Sensory Playroom Updates - Part 2

Yesterday, we talked about how we are using our daily living space to double as our sensory playroom. Although it is so nice that we are able to do this, I can't wait to have our own PLAYROOM to house most of our sensory play as well as have more room to do some things we currently are unable to do. So, several months ago, we gutted the largest room in our basement in order to create a sensory playroom. (We needed to gut it because there was some water damage....and it was old 70's paneling.) Basically what we have done by this point is gutted it, cleaned it, and painted it white. The dark paneling before made it feel so dingy, so the white helps it feel cleaner & brighter. Here are some pictures of how it looks today.

Here is how this room looked before we started. We sold a lot of this stuff to fund our renovation!

And here is how it looks today.

Wall #1 - We still need to put up paneling. Eventually, this wall will by my work space (see the desk on the left), as well as a working fireplace. This was made by my father-in-law, and it will help keep this room warm during the cold months. The far sides of this wall are exits...the left is to a kitchen & the right is to the bathroom. The kitchen area will now be used for holding our sensory play....similar to the bookshelves upstairs. Paints, glue, water beads, rice box, etc. will all be kept in this kitchen. We are just waiting on some shelving to be installed.

Wall #2 - This wall will house most of our play area. I'm still brainstorming how it needs to be set up. This space will also host our swing that will hang from the ceiling.

Wall #2 and #3 - This is where I'm planning on showcasing kid artwork.

Wall #3 - This wall will hold our boards - magnetic, felt, write on/wipe off...

Wall #4 - This TV is for our VHS videos....it's great to get those from the library & watch new shows! We also use this for all Ethan's leapfrog TV games...like the bike shown here. It plugs into the TV & he plays video games that encourage him to pedal. It's great!

Wall #4 - I love this wall. These windows are HUGE, and they look out to our backyard. We currently have a few spare sheets working as curtains. This space will be our messy area. I would like to have a large table in this space.

We still have a long ways to go, but it has been really nice being able to USE the area now....it's no longer a construction zone. But here are a few things I'm working on for the basement....

1. Curtains - I have purchased king sized sheets in 2 colors, and I am currently making curtains for our large window.

2. Swing - My husband is currently making a swing to put in our basement. It will look something like this....http://playathomemom3.blogspot.com/2011/07/diy-sensory-swing.html.

3. Because we are still unsure if our water issues are solved, we will not be adding walls/carpet just yet. So, I have discovered that duct tape is great for hanging things on these basement walls. And have you seen all of the colors & designs that they have out now?! I will be using LOTS of duct tape in this room!

4. Crash pad - I am wanting to give Ethan a space where he can flop & crash because he LOVES to do it. I am thinking of putting tumbling mats on the walls/floors of that area & loading it with bean bags/pillows. I also think it would be nice to make this same space a reading area & give it a canopy of some type. Still thinking.....

5. Activity Table - We have been tossing around a few ideas, but we definitely know that we are either going to make our own or alter an existing table to fit our needs. We want to have a space large enough to do playdough, but also have drop down places for our rice box/water play/light play/etc. I'm thinking something like this....http://playathomemom3.blogspot.com/2011/10/sensory-bintableplay.html.