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The alcove hallway area just outside of Room#3
The following area is not really a room per se, rather huge hallway areas we wished to use and incorporate functioning learning centers within. Therefore, the learning center creation was dreamed of and built upon this summer during my “Midsummer projects” organizational lower floor room spree.
For this project area, I stole shelving from other rooms, promising to replace it all “soon”, including our video collection, which I forced a few children to pack into the dreaded leftover moving boxes, which were sealed shut for a few weeks. This was not so bad, get outside more or stay inside and help mother out. Which did they prefer? Well, most hung around seeing all come to fruition slowly but surely and when tired of watching, or playing gopher (go for this, go for that!), they were outside enjoying the summer sunshine.
Our former home had many built in cabinets in our home office room, built in shelving my husband’s father assembled in the rec room closet and much other assorted shelving for the children’s games and schooling items. In this home, I was lost for this past year, floundering over where to put everything which previously wasn’t a dilemma. Here it soon became a huge annoyance, nothing having a home to keep organization within its boundaries to a proper standard.
The lightbulb idea was blinding! Buy bins, steal shelves, and in my mind I could even envision how they would look in this very alcove! Our learning center number one was in its beginning stages. It was to become the most difficult, and the most laborious task to date! Every little game pieces, puzzle bit, learning item, and assorted schooling manipulative was touched, and organized into its proper box, bin, drawer, and shelving unit. I worked sun up to sun down for many days assembling items from around the house to introduce the children to their new area of storage. I won’t kid you, it was grueling and never seemed to end! Then, many of the remaining boxes in the exercise room were filled with these items, inaccessible this past year almost because of the inability to store them properly once used.
I had all the shelving and only had to purchase a few drawer organizers. I cannot tell you how much STUFF I was able to store here, taking many items from former bins and baskets and giving them a drawer instead. Two of the drawer units are not yet full here, only because the STUFF for the inside wasn’t here for the photo yet.
Finally, with my trusty label maker in hand I mentioned in the very first posting on my "Midsummer Projects", I labeled everything! It was a glorious moment to proceed with the final step, a remarkable feat to complete! I was thrilled with the results, and so were all of the children. Hooray!
Remember when I mention about “Binderizing” your paper files into white three ring binders. Well, this is one stack snapped in a photo and about to be moved upstairs to the living room library. I’ll be happy when it’s out of the way, the last thing to go into another room…but man oh man, did we ever run little itty-bitty things all over the house upon these “discovery days” of organization in this area of our home!
Whew!
A stack of my "binderizing" in need of movement to another spot!
