parias1126 Posted June 22, 2009 Share Posted June 22, 2009 Does anyone have a room set aside in their home for an actual homeschool/classroom? I am in the process of putting one together in our loft and was looking to see if some would share pictures, etc. of theirs. Most everything Ive purchased so far (i.e., storage, shelves, tables, desk, etc) is all Ikea. I love this store! I am looking to get ideas! Pamela Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LoveBaby Posted June 22, 2009 Share Posted June 22, 2009 We have an area in our basement that is for schooling. I *love* it!! On one side of our basement is the family room, on the other is our school area. It is also our play area, so all of the toddlers toys/books etc. are down here with us. It's nice because the 2 younger ones can be playing on the floor (hopefully quietly) while the 2 older ones are working on school. Here are a couple of pictures: http://pic80.picturetrail.com/VOL1006/4432129/9438899/332102455.jpg http://pic80.picturetrail.com/VOL1006/4432129/9438899/332102287.jpg The credenza and maps have now been replaced by 2 huge bookshelves that I got off of craigslist. I have bins in them for our math manipulatives, art supplies, playdough, extra glue/scissors etc. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris in VA Posted June 22, 2009 Share Posted June 22, 2009 (edited) Look back thru the posts for "schoolroom" threads--there are tons of pics for you! Here are two of part of our schoolroom. It's one end of the basement. On the left is our art area. This used to be Nature Girl's "housekeeping/play kitchen" but we changed it to an art area in second grade. The picture on the right is where we did our second grade stuff. The room continues to the right--but I can't seem to attach any more photos. Edited June 22, 2009 by Chris in VA Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mamato4girls Posted June 22, 2009 Share Posted June 22, 2009 I miss having a basement!! We have an area in our basement that is for schooling. I *love* it!! On one side of our basement is the family room, on the other is our school area. It is also our play area, so all of the toddlers toys/books etc. are down here with us. It's nice because the 2 younger ones can be playing on the floor (hopefully quietly) while the 2 older ones are working on school. Here are a couple of pictures: http://pic80.picturetrail.com/VOL1006/4432129/9438899/332102455.jpg http://pic80.picturetrail.com/VOL1006/4432129/9438899/332102287.jpg The credenza and maps have now been replaced by 2 huge bookshelves that I got off of craigslist. I have bins in them for our math manipulatives, art supplies, playdough, extra glue/scissors etc. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HFClassicalAcademy Posted June 22, 2009 Share Posted June 22, 2009 I have posted pictures of our school room on my blog. We turned our formal dining room into our school room. It is a blessing to have a place to do school and it is the most used room in the house, besides the kitchen!! http://hfclassicalacademy.blogspot.com/search/label/School%20Room I keep updating and changing our room to fit our needs. Soon we'll be adding a desk for my oldest to do his work, since the littles are taking over our school table. Have fun with your room!! Liz in NC Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
elegantlion Posted June 22, 2009 Share Posted June 22, 2009 Our classroom is our dining room. We have a nice eat-in kitchen so we use the dining room about once a year. I recently rearranged it, but we have our old kitchen table as a work station. 3 bookcases from Target, 2 computer desks for ds and I, and one comfy chair for reading. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nukeswife Posted June 22, 2009 Share Posted June 22, 2009 My schoolroom pictures are on the sidebar of my blog. http://www.fawkesacademy.blogspot.com Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
patchfire Posted June 22, 2009 Share Posted June 22, 2009 I don't have any pictures, but we use our sunroom (which is heated and air conditioned, more like a real room with lots of windows than what I think of as a 'sunroom') as a schoolroom. We're currently waiting to get a flat-screen and move the tv out of the room. We have one big white bookcase (can't remember where we got it, it's been years), an Ikea DVD tower that makes great paperback shelving, my desk and drawer unit (all Ikea), ds's tiny desk & chair, dd's desk, her drawer unit, and a big Trofast unit, plus an easel and dd2's crib (long story!). The two desks, drawer unit, and Trofast are all Ikea. :) When we move the tv, we're going to appropriate the tv cart for art supplies. It's so nice to have a 'home' for all of it. We're talking about moving in a few years and I already told dh we cannot buy a house that doesn't have a room suitable for a schoolroom! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
