“Organization Station” Back Entryway Reveal

Welcome to my “Organization Station” Back Entryway Reveal also known as Grand Central Station. As some of you may know my background is in Early Childhood Education. It is one of my deep passions along with design. It’s no wonder that I try to always fuse the two together. When  designing spaces I try to make sure that the needs of my children are being incorporated into each space. I also want to make sure that these spaces are encouraging a few things like independence, literacy, self-help skills, and math. But how do you do that at home without making your house look like a classroom? I’ll show you.

We have Calendars, bulletin boards, and magnetic memo boards for everyone to use.  I used the Easy Distressing Paint Technique for a more decorative look and to coordinate with the look of my Laundry Room.  Calendars that your children can write on help encourage skills in math, writing, and spelling. Gavin, my nine year old, will write on the calendar if he has a game or a birthday party coming up. He sometimes will write about something that has happened to him, in a journaling type of way. Calendars also help children learn about the seasons and the months of the year. You may think, “Well, isn’t my child learning this at school?” They should be, however repetition never hurts.

The pieces featured above were purchased using the gift certificate won from the PoshTots contest I entered through an online Design  community called Olioboard.  I created a design named “Visions of Versailles” that won 2nd place and was able to purchase these awesome pieces from PoshTots.com, a company I have loved for years. These pieces help soften the look of the space and give it that nice “homey” feel.

I truly believe in helping children develop a sense of independence. This is a system we created for Gavin. He has to tell me each time he is going to a friends house or if he switches houses. Even though every one of his friends lives very close by, I still require him to tell me where he is going to be.  I was having a hard time remembering where he was at, so I created this chart. It helps him become more accountable and gives me quick access to him at all times and to the phone numbers of all the neighborhood friends.

These are  two cardboard organizers I purchased from Target. I made labels on the computer.  They were simply glued on. Using labels makes it easy for everyone in your home to understand that items have places where they belong. It helps encourage respect for things and teaches children to take care of their belongings.

As much as I want my children to be responsible, independent and competent young individuals when they go out into the world, I also want them to have fun and be creative.  It is important not to lose sight of this in my designs. I create spaces in my home like I would in a classroom setting for teaching independence and creativity. This chalkboard wall is a place to let you inner artist out. And boy did we!!!

But, oh no, what happened! We used those really cool chalk markers and when I went to wipe it all off it looked like this. No worries though! Nothing a little Magic Eraser won’t Fix!

Good AS NEW!

The Hallway is directly located off of the Laundry Room. You can see that the paint and accessories chosen for these two rooms work well together.

We have a saying in the Early Childhood field ” Parents are the child’s first teachers.”

Do you incorporate this idea when designing spaces in your home? If so, share with us,please.

 Mood Board and Source List

• Amy Butler Rug PoshTots
• Welcome to Our Nest Canvas Reproduction PoshTots
•  Memo Boards and Bulletin Boards Target
• Pendant Light Home Depot
• Organizer for Chalk and Markers Target