOOD thing ) and we have used them in many places, bathroom, in front of one of the kitchen sinks, etc. My older two have used a folding higher two-step stool, but it's pinchy and a pain to carry around, so I put the kabosh on that. I usually just reach something for anyone who is in need of something too high
Keep sharing, this is the fun part!!
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Meredith wrote:
Jennifer, I can't seem to find the link to the beautiful shelves you have in your learning room, were they Target or Walmart??? I'm so grateful for any help here.
Blessings! |
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Jennifer - are these the shelves?
Horizontal Stacking Shelves
or these
low shelves
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Meredith wrote:
Thank you Jennifer, I will check them both in all the various locations, it is helpful Much appreciated!
I'm thinking on the step-stool option. We have some two-step wood stools that I found at Target years ago, they happen to be Winnie the Pooh motif, but they are nice and sturdy, not tippy, a bit too heavy for the 2yo still (which is a GOOOD thing ) and we have used them in many places, bathroom, in front of one of the kitchen sinks, etc. My older two have used a folding higher two-step stool, but it's pinchy and a pain to carry around, so I put the kabosh on that. I usually just reach something for anyone who is in need of something too high
Keep sharing, this is the fun part!!
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The wooden storage stepstools (in maple or white)are on sale in Target this week - $19 instead of $29 - they are heavy - but have been the best bet in our house. I may try and go out later this week to get another one - in an attempt to stop my 3 year old from climbing on things he should not to reach everything!
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Marilyn, these are smaller than I was hoping for. Jennifer's are five shelves high (I think).
Thanks for linking these low ones though as I may need some of those as well
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On the subject of color-coding, I've started using colored felt to line many of our shelves and boxes. (This is meant to help to prevent scratching of materials, in addition to helping with organization.) As far as I've been able to tell, there doesn't seem to be a standard system of colors for the subject areas. I do have a book that recommends a system that the author created, but her choice of colors is too "busy" for my taste. I'd prefer to have a more neutral scheme, especially since our Montessori area is quite small.
Here's what we've been using so far:
Dark brown = toddler materials (doesn't show the dirt
Dark blue = sensorial
And I'm thinking of using:
Light brown = language (a "next level" from many of the toddler materials)
Light blue = math (a "next level" from many of the sensorial materials; will complement the golden beads)
Grey = practical life (so I can use these trays )
Dark green = cultural
(Religion will be in a separate room. We'll probably skip the color-coding for those materials, so as not to distract from the liturgical colors.)
If anyone has a different system that they're really happy with, I'd love to hear about it!
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Meredith wrote:
Marilyn, these are smaller than I was hoping for. Jennifer's are five shelves high (I think).
Thanks for linking these low ones though as I may need some of those as well |
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Yes, Marilyn and Meredith - these (the lower link) are the shelves I used. They are called shoe organizers (mine are a maple color, not white) and are 31" long. They stack neatly together. I have 3 stacked together in my learning room. You could stack one more set I think and still be stable, but I couldn't because of the height of my wall shelves. I have a total of 9 sets on the Montessori side of the room, and I have 2 more behind my desk to help me stay organized. From the link price of $12.99 it seems they are a good bit less expensive at Walmart. HTH. Thanks for the links Marilyn!
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4Real Forums : Nurturing the Years of Wonder
Topic: Setting up the materials and organization