willowcreek Posted June 22, 2009 Share Posted June 22, 2009 We use our sunroom for our school room. We have a great view of the lake behind our house, and it was the perfect spot for doing the Audubon Backyard Bird Count. We have an old heart pine table I found in a junk store and my grandmother's wicker furniture for reading spots. When I started homeschooling, my husband bought me an antique pine wardrobe that serves as our "locker." It stores a HUGE amount of curriculum and supplies, and the kids have their own shelves. When school is over for the day, we close the wardrobe, and it all disappears! We joke that we are the Old Pine Wardrobe Academy for Boys. The kids appreciate the allusion to the wardrobe in the Chronicles of Narnia. Me too, the idea of school being that of stepping into a big, amazing world. Photos attached. Have fun organizing/designing your school room! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Satori Posted June 22, 2009 Share Posted June 22, 2009 (edited) Yep, we have dedicated a few rooms to homeschooling! I love looking at other homeschool rooms, what a cool thread. See more on my blog: http://satorismiles.com/our-home-school/ Our loft for most learning, coloring and reading. (Since then dd4 got her own computer.) In the middle is a large table for us to work together on. And here's my desk for homeschooling. We converted our basement kitchen to a craft room where we could get MESSY! (and do science experiments and such) Our basement floor makes a nice chalkboard: And of course outside! We just started homeschooling, and at first I wanted everything in the downstairs kitchen. But there was no windows and felt a bit confined. We've since moved most of our day up to our loft with huge windows everywhere of mountain hills. The carpeting invites us to lie down on our tummies and is so inviting. My daughter and I and all our pets all hang out in our loft all day. We have a spare room next to the loft that I plan to turn into a library with tons of bookshelves. Edited June 23, 2009 by Satori Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PeterPan Posted June 22, 2009 Share Posted June 22, 2009 I've had one since the beginning, though things have really changed since having a baby. Right now we do highchair school at the kitchen table and call it good. One day we'll probably go back to our school room in the basement, but for now it's the great storage zone. Bookshelves, can't go wrong with lots of those, and plastic drawers to store things in for art, science, math, etc. Best advice I ever got was to keep things moveable and not too fixed. That has been good, because it means I can rearrange as our news and style changes. Each year we've rearranged the room a bit differently, which has been fun. As far as cool things to give you ideas, have you considered: -a reading nook with beanbags, dog bed, etc. -cork stripping or squares to hang things -other types of cool fasteners like Command (look at your office supply store) -paper cutter (mine is Xacto, again from the office supply) -rolling chairs (they go on clearance in the fall after the back-to-school rush) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted June 22, 2009 Share Posted June 22, 2009 Our home school room is in our basement as well. I personally hate being in our basement...but I am hoping a change of paint color will make it more bright and enjoyable. I just posted pictures of it on my blog. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nicole M Posted June 22, 2009 Share Posted June 22, 2009 (edited) I have posted pictures of our school room on my blog. We turned our formal dining room into our school room. It is a blessing to have a place to do school and it is the most used room in the house, besides the kitchen!! http://hfclassicalacademy.blogspot.com/search/label/School%20Room I keep updating and changing our room to fit our needs. Soon we'll be adding a desk for my oldest to do his work, since the littles are taking over our school table. Have fun with your room!! Liz in NC Where did you get that liturgical year calendar? Do you use Catechesis of the Good Shepherd or Godly Play? ETA: Never mind. I googled and found it. Lovely room! Edited June 23, 2009 by Nicole M Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pink Fairy Posted June 22, 2009 Share Posted June 22, 2009 You can see pics of my room (I did an album) if you click on my name. :001_smile: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nicole M Posted June 23, 2009 Share Posted June 23, 2009 (edited) When I was searching for the liturgical calendar that Liz has in her school room, I happened on this blog, with pictures of a stunning room: http://wildflowersandmarbles.blogspot.com/ Here are some images of her nature corner: http://wildflowersandmarbles.blogspot.com/search/label/Nature%20Study Edited June 23, 2009 by Nicole M Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
