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Mackfam
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| Posted: June 07 2007 at 10:45am | IP Logged
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How are you guys going to handle your puzzles? I was thinking I would only set out those that we were specifically focusing on and rotate them out when we moved on. I have puzzles everywhere - I already rotate a set of "just for fun" puzzles in and out of the learning room, but with new puzzles coming in - I'm starting to wonder how to handle the presentation of it all - there are a number of different subjects covered.
Will you keep geography puzzles in a separate area from botany, etc.?
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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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Maria B.
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| Posted: June 07 2007 at 11:07am | IP Logged
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How do you store your baord/wood puzzles?
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Maria in VA
Proud Mom to 10 Great kids!
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SuzanneG
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| Posted: June 07 2007 at 11:12am | IP Logged
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I was just thinking about posting this question today.
For those of you who don't have a puzzle cabinets.....how do you store the knobbed puzzles?
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Suzanne in ID
Wife to Pete
Mom of 7 (Girls - 14, 12, 11, 9, 7 and Boys - 4, 1)
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Meredith
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| Posted: June 07 2007 at 11:23am | IP Logged
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I currently have mine stacked on a library shelf, they are a bit hap-hazard, and not accessed as oftern as I would like. 
I am going to have my geography cabinet with globes and landform cards all together in the library(?) and my plan is to rotate puzzles based on area of study.
Weather Puzzle with cloud cards and weather unit, etc.
Butterfly/Insect Puzzles with same cards and hands on models, etc.
Does that make sense, all of this is of course based on space availability...but I DO believe it's important to keep things fairly well separated until time of presentation/introduction to use.
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Meredith
Mom of 4 Sweeties
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CatholicMommy
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| Posted: June 07 2007 at 11:44am | IP Logged
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We just bought this one for our regular-sized puzzles, but I am also looking at one that holds several more.
They have wooden ones as well... All of which handle puzzles with smaller knobs. Our puzzles with large knobs have a shelf of their own that the came with. I'm not sure what to do about the bigger-sized puzzles, though. Our world map puzzle is on a large shelf under the entertainment center (which holds art supplies above and building toys below).
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Mackfam
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| Posted: June 07 2007 at 12:11pm | IP Logged
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I have been thinking of more baskets of goodness  Anyone attempting this? For example, world map in a basket with flags, beautiful culture books, small toob type animals from around the continents, etc. It would have to be a fairly large basket, but I'm just not sure how else to consolidate a "collection" of items. I just don't have the shelf space to set them out one right next to the other. Then the trick would be finding the baskets at affordable prices that were big enough....hmmm....I hate to go the plastic route, but maybe I'd be forced to use the dreaded plastic bin - see thru of course.
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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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Meredith
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| Posted: June 07 2007 at 12:16pm | IP Logged
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WOW, those are pretty tempting, are they pretty sturdy??
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Meredith
Mom of 4 Sweeties
Sweetness and Light
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lapazfarm
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| Posted: June 07 2007 at 12:21pm | IP Logged
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Well, as you may or may not know,I am all about "centers". I won't be able to finish up my organizing/arranging until my back-ordered items come in, but I am working on them now.
I used to have very seperate and distinct areas for ds and dd, since the age span is so great, but seeing ds's enthusiasm for some of the materials coming in, I am thinking of integrating the areas as much as possible.One exception will be the science areas. Ds needs a separate space for some of his more complicated projects. But there can also be some overlap areas in science, too.
So, for each center I set up, the appropriate puzzles will be there.
My plan is to have centers for:
Geography/world studies: with map case and all the geography/landform/globe materials and the continent boxes, and related books.
Math: with all of the books and manipulatives for both kids. Not sure how this is going to work yet.
Language: will be set up near the kitchen table, since this is where they like to work on that kind of stuff.
Science: Will take up an entire small room. With the botany cabinet, vertebrate, insect, and plant puzzles, plus a lot of cards and experiment supplies, microscopes, nature study equipment, etc, etc, etc, etc...
Music center: With the bell materials, parts of orchestra puzzle, recorder, drum, harp, keyboard, other instruments, plus music cards,instrument cards, and a cd player/listening center.
Separate shelves for her practical life and sensorial stuff.
Fun puzzles, like all of the Melissa and Doug ones will now go on shelves in her room, since she is now old enough to take care of them properly and space in the school room is at a premium. For those puzzles that do not have a cabinet, I have found that if I stack more than 3 or 4 they do not get used, so I try to keep my stacks short.
Of course all this is an ideal...we shall see how it all pans out!
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Theresa
us-schooling in beautiful Fairbanks, Alaska.
LaPaz Home Learning
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lapazfarm
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| Posted: June 07 2007 at 12:24pm | IP Logged
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Mackfam wrote:
| I have been thinking of more baskets of goodness Anyone attempting this? For example, world map in a basket with flags, beautiful culture books, small toob type animals from around the continents, etc. It would have to be a fairly large basket, but I'm just not sure how else to consolidate a "collection" of items. I just don't have the shelf space to set them out one right next to the other. Then the trick would be finding the baskets at affordable prices that were big enough....hmmm....I hate to go the plastic route, but maybe I'd be forced to use the dreaded plastic bin - see thru of course. |
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This is similar to what I am trying to accomplish with my continent boxes. I am going to use cardboard photo file boxes to collect a number of things related to each continent. I think they will be more attractive than plastic, but more stackable than baskets. Plus I can decorate the outsides with appropriate pictures. I am thinking of keeping them in the bottom space of my map cabinet.
