For Those Who Separate By Age...

[hoopinglady]

I had a huge private album...will have to set it back up.

I don't want them in public, though. Cuts down on the whole annonymous thing. I need to still be able to vent and ask for advice if necessary. ::

I will send a friend request, so you can see some pics on my profile..give me a few minutes. (oh, Sprouts...You can already see my album

. Bottom right of my profile page)

thanks a ton, it looks really great. I wish I was more handy.

p.s., your play yard is beautiful.

I'd only recently gotten a bunch of toddlers and it seems fairly clear that they need their own space. Right now I am just blockading with the sofa and other furniture, . Tried it today and it didn't go too well. (They can easily climb over the sofa and do. Also the new baby wanted to be near his brother.

I have an extra room but don't really want to give up the art/messy/workshop area. Hmmm.

[Cat Herder]

thanks a ton, it looks really great. I wish I was more handy.

p.s., your play yard is beautiful.

I'd only recently gotten a bunch of toddlers and it seems fairly clear that they need their own space. Right now I am just blockading with the sofa and other furniture, . Tried it today and it didn't go too well. (They can easily climb over the sofa and do. Also the new baby wanted to be near his brother.

I have an extra room but don't really want to give up the art/messy/workshop area. Hmmm.

Thanks! I adapt almost monthly. It is a never ending process...::

I only enroll newborns and they age out at 4, so about every 4 years I end up starting over with a new group.

Adaptation is my main theme some days. ::

[Sugar Magnolia]

If you are one person, by yourself all day, you will have to go with LOW barriers like Cat described. You can buy "room dividers" in the childcare catelogs. Otherwise, if you don't have a separate room that can be staffed by another person, you are going to have problems. I do a multi-age approach center but do NOT accept anyone under 1 year old, simply because babies/young toddlers through a MAJOR monkey wrench in a multi-age approach. I also have two times a day when Bigs and Littles do separate activities in separate rooms with separate staff, and it works very well. They spend 75% of their day together. I wrote an article for daycare.com about this---please check it out on the main daycare.com page.

[Meeko]

Because I use most of the house for day care, I can separate if I want to, but for the most part I try not to.

My DCP's like the fact that we are a FAMILY day care and that their kids will not be separated from their siblings all day like they are in a center. It's one of my selling points.

[Sprouts]

Well, Thank you!!!

I am about to tweak it by adding some really cool peg boards to the walls (meant for garage walls) so I can then add shelves whenever I want ( hopefully with Duplo boards glued on with gorilla glue) and other cool accessories as needed.

I am a bit excited about it.

I have toyed around with the idea of chalk boards, magnetic boards and that cool new toy the BlackCats DH made her...

I will never actually be finished....::::

I really think you are awesome, thanks for displaying pics, I am trying to upload mine so you can see as well...any feed back very appreciated! BTW how to keep kids alseep in PNP in the same room? Do the other kids disturb them?

I also love the backyard very cute bouncy thing for baby ....i have trouble coming with ideas for crawlers?? I let them crawl in the grass, BUT i also have those big wooden blocks someone donated, i line them up and let crawlers on them, its like a stage...its hard with the mulch, so messy and babies but in mouth, just the swings are safest ....

And you have a maze or something in the backyard as well?? I've always wanted to create a maze out of bushes, not too high, but i know that must be crazy high maintenance!