Small space/many kids school room ??

[~Tara~]

I love browsing through pictures of school rooms. I've not always been a 'school room' kind of person, though always intrigued and always 'ooh' and 'aah' over them and wonder how they'd work for us.

 

Well, things are coming about with my crew that have made me try the dedicated room thing, again. Tried it before but the room was up and away from the hub of the house and that just didn't work. This time we're on the main level so I have higher hopes.

 

Anyway, I was just wondering if anyone else schooling 4 or more used a dedicated school room that was of smaller size.

 

I have an average/small-ish sized bedroom space to use. I think the measurements were 10x13 with one of those shorter walls being mostly windows and one of the long walls having the closet and entry doors breaking things up.

 

I'm trying to figure out how best to place our stuff and was hoping to find rooms of 'similar' size and capacity :p

 

My crew and ages are in my signature so you can see what I have to work with here.

 

Anyone with a larger crew school in a smaller designated room?

[indigomama]

This isn't exactly what you asked for but when I was looking for pictures of garages converted into school rooms I found this http://www.my3boybarians.com/2009/08/not-back-to-school-blog-hop-school-room-week/.

There are over 100 rooms maybe there will be one that would help you:)

[~Tara~]

Yeah I've been browsing those...only hosted at heart of the matter this year ;) I have the fresh list of over 250 spaces :D hehe

 

I had gotten over half way through when I really felt I needed to try a room this year. I had sort of thought it for a bit, in that 'hmm I wonder...' way..but had been more serious lately, then started looking at all those spaces :drool:

 

But of course I wasn't paying very close attention to room size/children taught/specific layout previously. I was hoping someone might have *particular* rooms to direct me to.

 

But I'll be hitting those blogs (again) with more specific things in mind. :)

[BlsdMama]

I love browsing through pictures of school rooms. I've not always been a 'school room' kind of person, though always intrigued and always 'ooh' and 'aah' over them and wonder how they'd work for us.

 

Well, things are coming about with my crew that have made me try the dedicated room thing, again. Tried it before but the room was up and away from the hub of the house and that just didn't work. This time we're on the main level so I have higher hopes.

 

Anyway, I was just wondering if anyone else schooling 4 or more used a dedicated school room that was of smaller size.

 

I have an average/small-ish sized bedroom space to use. I think the measurements were 10x13 with one of those shorter walls being mostly windows and one of the long walls having the closet and entry doors breaking things up.

 

I'm trying to figure out how best to place our stuff and was hoping to find rooms of 'similar' size and capacity :p

 

My crew and ages are in my signature so you can see what I have to work with here.

 

Anyone with a larger crew school in a smaller designated room?

 

Curious... Are you thinking of it as a room to consolidate and keep... Or are you thinking of using it to do and teach? I think it'd be awesome as far as "consolidate and keep" but I couldn't do the doin' and teachin' in one room. The foldin' and cookin' wouldn't get done. :D But, then again, the one time I tried it, I failed miserably. But, it was on a different level of the main floor as well.

[lotsofpumpkins]

We have tried to have a dedicated schoolroom a couple of times, but I keep ending up back in the kitchen. The schoolroom just wasn't big enough, and it was too distracting for them (since younger siblings were playing in there). The kitchen is better- it's right in the middle of the house, so the youngers can either go play in the playroom (which is the former schoolroom!) or in one of their bedrooms, and they aren't that far from me. By working in the kitchen, it's easier for me to keep up with chores here and there while they are working (laundry, dishes, etc).

[~Tara~]

As in a DO and TEACH room. I already have a space for storing it all. But that was my problem..our previous arrangement of hauling stuff out and learning elsewhere, just, well, I think it's getting the best of us. Some aren't doing so well lately. I'm wanting to try confining them a bit :~p

 

Yeah, Ikea is great, but I can't purchase anything right now (and likely not for a good while)....and I don't already have anything really Ikea-like. So browsing there just makes me ooh and aah more. hehe

[JudoMom]

 

Here are pics of our school room. The actual school stuff could be confined to your size space, I think (if you subtract out the guinea pig cage, the treadmill, the couch, and the oversized desk I inherited from my dh).

[Pretty in Pink]

Yes. Our school room is 10x14, and I have 4 kids. I have three usable walls (one full wall, two with doorways, and the fourth side is open to the family room.

 

Our walls are lined with bookshelves. I have one tall bookshelf and five small (the height of the chair rail). I have the small ones butted up against one another, side to side, to form one long, short bookself. I use the top as a counter of sorts; I have a various containers, organizers, a puzzle rack, a globe, the printer, etc. lined up across the top.

 

Above the chair rail (on the long wall) I have a large wall map and a large cork board. I have some narrow shelves on one of the sorth walls where I store various jars and such filled with pencils, markers, rulers, etc.

 

I have more empty wall space that I have yet to fill.

 

In the center of the room I have a rectangular dining set that seats four. I could comfortably swap this for a 6-seater though.

