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mumsrea
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| Posted: Aug 05 2008 at 7:44am | IP Logged
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So we're converting our playroom to a learning room. But since our basement is unfinished we don't have a place to put many of the toys.
So we're scaling back toy wise obviously, but i really have to keep some toys in the learning room. My plan was to have mostly school time toys (eg: lincoln logs and etc for ds) but dd really is still learning from her toys and i figured that as long as she was playing constructively on a mat it would be good. However, ds will have to be instructed to choose work or educational toys during school time unless i remove all the toys (cars and trucks and etc.) I hate this idea b/c it is his playroom and because i believe in learning through play! But i do need a toy repository...where will he play outside school time if all the toys are in the unfinished basement or in his room? He wants to play on the main floor, understandably...
My question is how have all of you solved this problem and what are your "toys during school time rules?"
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momto2
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| Posted: Aug 05 2008 at 7:59am | IP Logged
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I will be interested to hear the responses! I was going to post something similar. I have divided up our playroom into toys/play on one side and school stuff on the other...not really sure how it will work.
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Mackfam
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| Posted: Aug 05 2008 at 10:40am | IP Logged
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Our montessori materials are referred to as "work" - as such they are simply not allowed into the general traffic pattern if that makes sense. Calling it work sets up a sort of invisible boundary that the child instinctively seems to follow. I invest the time necessary at the beginning of each year to teach the use of using a rug or table to set up a space for each child's work. Once that is done it is easy to reinforce. Toys frequently migrate into the learning room, but montessori work never is allowed to migrate out.
If my 3 yo picks something off the montessori shelf and tries to take it out of the area for imaginative play - I simply re-direct him or help him return it to the shelf and remind him that he can work with that material, but it is not for play. As long as it is treated as work and with respect, I don't interfere.
I do think it's important to have some kind of physical space set aside for montessori materials - even if it's just one shelf. You could use some of the colored masking tape and put a neat strip on the outside edge of your shelf in a bright color and teach the children that their work belongs on the red shelves, while their toys may live on the other shelves.
Now time for the confession...if you're doing Montessori work at home and you have set out attractive materials, at some point the temptation to turn small golden beads into rocks to be offloaded by the conveniently located dump truck, or shiny blue ovoids into an egg that your 3yo is hatching will surface. When that happens, I gently redirect, point out that these items are only for work, and then remove the material from the shelf and put it behind locked doors in my Montessori closet. Sometimes I do this immediately, sometimes I wait a few days to observe the children to see if they are truly bored with an object and thus using their imaginations to extend the lesson so to speak. But, that deviates from true Montessori and I wanted to point that out, that's 4Real Montessori in my opinion.
Did I answer your question, MR? Let me know if I need to clarify something - I know others handle this too, and their opinions will offer you more ideas, I'm sure!
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Jen Mackintosh
Wife to Rob, mom to dd 19 , ds 16, ds 11, dd 8, and dd 3
Wildflowers and Marbles
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Milehimama
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| Posted: Aug 05 2008 at 12:31pm | IP Logged
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Our toys are stored in plastic shoeboxes with lids. The "twaddle" toys (I don't know why I think of them like this, but what I mean are Non-Montessori works) are stacked on top of a bookcase with the lids on.
We have, for example, Mrs. Potato head, army men, cars/trucks all in lidded boxes; the "play with anytime toys" such a pegboards, Lincoln logs, etc. are in open dishpans.
Here is our learning/play space from two houses ago.
http://milehimama.blogspot.com/2007/05/30-day-challenge-upda te.html
I had all of the toys and works for 6 children age 1-8 on these shelves (some practical life was in the kitchen). I just used shelves I already had.
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montessori_lori
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| Posted: Aug 05 2008 at 3:49pm | IP Logged
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At the barest minimum, toys and Montessori materials need to be kept separate. They can be in the same room, but on different shelves. I flipped shelves around - work was facing out during work time, then toys during playtime. That works well with smaller shelves.
For items that *could* potentially be a toy or work (a lot of Melissa & Doug stuff comes to mind): you decide which one you want it to be. If stringing wooden beads is work, then put it with the Montessori materials, on a tray, and require that they use it with a mat on the table and put it away when finished. If it's a toy, put it with the toys and let them use it any way they want.