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Theresa
us-schooling in beautiful Fairbanks, Alaska.
LaPaz Home Learning
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Mackfam
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| Posted: June 07 2007 at 12:34pm | IP Logged
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I actually love the box idea - ooh inspiration just hit! I couldn't get all of the maps of the individual continents, but did get the map of the world. I could set the map out with the different continent boxes for more focused study. Yes! I see this coming together! Thanks Theresa!
Oh my! I remember that Michaels had the photo boxes on sale for $1 this week! Might have to run by and pick up more 
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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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CatholicMommy
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| Posted: June 07 2007 at 1:04pm | IP Logged
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Meredith: if you're asking about the puzzle racks, I have found they are quite sturdy. The only thing I've found that I would prefer different (other than a bigger size), is that they do tip forward if all the top slots are full and the bottom ones are empty. I corrected it by putting little rub tips on the front poles, to raise it up a bit.
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Meredith
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| Posted: June 07 2007 at 1:47pm | IP Logged
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Good points, also what about the Botany & Zoology Puzzles, they measure 9"x9"x2" on most sites, will these fit do you think??
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Meredith
Mom of 4 Sweeties
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SuzanneG
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| Posted: June 07 2007 at 1:52pm | IP Logged
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Kid Advance has a botany cabinet plus 3 puzzles for $30, which is the price of the 3 puzzles only in most places.
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Suzanne in ID
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Mom of 7 (Girls - 14, 12, 11, 9, 7 and Boys - 4, 1)
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Angel
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| Posted: June 07 2007 at 7:02pm | IP Logged
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lapazfarm wrote:
Mackfam wrote:
| I have been thinking of more baskets of goodness Anyone attempting this? For example, world map in a basket with flags, beautiful culture books, small toob type animals from around the continents, etc. It would have to be a fairly large basket, but I'm just not sure how else to consolidate a "collection" of items. I just don't have the shelf space to set them out one right next to the other. Then the trick would be finding the baskets at affordable prices that were big enough....hmmm....I hate to go the plastic route, but maybe I'd be forced to use the dreaded plastic bin - see thru of course. |
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This is similar to what I am trying to accomplish with my continent boxes. I am going to use cardboard photo file boxes to collect a number of things related to each continent. I think they will be more attractive than plastic, but more stackable than baskets. Plus I can decorate the outsides with appropriate pictures. I am thinking of keeping them in the bottom space of my map cabinet. |
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I'm thinking of using the box idea (thanks, Theresa) for other topics, too, and saving them for when the baby comes. Then -- theoretically -- the kids could get out a box and have something new and interesting to do while I am otherwise occupied.
But I'm wondering a few things, too. For instance, puzzles and books. Puzzles won't fit in a photo box, but maybe in a banker's box? And I don't want to beat up any paper backs/soft cover picture books, but it would nice to keep them out of circulation for a while so the kids wouldn't blow through them before the baby even gets here.
Also, if I put stuff into the box to cover my 4 yo, 8 yo, and 10 yo... that means the 4 yo can't have it set up on tray unless I do it. (I was thinking of putting some art materials in the box, lists of projects for the older kids to do, that kind of thing. For instance, I wanted to make a Native American box, with the Native American cards from Montessori Services, materials for sand "painting" and mask making, homemade cards with ideas for research, maybe some beading materials... the books are already out on the shelves in a bin, although I don't have too many for my 4 yo...)
Gee, maybe this post should have gone into a different thread? I'm really unhelpful in the area of puzzles. I put a bunch out in a puzzle cabinet in the fall, but the cabinet was in reach of the babies, who really enjoyed strewing the pieces to the 4 corners of the earth. Now most of our puzzles are missing pieces. Except for the Montessori animal puzzles, which came with their own cabinet and are sitting on the buffet in the dining room, all the puzzles we own -- wood, knobbed, and cardboard jigsaw puzzles -- are stacked rather haphazardly on a high shelf in the coat closet. I take them down based on interest. But this is not a good solution.
--Angela
Three Plus Two
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CatholicMommy
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| Posted: June 07 2007 at 10:56pm | IP Logged
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The puzzle racks at Homeschooling Supply hold up to 1/2 inch thick (with small knobs above that) and could perhaps be made to hold a 9x9 in width and length.
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Mary K
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| Posted: June 08 2007 at 6:57am | IP Logged
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I store pieces of puzzles in labeled ziplock bags, the boards are in a drawer. I would love to leave some out for free perusal unfortunately, my 19 modd is at the dumping stage. Oh well, there's always next year.
God bless,
Mary
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4Real Forums : Nurturing the Years of Wonder
Topic: puzzles, puzzles everywhere
