Toddler Classroom Arrangement

No one puts much emphasis on the arrangement of a Toddler Classroom, but I see the importance!  Below are the pictures of my classroom as of today (the cubbies will change next week).  Below each picture, I will explain why I made the choices that I did about the arrangement.

What you see when you walk in the door. :)

Group Time Area.  The radio and "fishies" are above on a shelf.  I use the "fishies" bubbler when I want the kids to sit down or quiet down.  I just tell them that if they scream, they will scare the fish, and they will not come out!  Works every time!  The lesson plan is posted next to the light switch for parents and staff to see in the room.  The red and blue poster is "Who's Here Today?"  We sing our Who's Here Today song every day, and each child has their name and picture on a velcro square.  We also have the calendar, weather, and letter, shape, color, and animal of the week. :)  The vacuums are not usually at group time.  They were just put there for cleaning purposes.  I also have the Star of the Week poster, and I go in order from oldest child to youngest (giving each two weeks).  That way, each child gets a turn before having to move up to the preschool room!

This is the "kitchen side" of the room.  The cubbies are on the right, and the "carpet side" of the room is on the left.  The kids eat here and do their art on this side!  Each group has up to 7 kids in it - which are pre-arranged based on biting habits, energy levels, and Thursday music times. 

These are the cubbies as of now.  They are changing next week, and I will post more pictures then!  Each cubby has the name of the children, their picture, and the name of their parents.  Above each picture is a grasshopper since we are the "grasshopper room."

This is the climber in our room.  I love the climber for large motor activities, but I also hate that it takes up so much space in the classroom.  I also wish I had a slide attachment instead of two sets of stairs.  Below the climber are little "cubby holes" for the kids to crawl in to, and the glass is clear so I can keep my eye on the children while they are under there.  This is key when watching for biting.  I placed the climber where it is so that the children are able to look out the window and wave good-bye to their parents.  This helps with the separation anxiety, and the toddlers love to watch the lawn mower and trucks out the window!  I am able to change the shape of the climber, but I chose to make it an "L" to prevent running, and create a nice wall between the "kitchen side" of the room and the "carpet side."

You can see many things in this picture.  First, you can see the blue sensory table on the other side of the gate.  The table is used daily and the children love what I put in there!  I will try to create a blog later about all of the fun things I put in there!!!  Second, you can see the bulletin board that says "cubby notes."  Every child has a daily note that tells about their potty schedule, what they ate, and what they enjoyed playing with that day.  It is a great way to keep up parent communication - especially since I don't always see every parent!  Last, you can see the "Our Families" board below the cubby notes.  I have pictures of each child's family on the board to help with separation anxiety in the children.  When a child is sad, they are able to go look at their family at any time.  This helps a lot with children first starting in our room.

This is another picture of our group time area.  I tell the kids to sit on the school bus for group time, and they love sitting in the animal chairs I just bought.  You can also see two shelves of toys - the trucks and people shelf, and the puzzles and mind game shelf.  I try to switch these toys at least once a month to keep interest in the toys, but I want each child to have a chance to play with them.  Some toys are more popular than others.  Also, on the wall, there is a large observation window where parents and staff can look in from the hallway.  It's also nice when kids are waiting for their parents to arrive, and they watch the hallway for people they know!

This is the dramatic play area!  It's hard for me to switch the dramatic play as often as I would like.  I am required to change it every two weeks, but it sometimes becomes too full or too empty.  Right now I have the grocery store put in the dramatic play area where I added a shelf, a cash register, and some cell phones (definitely the favorite).  I also put some purses on the hooks, and the boys love these just as much as the girls!  The table and chairs tend to be troublesome when the children want to throw the chairs and flip the table.  I guess the table is more fun to sit in than to sit at.  For this reason, I started putting velcro on the bottom of the chairs and table, and this makes it harder for the kids to move them.

This is the kitchen part of the dramatic play area.  The shelf on the right faces the kitchen and has music items on them, such as guitars and pianos.  The kids love to slam the kitchen doors and take the sink out of the wood part, but other than that, the kids love the kitchen.  The only other issue is that I have to wash the play food every day because the kids love to put them in their mouths.  Yay teething!!!

This is the book library where the children can choose board books to read.  I have to rotate the books monthly to keep interest high and to decrease the wear and tear on the books all at once.  The animal chairs are also a nice touch that the kids love!!! However, they are somewhat troublesome when the children pick them up and move them, or fold them up.  I don't let this discourage me from trying new things and leaving them out.  I have also noticed more children sitting and reading "the right way" instead of throwing the books or trying to eat them!

Finally, this is the "staff kitchen" in my room.  The garbage has to have a working lid so the kids cannot touch the garbage inside.  I like to keep my counter clean - including the space on top of the cupboards.  The bucket on top on the right is for mouthed toys which we wash daily.  The room manual is on the left side of the counter, which has emergency contacts, child information, and lesson planning information.  Each cupboard is locked with a magnetic lock (essential for toddlers!!!) and houses our bibs, wash cloths, lesson planning books, purses, medications, snacks, and cleaning supplies!  I placed the sensory table right next to the sink for easy cleaning and hand-washing! :)

If you have any questions about how my room is arranged, or something that you see in my room that you are curious about, don't be afraid to ask or comment!!!! :)  Your thoughts and questions are appreciated!