Schoolroom problem

[Holly IN]

I have a school room. My kids like to school all over the house. They use my table as a pile on with toys, books and whatnots. I want to utilize this room better. I will have to take a picture and upload it here. On my way out to work but will try to post tonight.

 

If you have a school room but your kids school elsewhere....how do you handle this? I am thinking of making it another LR instead of schoolroom but I have all these bookshelves and supplies all over the place and my desk. Will post a picture, promise. Anybody have a picture of what they did in regards to this??

 

Just need some advice to bounce around. We have a great room with a LR, Dining and Kitchen all in one. The kids love to school in here. ggggrrrr!!!

 

Thanks!!

 

Holly

[Holly IN]

This is looking in from the window seat walkway. People have to pass through here to get to our 1st floor only hall bathroom.

This is also lookig in from the window seat walkway.

Looking in from the hallway same spot

 

Same spot from hallway.

 

Decided I better go ahead and take the pics while it is daylight.

[AK_Mom4]

How about if you turn the room into more of an office/library instead of a school room?

 

I would get rid of the table all together because tables attract junk unless you use them all the time. Put in some nice storage (maybe cupboards?) for the things that are being stored there all the time. In place of the big table, I would put a real comfy big chair with a standing lamp - a comfy spot for hanging out and reading.

[KidsHappen]

I have a school room. My kids like to school all over the house. They use my table as a pile on with toys, books and whatnots. I want to utilize this room better. I will have to take a picture and upload it here. On my way out to work but will try to post tonight.

 

If you have a school room but your kids school elsewhere....how do you handle this? I am thinking of making it another LR instead of schoolroom but I have all these bookshelves and supplies all over the place and my desk. Will post a picture, promise. Anybody have a picture of what they did in regards to this??

 

Just need some advice to bounce around. We have a great room with a LR, Dining and Kitchen all in one. The kids love to school in here. ggggrrrr!!!

 

Thanks!!

 

 

Holly

 

I don't know but these pictures make me feel better about my bedroom/office. Somehow, the entire house's clutter has moved in here and it looks much like that. At least the rest of the house is clutter free but it makes the thought of dealing with the clutter in here overwhelming. Hence the reason I am here and not dealing with this. I am waiting for inspiration.

 

We do have a library/reading room with table right in side the front door and my children do tend to dump there but I make them clear it off each weekend. Of course, everything that they don't know where goes ends up in my room leading to problem above.

[Pink Fairy]

Some of our subjects are only done in the schoolroom, because that's where our computers are. Other subjects can (and are) done throughout the house. Our schoolroom is where we corral all the books and supplies. The kids are supposed to return everything to its place when not in use, although we all know how that works, lol. It's fine with me if they use every room in the house for school, just as long as they clean up after themselves and everything ends up back in the schoolroom.

[Wyndie]

Some of our subjects are only done in the schoolroom, because that's where our computers are. Other subjects can (and are) done throughout the house. Our schoolroom is where we corral all the books and supplies. The kids are supposed to return everything to its place when not in use, although we all know how that works, lol. It's fine with me if they use every room in the house for school, just as long as they clean up after themselves and everything ends up back in the schoolroom.

 

This is how we are too. And the kids are absolutely NOT allowed to touch my desk. That helps my sanity. ;)

[LisaS]

I thought you hijacked my house for a minute.:lol: Maybe I'm a bit fanatical but I make them do most of their work in the school room and they MUST clean up after themselves each day before dinner.

 

I would get rid of the table all together because tables attract junk unless you use them all the time. Put in some nice storage (maybe cupboards?) for the things that are being stored there all the time. In place of the big table, I would put a real comfy big chair with a standing lamp - a comfy spot for hanging out and reading.

These are great suggestions too.

 

Good luck!

[Tabrett]

I'm not suggesting the workbox system, but maybe finding some way of putting each subject's books, TM's and supplies in individual containers. Then having a particular place for each container. It looks like the desks and tables are not usable because they are being used for storage of daily material instead. It looks like you have a great storage system for items that are not used everyday.

 

Maybe get a little baskets, boxes or crates for each subject and put them in a line under each desk? This way each child could grab the box with that subject material and go to what ever room they desire and then return the box to it's proper place? Each subject basket should have paper, pencils and what ever necessary to complete the subject so they are never hunting supplies.

 

Have you asked your dc why they like to work in particular rooms? It may be the lighting or the atmosphere. They may like to be near you. They may like more peace and quiet. Maybe the seating is more comfortable or size appropriate. If you find out why, it might help you to recreate that in the schoolroom.

