Originally Posted by SilverSabre25:
And in a more child-centered approach than the one Nanny uses 
having materials at the child's level is a very good thing.
I have one of the "bin shelves" that you see at Target/Wal-Mart and that holds play food, doll accessories, and a few other things. It's right beside the play kitchen and is very handy. My 3 yo is very good about putting things away on her own and correctly (I'm anal about sorting stuff, lol). I also have one of the short 3-shelf bookcases from Target ($15) upstairs and 2 more downstairs--upstairs it holds things like the cash register, tea set, doctor stuff, etc, and downstairs, they hold Little People buildings. Perfect height for kids to access the materials themselves and put them away themselves, adjustable shelves but they have NEVER been pulled out by my crew, and too tall to climb on.
I have another bookshelf (happens to also have 3 shelves, none adjustable) that I use as a toy shelf--this one holds blocks, instruments, and shape toys (puzzles, shape sorters, stacking/nesting things, etc).
My books are on one of these although I see from my search that kidkraft has one that looks nicer. I searched "kids bookshelf" at Target--these sling style ones are really nice because they let the kids see the cover rather than the spine. Rain Gutter Book Shelves are also awesome, and if I ever quit rearranging my daycare (lol) I want to install some.
One big key that many people don't realize is that you need to limit the number of things on each shelf--two or three is plenty. The shelves need to not be crowded. Letting kids access things themselves, put them away themselves, is a very developmentally appropriate thing to do. You can still control what and how much they play with by rotating things on and off the shelves.
And, I'm such a heathen that I allow climbing in my daycare room. We have a Little Tikes Slide n Climb Castle (I think that's what it's called) that they just LOVE and they're always climbing into the rocking chair, and I let them stand on kid-sized chairs to look out the window. The slide is a HUGE hit especially with the crappy weather. I have a high energy group and this helps run off (climb off?) some of the energy. I've noticed a big difference in the behavior (for the better) since I brought the slide upstairs again.
And in a more child-centered approach than the one Nanny uses having materials at the child's level is a very good thing.
Ummm have you seen my TWO playrooms? The children have THOUSANDS of dollars worth of toys available at their level. What could you mean by this?
And, I'm such a heathen that I allow climbing in my daycare room. And that is awesome. Who would think you were a heathen? What do you mean by that? If climbing indoors works for you then of course you should offer that.