Iveyrock

As I mentioned in a previous post, we have been outgrowing our art supply set-up. A couple of weeks ago we re-did that part of the kitchen, to allow the kids a better place to work and more access to their supplies.

The whole process was really emotional for me, more so than I expected. I have so loved my bookshelf in the kitchen, loved our method of using art supplies, and absolutely loved the times the kids spent creating there. Part of the weekend was spent grieving that a little bit, and part was spent worrying that I was going to irrevocably mess up the creative process.

A lot of time was spent actually changing things around. There were some specific things I wanted to make a space for, as well as allowing the kids direct access to the supplies. We shortened our old table, and put it under the window. We got a new table, which we are going to need very soon, as Micah is ready to join us in a high chair. We added a shelf to the bookshelf, and completely rearranged it’s contents. We raised the chandelier, since even I was hitting my head on it. We put up a calendar holder on the wall. We updated the art wall, and added a third line.

So far, it’s working out even better than I had hoped. The idea is to add more supplies to the bookshelf, as they get used to the parameters of having things open to them. I wanted things to be easy to see and easy to grab, especially since most of the containers are glass. There is a lot of room to add more, and we can eventually use the window and the table to hold supplies too, if needed.

The kids are using it exactly like I’d hoped. They are only getting out what they want to use, and are coming up with more combinations and ways to use the supplies every day. It is great to have the flexibility of leaving projects on the table, instead of cleaning up for every meal. It’s easy to clean up, and the table itself can get a little messier, now that it isn’t the main dining room table. I still resist change, but I have to admit it seems to be working so far.

This entry was posted on Monday, September 14th, 2009 at 8:36 pm and is filed under Creating. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.