parias1126 Posted June 23, 2009 Author Share Posted June 23, 2009 Where did you get the organization pockets for your word wall? I would love to have one of those! I have posted pictures of our school room on my blog. We turned our formal dining room into our school room. It is a blessing to have a place to do school and it is the most used room in the house, besides the kitchen!! http://hfclassicalacademy.blogspot.com/search/label/School%20Room I keep updating and changing our room to fit our needs. Soon we'll be adding a desk for my oldest to do his work, since the littles are taking over our school table. Have fun with your room!! Liz in NC Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
parias1126 Posted June 23, 2009 Author Share Posted June 23, 2009 I love your schoolroom! Love the top and legs you picked at IKEA and how you coordinated the black/white. I had so much trouble picking out what I wanted. We went with black table tops because I have little ones and didn't want the children coloring the white ones! :lol: I do have the same chairs. I cant believe how comfortable they are! You can see pics of my room (I did an album) if you click on my name. :001_smile: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stripe Posted June 23, 2009 Share Posted June 23, 2009 I love these photos! These are amazing and inspiring, but a bit overwhelming.... Thank you so much for sharing them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kellycbr Posted June 23, 2009 Share Posted June 23, 2009 You can see pics of my room (I did an album) if you click on my name. :001_smile: :glare: Where do I click? I don't see your name, and I'dlove to see your room!:tongue_smilie: Kelly Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
parias1126 Posted June 23, 2009 Author Share Posted June 23, 2009 :glare: Where do I click? I don't see your name, and I'dlove to see your room!:tongue_smilie: Kelly If you click on her name, you will get a drop down menu. I clicked to see her profile and there was an album off to the right side. Click on it. :001_smile: Pamela Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Garga Posted June 23, 2009 Share Posted June 23, 2009 What makes my school room work: 1. The laptop is on the desk so that while kids are doing copywork or something, I can be doing something on the laptop and not be bored. 2. The bookcase that has the current books we're using (like math books, hx books, etc) is within reach of the desk we sit at. I just lean back and grab the books as needed. These are good things if you have distractable kids. If we stop for me to move across the room to get a book, ds has trouble getting back on track. And if I leave him alone when he's supposed to be doing copywork, he'll waste time and doodle all over the page, so I need to be next to him to help him stay focused. (He's only 6) I'm too lazy to figure out how to get pictures onto the computer, so I can't show you my room. It's a big room we use as a toy room and school room so that ds 4 can play while ds 6 does school stuff. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wheezie Posted June 23, 2009 Share Posted June 23, 2009 I *love* all of the pictures. My major summer project is to reorganize our hs area, and I am just soaking up all of these pics, planning and getting ideas.:001_smile: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CookieMonster Posted June 23, 2009 Share Posted June 23, 2009 Having a designated spot - even if it's not a separate room - helps my son and me focus and get down to business. Here's the link to my blog posts about it. A Place For Everything Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Karenciavo Posted June 23, 2009 Share Posted June 23, 2009 (edited) http://hfclassicalacademy.blogspot.com/search/label/School%20Room Liz in NC Liz, how deep are the pockets on that blue organizer you have on the wall (the one with the file folders.) Edited June 23, 2009 by Karenciavo Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Michelle My Bell Posted June 23, 2009 Share Posted June 23, 2009 You can see my schoolroom pictures at my blog... www.homeschoolblogger.com/michellemybell . Just scroll down a bit. Michelle Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Evergreen Academy Posted June 23, 2009 Share Posted June 23, 2009 "I love these photos! These are amazing and inspiring, but a bit overwhelming.... Thank you so much for sharing them." I just wanted to share, for anyone overwhelmed by these GORGEOUS schoolrooms, that it's possible to take the inspiration and use these great ideas even if you don't have a designated schoolroom. We've tried to be creative with the space we have and it's fun to see the ideas others have used! We do most of our seatwork at the 9-foot farm table where we also eat our meals, do art projects and have afternoon tea. The children have bins for their seatwork that we tuck in the pantry, and the art supplies are in a restored old cabinet that probably graced a country store years ago. I have a bookshelf in this room (dining room off of the kitchen that was probably a family room originally), wallmaps of the USA and the world, several blackboards (one up high and one mounted on the back of the sink cabinet, for little hands to reach), and