Tag: Play Space

Felt Pieces | #unexpectedtoys

curatedplayspaces

One of my littlest’s favorite gifts was a packet of stiff 8×12 colorful felt pieces (today’s edition of #unexpectedtoys). He loves to use them as part of his small world and block play, creating different landscapes for his characters to play on. Blue might be a swimming pool or an ocean when placed next to yellow sand. Green works well for grass and a place for the Paw Patrol to use the potty. 😉 Brown is dirt, and when he laid down all the colors it became a trampoline park.

To store when not being played with, I used a file organizer I had on hand and arranged them by color/shade to make it easy to find exactly the piece that’s needed.

Downsize and organize BEFORE the holidays (and all those gifts) hit!

curatedplayspaces

Our family celebrates Christmas and it ends up being a week long holiday by the time we’ve seen family and friends. We do our best to keep things minimal while still being magical, but it’s fun to see your kids be spoiled a little. This inevitably means lots of new things coming into the home (this is just a little of what my boys have already been gratefully gifted).

The next couple of days will be focused on family fun, but once the festivities are over it’s time to figure out where to put everything. The temptation of course is to find more storage and just make it fit, but this year I encourage you to take the time to go through old (and maybe new) toys and take out at least the same amount of what has come in (if not more).

Give your kids the gift of being able to find and enjoy their new toys, without having to endeavor on a treasure hunt through buckets and bins. And consider it a gift for yourself too, because I promise it will equal a happier more peaceful household, and some time all to yourself.
But first it’s time to bake cookies, wrap gifts, turn up the Bing Crosby, and start laundry (because it isn’t all #instalife glam over here).

Invest in a cordless stick vacuum (seriously)!

curatedplayspaces

One of the very best things you can buy for your play space (and home) isn’t a toy or storage item, it’s a vacuum cleaner – namely a cordless stick vacuum. Kids are inherently messy. They collect all the crumbs, dirt, glitter, and things you can’t identify 😳, and then deposit these all over your lovely floors and rugs – especially where they play. I talk a lot about play invitations and having a clean space is #1. The beauty of the cordless stick vacuum is that you can grab and go mindlessly, which means you will actually use it and often. I know this post might seem a bit silly, I mean come on, we all have a vacuum of some sorts. But for me, the day we bought our Dyson Stick revolutionized our home and my ability to keep spaces inviting. It’s also something even my littlest can use, which means my kids have learned to clean up after themselves too. 🙌

From little things, big things grow!

curatedplayspaces

This holiday season has been a bumper time for this little business. So many consults (yay!) and lots of installs for the new year. As things gets busier, I’m still figuring out the time juggle between working and mama-ing full time (any hot tips?). I so appreciate your patience as we figure out the best way to grow and make sure we’re giving you the best product and service, while still maintaining some resemblance of sanity at home.

My own outdoor play space has been in flux this fall as we prepare to do a major overhaul of the space. The cold wet weather definitely slows down outdoor progress, but we’ve finally got a (mostly finished, insanely huge) sandbox back in action. My playgroup crew were so happy to get back outside into it this week, and were even more excited to find that the slide now lands into the sandbox. Now onto the new mud kitchen and play structure. #cantstopwontstop

Creating magic with light!

curatedplayspaces

For today’s playgroup session I turned our indoor clubhouse (as my boys lovingly call it) into a magical light box. We hung our Sarah’s Silks over one of the openings and placed a play invitation inside using all sorts of lovely twinkle lights, flashlights, and lanterns. The addition of the play silk was the first thing the kids noticed as they arrived and it was an immediate draw to climb the ladder to see what was inside. Next followed ‘oohs and ahhs’, and lots of work figuring out how the lights worked. Fast forward to tonight, and my Pilot was even more enamored to explore the space in the dark.

And listen, you don’t need a fancy indoor fort to create this magic. Throw a couple of tablecloths over your kitchen table and place a basket of battery operated Christmas lights and some flash lights underneath (don’t forget to sweep first ;). Find a big card box box and put your basket of lights in there. Or even just enjoy the light play once the sun goes down in a dark room (one plus to it being dark by 5.30pm).

