Think about Jean Piaget, Maria Montessori, and Nate Berkus. How do these three fit in a group? Each has taught the strong impact of a thoughtfully prepared environment. Attractive and organized, of course, but it’s not just about aesthetics, it’s also about purpose.
Mariah Bruehl, author of Playful Learning (an amazing resource I highly recommend) as well as the creator of the blog of the same name, is another person I’d put in that group. She is an amazingly talented educator and mother and a passionate promoter of making learning playful and accessible for children. (Not to mention the fact that she is a truly delightful and kind-hearted person.)
Mariah truly has a gift for purposeful beautiful preparation of children’s spaces, making them not only appealing to the eye but stimulating to the mind. She has a way of creating invitations in a space that simply call children over to explore. Her guidance is valuable to teachers and parents alike.
Starting this week, she’s launched her popular course, Playful Learning Spaces Ecourse on a new platform, allowing you to enjoy the information at your own pace and return as often as you like!
And it gets better. Mariah is offering a free spot in her course to one of the readers of Not Just Cute! (Valued at $125) Just comment below, sharing the space you’d like to better prepare as a playful learning environment, or share a memory of one of your favorite spaces from your own childhood. A winner will be selected randomly from the comments Tuesday May 15 at 10pm (EST) and posted in next Wednesday’s post. One comment per person.
In the meantime, peruse Mariah’s site, Playful Learning, and check out all the good stuff her course has to offer!
Thanks for sharing the Playful Learning site.
Making inspiring spaces for play is an intriguing idea. And I would love to discover and harness the home’s power for playful learning.
We have a little 200sqft schoolhouse – still in construction mode. Would love some ideas on how to set it up! I have a 5yo.
janemaritz at yahoo dot com
I have employed Montessori methods throughout my, almost, 3 year olds home life. We are just about to set up his ‘Big Boy’ room and I would love some inspiration and guidance for setting up his own personal play space along with some ‘School’ space within our family home of a humble, but whole, 8sqft.
Wow! That is a nice giveaway! I have her book and love it!
I’d like to better organize and prepare our open living room/dining room area as a combination work space & playful learning space as we prepare to begin homeschooling my son for kindergarten in August.
I am an early childhood teacher and I have a passion for setting up awe inspiring environments full of wonder and intrigue. I would love to learn from another like minded educator, who puts children first to help design my Kindergarten classroom. Thank you for sharing your heart.
I have an old roll top desk that I am attempting to turn into a special and inspiring writing/art space for my girls (18mths, 4 and 6 years old). Mariah’s book arrived in the mail today! It is amazing! Doing her course as well would be so helpful and encouraging.
Oh how I’d love to join Mariah’s e-course! I have convinced hubby to transform our double garage into a huge play learning room for our miss 4 and master 1 but I’m so overwhelmed by the space I need some direction. I’m dreaming of a space my two children can grow with and create memories that we as a family can share in and that play space will last a lifetime.
Great giveaway. I’d love to win and learn more about the powerful influence a prepared environment has on mood and learning experiences.
I absolutely love Mariah’s book! We’ve already made a writing space and the very first day, my three year old learned to write her name by herself while I was making dinner!
I’ve come up with a lot of different ideas for learning spaces. My favorite one is a gardening space. I’m going to put kid-sized gardening tools, watering cans and gloves in a special area (I have a covered box in my garden). Then, we’ll go to the gardening center and I’ll let my girls pick out what kind of plants they’d like to grow. Whenever they like, they can go to the garden and dig, water, learn about plants and bugs, or whatever else. I may even put a fancy bench in the garden and surround it with different kinds of flowers that they can work on.
An area I made is a cooking area in the kitchen. I put aprons and real kid-sized kitchen utensils (they have great ones at IKEA) in a low cabinet. Then, I put age-appropriate ingredients on a low shelf in the pantry and in a low drawer in the refrigerator. Whenever they like, they can make a snack or whip up something creative. My three year old loves to go to the fridge and pull out veggies like baby carrots or snap peas, wrap them in turkey lunch meat, and feed everyone her “sandwiches.” If the ingredients are all healthy, like several different colors of fruits and veggies, they take ownership of and learn about their own health, while developing a taste for real food. (This is where I geek out, since I’m a nurse.) And just think, with the garden space and the kitchen space, they can grow and make their own healthy food!
I am a big fan of Mariah’s, she is a an incredible source of inspiration. I would be most grateful at a chance to take her course. I have 3 children ages 8, 5 and 2. It can be very challenging creating a space that inspires them all together, especially my oldest. I could definitely use some guidance and inspiration! Thank you so much!