 

My eldest usually takes his work to his room and works at his desk. My three little guys huddle around the table to do their school work (well, my toddler just doodles or plays with pattern blocks or something).

 

I would post a pic but can't find the charger for my camera battery.:tongue_smilie:

[mommy4ever]

Nice room Judomom.

 

I am HS 3, but am a mom of 4. And do preschool with 2 home daycare kids. We don't have a real space to teach in exclusively.

 

What I have done, is my designated teach space in our kitchen/dining. I have a shelf that stores what dd6 needs. The older 2, each have quiet workspace in their rooms if they want it.

 

DD11 is highly sensitive to sounds and other things, so we have her able to work on her own in her room. She also likes to talk things out to herself, which is distracting to others. DD13 just likes quiet. But that might change.

 

Are you able to construct something for your space?

 

My recommendations, is using the wall with the windows to line up seating space, since you can't put up maps or charts on it. But have their backs to the window. They'd get natural light, but not in their faces. It would also allow them to see any charts that you DO put on the other walls.

 

Look for what you can repurpose or build yourself.

 

Any shelving you do decide to use, whether you use cinder blocks and fence boards or actual shelving, should stay low, so that wall space can be used for a white board, charts etc.

 

Here is what we did for the space we do have:

 

We have a computer table that houses 3 computers. We got a free wall panel( it was in a funeral home, a moveable wall), and added 5 legs from the hardware store.

 

Desk for the little one is a $3 find in the classifieds, she wanted a school desk, she's never had the experience. We had to replace the feet, got bright red tennis ball floor protector feet.

 

We use the kitchen table for most. Since they tend to distract each other, they all have quiet spaces.

 

DD11 desk is within a custom shelf unit dh built her. It a counter top piece we've had for....11 years? Added legs to it. This is in her room.

 

DD13 has a donated desk in her room, as well as custom shelves from dh. But the shelves are for more than school. Double for her clothes.

 

DD6 also has a desk in her room, but she rarely works in it, she tends to get distracted and play...lol. It is like dd11's, a countertop, this one from our kitchen, as we replaced them do to damage within a custom shelf.

 

Ideally, I'd love a designated room, but know that the personalities of my kids, it wouldn't work. It would be a storage room more than anything, and since I have a home daycare, I can't be in a separate room.

[Teachin'Mine]

My suggestion would be to get some graph paper and diagram your room. Then take any furniture you want to put in it, and make them to scale and put them in too. Don't forget to leave enough walk room and play with different configurations. Are you planning on having separate desk stations, or do you want to have a large table? I would think that putting a large table - long, but not too wide - in the center with cabinets on the sides could work. I'm thinking like upper kitchen cabinets, which aren't as wide as the floor ones, could work nicely with a melamine countertop for putting all the things you need handy. This could go along the long wall which isn't broken up by windows and doors. Maybe one of the folding tables that the warehouse clubs have would work as a school table. They tend to be long and rather narrow. I guess it depends on how well your kids work together. Would they be bothering each other if close, or would they share the space well?

 

I think a dedicated school room is a great idea!

 

ETA: Just read through the posts - I keep getting the order of doing things backward! lol If you can't purchase something now, work with what you have, and maybe consider building some simple shelf units and putting melamine on them for a countertop. You can buy 4 x 8 sheets fairly inexpensively at home centers and cutting them in half length wise, would do an entire long wall. There are definitely ways to cut costs once you figure out what will work best. : )

Edited August 17, 2010 by Teachin'Mine

[BMW]

Knowing that we each have our different strengths and weaknesses and preferences... I LOVED having a teaching room.

 

For many years the teaching room was the dining room and it was small! We basically sat around a large table and my dining room decor consisted of a large number line and multiplication posters and number family bees! I found a very cheap wicker upright shelf unit... kind of like the size you would put in a bathroom... and it took up very little floor space and I was able to organize it fairly well and used under the counter book shelves (found at miscellaneous garage sales) for more storage.

 

Later, I had our school room in the garage with LOTS of shelving and place centers for the youngest boys. I absolutely loved it because although I did not mind schooling in the dining room, I was always distracted by my house and chores. We spent a few years going to the garage for school and it was fabulous. We'd get our chores done at breakfast, head to school and I could not hear a phone (didn't have a cell back then!) and I did my very best teaching during those times... the little ones played and the older ones accomplished SO much. We would go inside for lunch and a couple chores, have recess outside... I know this sounds too school-ish for some, but my children's education soared during this time... I was right there and they had all of my attention and teaching.

 

Best wishes!!! Get set up and enjoy!

[~Tara~]

I *think* I have a configuration that will work for us.

I have 2 tall bookcases, 2 short (and skinnier) bookcases, 2 student desks, 1 computer desk, 1 6-hole cubby unit and a meeting table.

 

I have the 2 desks separated enough so that we shouldn't have major issues. I also have a space for the littles to hang out by the cubby.

 

Now to re-shelve everything.