a laminated poster of common feeder birds of North America. This room is also our favorite space to display the kids' artwork - everywhere LOL! It works for me because I can be preparing meals or doing kitchen work while they do seatwork within my view. When it's time to do history, reading lessons or storytime, we cuddle up on the sofa in front of the fireplace. We keep our history and reading time books in the shelves surrounding the fireplace. Our library books are nearby in an old peach crate, next to the nature table which was probably a night stand years ago, before I repurposed it, covered it with a seasonal cloth, and filled the shelf below with our nature books. Just wanted to share and reassure any who might not have one of the beautiful rooms pictured. Thank you to all who shared, I have new inspiration now. I'd like to go on vacation in the schoolroom with the wicker furniture. :) Blessings, Aimee mom to 6 great kids ages 6-18, schooling grades 1, 3, 3 and 6 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
creekmom Posted June 23, 2009 Share Posted June 23, 2009 Not real sure how to attach pictures - hopefully this will work. My school room is in the basement. I just finished it last summer. The book turn around holder was a lucky find at Goodwill - just $5! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted June 23, 2009 Share Posted June 23, 2009 Not real sure how to attach pictures - hopefully this will work. My school room is in the basement. I just finished it last summer. The book turn around holder was a lucky find at Goodwill - just $5! I love your school room! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
debbielong Posted June 23, 2009 Share Posted June 23, 2009 But, I second the suggestion not to do anything too permanent. We started in the basement seven years ago and have moved things around each year, depending on the ages of the children, the work they are doing, and what books I need handy. When they were little, I needed to be in the basement where we could get messy and the littles could play. Now, they are older and we need access to more than one computer, more than a few books, and individual places where each child can work quietly. I still need the day's resources handy, but everything doesn't fall apart when I walk out of the room now;) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tricia Posted June 23, 2009 Share Posted June 23, 2009 Mine is as simple as it can get. We have such a large family that I have had to move into my bedroom. I school the 5 youngest children in their and I only have what I need each day on my shelf my husband made me. The older children usually are in the living room where most of our homeschool stuff is. Here is a picture of my room where I school with the youngest children. http://mommyx12.blogspot.com/2009/05/simple-school-room.html Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest lahmeh Posted June 23, 2009 Share Posted June 23, 2009 These are great! My mother is living in our finished basement and our dining room has 3 different computers (husband, me, kids). Our living room is huge so I think I'm gonna put our living room set in the dining room (it's big too) and move the computers and kidney table to the living room and make that our school room. I could really use the wall space for maps, posters, etc. We rarely have company so who cares if it looks silly :D! Thanks for posting all your pics ladies! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Colleen in SEVA Posted June 23, 2009 Share Posted June 23, 2009 :lurk5: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
willowcreek Posted June 24, 2009 Share Posted June 24, 2009 I'm the person with the pine wardrobe and wicker furniture in much earlier pictures in this thread. I do have a beautiful space--which is just so fortunate. but that is not what makes it wonderful, really. I saw some beautiful spaces that made me feel slack on my organization skills and though i love my windows, it leaves little space for maps/charts in that room so they are elsewhere in the house. I'll never have the beautiful art supply centers--it is beyond me (and the aesthetic concerns of life with all boys!!) However--this is the really great thing about my school room--which everyone can have in some way. Find the blessings and inspiration in your space. In my case, that wicker furniture--it is not the beauty of it--it is my dear grandmother's. She grew up in the poorest county in AL, born in 1905, and there was no accredited high school in the county. Her parents weren't literate. She did make it to the unaccredited high school, and she could read and write. But I don't think she ever read anything besides the Bible and Reader's Digest, because it was beyond her. But she was the greatest woman--sewed shirts in a factory for my dad to go to college. Just slaved away. Loved us beyond measure. Climbed trees with us till she was 70. She lived to see me on to graduate school and always told me to never stop. That furniture represents her "muse" for me--how amazing, sheerly miraculous it is that I am a very educated person in a house full of books with my children. It is a reminder to me often of that miracle and gift. My icons are not visible from the views in the picture, which are part of my inpiration, but I also have a pair of spectacles that belonged to my great-great aunt on another side of the family. She was a "spinster school teacher" with such high expectations, and I loved her so. Those spectacles sitting on a table inspire me, too. Also, I have multiple sclerosis, and at times cannot walk to leave my house--like right now in the middle of a relapse. That room is a luxurious extra, and I know that. But we moved into this house before I had MS and (and before we could expect the extraordinary medical costs that go with it--forever) I may not have this house for too long. But right now, those windows allow me to watch my sons fish and play when I literally can't join them. They allow me not to feel so trapped when walking is so hard and the heat (which is terrible for people with MS) is horribly oppressive. (Alabama no less) It's not the space or the house, it is how fortunately, before I could know I needed it, that space helps me beyond my illness and into my kids' lives. Everyone has 'sacred" things that can be part of their school room that inspire and remind them of their gifts--not just the size or loveliness of a space. And everyone can look around, and find, in their situation, something that is particularly there for them--just for them and what they need--that came to be long before they knew they would need it. (like that husband who is so handy with shelves!) Blessings! The greatest blessings are those that are already there that we seek to find and see, and the sweetness of savoring them, because they are not always permanent. So wishes, for beauty, simply helpful spaces, inspring things, organziation that works for your family. Realize this--no mom put her picture in the pics of her room--and for your kids--you are the most important element in the room! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
swimmermom3 Posted June 24, 2009 Share Posted June 24, 2009 Blessings! The greatest blessings are those that are already there that we seek to find and see, and the sweetness of savoring them, because they are not always permanent. So wishes, for beauty, simply helpful spaces, inspring things, organziation that works for your family. Realize this--no mom put her picture in the pics of her room--and for your kids--you are the most important element in the room! Thank you for helping me to start my morning in the right direction. Thank you too for sharing your insights inspired by that beautiful room. I'll admit it, I was drooling just looking at those pictures. Peace, joy, and hoping your day goes easier. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wheezie Posted June 24, 2009 Share Posted June 24, 2009 I'm the person with the pine wardrobe and wicker furniture in much earlier pictures in this thread. I do have a beautiful space--which is just so fortunate. but that is not what makes it wonderful, really. I saw some beautiful spaces that made me feel slack on my organization skills and though i love my windows, it leaves little space for maps/charts in that room so they are elsewhere in the house. I'll never have the beautiful art supply centers--it is beyond me (and the aesthetic concerns of life with all boys!!) However--this is the really great thing about my school room--which everyone can have in some way. Find the blessings and inspiration in your space. In my case, that wicker furniture--it is not the beauty of it--it is my dear grandmother's. She grew up in the poorest county in AL, born in 1905, and there was no accredited high school in the county. Her parents weren't literate. She did make it to the unaccredited high school, and she could read and write. But I don't think she ever read anything besides the Bible and Reader's Digest, because it was beyond her. But she was the greatest woman--sewed shirts in a factory for my dad to go to college. Just slaved away. Loved us beyond measure. Climbed trees with us till she was 70. She lived to see me on to graduate school and always told me to never stop. That furniture represents her "muse" for me--how amazing, sheerly miraculous it is that I am a very educated person in a house full of books with my children. It is a reminder to me often of that miracle and gift. My icons are not visible from the views in the picture, which are part of my inpiration, but I also have a pair of spectacles that belonged to my great-great aunt on another side of the family. She was a "spinster school teacher" with such high expectations, and I loved her so. Those spectacles sitting on a table inspire me, too. Also, I have multiple sclerosis, and at times cannot walk to leave my house--like right now in the middle of a relapse. That room is a luxurious extra, and I know that. But we moved into this house before I had MS and (and before we could