To have a schoolroom or not???

[noashmam]

We have been homeschooling for 7 years....hard to believe. DS is turning 12 and will be in 6th grade next year (could be 7th but that's another story). Up to this point we have usually done most of our schoolwork at the dining room table. So this means that the school stuff has to get put away each time before every meal. Read-alouds are on the couch in the living room. I keep all of our curriculum, etc. in bookcases near the dining room table. I have 3 children...ds-almost 12, dd-9, and dd-almost 5. I will be hs all 3 next year. I'm not too woried about how to manage schooling 3 especially since K is no big deal to me anymore. But I am wanting to be more organized with my curriculum now that I will be adding the K to the day. The thought of adding one more bookcase to the dining room to hold the K stuff makes me feel claustrophobic. LOL

 

Our detached garage has been converted to a playroom since we moved in. It has carpet and drywall and a sliding glass door...it's like a little guest house..it's great. For now it has housed a Lego table and computer desk and lots and lots of toys. It has a lot of learning stuff in it as well, but we don't do school out there because it's not where I'm doing my stuff--laundry, cooking, etc. But I'm wondering if for next year it might be a good thing to control the clutter in my house. We live in a warm climate....southern California. so coming outside to the garage each day isn't a big deal. I've been thinking that I could set up a table with bookcases that hold their curriculum. I could give them their independent work to do out there. Maybe I could even somehow figure out how to do workboxes. I am also thinking of putting a cozy reading area there as well so we could History read-alouds, etc. My only hesitation is that we won't use it because I would want to be inside near the kitchen/etc.

 

If you don't have a homeschool room and could have one, would you want one? And if you have one do you use it?

 

Thanks!

 

Kim

[Tree House Academy]

I couldn't make it without my school room. Just because we have a designated room doesn't mean we always have to do school in there...it just means that I have a place to store all of my stuff...and the best part is that the DOOR SHUTS! LOL If, for no other reason than to "store the school stuff," I think a homeschool room is a must, if possible.

[Satori]

Yeah, I couldn't imagine not having a school room. Our loft area doesn't have a door that shuts, but it is handy to put all the learning stuff in one area and have it all ready, all the time.

[Annie Laurie]

I have one and love it. I've noticed that the times we do school in the kitchen or living room, I'm not as focused. I start doing laundry, or calling the dentist or whatever while they're working on something, than I have trouble getting focused again when they need my attention. Plus, it's nice having everything on one place.

[Bayt ul-Hikmah]

We just moved from a very spacious house to a very small house. Now we have an open downstairs -- like a great room sorta thing. It's actually a 200 year old house that used to house the field hands back when this area was a huge farm, but that's another story. So, we arranged the living room in such a way that while we don't have a separate school room anymore, we have a school area of the downstairs. I think even that relatively subtle differentiation of space makes it easier for everyone to stay focused and on task.

 

I say go for it, and see how it works for you! :)

[Irishmommy]

We converted half our garage to a school/play room and I LOVE it! I'm just now in the process of getting out most of the toys, so we can focus a little better, but I'm so glad we did it.

[Debora R]

Middle Son has a desk & a bookcase in his room (he also claimed my old rocker, so that I can sit in there with him sometimes), Eldest will be getting the same this summer (sans rocker). So, as long as the rooms are neat & distractions put away, they can do independent work at their desks. I have 2 bookcases in the Dining room/Laundry area so when we are doing formal lessons or they need monitoring/assistance, there's somewhere to Be. The bookcases, at the moment anyway, are not packed to the gills, so there is someplace to put school materials when the table is needed for other things.

 

Our timeline is in the entryway & progresses into the livingroom (it was the only wall long enough), the Wall Map Lives in the Dining Room. The there is a beachball globe for each bedroom and a fancy globe that will end up in dh's office (should it ever cease to be a storage area). My computer desk in in the living Room, and my netbook travels as needed (that's our Altas, btw)....

 

So, I guess what I'm saying is that we hs all over the house, and though I like the "idea" of a school room, the reality, I suspect, is that we'd never use it as such.