I’d love to win – I have her book and it is fantastic! My hubby has just agreed to let me take over his “theatre room” and do with it what I like so this prize would be perfect :)Thanks!
I have a small sunroom that I’d love to set up for my kids, plus a small space in our basement for year round enjoyment (temperatures in the sunroom are WAY to cold half the year!). Awesome book! I’d love to attend this course, it looks like so much fun!!
as a teacher home on maternity leave, ( and a natural clutter bug) I would love to take this course!
I would love a chance to win. I have her book, and it has become a new favorite of mine. I’ve implemented many of her ideas in my in-home preschool. I’d love to find new inspiration to plan a couple of my indoor and outdoor play areas.
I’d love to work on my son’s room!
We are foster parents and currently have a child with autism. Each child who comes into our home has something to overcome and needs that have not been met. I would love to create a space that includes home-like play areas for them to act out their emotions, areas for momentary seclusion that are calming (when everything is overwhelming), a sensory rich area, and an area for art/creativity. Creating a haven for our children would be a dream come true. Thank you for offering the giveaway.
What a wonderful giveaway! Thanks for sharing!
I have two daughters – a two year old and a one year old. My husband and I are trying to incorporate enticing and playful learning spaces into each room of our home. We believe that it’s important for our girls to feel as though this house is their home – and always will be. I’ve been looking at this course since it was first offered and have been very interested in it. I would love a little guidance in how to set up my home so that my children can learn through play and be excited about it all at the same time.
Again – thank you for posting this giveaway.
What a great give away. I have 2 young children and apart their small bedrooms (even by UK standards) there is no space that is theirs, so I’m trying to make our whole home a playful space for them that will grow and extend with them as they get older and their interests change. This includes the outdoor space as well as getting out and connected with nature and playing outside is so important for us.
Oh!!! How wonderful!!! I’m setting up right now the school room for our 3 year old girl and I would love some help!!!
I have a corner of our great room which was set aside with the intention of rotating playful learning spaces. It’s devolved into a parking space for kid’s stuff. ugggh. Would love some training, ideas and inspiration to make this space function for our children’s playful learning. Thank you for this lovely give away. I will look for Mariah’s book.
I would love to win this to redo our studio/school space for my 2 home schooled kids. right now its mainly book shelves and work bench, and craft boxes
We’re about to revamp our 3 year old son’s room to incorporate his playroom, since his playroom needs to become a nursery/little sister’s room! We have limited space, but we’d really like to make his space even more playful and inviting – a small table and chairs, storage for toys and books within his reach, a reading nook… Little sister’s room is the smaller of the two, so ideas for making it a great play and rest space for her as she grows are also needed! Would LOVE to win this!
I think this class looks very interesting and would love to learn more!
Congrats, Lora! Your comment was picked from my random number generator! You’ll be contacted soon via email regarding the details of the class!
I’d love to set up our basement as a playful learning environment for our two kiddos!
We have a play room/schoolroom/office that is driving me crazy! I would LOVE help to better utilize this space and make it an inviting and enticing learning environment.
I’m planning on homeschooling my 3 and 4 year olds (well we already started when they were infants), but would love to organize our school room/playroom and make it the a stimulating/engaging/child centered area.
I am looking into getting her book and would love the chance to win the e-course! I could use some guidance in reorganizing the play room, along with a writing/learning area. Thank you!
I would love to have some help in redecorating my classroom. I have learned a lot in the past couple of years, and my classroom no longer reflects my beliefs.
I love Maria’s ideas and aesthetic. I am forever looking for ways to create accessible playspaces in our tiny one bedroom NYC apartment. I would love to learn from Maria how to improve what we have going on. Thanks!
I would love to transform the bedroom my daughters share.
I have a 16 months old boy and would like to transform his room and would love to learn about how to improve.
I would love to re-create my dining room/multipurpose room…we homeschool and that happens in the dining room as well as a lot of time just LIVING in there. I have a 6yo, 19mo old and 5mo old! I need to combine and separate activities for them all!
I have a small table and chairs in my kitchen, but would love to know how I could add to that to encourage creativity at the table. Storage space is also an issue in my home, so I’m always looking for clever ways to present material, so that it does not take too much space and is easy to pack away. 🙂
I have repeated my comment, because I realised that my email and blog details are incorrect in the previous comment. I made the changes. Sorry about that .
I have a small table and chairs in my kitchen, but would love to know how I could add to that to encourage creativity at the table. Storage space is also an issue in my home, so I’m always looking for clever ways to present material, so that it does not take too much space and is easy to pack away. 🙂
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Thank you so muchfor your inspiring ideas! I am trying to plan new space for the family literacy center where I work. I am also always looking for new ideas to transform space in my home for my 5 girls. One idea I want to look into further is your sewing area idea- I noticed it on the blog. I am hoping to create a sewing table for preschoolers this summer and would like some more ideas to encourage this type of activity.
