Play Time

The playroom is finally complete. Well as much as it is gonna be considering that free time to work on such projects is a commodity at my house these days.  Come on in. I will give you a quick tour. 

This room in our basement used to be the place in my house that I used as a dumping ground for random stuff, as well as a multipurpose place to do my sewing, scrapbooking, etc. It literally consisted of a desk armoire, a table, and random stuff strewn about everywhere. Nothing had a spot or a place it belonged to. It was simply the aftermath of a tornado. From the moment I started having contractions a few days before Nolan was born, I started nesting BIG TIME. I made my husband install shelving in the closets. Then I went and bought a crap load of things to organize my stuff unil it looked like this...

Much better. I was able to hide all my mess behind doors and have a brand new space to make as a play room for the kiddos. 

I know that there are a lot of people from various countries who would think dedicating a whole entire room to storing children's toys seems a bit ridiculous.  Sure, kids these days have way too much "stuff", I agree. But here's the thing.... I happen to hold a strong belief that play is one of the most powerful methods in which a child can learn, express himself, and develop important skills. Sure, children don't need a lot of toys to have meaningful play - but if you have the means to do so, why not create a space in the home that encourages exploration and creativity?

Maya has already had so many great play sessions down in here. I have actually learned a lot from her just watching her play and interacting with her. It is also such a joy when we have company over and she invites someone to come down and be a part of her world.  I love to watch her try to get grown adults to follow her into that tiny tunnel!

A few quotes about play to leave you with today:

A child loves his play, not because it’s easy, but because it’s hard.

Benjamin Spock

Play has been man’s most useful preoccupation.

Frank Caplan

Deep meaning lies often in childish play.

Johann Friedrich von Schiller

Play is our brain's favorite way of learning.

Diane Ackerman

Deep meaning lies often in childish play.

Johann Friedrich von Schiller

Man is most nearly himself when he achieves the seriousness of a child at play.

Heraclitus