My husband had today off, so I went to Wal-Mart this afternoon and did some shopping.  I got a low shelf for $20, which I put in the corner of our family room.  I finally finished clearing out and organizing the shelves of the entertainment center so we can use the lower shelves for materials.  I also got a folding "personal" table that the kids can put up when they need to.  It and the shelf are both so light that the kids will be able to move them around as they want.  Now I just need some pegs so I can put the shelves into (what used to be) the media cabinet. Originally I was going to make the dining room our "home environment", but everybody seems to like the family room better.  So I'll set up our art, science, and practical life areas in the dining room, where we can make a mess, and keep language, math, culture, and religion in the family room.  

I took the plunge and ordered a lot of basic materials from Montessori Outlet.  I know I could have made them, or made do with other things, but I have so little time, and financially, we're doing well this year because of an unexpected bonus.  So we talked it over and decided to spend the money.  If I didn't have 5 kids under the age of  9 (3 age 2 and under) and I wasn't committed to homeschooling for the long haul, I don't think I would have bought so much - maybe just the hardest to make, like the cylinders..  (Actually until this year we couldn't have afforded it anyway!)  I've been interested in Montessori since my oldest was a preschooler, but it didn't really click in my head until late last spring.

Anyway, I still have a lot of materials to make!  (One of the first big things will be the geometry cabinet.)  Right now I'm making good progress on setting things up, though.