I have already created an art area for my children and we have a science shelf with our nature study things and other science games and projects. I would love to create a writing center like the ones I’ve seen online. Thank you for the chance to win!
One of my favorite spots as a child was in a corner of my grandmother’s house. There was a built-in book shelf with many of my favorite books in it and a large green chair just in front of the shelf. It made a lovely, private corner for reading and quiet times for a young child. And, I discovered the green chair could turn around and face the corner to make it even more comfortable. I would enjoy learning how to intentionally create inviting and intriguing learning spaces for my own kids.
we moved about a year ago, and I was feeling pretty good and settled about how i’ve harnessed the kids stuff in our new space. I even made them portable writing kits for christmas, which of everything, my son declared “this is the best gift ever, Mom!” – yes, it was a very proud mom moment. But with summer coming, i’m realizing that it would be great to shake it up. Those writing kits haven’t seen much use lately, now that I think about it, and we all need to be reenergized to learn through play together!
Thank you for sharing the Playful Learning site! I would love to learn more about creating the classroom to reflect my beliefs for children’s learning.
I would love to take this course! If I could afford it, I would have signed up already when I first heard of it months ago. We have an art cabinet for my 2 year old that has become horribly cluttered and non-functioning. I would love to create a wonderful art space and supply storage space for him to use independently!
I teach 16 three-year-olds MWF–and I’ve rearranged my room each year trying to find the perfect preschool place. Inspiration is always appreciated!
Thanks for the giveaway! I am a new early childhood teacher and would love any new ideas for setting up my classroom for next year.
Starting a daycare and would love ideas for setting up! Would love to take this course!
The possibility of some big help from taking this course comes really at hand as I am starting to rethink our backyard area: An empty room with no furniture that leads you to a small outdoor area with plain grass. As you see there is nothing there so all is possible! My kids are 2 girls (8 and 5) and a baby boy 15 months-old. Thanks!
I LOVE this book! What an opportunity to be able to win a slot in her ecourse! Thanks!
Our library in the town I grew up in was amazing. I loved going there all the time. There were rows and rows of books all at a child’s level. The windows were large and it was wonderful to look out and see a light breeze blowing and the sun shining or feel safe and warm from a rain or snow storm. It was peaceful and quiet and I loved being there. It felt just like a second home!
i have a room upstairs -through a closet and it opens up into a beautiful little attic nook=i’d love to figure out how to make it a shared creative space for my son and me.
thanks for the giveaway!
How I could use a course like this! I am planning to homeschool my daughter for preschool in the fall and live in a very small house (630 square feet). This course would help me plan our learning space and figure out how exactly how to do this! (Feeling so overwhelmed at the moment… with our lack of space, 4 people and a dog!!) Thanks for the opportunity!
What a great resource! We would love to transform our “playroom” (read: toy storage area) to be a truly learning space, and we’d also like to have learning spaces throughout our small home, without being overwhelmed with ‘stuff’.
Any opportunity to learn more about creating positive play spaces is a good thing. That’s why I’m reading everyones blogs – the inspiration I get from posts, means I can take those ideas and turn them into appropriate play and learning spaces for my kindy room,which in turn, provides inspiration for the other staff! Over the years I’ve been introducing short term natural spaces into our suburban centre. What I’d love is to make it a more permanent fixture.
Thank you for sharing this resource. I am headed to the Playful Learning blog as soon as I leave here. I would love to see how I can make my small preschool classroom more appealing and stimulating.
I am a huge fan of her blog and her book. I would love a chance to take this course! Thank you so much!
Cheers!
Tricia
We have a play room that could definitely use some attention. It’s dedicated space, but that’s about it.
Wahoo! I have checked her book out from the library a couple of times and thanks to the inspiration from the book revamped my writing/art/play areas. I’d love some more help! I only have our living room/great room combo to work with in our little condo.
I would really like to be more intentional with our boys’ playroom. Sounds like a neat course; thanks for the opportunity!
There was a stretch of desert in creative projects in our home after my son was born. We seem to be back on the wagon, but we’re about to move again and are thinking deeply about what our shared spaces will look like/feel like/operate as. I’d love to be part of something that gives guidance, suggestions, and helps me move forward.
–g
Our creative play has hit a dead end unfortunately….This e course would mean the world to me. My kids desperately crave creative time and I have a hard time helping them explore their creative side.
