Our basement preschool/playroom

I finally got it started. After watching the Lowes and Walmart discount paint and storage sections and buying things and 75%-90% off, I finally had enough supplies to get started on decorating our basement space.

I am so excited. The kids are so excited and we are all liking how it is evolving.

Tuesday, all 3 boys took naps and Precious Jewel and I started moving furniture away from the walls. We also cleared out the junk closet by the back door.

We then tackled her desk and our bookshelf that had housed all her kindergarten home school supplies. I pulled out an old art box of mine that had "How to Paint Horses and How to Paint Dogs and How to Paint with Watercolor" and so on. I've been saving these for the child that has shown the most interest in art. She definitely fits the bill. = D
There she is in the background with Mr. Smiles sitting at our little table. Both were engrossed
in coloring and crafting and their "new" locations.

Here's what our art corner looks like with the closet closed. I set up an easel on an old chair that I've been wanting to get rid of because it just takes up space. This is now good space it's taking up!

We're going to paint these closet doors with blackboard paint so they can chalk on them. The floor is old linoleum that we don't have the money to replace. It's now fine with me because they can paint, spill, make a mess to their hearts content.

Here's Mr. Smiles working on a painting project in the Art Corner.

I want to put a couple more small shelves in the closet, but that may have to wait another year. = )

Day 2: We started painting. I've had these 3 different colors of blue--all in similar shades--that I've picked up for $5 at Lowes. I was going to paint the whole basement in this color with a couple other accents, but after starting I decided it made the whole room too dark. The back door and the one window are the only outside light.

I painted this wall and one other small one below our stairs.

Then Precious Jewel and I started on the tree. That was the fun part. I got that can of paint for 50 cents. It was a bunch of sample paints they were getting rid of. I picked up half a dozen well over a year ago and saved them for some future idea. I'm going to paint so whimsical clouds on our concrete walls.

Here is Good Lookin' and Nater Mater at the Blocks and Cars Center. A dear friend of ours made this train table for the boys 2-3 years ago. The kids and I painted it and modge podged stickers to the sides.

I stored all their cars, trains blocks and action figures below it in easy containers that they can pull out. They also like to pull them out and play secret hideout underneath.

To the right of the Blocks Center is our Reading Center. I pulled out another old chair from storage, hung up a rather ratty canopy that I picked up at a garage sale and put all their hand-me-down beanbags around it. I pulled the little plastic stacker that's been in the corner of the boy's room and filled it with most of their kids books.

I also have their tape recorder and tapes and felt board and felt story pieces here for them to pretend with.

I even found my old View Finder from when I was little and put that in my old Holly Hobby Lunch Box next to the chair.

They've already spent a lot of time in this corner.

Last, but not least, is our Manipulative's shelf and space.

I put all the Legos, Light Bright, puzzles, paper and crayons, Duplo blocks, more action figures and Mr. Potato Head on this shelf. I also have several educational games that require them sorting and mixing things (and also have very small parts), but those are higher up where Nater Mater can't reach.

I am going to paint this shelf a tangerine color ( I think). I'm having fun letting my creative juices flow.

So far, the kids are loving it. I am waiting for next week to set up the Dress Up/Play Center. I have a kitchen and I'm going to attempt to make a little tent that hangs from the ceiling/wall.

Then I have a Center set up for all our Little People, toy animals, farm animals, and baby toys.

That's our busy week so far!