If you have a dedicated work space for school and always do school there . . .

[MomOfOneFunOne]

I'd like to talk to you. :001_smile:

 

Since first grade, we've been the have school where the mood strikes kind of ppl. It might be bed, the couch, park, Y, panera, library, back yard, car, creek, et c. I like it that way and so has my girl.

 

Lately, say end of last year and so far this year, OneFunOne can't seem to concentrate or get her work done while we're out and about. She seems to be growing out of being able to school out. I posted a question to the effect here and got some good responses about her just getting to a new (logic) stage or simply developing into a different kind of learner.

 

So, we have a school room. We dont' really use it for school, though. It houses the white board, school books, craft materials, et c. and has a large desk that we share. We really only have school there if we need to (whiteboard, et c).

 

We can have school there, though.

 

Do you have a dedicated we-only-have-school-here space? Do you think it helps your students focus, stay on task, complete work better?

 

I honestly can see how this would be helpful. I mean, I do see how only eating meals at dedicated meal times and at the table is good -- that's mostly how we do it (Saturday night movie excepted). When you are in that space, you know why and you do what you're supposed to do in that space. I can see that it could become normalized. Kind of a Pavlovian response. Table = hungry, eat, drink, et c. Leave table = stop doing those things. Pretty soon your mind and body know that the table is for eating and mindless snacking, et c is not what you're doing b/c you're not at the table. I can see this working for school, too. Body in school room, bottom in seat = concentrate, focus, work, study, complete. Not in school room = other stuff, I guess.

 

Does it work that way? Does that kind of retraining of the mind and body occur?

 

And why isn't it just boring as all get out?

 

I would very much like to read your responses!

 

:bigear:

[CindyP]

We do have a dedicated room for school. Its secondary purpose is the "formal dining room." Most of our work gets done in that room. We have the white board, books and the big table in that room.

 

My kids are different as far as how they use the school room. My daughter, who is the oldest, pretty much stays in the school room to do her work, unless she finds herself distracted by her brother. My son likes to use all of the rooms downstairs, but each has its dedicated purpose. The family room for reading and discussing literature. The kitchen for science experiments.

 

So kids are different and I agree that a learner can change how they learn a bit. I also agree that certain rooms when used repeatedly for a purpose, invoke the behaviors for that purpose. My son settles in for our literature chat when we are on the couch during school time. It's almost calming or reassuring.

 

Because the reassurance comes from the habit or even ritual, it follows that it might take your daughter a little time to establish those connections.

 

With that said, when we started homeschooling a little more than a year ago, I had visions of doing school in fun places. But, alas, my kids just haven't been able to concentrate. Oh well.

 

Good luck with it!

[elegantlion]

Our school room is currently our repurposed dining room. I've tried to decorate so it doesn't resemble a classroom. We have our former table as our class table. it's great to spread out on. We have the white board up and a select few posters, but otherwise I decorate it like our house.

 

It's never boring in here as we have a big picture window, a cat and a dog always dropping in. Ds will get on the table, under the table, he sits on an exercise ball not a chair.

 

We only leave this room when we do read-alouds or sometimes to watch a DVD. Then we go in the living room and ds sits on the couch.

 

We've left to do school in the park before. However, we are both highly distractable and find it hard to get focused in those environments. Sometimes we just take a few subjects and then head on the walking paths.

 

I like having a dedicated classroom because I can leave things out.

[Paintedlady]

While I'm not trying to recreate the school at home environment, I do like most of our schooling to be done in that room. We had a spare room on the main floor which I could never figure out it's purpose (until home schooling anyway ;) ) and I was able to get a nice size table that easily accommodated 4 people for about $25 on Craigslist. I like that all of our supplies are kept in that room and are within arms reach.

 

We do have some dvds we use for Latin, art & math that are watched on the couch in the living room but then we go back to the school table to work. We also do read-alouds on the couch b/c it's cozy and comfy. Occasionally one of the kids will take something they're working on to the kitchen or dining room table if I'm working with the other if I think we'll distract them, but not very often.

 

My dd is very easily distracted if we work anywhere else besides the house. We've tried working in the backyard when it's nice out and it always turns out badly. She can't focus and spends all her time looking around. When we're in the school room she knows it's time to get down to business and no goofing off and we have a much more productive day.

