Three Teachers Offer Unique Service Designing Smart Playrooms to Encourage Creative, Educational, and Independent Play in Children
When it comes to playtime, children are often over stimulated by the abundance of toys in their rooms. Playtime is important for teaching children various skills and encouraging them to let their imaginations run free. However, kids need to have a structured play environment that meets their needs and allows them to play at their ow n level. Most attempts to organize toys fall apart, making it difficult for children to find what they are looking for, engage in meaningful ways, and clean up when they are done. Families often underestimate the importance of playroom design and how materials need to be stored, leading to frenetic play or boredom, and the perceived need to purchase even more toys. A new service in Westchester and Fairfield Counties (New York and Connecticut) called Smart Playrooms is changing the way kids play at home. With the help of Smart Playrooms, kids can have an organized play space where they can learn through creative, educational, and independent play.
Smart Playrooms is a service invented by three moms and former teachers who found a need for intelligently designed playrooms for kids. Karri Bowen-Poole, Jennifer Purdy, and Chris Simpson are three friends and experienced teachers who put together Smart Playrooms. The idea started after Karri came to the rescue for her sister whose children never used their playroom. Karri, a teacher for 20 years who was trained in how to engage kids in play, decided to organize the playroom according to the steps she followed in her classroom at school. After spending the day creating active play centers and organizing and labeling bins, the playroom was completely transformed. Karri’s sister was amazed that her kids were not only playing in the room all the time, but they also were cleaning up afterwards.
After realizing that several other moms needed her playroom design expertise, Karri enlisted the help of her two friends and together they designed the Smart Playrooms System. The Smart Playrooms System consists of nine different learning centers that engage kids in play.
The nine learning centers include:
- Pretend play
- Music and movement
- Literacy center
- and more
The Smart Playrooms team says, “Kids are so scheduled today, they need more time for playing on their own to help develop their executive functioning skills. Our goal is to set up the play space to build a foundation for creativity and inspire a love of learning.”
Smart Playrooms uses the most effective classroom techniques and learning strategies. They will design, build, and organize your play area to encourage creative, independent play. Their thoughtful designs and organization, and careful placement of open-ended materials help your children become more engaged in the kind of play that leads to rich, creative learning and easy clean up.
All of the Smart Playrooms services are tailored to meet different needs and budgets. Their available services include:
- Reorganization and Design
- Furniture and Storage Selection
- Design from Scratch
- Designs for Businesses
- Virtual Design and Organization
One satisfied mom says, “The beauty of the system is that it’s designed for children. They can find toys, play and clean up all on their own, even my 18 month old.” – Vanda, Fairfield, CT
The Smart Playrooms trio works to encourage kids to get back to the basics of play, using their creative sides for art projects and imaginary play. Stressing that less is more, they help moms focus on the toys that will add to the experience. Some moms ask them to help organize their homes, but Chris, Karri and Jen really like the idea of using their educational backgrounds to create play spaces that help kids grow.
For more information on Smart Playrooms and to book a consultation visit http://www.smartplayrooms.com/.
Note to the media: Chris, Karri, and Jen are available for TV, radio, newspaper, magazine and other interviews. To schedule an interview with any of the Smart Playrooms trio, contact Tasha Mayberry, Director Public Relations at email@example.com or call 207.317.6099.