expect the extraordinary medical costs that go with it--forever) I may not have this house for too long. But right now, those windows allow me to watch my sons fish and play when I literally can't join them. They allow me not to feel so trapped when walking is so hard and the heat (which is terrible for people with MS) is horribly oppressive. (Alabama no less) It's not the space or the house, it is how fortunately, before I could know I needed it, that space helps me beyond my illness and into my kids' lives. Everyone has 'sacred" things that can be part of their school room that inspire and remind them of their gifts--not just the size or loveliness of a space. And everyone can look around, and find, in their situation, something that is particularly there for them--just for them and what they need--that came to be long before they knew they would need it. (like that husband who is so handy with shelves!) Blessings! The greatest blessings are those that are already there that we seek to find and see, and the sweetness of savoring them, because they are not always permanent. So wishes, for beauty, simply helpful spaces, inspring things, organziation that works for your family. Realize this--no mom put her picture in the pics of her room--and for your kids--you are the most important element in the room! What an awesome post! I have fibromyalgia and RA, so I know a little about *wanting* to go play w/ the kids, etc, but not being able to. It's so easy to get down, and start having a pity party, but your post really put me back in my place. :) You have a beautiful place, and I pray you can enjoy it for a long time. :grouphug: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris in VA Posted June 24, 2009 Share Posted June 24, 2009 Oh, Willowcreek, that was a lovely, lovely post. I am going to print it out and frame it and hang it in my schoolroom. :D Did you know YOU could be someone's inspiration? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
skaterbabs Posted June 26, 2009 Share Posted June 26, 2009 :lurk5: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Granny_Weatherwax Posted June 26, 2009 Share Posted June 26, 2009 Not real sure how to attach pictures - hopefully this will work. My school room is in the basement. I just finished it last summer. The book turn around holder was a lucky find at Goodwill - just $5! This is an aweasome schoolroom. If I had younger children I would so copy this idea. Thank you for sharing! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lauracolumbus Posted June 26, 2009 Share Posted June 26, 2009 Willowcreek, your post was beautiful, touching, and inspiring. Thank you for sharing. You've made me want to include our few heirlooms into our homeschool room so that I, too, can remember and teach my children about my sources of inspiration. Laura Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
creekmom Posted June 26, 2009 Share Posted June 26, 2009 This is an aweasome schoolroom. If I had younger children I would so copy this idea. Thank you for sharing! Thank you! I'm so glad I moved our school to the basement. I'm just too distracted upstairs with all the chores I need to do staring at me!! I do wish we had some windows, but the bright blue and yellow walls remind me of a sunny day! :001_smile: Now, if I could just get rid of all the spiders down there!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Granny_Weatherwax Posted June 26, 2009 Share Posted June 26, 2009 I'm the person with the pine wardrobe and wicker furniture in much earlier pictures in this thread. I do have a beautiful space--which is just so fortunate. but that is not what makes it wonderful, really. I saw some beautiful spaces that made me feel slack on my organization skills and though i love my windows, it leaves little space for maps/charts in that room so they are elsewhere in the house. I'll never have the beautiful art supply centers--it is beyond me (and the aesthetic concerns of life with all boys!!) However--this is the really great thing about my school room--which everyone can have in some way. Find the blessings and inspiration in your space. In my case, that wicker furniture--it is not the beauty of it--it is my dear grandmother's. She grew up in the poorest county in AL, born in 1905, and there was no accredited high school in the county. Her parents weren't literate. She did make it to the unaccredited high school, and she could read and write. But I don't think she ever read anything besides the Bible and Reader's Digest, because it was beyond her. But she was the greatest woman--sewed shirts in a factory for my dad to go to college. Just slaved away. Loved us beyond measure. Climbed trees with us till she was 70. She lived to see me on to graduate school and always told me to never stop. That furniture represents her "muse" for me--how amazing, sheerly miraculous it is that I am a very educated person in a house full of books with my children. It is a reminder to me often of that miracle and gift. My icons are not visible from