[Hedgehogs4]

our school room is our basement / playroom. we do have a space dedicated to our school table, books and white board, and usually we do school there, just because that's where the stuff is. in the winter we sort of migrate upstairs to the kitchen / family room area because the basement can get chilly, but we still go down there for white board work.

 

it works. it sends the signal that "now we're doing our lessons" and we focus better. also if dd5 needs a break, wants to play, all the stuff she wants and needs is right there. sometimes they play legos or color while i read out loud...it's all right there. it works for us.

[DragonFaerie]

We do most of our schooling in the kitchen at either the table or the breakfast counter (just that much choice keeps it interesting for the kiddos some days! LOL). However, DS also has some schoolwork to do on the computer (which is between the kitchen and family room) and he likes to do his read-alouds on the couch. When they do independent reading or memory work, I let them sit wherever they like (the screened porch is popular now that the weather is cooler). Also, DD is supposed to do some school work in the car due to her schedule. That used to work well but I'm finding now that she has become more distractible and doesn't get much done that way anymore. :-(

[amyco]

We just recently re-purposed our front formal living room that we never used anyway except to pass thru. We took all that nice furniture and put it in the family room, and brought some assorted desks and tables into the front room. We have it surrounded with shelves and everyone can spread out now. Each child has their own lamp to control how much light they get. I thought it would be hard/distracting being so close to the front door and front windows, but so far it hasn't been a problem. I'm really over trying to impress people with our lovely living room when they first walk in. This is a much better use of the space for us.

 

They are liking their own space, and it's really nice not to have to move everything every time we want to eat at our only dining table. We've always done school in the same spot, either at the table or now this room, unless it was to watch a dvd at the computer or sit on the sofa and listen to something on cd.

[MrsMe]

DD is 10 and hugely distractable. I had a back bedroom as a schoolroom (my office sort of) and I've changed it out to the family room that we never use every so often. (It's the only thing I can rearrange.) I've gone back and forth. Right now we're in the family room.

 

I like to be out of the back room, because I can do laundry and dishes, and lunch and simple snacks are easier, but sometimes it gets clausterphobic back there even though it's bright. And dd hates being back there alone...gasp! I also don't have a lot of floor space in there either and there's no chair/couch. Just tables.

 

I'm finding that dd focuses better in the back room. Right now I'm trying to teach her to focus. She'll sit and dawdle, look out the window, doodle, etc. and she does this a lot more in the Family Room than in the back room. Plus, Daddy comes in for lunch or to use the bathroom and it's quite an interruption because our house is so open.

 

So I'm in the same boat. I like that I can shut the door in the back room and be done with school on the weekends. I also don't like my school stuff mixed in with her friends and their playing, so the back room works for that. I'd just rather have a dining room that is open and can be closed off when not in use. It's not so out of the loop as a bedroom. But either way, I think we're more productive in the back room.

 

I'm also not a "both" person. It's either all in one room or nothing. I don't schlup books from here to there. Drives me batty, makes me feel completely unorganized.

 

If I could close in my patio it would be perfect!

[debbielong]

My children all seemed to move from Couch Schooling to Table Schooling right around fifth grade. The material they needed to be working on required a table and fewer distractions.

 

I realized the above this summer, when we made the decision to put our two oldest in school. I'm not good at Table School. I don't like Table School. I'm no fun with Table School. Others can do Table School MUCH MUCH MUCH better than I can.

 

Debbie - mom of one still Couch Schooling

[Brindee]

My oldest needed the quiet, and did well at a desk. My younger two liked moving around. So, we put a desk in oldest's room that he could retreat to, and allowed the other two to school wherever. It would have been TORTURE for them to HAVE to sit at a desk! :) Actually, dd could have managed it okay, but my middle guy--he needed movement and saying things out loud to really get things, so a school room wouldn't have been what he needed at all. However, if I'd just had the oldest, I'd have probably done something to have a dedicated school room. As it was, we used the "formal diningroom" as the computer room, as well as having the bookcases with their schoolbooks and other reading and info./research books. That worked very well! We had a portable whiteboard that we just moved to wherever the child was that needed to use it at the time.

 

Whether I had 800sf or 3000sf (ours in in the middle of those) didn't matter. It had nothing to do with space, just with what worked best for each of my kids. It was very obvious what each one needed to do their best work, so that's what we went with. The privilege of homeschooling--to meet their needs! :D

 

 

So, I'd say try the dedicated school room for your dd. It did wonders for my oldest when I saw how distracted he became, and how the noise of the other two bothered him!