Tape Measures | #unexpectedtoys

curatedplayspaces

My little guy is very into trains at the moment and a way of extending this play is with the addition of tape measures (this week’s #unexpectedtoys). Once we’ve built his big track and long train, he loves to measure and record how big everything it (we keep clipboards with paper and markers in the playroom for this purpose). Although it mostly looks like scribbles and his knowledge of numbers stops at 5, this early numeracy and literacy activity is a great introduction to all kinds of skills. So what are you waiting for? Grab some measuring devices, create a play invitation, and see where your tiny humans take it!

Play Space Refresh (because we all need a touch up every now and then)

curatedplayspaces

Children’s interests and development don’t stop changing and growing, which means play spaces aren’t ever going to be stagnant either. A service I offer to past clients is the option for me to come in and give their play space a refresh. I can help reorganize, update toys, pull items ready to donate or pack away for another baby.

  • BEFORE
  • AFTER

This morning started off with with one a refresh for a family I worked with last year. They were feeling overwhelmed by toys again and wanted things sorted before the next influx of gifts over the holidays. Because the bones were already in place, it was just a matter of downsizing, re-organizing, and creating a home for all the new items. After a couple of hours, we had an XL bag of items to donate, and a play space ready to be enjoyed again by everyone in the family.

  • BEFORE
  • AFTER

Create an impromptu obstacle course (outside and in!)

curatedplayspaces
702b5cab-7448-489f-afe2-83aec9ab1991

It may be #Friyay but I’m already counting down the days til next Wednesday and our weekly #humpdayhangout (aka playgroup). We spend the majority of the time outside and the littles always flock to the sandbox and mud kitchen, however right now my play area is in flux and dismantled so we had to get extra creative this week to keep bodies and minds busy. Cue – the impromptu obstacle course!

Using wooden boards of different lengths, ladders, cones, a saw horse and blanket, cushions, a soccer goal, and a tight rope, + bubbles to celebrate reaching the end, we created a play invitation that everyone wanted to try (over and over again). This is something so simple and opened-ended you could set up at home too (inside and out). Get creative and let me know what you come up with, or even better, send pics!

Scarves | #unexpectedtoys

curatedplayspaces

Processed with VSCO with nc preset
Processed with VSCO with nc preset

A lovely way to add some color to your play space is with scarves – today’s edition of #unexpectedtoys. Easy to thrift and available in allllll the colors, shapes, sizes, and fabrics, they are the perfect addition to all sorts of play. In small world/block play, they can become rivers, beaches, snow on a mountain, a roof for a building, or a blanket for a tired animal. In dramatic play they can be turned into capes, aprons, dresses, hats, tails, and long hair. Add them to your music area and they are the perfect accessory for dancing during jam sessions. We keep a basket in our play space and I always like to add one to the spaces I help curate too. Just make sure to steam/iron out the wrinkles every now and then to keep them looking inviting.

Mini Makeovers (LEGO edition)

curatedplayspaces

241fecd5-fcbe-4d25-9c60-ed4375eb4f9d

Sometimes folks hire me for a full play space makeover and sometimes they just need help with one aspect of their space. Lots of times that aspect is LEGO. I’ve written about LEGO organization before, but this is kind of my crack (it’s a little embarrassing how excited it makes me). The best way I have found to organize LEGO is by color and specialty pieces. This way it’s easy to find the pieces if your child wants to build a set and it makes free building a breeze too.

4c18feca-5cef-47c0-a272-d106a2cbf0fe
BEFORE

I’ll often find folks store all their LEGOs in one big box (*shudder*), but that does make it easy for me to scoop it up, bring it home, and get things organized. So if you’re looking for a little LEGO sanity, or even the perfect gift for the kid who has it all (the holidays are upon us), shoot me a message to get the magic started! ⋒ Swipe to see the LEGO before pic!