[noashmam]

You ladies are inspiring me to try it. I guess what do I have to lose? We could always move back into the house and all that would be different is that my playroom would be more organized. LOL I like the idea of desks in the bedrooms. My eldest has a desk in his room. But the reality is it never stays free of stuff. He likes to paint there and do his tech decks. And my two girls share a room so their bedroom is cramped right now. It barely has room enough for their dressers and beds. I did think of possibly buying loft beds for them and putting desks underneath....but that's when I thought it might be easier to just convert our playroom.

 

Thanks for the feedback. Keep it coming!

 

Kim

[corbie]

I set one up in our garage. We never use it. We like to be comfy. Some work on the floor, some in their bed or a couch. To me, that's one of the great things about hs. You don't have to sit at a desk. We do have books and stuff everywhere. I may relocate my book shelves, but I do like easy access.

 

I would be concerned about a detached room. I know I wouldn't use it. We get snacks when we feel like it, which can be often. I also have to occasionally answer the door or phone. Our lives don't stop for school. So, I may be mutli tasking during school.

[Margo out of lurking]

Don't have one, have never had one. We've had the opportunity is two of the three houses we've hsed in. I would never have a room just for school for so many reasons. I'd hate to "waste" a room for that, even when we had a guest bedroom or a formal dining room, or a finished basement.

 

My kids have always done seatwork at the kitchen table and moved to the family room for reading or anything else where they could stretch out. Our school stuff (books, paper, pens, everything) is NOT a part of our decor. Everything is pulled out and put away at the end of the day. I look at it as part of our life, NOT our life. (Not saying I would put that on anyone else though, just for us.)

 

The thought of a school room...no, no, no, just gives me the willies!

[8filltheheart]

This is one of those things that I have actually changed my mind about over the yrs.

 

I decided very early on that I did not want our house to resemble a school in any way shape or form. I don't want maps, posters, etc in our main living spaces. (I still feel this way.)

 

I have tried in the past to set up a separate room as a school room. It has always been a dismal failure b/c I don't "teach" that way. I discuss while folding laundry or fold laundry while a little one is reading to me, etc. The little kids can't be making noise while the older kids are trying to work, etc. I like teaching in our family room. That way little kids can play nearby and yet they aren't disturbing older kids that need quiet in another room.

 

All that to preface that I have just spent numerous hrs (way too many!!!) over the last 2 weeks converting the room in our house that is designed to be an office (and has been everything from a bedroom to playroom) into a school room. This time, however, it is not meant for me to be in there teaching. It is room set up with work stations for the older kids, our books and supplies, computer, and a hoop chair for reading.

 

It is now the designated "quiet" room in the house. My intent is that it is like a library.....the noise is every where else in the house and that room is for the older kids to focus and work. The only drawback is that my younger kids are jealous and want to be able to go in there!! So, I moved the art easel in there and during non-school hrs, they may go in and do arts and crafts or read in the hoop chair.

 

So......if it will help you feel more organized and comfortable, create the space, but don't feel obligated to "live" there for school.

 

HTH

[rawbanana]

We have one, but its ours diningroom =) We have an eat in kitchen that is attached so we almost never use the diningroom for eating (except for holidays or when we want a change from the kitchen) =)

We used to have the schoolroom downstairs in a large room, but it works best for me to have school centrally located to where I do everything.

This is an area where I truly believe there is NO right answer, everyone needs something different =)

[joyfulmomSDG]

I flip-flop on the school room topic. While we did school in our eat-in kitchen I had each child's books stored in plastic storage bins, the sweater sized ones with the latching lids. Just to keep all of the "core" stuff together along with crayons, colored pencils, etc. Labeled with each kid's name & stored in a kitchen cabinet. School time pull out the bin and voila, ready to go! My theory was it was transportable if we went to another part of the house or on the road. Reading books stayed on bookshelves. It was working so well for us and then we moved...

 

We now have a school room which is a "study" with an entire wall of cabinets and bookshelves plus a closet. (YAY!) We do use it often simply because it is just around the corner from my kitchen and I like the large table we have in there to spread out on. (I'm definitely a multi-tasker and find myself drawn to make calls etc... when I should be focusing on school :blushing:) I have committed to "do school" once we go in there. Our curriculum involves a lot of reading so we end up spending just our math and writing time in the school room then head to the couch for reading. I have a whiteboard and map and some other stuff hung up just in case. I admit it's nice to have everything consolidated even the reference-type books. It's funny though, because literally the other day I pulled out all of my bins and put everyone's stuff back in them. It just works for me!