the views in the picture, which are part of my inpiration, but I also have a pair of spectacles that belonged to my great-great aunt on another side of the family. She was a "spinster school teacher" with such high expectations, and I loved her so. Those spectacles sitting on a table inspire me, too. Also, I have multiple sclerosis, and at times cannot walk to leave my house--like right now in the middle of a relapse. That room is a luxurious extra, and I know that. But we moved into this house before I had MS and (and before we could expect the extraordinary medical costs that go with it--forever) I may not have this house for too long. But right now, those windows allow me to watch my sons fish and play when I literally can't join them. They allow me not to feel so trapped when walking is so hard and the heat (which is terrible for people with MS) is horribly oppressive. (Alabama no less) It's not the space or the house, it is how fortunately, before I could know I needed it, that space helps me beyond my illness and into my kids' lives. Everyone has 'sacred" things that can be part of their school room that inspire and remind them of their gifts--not just the size or loveliness of a space. And everyone can look around, and find, in their situation, something that is particularly there for them--just for them and what they need--that came to be long before they knew they would need it. (like that husband who is so handy with shelves!) Blessings! The greatest blessings are those that are already there that we seek to find and see, and the sweetness of savoring them, because they are not always permanent. So wishes, for beauty, simply helpful spaces, inspring things, organziation that works for your family. Realize this--no mom put her picture in the pics of her room--and for your kids--you are the most important element in the room! This is a wonderful post. Thank you. I think your room is beautiful - made more so by knowing the story behind it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Annie Laurie Posted June 26, 2009 Share Posted June 26, 2009 We converted our basement kitchen to a craft room where we could get MESSY! (and do science experiments and such) Our basement floor makes a nice chalkboard: And of course outside! An extra kitchen for science experiments and art is an awesome idea- I'll have to remember that for my next house. We have an art center in our playroom but I have to go down the hall to the bathroom to clean out our paint brushes and materials when we're done. Love the Geopolis pic! Katy and the Big Snow has always been a favorite here, and I have a pic of my son when he made Geopolis with blocks also. I'm envious of your deck and view! I grew up in MI and all the trees and green I see remind me of it. Beautiful!! (I am now in TX where it is 103 outside and the grass is dead brown, heat waves shimmering off the sidewalk, and not much prettiness to gaze at). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Annie Laurie Posted June 26, 2009 Share Posted June 26, 2009 When I was searching for the liturgical calendar that Liz has in her school room, I happened on this blog, with pictures of a stunning room: http://wildflowersandmarbles.blogspot.com/ Here are some images of her nature corner: http://wildflowersandmarbles.blogspot.com/search/label/Nature%20Study That is gorgeous, and I love the organizational ideas. Thanks for sharing it! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Annie Laurie Posted June 26, 2009 Share Posted June 26, 2009 Not real sure how to attach pictures - hopefully this will work. My school room is in the basement. I just finished it last summer. The book turn around holder was a lucky find at Goodwill - just $5! I love how organized it is! I am in the middle of changing mine around and these posts have given me so many great ideas. :D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Annie Laurie Posted June 26, 2009 Share Posted June 26, 2009 I'm the person with the pine wardrobe and wicker furniture in much earlier pictures in this thread. I do have a beautiful space--which is just so fortunate. but that is not what makes it wonderful, really. I saw some beautiful spaces that made me feel slack on my organization skills and though i love my windows, it leaves little space for maps/charts in that room so they are elsewhere in the house. I'll never have the beautiful art supply centers--it is beyond me (and the aesthetic concerns of life with all boys!!) However--this is the really great thing about my school room--which everyone can have in some way. Find the blessings and inspiration in your space. In my case, that wicker furniture--it is not the beauty of it--it is my dear grandmother's. She grew up in the poorest county in AL, born in 1905, and there was no accredited high school in the county. Her parents weren't literate. She did make it to the unaccredited high school, and she could read and write. But I don't think she ever read anything besides the Bible and Reader's Digest, because it was beyond