Even some of the unlikeliest moms in our area are starting to consider the option of educating their kiddos at home. There are so many pros and cons to homeschooling, and also very many pros and cons to sending your kiddos off to school. Personally, I think education works best when youre doing what works best for the child and the family, and every situation is different. So here are two words for you homeschoolers, public schoolers, and private schoolers: ROCK ON!
I've homeschooled for the past few years, and we plan to do it again this year. This could possibly change in the future, but until it does, Ill be enjoying the time I get to spend in our home schoolroom. If youre thinking of creating a home education space, feel free to take note and/or send me your own schoolroom photos so we can post them.
Books, Books, Books!
This room is slightly larger than most home study rooms, and it makes a great schoolroom for 4 children. Theres space for 4 separate work areas plus a large community table. I purchased the main components of the large bookcases and desks from someone on Craigslist (and Im still alive! Yay!). That person had purchased it from Pottery Barn Teen, and boy did they hand it down to us at a bargain price!
Preschool / Kindergarten Area
My five-year-old has the table in the right corner. We purchased it and the chairs years ago from PB Kids. It works well for a corner space, and l although the top of the table has seen quite a bit of wear and tear, we found that covering it with contact paper purchased from the Dollar Store was all that was needed to give it a facelieft!
Two weeks ago, I purchased this Little Tikes desk and chair resale (from The Woodlands Bazaar Facebook classifieds group). The baby will be about 18 months old when school begins again in August, and this desk gives her her own space in the schoolroom.
The little kids area has nursery rhymes and basic learning info on the walls, and the drawers at the bottom of the bookcase holds puzzles, pegboards, lacing cards, and other fun activities that help with fine motor and cognitive skills. Excuse the mess!
Art Supplies
Under the bookcase is the art supplies. Heres where we keep all kinds of scissors (including the ones with special designs), crayons, map pencils, markers, stencils, paints, bracelet-making supplies, yarn, easels, canvases, modeling clay, construction paper and more. The older girls are free to access these art supplies whenever the urge hits, with the exception of the paints. We do very few art projects or formal art lessons, but I want them to be independent and confident when it comes to creating artwork, and having supplies on hand is very helpful in nurturing their creativity. The rule is they must put things back how they found them, and clean up after each art project.
The opposite wall of the schoolroom is for the grown-up books. That includes any fiction and non-fiction books for hubby and me, plus all curriculum, workbooks, and educational planning tools Ill be using.
Toddler Time
No Bare Walls
It took me a while before I started hanging stuff on the walls, but now Im totally okay with it. I use Command strips which are supposed to not damage the walls, but even if they do, I realize we can always repaint. The posters on the wall give the girls reading material as they move their eyes throughout the room, and this kind of info president names, shapes and colors, etc. begin to sink in after a while.
Community Space
This huge table was another bargain. Its a solid wood conference table that I purchased for $100 off Craigslist. Its heavy, and I still dont quite remember how my hubby got it in the house without help. Regardless, its here, and its highly useful for everything from mommys space (I use the table to work on my computer during the school day, to check their work, to lesson plan, and to do sewing projects in my leisure time). The girls use this table for art projects, science, games, and more.
The 5th and 2nd graders have computers on their desk. Id prefer to have a dedicated computer lab , but theres no space for such, so they have to close their computers and push it to the corners of the desk when not in use. They use their computers daily for writing (they LOVE writing stories), computer animation, movie making, and more. The Kindergartner has just begun to learn how to effectively use the computer, but she shares mine with me. The printer, in the corner, is connected wirelessly.
Other Supplies
The baskets are for math manipulatives (like counters, abacus, etc.), flashcards and other learning cards, magazines (like Highlights for kids), and coloring books.
The bottom part of this bookcase is used to store general office supplies staples, pencil sharpeners, hole punchers, laminator, etc., plus a few educational games.
Sit Down
The schoolroom has two leather chairs on casters that are supposed to be for the teachers (me and hubby), but the older two girls really enjoy using these chairs sometimes, so on special occasions they can earn the privilege of doing so. Their regular chairs are basic wood chairs that dont roll. I notice that they like to sit with their legs curled up under themselves, so for the upcoming year I might need to invest in footrests so they can sit comfortably with their feet flat on a surface for proper back support.
Our schoolroom is ever evolving! If we ever do a major overhaul, I'll be sure to give you a tour!
