I always enjoy seeing other people's school rooms. We have moved several times so our school rooms have all been a little different. I do not have pictures from some of the places we've lived but I will share with you what I have. In setting up a school room(s) I like the convenience of everything being in one room but I like learning to happen all through the house. In our last house space was very limited. At first we did school in the kitchen which in some ways was very convenient.
In the file cabinet I kept subjects by drawer for instance Math books and math manipulatives in the top drawer, Language Arts / History divided by a middle divider in the second drawer. Science and Crafts in the third. Coloring books and notebooks in the bottom drawer.
On the book shelf I was able to keep my breakables on top, cookbooks handy on the second shelf, and art/daily supplies on the third shelf. The beautiful colored box organizer my friend Julie made me held pens, pencils, glue, scissors etc.
We used our time lines almost daily. Since we didn't have room to keep a time-line on the wall, we keep events in order in three-ring binders. Each child makes one for themselves.
(The bottom shelf usually held bottled water.)
There was just enough room for a small "desk" and stool for baby to color or a child to work even if the table was already set for a meal.
We did our work around the table.
On the book shelf I was able to keep my breakables on top, cookbooks handy on the second shelf, and art/daily supplies on the third shelf. The beautiful colored box organizer my friend Julie made me held pens, pencils, glue, scissors etc.
We used our time lines almost daily. Since we didn't have room to keep a time-line on the wall, we keep events in order in three-ring binders. Each child makes one for themselves.
(The bottom shelf usually held bottled water.)
There was just enough room for a small "desk" and stool for baby to color or a child to work even if the table was already set for a meal.
We did our work around the table.
Just for fun- Here's the kitchen with me standing at the file cabinet.
Let's paint!
Though the convenience of the kitchen was nice I really missed having a separate room for school messes. We couldn't start a project we couldn't finish before a meal! After awhile we decided to put all the kids in one bedroom so we could transform one bedroom into a school/play room.
This was also not a large room but It did provide space to line bookshelves and our file cabinet along one wall. This kept our living room from looking like a library! :)
The file cabinet still held our hands on activities while books were organized by subject on the shelves. Shelves also held chapter books, picture books, games, paper, toys, legos etc.
The file cabinet still held our hands on activities while books were organized by subject on the shelves. Shelves also held chapter books, picture books, games, paper, toys, legos etc.
There was room for a small card table for the "big" kids to sit and do paper work and projects.
The little girls used the dress up tote/lego tote and stools as their personal "desks" which they thought was rather neat.
I like over the door shoe hangers to organize small items.
I like over the door shoe hangers to organize small items.
On the other wall there was a love seat for read alouds and a computer/sewing desk. (This is without the card table set up.
A porch is wonderful for messy stuff!
Then we moved...again! This time we moved in with my parents. They have a large house and we have our spaces and they have theirs but we share many rooms.
How do you transform a formal dining room into a usable school room without disturbing the decor or causing too much clutter?
This view stayed the same.
This view stayed the same.
There is a little bit of clutter but we can remove it pretty quickly and easily if the occasion calls for it. I use the little table over the radiator to support the printer/lap top, my daily planner/Bible, the knitting basket and our handy box organizer with pens, pencils etc.
The pie-safe with closing doors is a great place to hide the daily stuff. Many of our school books are up in the attic on shelves for getting as we need them. Also most games/puzzles etc are in storage up there as well. Chapter books and picture books are in the kids' rooms.
On the other side of the room Papa's homemade hammer dulcimer still sits in the corner. Here we have a cubby for everyone in the family including Daddy, Mommy and the baby that comes next month. These cubbies hide incomplete projects and things that are left laying around. The kids and I toss stuff into these cubbies but when they get full they must be cleaned out and the stuff either put away in their rooms or thrown away. This makes it easier to keep things neat on the first floor.
I like having a marker board but Mom wasn't so sure about another thing on the wall...so it sits on top the cubbies and can be moved when needed.
I like having a marker board but Mom wasn't so sure about another thing on the wall...so it sits on top the cubbies and can be moved when needed.
I still like my over the door hanger and bags for library books. This door usually stays open so these things are hidden.
(The door with the wreath hides my over the door organizer.)
But probably just like you- much of our learning takes place elsewhere besides at the table. The couch in the living room holds many hours of reading, there is a music room with a piano here, Papa's wood shop is always educational, the garden, the yard, the brother's mini farm down the road, the library, books on cd and more books in the bedrooms, games, legos, the kitchen, field-trips... LIFE!
Hope you enjoyed the tour! I had fun sharing and compiling memories.
Hope you enjoyed the tour! I had fun sharing and compiling memories.