ROOM IDEAS! Help! and Kitchen also!

[Sprouts]

Okay so I am preparing my downstairs for daycare and have 2 rooms, one bright and large and the other one smaller and darker. I plan on accepting infant through school age....so any ideas??? I already have a small table, kitchen area, art type area and a small comfy couch...I am open to any suggestions!!!!!

Also!...I plan on converting my furnace/laundry room into a "kitchenette" just a sink microwave and fridge but am planning on serving meals...so I am not sure if I have to add my upstairs as part of the "day care"...does anyone else have a similar set up? What do you do??

Thank you all for your input!:confused::confused:

[Abigail]

Sounds like your darker room could be for the sleeping room since it's smaller. You have a good start on the larger and brighter room too. Do you have good windows or are you mostly underground?

Make sure you use shelves for toys and have books out on display. If you have any rug or something you could use near the couch for reading time or circle time would be great. Try to set up the room as best as you can and post a few pictures and we could share our ideas from the view.

I also plan on using my downstairs exclusively for daycare and will have a kitchen area of cupboards, counter space (not sure about sink), but also a microwave and fridge to store everything separately. I will still cook the meals ahead of time if I need to use the stove or oven in the kitchen because I want to count that in my time/space calculation to get the most of it.

[Sprouts]

my room



here is the larger room, the small one is a mess =)

I would love to keep the trampoline but it takes too much space and its probably a liability.....i will put it outside

[Abigail]

That is a good sized room, I hope my room is that big! If you have time, I would paint the lower half OR upper half of the outside wall with the window to add color to break up the white. Something calming, nothing bright red or dark, but to add some color variation.

Yup, I agree to remove the trampoline because you want to sell your space, not your trampoline. Looks fun though! If that is a garbage can near the couch, I would remove it because kids don't need access to the garbage during play at least. I would pull your couch over a few more feet away from the corner and create a little "tucked away" zone for reading.

You have two tables it looks like. Create a "craft area" with your larger table and have that against or close to a wall, but away from the kitchen and other round table. Come to think of it, would you be able to move your couch to the wall where the PNP is right now? If you did, you could still sit and be in the middle to see everyone. The PNP could be on the same wall, but closer to the walkway. Then where the trampoline is now could be your "reading zone" which is beside the couch.

Then, you could have your craft area along the wall where your couch currently is and you could have your kitchen/dramatic play area on the wall where it's at just move it down further towards the tv so the two tables have different purposes and areas. Sorry if this seems confusing. I would add a shelf with craft supplies or simply have them in a basket on the table. I would add the plastic drawers OR baskets near the kitchen area for the food and doll accessories. Let me know if you have more questions or change things.

[Sprouts]

Yes I do need some shelves! I am waiting for my husband to build me some, but if he takes too long I might just buy it!

I agree with putting the couch where u say, i was thinking of putting it on the opposite side but I like your idea better so I can see out the window.

I was thinking of painting the walls a yellow color or an orange , not a super bright yellow , something to make it feel lively and not so dull. And paiting the darker room either a blue or a green, or maybe the larger room a green color since my theme is going to be nature based...AHHHH decisions decisions

Thank you!

[QualiTcare]

you have a great start!

[Abigail]

Mstein, you'll have all the tough decisions, especially with paint! Remember you can always change it though. I would recommend you paint yellow on the top-half of the wall with with window because it would be like the sun in the sky.

[Little People]

My wal mart has clearance paint and I got a gallon of teal paint for $3.00 It is paint that people have mixed and decided not to buy.
I love to do my walls, I think that maybe you could add some wall decorations. Go to everything a $1 store. You can buy foam board and use packing tape to tape them together, cover them with construction paper and then go to teachers supply store and find a cute theme and border. This way you can change out your boards and the foam boards are reusable. Here are some pics of my painted wall and the border is from the teachers supply store.
Itried to upload them again and it told me I already uploaded them to another post, so go to (My turn - Tips on how to rearrange my daycare area! ) and you can see them

[melskids]

just a thought

you mentioned you were going to accept schoolagers.

i would set the smaller room up for them instead of using it for just naps. most school agers don't nap, and also play with toys w/ small parts not suitable for the littles. i would nap the littles right in the main play room, and find a place to store cots/ mats when not in use. when my littles are napping in the daycare room, the SA get sent to the living room, where they can watch TV or play with their toys. of course, you could nap the littles in the little room, and the SA could play in the big one, but i personally would prefer to have the SA in their own room, like a place they could call their own. and you wouldnt have to worry about small pieces all over the place. they could have their own storage space, a table, and maybe a cozy nook with books for them. JMO

[Stacy214]

I think its a going to be a great space!


Our Dollar Tree has TONS of school supplies (border, posters, etc) and even die cuts that I used to decorate with.

[Rachel]

just a thought

you mentioned you were going to accept schoolagers.

i would set the smaller room up for them instead of using it for just naps. most school agers don't nap, and also play with toys w/ small parts not suitable for the littles. i would nap the littles right in the main play room, and find a place to store cots/ mats when not in use. when my littles are napping in the daycare room, the SA get sent to the living room, where they can watch TV or play with their toys. of course, you could nap the littles in the little room, and the SA could play in the big one, but i personally would prefer to have the SA in their own room, like a place they could call their own. and you wouldnt have to worry about small pieces all over the place. they could have their own storage space, a table, and maybe a cozy nook with books for them. JMO

I agree. I would put a baby gate up so the big kids can get in, and the littles can't, and you can still see and hear all that is going on.

[Sprouts]

Thanks for all of the great ideas. I think I am going to paint the top half yellow and the bottom green. I want to get a nice Tree decal to put by my reading corner and some nice flower decals also to make it seem "natural"
I am still contemplating what to do with the other room, when I find out what age groups I have more of then I will decide.

I am putting my application in next week and am super excited! Wish me luck!

[Abigail]

Mstein, to avoid too much color with green and yellow, make sure you mix your yellow with white so it's not a very bright yellow. Our current daycare has bright yellow and green, but it is the whole wall with it every-other wall changes color and it's wayyyyy to much! A medium-dark green with a light-light yellow top will look very nice and look more like the grass/sky.