 

I guess you can think about it this way, worst case is you move everything out there and it doesn't work out. It may still be a nice place to store the lesser-used things to reduce unnecessary clutter in the house?!?! Sounds like a really nice space though!

[Allearia]

I have been hoping to convert the garage into a school room for a while, and hope to do this when we have the funds for an insulated door and can open up the duct to allow the heat in. It is in the downstairs of the house so connects to the office, there is a bathroom nearby, etc. I would love to have a dedicated room to be able to focus better on school and contain all our school mess, set up projects, maps, charts, bulletin boards, maybe even an aquarium and a hamster. I have always wanted to be a teacher and love being schoolish so it would be like a miniature school. I may even run homeschool classes in there for science and history.

 

Not sure if it will work how I want but I'm hoping...

[gevs4him]

Oh, I had to go 2 years without our school room while dh was remodeling. What a hard two years. I love our school room and don't ever want to do without it again. :)

So yes! Turn that playroom into a wonderful school room :D

 

Lisa

[Dina in Oklahoma]

Thanks for the post! I have been wondering the same thing as we have been remodling FOREVER but the sunroom is nearly done and I have been playing with the idea.

 

Dina :001_smile:

[TxMama]

I've been hsing since 1994 and until 2 years ago have never had a schoolroom. Never saw the need....

 

I LOVE our room! I love that all our stuff in in one central location. I love that we are far more efficient. I love the attitude my kids have towards their work. I love that I can put whatever/whereever on the walls. I just love it.

 

Wish I had done it sooner!

 

I have a dining room table, comfy couch, bookcases, assorted educational toys, a computer and big bouncy ball for my wiggly kid to bouncy on while I read. When a kid is working independently I stay in our room and read. It's so much more time efficient than trying to cook/clean/fold clothes and direct the kids with school.

[cottagechick]

I have a designated area (our 'formal' living room) that stores all the school stuff, our computer desk, a big comfy couch and a dropleaf table with chairs.

 

It looks more like a library/quiet room, so I'm not embarrassed if company comes over :D I do have a blackboard, some corkboards, and a whiteboard hung, and I'll be adding a timeline, so it does looks 'school-y'....but it's a bright, fun room where I will work with the boys. If one of them needs to work independently, they can move across the hall to the formal dining room to work quietly....or use headphones/earbuds while using the computer.

 

Over my 14 years of hs'ing, I've always had a designated space for storing supplies and curricula, but this is the first time I will have a dedicated space for actually doing school. That said, the boys materials will be in boxes that can be moved from room to room if needed....but our homeschool room is my favorite room in the house!

[mom4him]

We have a room that is our school room/my sewing area/my computer-printer etc all in one. Yes, we use it. My ds is VERY easily distracted so to be in the front of the house with all the big windows, the mail man coming, the neighbor shoveling just doesn't work.:tongue_smilie: I will get them started and I then may go put a load of laundry in or load the dw but I am never gone from the room for more than just a few minutes.

I have thought about doing the dining room table schooling but generally nix the idea with very short thought.

[Guest Alte Veste Academy]

We have been homeschooling for 7 years....hard to believe. DS is turning 12 and will be in 6th grade next year (could be 7th but that's another story). Up to this point we have usually done most of our schoolwork at the dining room table. So this means that the school stuff has to get put away each time before every meal. Read-alouds are on the couch in the living room. I keep all of our curriculum, etc. in bookcases near the dining room table. I have 3 children...ds-almost 12, dd-9, and dd-almost 5. I will be hs all 3 next year. I'm not too woried about how to manage schooling 3 especially since K is no big deal to me anymore. But I am wanting to be more organized with my curriculum now that I will be adding the K to the day. The thought of adding one more bookcase to the dining room to hold the K stuff makes me feel claustrophobic. LOL

 