[Pink Fairy]

I'm not suggesting the workbox system, but maybe finding some way of putting each subject's books, TM's and supplies in individual containers. Then having a particular place for each container. It looks like the desks and tables are not usable because they are being used for storage of daily material instead. It looks like you have a great storage system for items that are not used everyday.

 

Maybe get a little baskets, boxes or crates for each subject and put them in a line under each desk? This way each child could grab the box with that subject material and go to what ever room they desire and then return the box to it's proper place? Each subject basket should have paper, pencils and what ever necessary to complete the subject so they are never hunting supplies.

 

Have you asked your dc why they like to work in particular rooms? It may be the lighting or the atmosphere. They may like to be near you. They may like more peace and quiet. Maybe the seating is more comfortable or size appropriate. If you find out why, it might help you to recreate that in the schoolroom.

 

I bought some heavy duty plastic boxes from Ikea that the kids cart their books around in. Each kid can fit all their books in one box, except for my eldest who needs two. It's heavy, but portable, so it goes where they go. As they complete their work they transfer it to the grading box for my review. As stuff is graded and corrections are made, the kids transfer their books back into the original box, and we're ready for the whole process to start over again the next day. It's not complicated, and it keeps the books from being spread all over the house and/or temporarily lost. (Seriously, it drives me crazy when they can't find their school books. How can a HOMEschooler not be able to find their school books?! In the past it happened at least a couple of times a week. :001_huh: But I digress. :lol:)

 

This is the box. Cheap, simple, and they can go anywhere they want with it.

 

[dcjlkplus3]

I bought some heavy duty plastic boxes from Ikea that the kids cart their books around in. Each kid can fit all their books in one box, except for my eldest who needs two. It's heavy, but portable, so it goes where they go. As they complete their work they transfer it to the grading box for my review. As stuff is graded and corrections are made, the kids transfer their books back into the original box, and we're ready for the whole process to start over again the next day. It's not complicated, and it keeps the books from being spread all over the house and/or temporarily lost. (Seriously, it drives me crazy when they can't find their school books. How can a HOMEschooler not be able to find their school books?! In the past it happened at least a couple of times a week. :001_huh: But I digress. :lol:)

 

This is similar to our plan for this year. Each kiddo has their own box of their school books - we got the locker-sized boxes from Walmart though, so they are smaller. Still waiting to see how wel it works.:001_smile:

[Snickerdoodle]

We don't have a school room as such, rather a special section of the living room for homeschool stuff.

 

However, we are still doing most of the work in the kitchen/dining area. I'm starting to think I should have put the whiteboard in the kitchen. :glare:

[iquilt]

We have designated bookshelves for each student and one for teacher that all books must be returned to at the end of the schoolday before they can consider themselves "done" for the day. They do most at the dining room table but they also have lapdesks and clipboards that they can take anywhere for school work. The clipboards are more for outdoors, sketching or nature journals, that type of activity, but they like them for finishing up a worksheet in the van or on their beds when in need of some quiet time. Three kids with three different learning styles and we have tried to accomodate all of them.

[Harriet Vane]

Put the kids' school books (the ones they really, actually use each day) in a rolling suitcase. You can get cheap ones at WalMart or Target, etc. They can choose to school anywhere in the house they like, as long as the suitcase is next to them and they tidy their things away right when they are done.

 

Keep your schoolroom as a library/extra book storage kind of room.

[eclipse]

How about if you turn the room into more of an office/library instead of a school room?

 

 

 

This is what we've ended up doing. Half is a den-ish area with a futon and small tv and the rest is an office - two computers, a big table to work at, and tons of book shelves. Most of the school supplies "live" in there (though I've finally admitted defeat on ever actually using the room for actual schooling, so I've moved the "currently in use" curriculum to the living room book shelf). It mostly gets used for online research, my son's computer programming, typing when I ask him to put something on paper, arts and crafts (esp the younger two), educational type tv/videos/discovery streaming/brain pop/readingeggs stuff, and as a room for setting up massive train tracks/little people villages/match box car parking lots/general stores/stuffed animal vet offices, etc. You would think we didn't have a perfectly good playroom upstairs :tongue_smilie:. Most "official" school work happens in the living room or dining room.

[Holly IN]

Thanks guys!! I will talk to the kids about why they like to school elsewhere. Will think about turning this into more of a library/den thing but still keep school stuff in there.

 

Thanks for the advice.

Holly