Sophie's New World

We finally made the trip in the morning to Ikea and bought the furniture we have eyeing for Sophie’s new space. Then we spent the rest of the day just fixing up the shelves and putting everything together. Although there is still room for improvement, I think we have reached our physical limit in terms of home furnishing. Now it is really up to Mama, Papa (facilitators) and Sophie (learner) to make the environment work for us. And that would be a challenge most definitely.

The Living Room

Before Sophie was born, our living room was not child-friendly or safe at all. The play-yard (6 panels) was the first area we set aside for Sophie in the living room. We had wanted to keep her safe without restricting her movement too much. We always called it the "playpen" so the first compound noun Sophie uttered was quite naturally also "playpen". In fact, she associates so many good experiences (fun and play) with her playpen that she says "playpen" whenever she wants to play in the living room. The panels have been removed long ago although the mat is still there. Now the area has been converted to an area for free play, with a mattress (from her cot bed), some plush toys, a dress-up box and her ride-on. And since it is behind the sofa, Sophie often climbs over the back and jumps onto the mattress. I also intend to do some creative movements and exercises with her in this area as well. As for the panels, we now used them as a barricade to prevent Sophie from helping herself to the television.

Just opposite of the "Free Play Area" is our "Language Station", with learning materials and activities for both direct and independent learning. Right now my collection of Chinese Language materials is pathetic but I reckon it should be better as we move along. Sophie cannot understand much Mandarin at the moment. We are doing much better with our English materials. I also included a magnetic blackboard for Sophie to play with letter tiles or any magnetic learning materials, and a table for hands-on activities and reading.

Sophie is crazy about ball games and balloons, especially soccer. We set up a "Ball Basket Station" for her to play her balls without knocking over or breaking anything. It is strategically located at the bent of the corridor of our bedrooms towards the living room. With the doors closed, she can kick the balls along the corridor as hard as she wants. We like to take turns as the goalkeeper and striker there. Sometimes we use the balls to distract her.

The Playroom

We have altogether four bedrooms, including a master bedroom with an attached bathroom. The bedroom with the best view has been converted into Sophie's playroom. We got inspired to do this after we visited Auntie Annie's place. The room is not big so we have to be mindful of the kind of furniture to get and the arrangement.

Near the door and beside the built-in wardrobe, we put Sophie's building blocks and Lego in clear plastic containers and called it the "Construction Station". She is, unfortunately, not too thrilled about blocks so she will only touch them if we are there to play with her. We use the wardrobe to store toys, teaching aids and art materials like bulky cardboard boxes, paper (in plastic containers) and craft sticks. I have tried many times to keep the space tidy but it seems quite impossible due to the nature of the contents or maybe I am just too disorganised.

On one side of the room, we have created an "Art Station" for painting, drawing and 2D work. We bought the easel at 50% discount some time ago and Sophie likes scribbling on it with whiteboard markers. We also put a shelf next to the easel to store her Playdoh, Jumping Clay and her magnetic writing board. It doubles up as a table for her art materials when she working at the easel.

If you take a peek inside the cupboard next to the easel, you will probably think that I am not a very neat person and you are right. I really dislike storing art materials "neatly" because it takes too much effort and time to put back everything I have taken out for a craft. In any case, the cupboard is used to store Sophie's art tools (upper) and Math/Science materials (lower).

Opposite the cupboard, there is an identical but open shelf. The top two levels are more for Mama than Sophie. I essentially put materials for ongoing projects, DVDs, VCDs, CDs, and anything else that I would not want Sophie to touch.

The lower three levels are for Sophie's books, hands-on activities (motor skills), toys and foam puzzles. I put the books on the lowest level because they are heavy so the shelf will be more stable. The second level is a good height for Sophie if she is standing so it is used for the hands-on activities and toys. And the foam puzzles are kept in boxes on the third level as they are light and pose no threat to her safety if they topple over. Yes, I am paranoid! We rotate the items on display to encourage Sophie to explore without getting bored. Most of the books here are too difficult for her because I bought them when I was still teaching or when they were on sales. The ones in her bedroom are more appropriate for her age and I generally read her those before bedtime.

Against the window is Sophie's "Math/Science Corner" (the best name I can come up with!). We put two shelves for hands-on activities, or any exploratory tasks (including sensory bottles). Again the items will be rotated (if I can think of new things to put there!). The shelves also help to prevent her from hitting the glass window or breaking it even. The messy stuff will be displayed and done in the kitchen though.

Last but not least in the playroom is Sophie's Music Station. I love music but I cannot sing or play any instrument. But Sophie is exposed to music and instruments now so she will not end up like her Mama. We have a good collection of percussion instruments, harmonicas and a mini guitar or ukulele (4 strings). Papa is a fan of the Beatles so he hopes someday Sophie will be the drummer in his band with Uncle Won. But, I much prefer to see her play the piano or violin…

I am not a fan of round tables but in order to maximise the space in the Playroom, we got Sophie one from Ikea. It is placed right at the centre for her to use when she is working on something. To me, it is important for everything to have its own place or it will be pointless to teach her to put away her things after use. Also, I think she gets distracted easily if there are too many things around. And I prefer to display relatively harmless, unbreakable or mess-free items. For instance, I will gather the art materials from the cupboard if I want her to paint. That way, Sophie will understand that she has to get her organised before each task as well.

Currently, we are co-sleeping with Sophie... in HER bedroom. Initially, the three of us slept on the same bed in the master bedroom. However, we found it hard to manage her if she woke up before we did or in the middle of the night. Papa also could not sleep well with her in between us. So, we moved to her bedroom. Now, Papa sleeps on a mattress on the floor beside the queen size bed that Sophie shares with Mama. Sophie's room is smaller with less furniture and the bed is placed against the wall. Thus, we feel more at ease to leave her sleeping on her own. Of course, this arrangement is not permanent. Papa and Mama hope to move back some day. Right now, it is not quite ready to be posted.

The Kitchen

Ah Mah is so tickled by this set up. She laughs whenever she thinks about Sophie eating independently at the table. Before this, she was dead against self-feeding because of the mess. Now, she is looking forward to watching Sophie feed herself. I call this area the "Kitchen Table Activity Station". Besides having her snacks there, Sophie can do all the messy work here, like transferring, pouring and even simple food preparation (I hope! I hope! I hope!). I also shifted her kitchen play pretend accessories here. It seems to make a bit more sense for her to play with them in the kitchen. I bought for her some measuring cups and spoons so she can learn about some capacity as well.

There are still some areas that I would like to work on, but so far I think this ought to be good enough for now. Having the right infrastructure may not guarantee success in educating Sophie, but it definitely makes it easier and more efficient for Papa and Mama. It also sends her the message that we cater to her needs at home because she is an important member of our family. Of course we need to make changes as she grows older as well... but that is another tale for another time. Now our next step is to design a curriculum and a learning schedule that fit into her already established routine... that ought to be challenging!