Our detached garage has been converted to a playroom since we moved in. It has carpet and drywall and a sliding glass door...it's like a little guest house..it's great. For now it has housed a Lego table and computer desk and lots and lots of toys. It has a lot of learning stuff in it as well, but we don't do school out there because it's not where I'm doing my stuff--laundry, cooking, etc. But I'm wondering if for next year it might be a good thing to control the clutter in my house. We live in a warm climate....southern California. so coming outside to the garage each day isn't a big deal. I've been thinking that I could set up a table with bookcases that hold their curriculum. I could give them their independent work to do out there. Maybe I could even somehow figure out how to do workboxes. I am also thinking of putting a cozy reading area there as well so we could History read-alouds, etc. My only hesitation is that we won't use it because I would want to be inside near the kitchen/etc.

 

If you don't have a homeschool room and could have one, would you want one? And if you have one do you use it?

 

Thanks!

 

Kim

 

Know thyself is my only (hypocritical) advice. :D

 

When ds7 and ds4 got bunks and moved into the same room, I was so excited that I was going to have a schoolroom. I turned the other bedroom, a beautiful, sunny space with big windows, into a lovely schoolroom. I bought lots of beautiful storage furniture, a lovely table and chairs, etc. That lasted about a year for the same reasons that have you concerned about your potential space (I bolded above).

 

I really thought I wanted that space but that was before I knew myself as a homeschooler (although I'm sure I'll change time and time again). For me, there simply is not enough distinction between Mommy/Housekeeper and Teacher to use that room properly. It turns out I'm not that formal and that's OK. I just had to learn it for myself. It sounds like you're already not using the room because you know yourself but if you're ready for a transition, you don't have anything to lose by trying. (It does help if you don't mind moving furniture and rearranging books though. I so don't mind! It's like a hobby to me!) :lol:

 

Our schoolroom is now in our dining room and is open to the kitchen. I find this setup incredibly convenient and have a hard time imagining switching. I would very much like a formal dining room one day though. I've got things looking pretty in here (just moved all that furniture from the schoolroom...thank goodness I have a long wall).

 

All that to preface that I have just spent numerous hrs (way too many!!!) over the last 2 weeks converting the room in our house that is designed to be an office (and has been everything from a bedroom to playroom) into a school room. This time, however, it is not meant for me to be in there teaching. It is room set up with work stations for the older kids, our books and supplies, computer, and a hoop chair for reading.

 

It is now the designated "quiet" room in the house.

 

 

I love this idea and can totally see doing something like this when the kids are older. I also like the idea of kids having desks in their room for the same purpose. When they become capable of independent work, they can go to a quiet place and get it done. It doesn't have to be a formal schoolroom setup.

[Snowfall]

I couldn't make it without my school room. Just because we have a designated room doesn't mean we always have to do school in there...it just means that I have a place to store all of my stuff...

 

This is how I feel. We're a military family and we never know what kind of house we'll be able to afford next time we move. After living in this nearly 2400 sf house with just 3 of us, I'm dreading our next move, when there will be 4 of us (well, there already are 4, but the baby doesn't have her own room yet) and we may have to squeeze into a 1700 sf house. I don't know where I'd keep all the curriculum, math manipulatives, balances, maps, etc., etc. We don't do school in there half the time - mostly just when we need the white board, but it's AWESOME to have it for STUFF.

[Wheres Toto]

I can't wait for the day I have a designated school/play room (should be early next year). Right now we do most of our stuff on a 2 foot by 3 foot height adjustable folding table. It's not really enough room to keep my two younger ones from bothering each other and my dining room table isn't much bigger. With little ones, they are so easily distracted that moving from room to room is a bad idea.

 

I'm definitely looking forward to having one place to store everything together instead of some things in the kids bedroom, some in the living room, some in the dining room...

[Ann@thebeach]

We have one, it's awesome with built in cabinets and nice wide counter top island. It has 2 desk areas. It stores all our craft stuff and lots of books but we don't do school work in there ;)

 

Nope, it gets done in the kitchen or living room because that's where I'm at.

 

If I try to have them do work in there they get distracted with things on their desk or they keep coming up with excuses to come out of the office so I quit trying to use it as a "school room."

 

It IS nice to store things in and all their books go in there when they are done with them each day which is great. They each have a "workbox" type drawer tower that all their books go in at the end of the day.

