31 Days of Play! The Playroom, Part 2

I feel so blessed to have the space that allows me to dedicate a room for Beansprout! Here are the TOP 10 things I love about the playroom in no particular order:

Playroom from the stairs.

#1: There is so much natural light! Though it's the lowest level of the house, I never actually call it the basement because it looks nothing like the basements of the Midwest.

Dress-up station.

#2: We have another space to go to, making it feel like a change of scenery! This comes in handy on the dreary rainy days we get here in the Pacific Northwest.

#3: The space is large enough for movement! I have been known to fly around all of the furniture in the room pushing Beansprout in his wagon.  I'm sure it will be useful for him to be able to run around and blow off energy this winter.

Reading chair.

Duplos.

#4: Family and Friends contributed!  It's nice to have the extra touches that come from family and friends.  Grammy made the alphabet quilt that hangs above the reading chair; Beansprout loves pointing to the animals and I know it will continue to grow with him as he learns his ABCs.  Grandma and Grandpa sent him the pirate tent, which has become a second reading spot.  Play tents are also quite versatile for play scenes- I imagine it will become a vital part of the playroom as Beansprout starts to do more pretend play!  The cars and trucks accessories were also gifted by Grandma and Grandpa - admittedly, I'm the one who loves this, Beansprout will appreciate it, I hope.  Beansprout also received a huge package of play food from Auntie De - he loves cutting all the food and putting it in the basket as if he's out shopping.  The train baskets in the Dress-Up area were gifts from friends when Beansprout was first born.

Staying organized.

#5: The 5-cubby Expedit.  It has been perfect for parallel play.  I also love that we can have the Farm area and the Fire House area - two of Beansprout's favorite things to play with right now.  (It's also a super versatile piece, as we can flip it when Beansprout is older.)

Wagon.

#6: The Radio Flyer Wagon.  Beansprout has been playing with this since his first Christmas!  He pushed it everywhere for months and months and then we pushed him in it.  He now pushed the dolls and stuffed animals, and I love that he'll continue to use it for all kinds of play scenes.

Trains, Trains, and more Trains!

#7: The train table.  Beansprout plays with the trains everyday.  He loves to push them around and around and around again!  His parents love creating new configurations, adding on new pieces whenever we can.  There are some toys of Beansprout's that I don't embrace fully, but the train table is pretty much a win-win for the whole family.

#8: The play kitchen.  I talked about it a bit in yesterday's post, but there's so much more to say.  Isn't it great that Beansprout has "stainless steel" appliances!?!  And that the oven door window was created with a piece of weed-blocker.  Would it be too much to put up a backsplash of sorts?

#9: There's a wet bar.  Now, now, it's not what you think!  Any signs of a true wet bar are slowly being replaced with finger paint and Play-Doh.  What I really appreciate about this feature of the house is the fact that there is a sink right there!  It has made life a whole lot easier.

Plan toys Barn.

#10: The playroom is a YES zone.  I tend to run a pretty child-center household over here.  Even so, I often find myself having to say no to Beansprout as his curiosities can often land him in danger.  The fact that there is so much for him to do and that it's all his without limitations is the best thing about the space.

I'm finding I really enjoy taking pictures of TOYS - guess I picked a suitable topic to write about for 31 days.  Have you checked out my other posts about play?  Playing with Food, Play at Work, or This Mom Loves Music are a few of my favorites.  I'm writing 31 posts on play, one for every day of October; you can find all of them here!