her. But she was the greatest woman--sewed shirts in a factory for my dad to go to college. Just slaved away. Loved us beyond measure. Climbed trees with us till she was 70. She lived to see me on to graduate school and always told me to never stop. That furniture represents her "muse" for me--how amazing, sheerly miraculous it is that I am a very educated person in a house full of books with my children. It is a reminder to me often of that miracle and gift. My icons are not visible from the views in the picture, which are part of my inpiration, but I also have a pair of spectacles that belonged to my great-great aunt on another side of the family. She was a "spinster school teacher" with such high expectations, and I loved her so. Those spectacles sitting on a table inspire me, too. Also, I have multiple sclerosis, and at times cannot walk to leave my house--like right now in the middle of a relapse. That room is a luxurious extra, and I know that. But we moved into this house before I had MS and (and before we could expect the extraordinary medical costs that go with it--forever) I may not have this house for too long. But right now, those windows allow me to watch my sons fish and play when I literally can't join them. They allow me not to feel so trapped when walking is so hard and the heat (which is terrible for people with MS) is horribly oppressive. (Alabama no less) It's not the space or the house, it is how fortunately, before I could know I needed it, that space helps me beyond my illness and into my kids' lives. Everyone has 'sacred" things that can be part of their school room that inspire and remind them of their gifts--not just the size or loveliness of a space. And everyone can look around, and find, in their situation, something that is particularly there for them--just for them and what they need--that came to be long before they knew they would need it. (like that husband who is so handy with shelves!) Blessings! The greatest blessings are those that are already there that we seek to find and see, and the sweetness of savoring them, because they are not always permanent. So wishes, for beauty, simply helpful spaces, inspring things, organziation that works for your family. Realize this--no mom put her picture in the pics of her room--and for your kids--you are the most important element in the room! Your post was a blessing to me today, thank you so much for sharing this. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Annie Laurie Posted June 26, 2009 Share Posted June 26, 2009 This is our room: I have changed it since those pics, I now have centers, different maps and things on the walls, a bulletin board, an art area, and I've moved out the playstands. That room was designed originally when my youngest was 2, and he was able to play happily while I was busy with my other kids. My oldest preferred to work at the desk in his room where it was quiet, so the playroom/schoolroom was a space for a toddler, preschooler, and Ker when I first made it. Now that they're older, we've changed it around and I'm still organizing it; I don't have updated pics yet. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SBP Posted June 26, 2009 Share Posted June 26, 2009 I just finished doing some rearranging/redecorating of our school area. You can see pictures here, at my blog, and if you're interested, you can scroll down and see other posts with before & in-progress pics. :) As someone else said, our school room is actually more of a room where we house the homeschooling stuff than it is a room we hide ourselves away in all day. My son prefers to do his independent work in the quiet of his room, so he has a desk in there, and my DD migrates around at will, but usually stays within calling distance of me. Best, SBP Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stripe Posted June 26, 2009 Share Posted June 26, 2009 This is our room: Your book displays are AMAZING (what a fantastically long wall!) and the orange paint is very cheerful. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mamato4girls Posted June 26, 2009 Share Posted June 26, 2009 Can I come play at your house? :) This is our room: I have changed it since those pics, I now have centers, different maps and things on the walls, a bulletin board, an art area, and I've moved out the playstands. That room was designed originally when my youngest was 2, and he was able to play happily while I was busy with my other kids. My oldest preferred to work at the desk in his room where it was quiet, so the playroom/schoolroom was a space for a toddler, preschooler, and Ker when I first made it. Now that they're older, we've changed it around and I'm still organizing it; I don't have updated pics yet. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tree House Academy Posted June 26, 2009 Share Posted June 26, 2009 Here is ours: :) Since these pictures were taken, all we have added is our class pet, Henry. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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