If you have a school room -

[Karen in CO]

What is one thing you are glad you have in it and one thing you wish you had more of in it?

 

I'm going to be turning an unused family room into a school room / office and I need advice. I've worked in offices and cubicles for years so my idea of office isn't what I want for our school room office. I'm going to also be cleaning and organizing the basement to make a real kid-friendly play area for when I need quiet in my office. So play space isn't what we're going for, just an office with desks for kids and myself and whatever else I'm supposed to have - bookshelves, coffee pot, conference table, filing cabinets ? :confused:

 

Help me. Please.

[JulieJ]

I purchased a large whiteboard from Staples. I think that is our best thing.

 

 

I wish I had more shelves!!

[Meriwether]

I really like my white board and comfortable place to read. I have an old kitchen countertop mounted at barstool height for a media area - tv with dvd player, computer, cd player.

 

I wish I had more bookshelves.

 

Have fun designing!

 

Edited to add: My kids each work at their own table - not a desk. As the little ones get older they will eventually have to share, but I really like having space to spread out. It is also easier to keep them on task when they are not right next to each other.

Edited April 3, 2010 by Meriwether

[babysparkler]

I love having a kidney table with different colored chairs (so there is no arguing over who-was-sitting-where).

 

I wish we had more floor space!!!

[Peela]

We each have a large desk that is angled so that we each have some privacy. We use the workbox system and so each have a set of rolling drawers next to our desks.

The sofas give us a read aloud and comfy space for kids to read independently. Also a TV with DVD player.

Maps and artwork on the walls give it a schoolroomy feel that is also friendly.

A large calendar.

A white board that we don't use as a white board, but instead as a place to blue tac photographs- half the board for me, half for dd15.

A piano.

[kalanamak]

I have one now! I have one now!

 

A whole wall of bookshelves and a closet are what I am liking less than a month into it. And a little heater at my feet, so the rest of the house can be economically chilly. Mine is 10 by 14 for one student and my desk, and I wouldn't want it smaller.

[Hedgehogs4]

I love having a peanut-shaped table with a chair at either end and a chair for me in the middle. I can help both the kids and they have their spaces on either end. I wish I had more blank wall space for a larger white board and a big world map.

[ChristusG]

Bookshelves.....and more bookshelves. Plus a decent place to file away work that your child(ren) have completed. I also have a large cabinet where I can put games/art supplies/flash cards/makers/etc out of sight so that it does not look all jumbled up just sitting on a visible shelf.

 

What I wish I had? Better lighting. We have a window and two lamps, but no overhead lighting. It is really very annoying.

[joannqn]

I love our large whiteboard. I wish it were bigger and framed to prevent marker on the walls. I also wish I had a nice looking organized system for our stuff.

[mrscopterdoc]

I love the corkboard, chalkboard and whiteboard. We even have extra whiteboards to carry around.

 

I wish we had more shelves....lots and lots more bookshelves.

[KJsMom]

I have 2 large bookshelves and cabinets and I love that, but I have a small white board. I'm thinking about getting those waterproof shower wall boards and covering one wall. My kids work so much better on a white board than on paper and I've heard that those are pretty good substitutes.

[Lara in Colo]

I have one large whiteboard, two would be great! I'm thinking of doing a wall with chalkboard paint for more writing space. I have a shelving unit, but will soon make shelves up high to go around the room so I have more room at desk height. The thing we really need? More electrical. We burnt out a fuse earlier this year because it was the fuse for 3 rooms. I have corkboard all around the room that I can pin stuff on. That really comes in handy.

 

Lara

[classicHSmom]

Small things -

Likes: box of tissues

Wishes: pencil sharpener that will actually sharpen a pencil! I have a nice manual one that I've been waiting for dh to mount but he doesn't want to put the holes in the wall. I suppose I could buy an electric one, though.

 

Bigger things -

Likes: storage space; two large windows, one with mountain views

Wishes: a large chair to read in, another heat/cooling vent because the temperature is always off, a round or kidney shaped table

[Corraleno]

Favorite things:

Floor-to-ceiling Ikea cabinets to store supplies out of sight; the plain white laminate doors are great for posting artwork.

Large (4' x 5') white board on a rolling stand

Large (3' x 6') rectangular table in the middle of the room for group work, art projects, etc. (there are also 3 desks, for the 2 kids and me)

Seven 30"-wide "Billy" bookcases: 4 half-height and 3 full-height

Big windows and a large skylight! I love having natural daylight; we never have to turn the lights on during the day.

