When my Oldest was small, for 4 years my outside job was teaching online (mostly at night) and I was home exclusively with her (and after 2 years Middle as well). I spent my days setting up our living room like a preschool. I had little “centers” for her to play in and I only chose materials that were educational, playful, natural, and “worthy” of a wonderful early childhood environment. When Middle – my son – was nearly 2, Oldest was headed to half day prekindergarten at the public school, and I started a playgroup in my home for 1.5 hours a day 3 days a week. I found myself needing more “stuff” for the space and naturally included many of the materials I had at home. By this time, with 2 kids and 4 years of parenting, I had accumulated a more eclectic combination of toys and materials. It was a mix of “preschool grade” materials and toys any child might have in their home. Because it was a new business at this time, I didn’t have a lot of money to purchase new things, I bought a lot of used materials off the local parenting website – some of those natural “worthy” materials and some that were just functional and provided variety. I wished I could afford to jump into the Lakeshore Learning catalog and order all kinds of wonderful things…

I now have 3 children: Oldest is in 1st grade, Middle in prekindergarten, and Little is 2. I find my mind tired after working in the preschool all day – too tired to really evaluate the learning environment I have created for my own children. I find myself letting things go much more than I ever thought I would (Oldest doing homework laying on the floor rather than setting her up in a comfortable consistent space for her “work”). The materials in our living space are mostly for Little. I feel a little guilty (don’t we always!) that I am not meeting their needs with something so crucial as their environment. At the same time, I find myself more flexible about the environment and what is “right” – my children have taught me a lot about what they need and if I am “listening” to their words and behaviors, I will know if it is truly not working for them. At least that’s how I am feeling today…