I love our studio. I love that it is one of the first things you see when you walk in the front door. It says, “creativity is important here” to all who visit. I love that it is almost always messy. . . a sign that someone is hard at work. I love that it is a dynamic space, always changing to suit our evolving needs and interests. Its amazing how even a slight change can recharge our ways of thinking and encourage us to look at things differently. Here are some of the areas in our studio right now. . .
1. Supply Cubbies: These are filled with staples like glue, watercolors, play-doh, clay, tempera paints, pipe cleaners, beads, and felt, but also have things that change as my kids’ interests head in different directions. The key to a supply area is purposeful editing. Finding the balance between enough materials and too many materials. If the kids can’t see or get to what they need, then they simply won’t be as inspired to create.
2. Work space: This is really the most important part of our studio. Kids need plenty of open space to spread out. We have a small table in the center of the room, but it usually gets pushed to the side, creating and almost-empty room for the kids to work. We find that the floor is the most natural work surface for us, but everyone is different! I decided when we moved in that this room was going to be fair game for any kind of mess the kids could throw at it. So we paint on the floors without care or caution and I find the little specs of paint to be beautiful:)
3. Wall Easel: I was inspired by a beautiful handmade wooden easel in a book about Reggio Emilia and decided to design a similar one for my kids. When I keep the easel loaded with fresh paints, brushes, and clean paper, this gets used quite a bit. The trick is always staying on top of it. I usually place jars of primary colors, along with white and black, beside quite a few empty jars on the shelves. The kids LOVE mixing their own custom colors. Sometimes they become so enamored by the mixing that they never even get to the painting part:)
4. Drying Rack: This is one of my favorite things! I bought ours from Learning Resources and then spray-painted it a dark gray/brown color so that it would visually fade away. We use it daily. It is so great to have a place to put wet paintings, etc. where they will be safe and out of the way.
5. Science Corner: Anna calls this the museum. Our kid-sized wooden bookshelf holds our collections of rocks and shells, exploration tools such as magnifying glasses, tweezers, collection containers, etc., a basket of small animals for imaginative play, and a basket of translucent shapes for the light table. We used to have a small empty aquarium sitting on the top of the bookshelf, and it was a great place to put turtles, bugs, lizards, etc for temporary observation. It was accidentally dropped on a field excursion:) Beside the bookshelf, we have our light table that is a great place to dissect owl pellets and place new discoveries for observation. A simple pegboard above holds safety goggles, tools, etc. We store all of our identification charts and maps in a wall holder.
6. Writing Center: I just love the little tree table my mom and dad made for me as a child. . . so much that I asked my dad to build a second one for our studio. (The original one is in the middle of the room. . . I reinforced the joints and repainted it in my favorite dark color and it is good to go for another 30 years!) We decided to leave the new table in its raw state, and it has evolved into our writing center. With a desktop file that holds colorful cards and envelopes, a few writing utencils, and a pencil sharpener, it is the perfect place to sit down and write a note. Our colored tape dispenser also finds a home here. The pegboard above holds a vintage organizer that houses stamps and pre-addressed labels. I also created a laminated alphabet sheet for reference. The key to writing center is keeping it clean and simple. If there isn’t room to work, then it doesn’t get used.
7. Veterinarian Caddy: Anna loves to rescue animals, so we have a caddy filled with real tools and materials for her. She’s got a simple reference flip chart advising how to treat injured animals and whether or not you should help them at all. Living on the greenway, we come into contact with quite a few injured animals every year, so it is great to have this cart!
8. Paper Holder: This one is priceless. An ikea find that has been great. We keep clipboards at the top and plain/construction paper in all the other sections. It is mounted at kid-height so they can always help themselves to paper when they need it.
9. Display Space: We simply add art to the walls with painter’s tape. I will often attach pictures of the kids working, but those quickly become coveted items and are taken down for safe-keeping by the artists:) Sculptures often find a temporary home along the windowsills or on tabletops. The kids like to interact with them and will often add to them over time. I love that they are proud of the things they make, but that they don’t care so much about them that they are sacred. They realize it is the process that is important. The journey.
That’s it! Our studio. But it isn’t even the beginning of our maker-space. More to come!!
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