zotospeak: Organised Chaos

I've been meaning to post an update for a while on my rearranging of the play area downstairs to be more consistent with the Montessori method of displaying toys and activities. I had actually had the idea to purchase or make a wooden shelf for toys a while before I got involved with Montessori, but going to PTP and seeing what a difference it makes having a play area that is accessible and organised gave the motivation to finally get it done.

So the first thing I had to do was a giant clear out of a whole lot of toys. We have been given so many hand-me-downs and gifts that we don't need and never would have bought ourselves, and I decided to just be ruthless and pretty much bin anything I don't like that H doesn't absolutely love. Which meant that I did have to keep a giant inflatable dinosaur and a stuffed Spongebob Squarepants doll, but I've hidden them out of sight. Meanwhile, I found a dead huntsman at the bottom of her giant bin of toys, which just goes to show how often she used them!

Once I'd decided what toys I wanted to keep, I made a trip to IKEA. I purchased the Trofast frame with wooden shelves after seeing a few images of other spaces that had used this system on Pinterest. I then purchased some wooden boxes, woven baskets and crocheted pouches in which to store activities. Finally, I bought a rug to serve as the dedicated play/work area.

I was pretty proud of myself the day I built and set all this up - it gave the entire house a fresh, organised feel. We've had the system in place for about three weeks now, and I've been SO happy with it both aesthetically and functionally, as H has been much better (still nowhere near where I'd like) at putting her toys away.

Anyway, here are a few images of what it looks like. I hope it inspires you to get organised too!