 

So I say to store things in your garage but don't try to make them work in there unless they want to.

[Amber in AUS]

Not something i could do. My house is my school room.

[TandLMommy28]

I want a school room so much that I have considered putting an addition on our house or moving or having my two kids share a room for a few years until we can afford to do one or the other. I do well with compartments and organization and mixing school all over the house is making me break out in hives!

[brewer13399]

We are just starting hs and I was just going to use our dining room. Then I got a bookcase and started putting their books on it and then I started to feel overwhelmed!!!! So I cleaned out our spare room and now we have a school room and the boys LOVE it in the room. They can go and pull out a puzzle and if it don't get done then they can leave it on the art/craft/project table and not have to worry....also our youngest two are 2 1/2 and I was having a hard time trying to figure out if they would leave their brothers alone when they need to do their work.

[profmom]

We have a room with our computers, bookshelves, and supplies, and I'm so glad we do! This room is off the kitchen, though, so it may be the best of both worlds. We don't do all of our school work in there, but, as others have said, it's so nice to have a place to keep everything. We use our couch for our morning meeting time, and the kids use the desks at their loft beds for most of their independent work. I hated moving the books for meals when we used our kitchen table! This library/school room allows us to have a fairly normal looking house -- dining room that looks liked a dining room and is used for dining, etc.

[VBoulden]

I don't have a school room. And, like a previous post said... the thought of being shut into a back room all day "gives me the willies." ;)

 

We use our dining room table for math and handwriting and art. We use our couch for reading and phonics, etc. I keep home school books on the family books shelves right next to our other "non-homeschool" books. I have a nice cabinet (with doors that shut) for supplies that I don't want guests to see.

 

But, even while we do school right out in the open, I try to keep my house looking like a home and not an office or classroom. I think this is very important. It means that I buy things like baskets instead of tupperwares and use a small white board that can sit on the table rather than hanging a full-size chalkboard.

 

I have friends with classrooms. And, while this may not be true for everyone who has classrooms, I find that those friends waste more time organizing and decorating that room than they ever spend actually teaching their kids. They say things like, "I'll get back into teaching once I organize the classroom again..." This is one reason I got "turned off" off of the idea of recreating a classroom inside my home. I watched my friends struggle with the burden of getting their kids in the classroom to start lessons and keeping them in there to finish lessons, etc...

 

My daughter just finishes breakfast and then grabs her phonics book and starts. We don't have to "move out" or get around to "settling" somewhere else before we can start our work. Maybe one day, when I have more kids (or more junk), a classroom will work for us, but for now, it would just be wasted space where I kept a bulletin board or two (and I can't stand wasted spaces). :)

Edited June 5, 2010 by VBoulden

[coralloyd]

I love our school room! It is right off the kitchen and great room, with two big double doors. I have a couch, work table and lots of book shelves in there . We do school in there since the couch is so cozy it's just an extention of our living area. My dh and I even have our coffee in there every morning. I have to have comfort, be able to hear the dryer stop, ect...

[Ravin]

We don't actually have a dining room table. Our house has 2 different common living rooms. The back one technically includes the "dining room", but on a practical level there's not space for it once the entertainment system, DVD shelves, gaming table, and DW#2's computer and shelf are in there. The front living room is our school room/my office/sewing room, and where our family altar is located. It works pretty well for us, because it keeps DD away from the distraction of the TV and keeps the school stuff (and DD's toys) out of the entertainment room.

[robsiew]

We do have dedicated school space. For us it's a must. I would be highly distracted otherwise. I don't try and do anything else during school time other than focus on the kids. With 4 that's enough at once! :-) It also helps the kids know when school time is and to focus better. They sometimes wander into other parts of the house to read or watch their math DVD.... sometimes they do work outside or on the sofa...but it helps a lot to have a dedicated space. Then if they get out of hand in the other spaces I have a place to focus them back to...

[rafiki]

.

[MrsMe]

I've done the kitchen thing and hated it. I constantly had piles of unfinished projects, planning and bookwork I needed to do and homework that needed to be checked. There was no peace anywhere I looked. It was a constant mess.