 

Best wishes!

[Guest TheBugsMom]

Does it work that way? Does that kind of retraining of the mind and body occur?

 

:bigear:

For us the answer is no.

When my boys were little they did school at a designated spot. We did school with a very strict schedule. As time went on and they grew into teens they did school in their rooms or where they felt like it. If they needed me, they came to me whether I was outside, in the kitchen, or cleaning a tub. We discussed the problem where I was at the time unless it needed white board work, then we went to the school room. Both types of school...in a designated spot or freedom...showed no difference in the amount my children learned. It is easier on me to do school in a less restricted way, so this is how we do it now.

[anneofalamo]

our home is not large...but it does have this lovely room that was a garage, and it houses our living room. It is the sanctuary. No electronics. It is leather soft sofas, lots of blankets, candles, fireplace, soft but good reading lamps and books in shelve, baskets and stacks. I love this room. It is a rare moment to teach there. I only do spelling AAS with my 12 year old as it is away from everyone. We bring the laptop in there occasionally for a video for history or science.

 

We do school in what is supposed to be the living room/dining area. I have an office area for me, computer station(2 of them), a large movable cubby system (both sides), a separate small desk for my high school son and a square table for the other 3 to be taught and schooled at. We have classical play, I can cut up things for dinner, clean out cupboards, pay bills, work at my on-line job and be right there for laughter and help as needed.

[MomOfOneFunOne]

I am indeed enjoying the responses. Really, it seems to come down to whatever the kiddo needs.

 

We have the space and the dedicated room so we're giving it a whirl.

 

I can say that today we've spent most of the day here -- with breaks -- and she's getting a lot of work done. Still, one day does not a change make.

 

Thanks, guys! Always so helpful!

[SweetMissMagnolia]

we usually work in bed.....sometimes kiddo will sit in the floor or in a recliner and do work but now that he's getting to where handwriting really needs to get better LOL I'd like for us to have a desk/table workspace....looking but don't have one yet......

[mcconnellboys]

Yes, we have a space like this and yes we use it for written work. We often read elsewhere, however....

 

Yes, I do think that it helps set the mood and helps with concentration. My 12 year old son began to get sort of distracted last year. Maybe it's just a pre-teen, pre-hormonal type thing.....

[RootAnn]

our school room is our basement / playroom. we do have a space dedicated to our school table, books and white board, and usually we do school there

 

Ditto the above. This is the first year I've had this space in our basement. In years past, we've either done it on the kitchen table or on the extra table in our living room. It is harder on me because my "chores" are upstairs and I can't as easily get laundry/cleaning the kitchen done as I could when we were upstairs, but the kids know when we head downstairs it is "school time."

 

It is easier to keep everyone in one place, but I wouldn't say it helps with concentration with my kids. I have "wiggly willys" so they bounce all over the place and wander from room to room in between things. Even when I'm teaching something, they could be drawing on the white board something completely unrelated to what I'm reading. As long as they can still answer my questions, I allow this.

 

So, for us, we have it but it doesn't necessarily make things "all better."

[guateangel]

We turned my husband's office into the 'school room'. DD gets distracted very easily so when we decided to homeschool I knew we needed a designated area. It's worked out really well.

[nukeswife]

We've always had a school room. My oldest insisted we needed one when we started homeschooling (he had been in PS for K and half of 1st) So I kind of went with it. Now that all 3 are schooling it works well for us. We have all our things in there, it's always a room that branches off of the play room (we've moved since starting hsing and we're military so it's bound to happen again) the kids love being together in there and having it all right there, not having to drag a basket or crate etc around to make sure we have it all. I'd love to be able to go to panera or the library and work there, but the amount of things I'd need to bring with us, makes it a difficult option.

 

I do notice that my kids do focus better when we're in there, but that could be simply because they don't really know anything different.

[leighp]

We have a dedicated school space and do most of our work there. I have ADD, so really it is more to keep me on track. We went outside today with all of our books and didn't really get anything done. :p

[creekmom]

OK, I'll admit it, I totally recreated the typical American schoolroom in my basement (including the flag, A-Z poster that stretches across the top of the wall, letter and number strips stuck to their desktop, etc.)!