Now time for the confession...if you're doing Montessori work at home and you have set out attractive materials, at some point the temptation to turn small golden beads into rocks to be offloaded by the conveniently located dump truck, or shiny blue ovoids into an egg that your 3yo is hatching will surface. When that happens, I gently redirect, point out that these items are only for work, and then remove the material from the shelf and put it behind locked doors in my Montessori closet. Sometimes I do this immediately, sometimes I wait a few days to observe the children to see if they are truly bored with an object and thus using their imaginations to extend the lesson so to speak. But, that deviates from true Montessori and I wanted to point that out, that's 4Real Montessori in my opinion.
This is the perfect response...not that far from Montessori. All a Montessori teacher does is either take the material away and re-direct or re-present it right then the correct way. How far we let them go with it is really up to the comfort level of the teacher/parent. If you can tell they're really exploring the attributes of the item, not just playing, you can let them go off a little longer from the intended usage. That's why observation is so important!
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Eleanor
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| Posted: Aug 06 2008 at 12:37pm | IP Logged
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During playtime, we block off the Montessori shelves with large panels made of cardboard, held in place with a couple of scrapbooking carts and bins of extra craft supplies. When we're doing Montessori, we just move the cardboard over so that it blocks the toy shelves. The bins are rearranged into a barricade, to keep the baby on the other side of the room.
The cardboard isn't too noticeable if it's covered with white butcher paper. If you're feeling more ambitious, it can also be made into a felt or flannel board, or a magnetic board (with Magic Wall panels), or a chalkboard (with stick-on sheets), or a drawing easel (by adding a bulldog clip and pad of paper).
It's not the most beautiful solution, but it works quite well. 
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mumsrea
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| Posted: Aug 06 2008 at 12:43pm | IP Logged
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Great solutions, but i think all of them would result in my two year old pointing and screaming for something that was not accessible.
Sigh.
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montessori_lori
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| Posted: Aug 06 2008 at 4:28pm | IP Logged
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Great solutions, but i think all of them would result in my two year old pointing and screaming for something that was not accessible.
Even with shelves turned around, so they can't see what's back there? And lots of shelves with appetizing work that they can do?
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mumsrea
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| Posted: Aug 06 2008 at 4:38pm | IP Logged
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Shelves turned around wouldn't stop my dd. Possibly appetizing work that she CAN do might divert her, although i pretty much intend to invest in only work-y toys for her since funds are limited and she's only two...so i'd feel bad telling her she can't get at beloved things..
btw, do you have any tips for the under 2.5 set, work wise or any resources you can direct me to? this is really the thrust of the original question, actually...
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montessori_lori
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There's another thread going right now with great under-3 ideas - and all these posts have lots of ideas for work, etc.(especially the last one):
Infant & Toddler Posts
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Mackfam
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| Posted: Aug 06 2008 at 8:54pm | IP Logged
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mumsrea wrote:
Great solutions, but i think all of them would result in my two year old pointing and screaming for something that was not accessible.
Sigh. |
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I wondered if you could set up some trays/work/materials on a rolling cart that you could roll out for "work time" and roll into a locked closet when you no longer want access to those items in the public flow? Something like this would be inexpensive. Then there are other, more budget sucking choices like these. It's easy to add a lock to a closet.  Ask me how I know!
Just another idea.
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Jen Mackintosh
Wife to Rob, mom to dd 19, ds 16, ds 11, dd 8, and dd 3
Wildflowers and Marbles
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montessori_lori
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| Posted: Aug 07 2008 at 10:07am | IP Logged
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Can I speak a gentle word of caution? I think many times we *think* we know how our child would act in a given situation, but often they surprise us.
Rather than assume that any certain method or way of arranging materials simply won't work without trying it, why not try it and observe? That's the scientific method that Maria Montessori used to such great effect.
One of the things I admire most about her is that she left her own presuppositions behind and simply watched the children.
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mumsrea
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| Posted: Aug 08 2008 at 1:16pm | IP Logged
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thanks Lori!
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4Real Forums : Nurturing the Years of Wonder
Topic: toys and the learning room