 

With that said, we've been everywhere. I have a back bedroom that is really bright and I like to be in there with her, but after a few months we need a change, plus it gets hot. It's dedicated to all my school stuff and my office, but if we're both in there we lack floor space and I like to lay things out on the floor; move around.

 

Then we get tired of it and move into a family room we never use. It's not the best set up as it's very open and has hardly no walls. I have a full wall (the only) of bookshelves and I move the stuff out there on the shelves and just don't move the bulletin boards. I leave those in the back bedroom/schoolroom/office. I do find though, that dd isn't as focused in the living area as she is in the schoolroom and it does become a problem. I also find if I'm in the back room, we schlep food and drink back there, which I despise. Also, I don't get my other housework done as I would normally. With it in the family room, I can grab a load and fold it while she's doing some work or clean my kitchen up while I'm waiting for her to finish.

 

I'd prefer to use my family room for all; my office and school, but it has too many doorways. I'd like to close one off, but it would throw off our front door entry. The perfect room is one that can see the parts of the house, that can be closed off, but not removed (down the hall) from the main section of the house, is adjacent to the kitchen and is bright...a dining room is perfect. Any room you don't have to walk through to get to other rooms, like mine.

 

But I have to have all my stuff in one room. It drives me batty to have stuff everywhere and piles and books mixed with my eating tables and such. It stresses me out. I like a room dedicated because I love to put up artwork and maps and whiteboards and all the fun stuff. But I also like to walk away from it when I'm done and I'm sure dd does too. Learning is everywhere, but having it in your face 24/7 is too much.

 

I vote for a dining room. Exactly like the one in my LAST house.:sneaky2:

[Capt_Uhura]

...sigh.... this is a particularly stressful thread for me. The short version is that we are buying a bigger house, the main impetus being to have a dedicated HS room. Well, we didn't find a lot we liked...everything is locked in, in huge mega-subdivisions. We found the perfect lot, surrounded by trees, tons of wildlife, private yard, acres to explore (woodland/wetland), but the house is on the small side. We have several options and I'm not sure which will win in the end but I've been mulling over many of the posts here. The one that seemed to hit home for me was 8fillstheheart. I need a dedicated room to store all the HS stuff, but we'd do the actual learning in the family room, kitchen table, deck. This house has no formal living room which was to be the HS room. we need our formal dining room as a dining room. The family room is not large at all and there is no wall for bookcases. It's a long and skinny room.

 

Option 1: HS storage in upstairs bedroom. Boys share the large bedroom/playroom. HS in the kitchen/familyroom/deck. Guest room/DH office in basement. Use a closed cabinet in dining room to house daily used items. HS storage would also have a pullout sofa used at Christmas time for inlaws.

 

Option 2: Use large bedroom as HS room and HS in that room as well. Boys share smaller bedroom. Guest room/DH office in basement. When guests are here, we would use a pull out sofa in HS room.

 

Option 3: Use smaller bedroom for guest room/Dh office. Boys share large bedroom/playroom. Make HS room in the basement and HS in the basement. IT's a walkout but not sure how much sun it will get b/c of the deck.

 

My feeling is that we'll end up mostly on the main level of the house so I'm thinking perhaps option 1 is the best. I have a LOT of stuff. We have two microscopes which I'd like to have out so they'd get used more. We are a science family so I have chemistry kits, physics kit, LEGO science kits, biology kits and my history books multiply at night while I'm sleeping. Oh and don't forget all the math books - Zaccaro books, AofPS books, various math curricula, manipulatives, Alg books I'm previewing....like I said....lots of stuff.

 

We need a guest room about every 2months for the inlaws. Then for Christmas and perhaps another time during the year we need 2 guest rooms. We are putting a full bathroom in the basement.

 

As you can see, this has been tormenting me. This house is not laid out all that well for us (perfect for others but not for us) and having to choose between the great property and less than ideal house and the perfect house and less than ideal property was gut wrenching.

 

To the OP: I say try it and see if it works for you! You can always undo it.