 

Wish I had:

More bookshelves! I'm trying to figure out a way to squeeze in another 6' Billy bookcase, and I want to add extra shelves to the tops of the ones I have so they reach the ceiling. There's no such thing as too many bookshelves!

 

Jackie

Edited April 3, 2010 by Corraleno

[helena]

I like that my classroom is cozy with rugs, dark woods, vintage type furnishings and bold blue walls, and nice lighting. It has a good vibe that's comfortable to study in.

 

I wish I had a green house window in my classroom for botany. And if I was wishing big, I'd like a fireplace. :001_smile:

[elegantlion]

Our classroom is our former formal dining room. We have an eat in kitchen, so the classroom is only for school.

 

Likes: white board - I have two - magnetic one is great

Old Dining Room table for workspace. It's 65 x 38 and it's great. Ds works on one side, I'm on the other

separate desks for computers

bookshelves and more bookshelves

wireless printer

a big comfy chair

[MIch elle]

I love our large whiteboard. I wish it were bigger and framed to prevent marker on the walls.

 

:iagree: Love our white board - wish it was bigger.

 

Our school room is a multi-purpose room. It's suppose to be a main floor bedroom but my 2 boys still share a bedroom by their choice. It has a large wall unit with: lots of bookshelves, radio/CD player, TV, DVD player, printer, PS3, large round table, loveseat, chair, rocking chair, ottoman, desk chair. The closet has another wall unit in it lined with books top to bottom. The flat screen TV is where the old desktop computer use to be since we only have laptop computers now. We watch SfC & IEW on that TV during school and the dc play PS3 when not "in school."

[Leanna Tomlinson]

I LOVE having a combination copier/scanner/printer.

I am also glad I have plenty of file drawers.

I like having two tables so kids who are not getting along can separate.

I am thankful for an old computer that is not connected to the internet so my little ones can do math drills, Spanish practice, etc. and aren't in the way of the big kids who are trying to type essays etc.

 

I used to have a loveseat and I wish I had it back.

 

Leanna

[ereks mom]

My schoolroom is pretty small (10x12?). It has shelves on every wall, but still not enough! I do wish we had more floor space. If I rearranged it, I would like it much better. But rearranging it and reorganizing everything is an ongoing project which, unfortunately, is being neglected of late. I MUST get back to it. We don't even work in there anymore; it's just a library/junk room right now. :confused:

[Pink Fairy]

Things I love:

1. My Billy bookcases from Ikea.

2. The kids' desk system (also from Ikea), which gives each one a closed cabinet and two drawers.

3. Two computers, so more than one kid can be working on Teaching Textbooks or writing an essay.

4. Closed storage for all the ugly stuff.

5. The Desk Apprentice from Staples is awesome when the kids use it properly (which they sometimes don't and it becomes a repository for everything under the sun).

 

 

Things I wish I had:

1. More bookcases (of course!).

2. More wall space to hang posters, maps, etc.

3. More floor space so I could seperate the desks a bit.

 

Overall, my favorite part of our school room is that we have one. Homeschooling takes up a lot of my time and energy, and I want to keep the supplies and books contained in an area where I don't have to always be looking at it. YMMV.

 

I forgot to add that if you click on my name I have an album with pictures of my school room.

Edited April 3, 2010 by Mamabegood

[CalicoKat]

until just recently we had one long rectangular table for all to sit at -- it wasn't working with my antsy crew. Inevitably someone would jiggle the table getting up/down, or by bouncing their leg, or on purpose.

 

So to answer your question. The best thing in my school room right now is separate school desks for each kid. :D

 

After that I would have to say I adore my locking cabinet. I can always find school supplies in the same place I put them.

[EKS]

I'm glad I have an adjustable child-sized table for my younger son. I also like that we have lots of shelf space, though more would be even better. Separate work tables for each kid is a must for us. And I love having a couch for read aloud time.

 

I wish we had better lighting.

[MamaMamaMama!!]

:drool:This:thumbup:thread:biggrinjester:needs:001_tt2:PICS!!!:lurk5:

[Misty]

I'm glad I have a conference table with 4 nice office chairs around it (see pictures on my blog). I also really like scanner/copy machine.

 

I wish I had more cabinet space, more wall space, and more bookshelves!

Edited April 3, 2010 by Misty

[cara]

We just moved, the new school room is the formal dining room and it doubles as a hobby room. I need another shelf and more wall space.

 

What I love - my wireless printer, big rectangular table, white board and chalk board.

[jenL]

Although the room isn't big (10'x14'), I do love the square IKEA table and the workboxes we have in it. I wish we had more bookshelves/shelving. I would LOVE to have a cozy reading nook with one of those large beanbags that 2-3 people could fit in.