As boring as that may be to some people, I NEED it to stay focused on school. When I did school upstairs, I was totally distracted if there was laundry to do, dishes to clean, toys on the floor, etc. Now, at 9:00, we all head down to the schoolroom, and we don't come upstairs again till lunch (12:00). We go right back down after lunch and reappear around 3:00 or 4:00. I'm consistent; the kids know the routine, and school gets done- every day.

I've always envied people who could do school outside or in bed, etc., but I've come to terms with the fact that it's just not me. Now that my 2 oldest are doing more independent work, they will sometimes leave the schoolroom after our read aloud to do work in their bedrooms, but the little ones stay downstairs with me.

[momtotkbb]

We've done it both ways - depending upon dc and the number I'm hsing. The past almost 6 years we've had a dedicated school room and I love it, the kids (at least the 12 & 14 yo) like having a dedicated space and all the neighbors and friends that come over LOVE the school-room (go figure).

 

When I only schooled dd she was easy and could focus and stay on task through anything - we schooled all over the house, in the back yard, while middle ds was in speech or gymnastics, etc. Then middle ds became old enough for school and he is so wired differently --he needed structure and routine - he needed a place and only one place that he knew he would work and what kind of work that one place for for. Then we added the little guy to the mix and college brother home at various times and we all needed a special place for school work. DH is much happier with it too --he hated to come home to papers or books or the latest experiment/craft project. Now we can do whatever and if we're not done - leave it and close the door:) Little one does some school in the classroom - but I've also found if I can just get him alone on the floor somewhere he and I can accomplish a lot.

 

I don't think our classroom is boring --each child can decorate their area as they desire and can change whatever. I have various things on the wall depending upon what we are studying and for my little guy he does best if he can see things around him for cues so I have a word/picture wall, a number line, etc. around his area. We also have a window to the backyard and find that the scenery always changes.

[idnib]

This link was in another thread I can't find now:

 

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/09/07/health/views/07mind.html

 

It seems relevant to the discussion so I thought I'd post it.

 

(We always do schoolwork in the same place. It would drive me crazy to have the books, pencils, crayons, etc on the couch anyway, but DS likes the table and it's easier with all the writing work. And I think it's become ingrained. The article does make me wonder if we should change, though.)

[skueppers]

I'm only on week six of homeschooling, so my experience is minimal, but I thought I'd share what's happened with us so far.

 

I wanted to do school out and about. At the library, in the park, etc.

 

The only problem is, that doesn't actually work for my kid! She does WAY better in our school room, a room I expected to use mainly to store things. Who knew?

 

I plan to stay flexible.

[SnowWhite]

We have a school room/everywhere in the house pendulum at our house. Currently, the pendulum has swung to the school room. It is our downstairs family room (lots of nice windows), with a sectional for comfy seating, a large desk with room for computers and 4th grade ds's seatwork, a small kiddie desk for 1st grade ds's seat work (though he also loves to sit at our little Spiderman card table sometimes!) We have white boards, chalk boards, etc from Wallies. There is also a piano, a television and a treadmill in there, so we can do everything from music to PE in one room, LOL. I even have a small basket of toddler toys and a stack of toddler books in there for Gabriel. The only time someone leaves the room is if they need a break from close proximity (ie, they're getting on everyone's nerves). I honestly believe we are much more efficient with this set-up because we always know where everything is and we don't have to cart books and supplies around from room to room.

[MrsMe]

We have a school room/everywhere in the house pendulum at our house. Currently, the pendulum has swung to the school room. It is our downstairs family room (lots of nice windows), with a sectional for comfy seating, a large desk with room for computers and 4th grade ds's seatwork, a small kiddie desk for 1st grade ds's seat work (though he also loves to sit at our little Spiderman card table sometimes!) We have white boards, chalk boards, etc from Wallies. There is also a piano, a television and a treadmill in there, so we can do everything from music to PE in one room, LOL. I even have a small basket of toddler toys and a stack of toddler books in there for Gabriel. The only time someone leaves the room is if they need a break from close proximity (ie, they're getting on everyone's nerves). I honestly believe we are much more efficient with this set-up because we always know where everything is and we don't have to cart books and supplies around from room to room.

 

PERFECT!!!! This is exactly what I want!:D