 

Capt_Uhura

[noashmam]

One of the posters hit the nail on the head for me..... my main problem in my dining room is lack of wall space. I do have a cupboard in which I have been putting our curriculum in and one small skinny wall that has a skinny bookcase. I think that is the crux of it for me....I want more wall space to put the bookcases so that my older can pull out his curriculum HIMSELF without me. Right now it's all in the cupboard and hard to find for the kids on their own.... but I know where it is. If I move the curriculum into the playroom (which is the detached garage but remember we live in sunny California and the detached garage is off of a breezeway so it feels like part of the house still and it has windows that face the backyard) then their work to do will be organized and easy to find. We could still do the actual seatwork in the house at the kitchen table if the table in the playroom doesn't work out, but when the kids are finished each day they could put it back where it goes into the new homeschool room. Right now I've been having to put the majority of it back myself because it's not easy for the kids to find the place in that cupboard.

 

Thank you so much for all of the feedback. I'm excited to give this a go if for no other reason than to get organized. LOL

[Beth in SW WA]

We do have dedicated school space. For us it's a must. I would be highly distracted otherwise. I don't try and do anything else during school time other than focus on the kids. With 4 that's enough at once! :-) It also helps the kids know when school time is and to focus better. They sometimes wander into other parts of the house to read or watch their math DVD.... sometimes they do work outside or on the sofa...but it helps a lot to have a dedicated space. Then if they get out of hand in the other spaces I have a place to focus them back to...

 

I just created a 9' x 13' schoolroom in our daylight basement for that reason: A designated work space. When we go in there the girls are in super school mode. All our school materials, my desk, shelving, table, white board, maps, posters, calendars, etc, fill our little space. We still do schoolwork up in our upstairs office & kitchen table sometimes, but when we get rollin' with homeschooling, we'll spend our mornings downstairs in the school room.

[LaissezFaire]

Honestly I had always heard people say they made school rooms but always ended up in the kitchen etc... But we built on a 300 sq ft room and I LOVE it. The kids practically live in there, I love that all of our supplies are neatly stored in it and they have tables to sit at or can sprawl on the floor without having school stuff strung out all over the house. Plus I love having the table cleared at all times for meals. So I say...it's WORTH it to have one.

[birchbark]

Copied from a post I wrote on another forum:

 

"Speaking from the experience of being home-schooled myself and now teaching my own, I think the most important thing about your school space is that you enjoy being there. It should be a room that you are naturally drawn to. If you choose a room based only on practicality and it is one that you don't like, you will find yourself dragging your materials to where you really want to be. When my family first started home-schooling, we used a finished but windowless room in the basement. It was set up really nice, but we hated going down there for school. It usually only lasted the first week of the school year.

 

Don't be afraid to use prime "real estate." If home-schooling is a big part of your life, then it can and should fill a big part of your house. Some of the most useful advice I read in a decorating book is to plan your home according to how you really live, and how you spend your time. Rethink every room.

 

We use the dining room as our school room. It has a lot of space, good light, and is right off both the kitchen and living room (which houses our bookshelves and couch for read-aloud time). Some shelves, closed storage, and an adjustable-height chair at the table for DS make it very user-friendly. I keep the dry-erase board, posters, and cork tiles all on one wall so the room still looks nice if I want to use it for entertaining. I just throw a tablecloth on. But homeschooling is the big activity that occurs on a daily basis and that is how the room is set up. We eat as a family in the kitchen.

 

If you're short on wall space, a clear plastic tablecloth is great for putting maps and posters under."

 

 

I also love this blog post (has pics).

[Capt_Uhura]

Ok, is she for hire for designing my learning room? thanks for the link to that blog!

[8filltheheart]

Pictures of our "quiet library zone" for my older kids. The pictures aren't the greatest but the cubbies under the countertops are the older kids "lockers" and the baskets under the built in bookshelves hold all the K materials, pattern blocks, cuisenaire rods, etc. The baskets on the shelves hold all our paper/pencil type supplies and my homeschooling records. My favorite part is actually the cork board on the side of the free-standing book shelf!

