A New Space

What is it about a new space that makes it so exciting?  I am always excited by space - especially when it is a blank slate for something new.  After some back and forth and negotiation, we are adding another room to our school, and the preschool room is moving down the hall.

This morning was spent moving things out of the room and cleaning, and tomorrow morning will be spent arranging the new space.  I have arranged and rearranged many a room in my time, but I have never walked into an empty room.  There are no clues about where a sensory table might be put; there are no hints to tell me how to draw children into work and play as they enter the room each day.  Part of me feels a bit rushed; but I know that I will question some of the decisions I made once the children come into the room.  It is a space that is used, and as many ideas as I can have when the children are not in the room, their presence is what will drive the layout of the space.

We still have big, beautiful windows that look out over Young's Bay, letting in enough natural light that  even the cloudy days seem light.  The shelves in the first picture are begging to display materials in the style of a mini-atelier, and the alcove in the fifth picture has so much potential - as a dark corner for light exploration, the quieter, comfortable part of the space, or perhaps dramatic play.  I have an evening of research and browsing and sketching and writing ahead of me!