We are moving interstate to an unknown house, but I’m sure there will be lots of nooks just ripe for turning into Playful Learning Spaces. After living in a very small inner-city terrace for 3 years, we are looking forwards to expanding our space for playful living.
I’d love to create better play spaces all over the house! We are the type of people who dont’ mind play spaces in all rooms of the house, but i’d like them to be more intentional and for them to “make sense” (i.e. kid desk space near my desk space, etc.).
I am always looking for ideas for my daughter’s play/school room.
My favorite spot as a child was my teepee in the backyard 🙂
What a great giveaway! My kids toys are all over the place, we really need to declutter a lot and reorganize and structurize all the play areas, this ecourse would be a great help!
What a lovely giveaway! I know someone who has taken her course and raves about it!
We have just moved into our brand new house and plan to be here for a long time if not forever so would love some hints on where to go in making it an enjoyable space for my kids!
I follow Emmi Pikler guidelines to organize my Baby and Toddler Play Group activities. Special care is put on safety and free movement as well as a wide range of everyday life objects and non-structured toys. My main emphasis is put on free play. I´d love to gain a deeper insight on how to offer a space that also engages little children in the learning process while playing. Thank you for the opportunity to take this e-course!
I would love help to thoughtfully organize my boys’ bedroom! It’s a mess of clutter and toys and books, and I know it could be so much more organized in a way that helps them play creatively and learn! I’ve already set up a kids kitchen space in a corner of our kitchen with an amazing and beautifully made stove I got from Rosie Hippo and my boys love it. I could certainly use some direction for their bedroom spaces.
We’re moving and it’s a great opportunity to reorganize all our spaces, including the kids’ play spaces. Thanks for sharing the link to Mariah’s site!
Oh goodness, so many spaces that I would like to work on. We have a really small house, so most of our spaces overlap. I’d particularly like to work on an art/writing center. Thanks for the giveaway!
We live in an 800sq ft apartment. Our livingroom is a shared playroom. I’d like to make over the play area/bookshelves to be as enticing as possible.
Our playspace needs some serious organization. It’s overwhelming me AND my children! Thanks for the giveaway.
I would love help organizing our living room/dining room area. into a place thats good for playing and not overwhelmed with toys.
Thanks for the giveaway!
Wow! I just read a lot of the comments and can’t believe how many of us need help creating fun play learning ares in our homes. How did this happen? How did we all get the creativity knocked out of us? We all need this e-course! We need more than that though. I feel like we all need someone to come into our homes and show us how to tweak what we are already doing to make it that much better. the hard part for me is learning to embrace the creativity of play and ignore the mess it creates. That and I’m exhausted and stressed out so adding more to my plate stresses me out more. But I really want to add more creative play to our home. We all do. Thank you for your blog. It’s really been inspiring me with my grade school aged kiddos.
I have two young children and training as a teacher in early years. I have heard so many good things about this e-course,I would love to participate.Thanks for the chance.
Fingers crossed – this course looks incredible! 🙂 I’d love to get our outdoor areas and the playroom set up better for my two children, ages3 and 5.5.
What a fun giveaway. I could use this both at work and at home. Thanks!!
I’d love to transform our small outdoor patio into a summer adventure spot for our son. Thanks for all of the great ideas on your blog!
I bought her book after reading your recommendation- absolute necessity for any teacher!! Anyway I’d love to transform our basement family room into an engaging, inspiring spot for my three and a half year old. I’d love to learn some more techniques to make it more exciting and inviting. My fingers and toes are crossed 🙂 Thanks for the giveaway!!
ksworwood@yahoo.com
I would love to transform my office into a playroom for my almost 2 year old daughter. I have so many ideas and so many things I’ve been collecting, but I just need a little direction and motivation to start!
I would love some inspiration for our outdoor play area! We have tons of potential but I need some ideas for making it special.
I love the book — I’m sure the course is just as great. I could use help setting up our basement playroom and our backyard.
I’m a PreK Teacher in a public school in NC… I enjoy using Montessori ideas along with our state-mandated curriculum. Thanks so much for sharing the Playful Learning Spaces site and offering a prize giveaway!
I have such lovely memories of playing in my grandparent’s farmhouse basement, full of antique treasures and interesting smells. Thank you for the opportunity to participate!
I have a cubby corner in the basement that I would love to turn into a learning fort for my three daughters and niece. I remember the hours of fun that my sister and I had growing up playing in our little hideout underneath the steps. Thank you for the opportunity to enter this great giveaway.
Thanks for the opportunity!
How exciting!
What fun the course looks like!
This looks like a wonderful opportunity to use what the kids are familiar with and how it personalizes their learning. Thank you for sharing!