[rafiki]

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[rafiki]

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[Capt_Uhura]

We won't have a dedicated guest room. Dh really wants an office. He works from home quite a bit and wants a quiet space where he can work. If we go w/ option 1, the office/guest room will be in the basement along w/ our workout equipment, corner for storage and bookshelves. If we go w/ another option where the guest room/office is in one of the bedrooms, it'll have our floor to ceiling bookshelves in it and I will convert the closet into half clothing rack and half shelves. We won't have a lot of money left over so everything will have to be done bit by bit.....did I mention I hate bit by hit? :glare: But such is life. This week the dry wall is going up so I'll have a better sense of the house. The back of the house is southwest facing so i'm sure that's where we'll end up most of the time. I love natural light. The family room has lots of windows which I like....but then the trade off is no wall space. There is only one wall and the couch will have to go there. I think the best option is to usurp the dining room and put in a nice closed armoire and store HS stuff. Then in the bedroom upstairs, store all the games, science supplies, puzzles etc. The boys want storage for all their legos in their bedroom. That leaves the basement free for workout room, guest room, storage. Dh could either work down there or he could work in the bedroom w/ the Hs storage. The basement guest room would double as FLL room if I get up the nerve/energy to start a team this year.

[rafiki]

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[Karenciavo]

Pictures of our "quiet library zone" for my older kids. The pictures aren't the greatest but the cubbies under the countertops are the older kids "lockers" and the baskets under the built in bookshelves hold all the K materials, pattern blocks, cuisenaire rods, etc. The baskets on the shelves hold all our paper/pencil type supplies and my homeschooling records. My favorite part is actually the cork board on the side of the free-standing book shelf!

 

Looks great :thumbup:

[Capt_Uhura]

Now, see, you have it figured out, relax!

 

As for Lego storage, we've tried many things, my guys prefer under bed storage bins because they are wide and shallow, then shelves to display their creations.

 

Yes, I think I have a plan.....seeing the snapping turtle cross the lawn really eased my mind as far as property vs house. My friend says everyone has buyer's remorse the first few weeks-month moving in so I'm preparing myself for it lol. Hopefully, the house will work out nicely for everyone and not having a dedicated entire homeschool room won't be such a big deal. As many here have pointed out, you usually gravitate to where everyone likes to be.

 

Right now, w/ the house on the market, all the HS stuff is in the basement. I have two baskets in the living room which houses everything we use daily. It's easy to pick those up and run them in the basement. If I can replace those w/ a closed in cabinet that would be great. Concessions concessions...... I also gave up my dream bathroom for this property lol.

 

My main thing w/ a bigger house was that I needed somewhere to get away from the kids. My master bedroom has an alcove which is perfect for a comfy chair and table where I can sit and read. I really need some adult space that is kid free at least for a short time lol.

[susankenny]

I couldn't make it without my school room. Just because we have a designated room doesn't mean we always have to do school in there...it just means that I have a place to store all of my stuff...and the best part is that the DOOR SHUTS! LOL If, for no other reason than to "store the school stuff," I think a homeschool room is a must, if possible.

 

 

Yes, this is my sentiment exactly. We don't actually do "school" in there, but I LOVE having our stuff in a designated area nicely organized.

 

Susan

[Capt_Uhura]

:iagree: I like the idea of having a library/study to store all the HS stuff w/ cozy chairs, good lighting for reading if someone so choses.

 

When my big computer was upstairs I was good about putting receipts into Quicken b/c I could do it while the boys did independent work or finished their work etc. Now w/ it in the basement, it's not getting done. I just did a month of receipts....no fun. if I leave the room, mayhem ensues.....something to work on.

[HFClassicalAcademy]

We've had a school room from the beginning and I've loved it! Couldn't live without one!! We are in a new house now and I haven't posted pictures of our new school room, but here are pictures to our school room where we used to live.

 

http://hfclassicalacademy.blogspot.com/search/label/School%20Room

 

Liz

[FO4UR]

I've tried having a seperate school room.

 

My main issues are containing the other 2 dc and maintaining a quiet (distraction free) space. If I am in a non-central room, my littles run wild up and down the stairs...in and out of the kitchen...around and around the house.:willy_nilly::willy_nilly:

 

If I work at the kitchen table, I am 2 ft from the stairs (gotcha!:001_huh:) and I can keep a good eye (and ear) out to make sure they are playing somewhat nicely in their bedrooms, if not working a puzzle or coloring nearby.

 

I do have a good place to store all my stuff out of sight/out of mind.