If you have a HS class "room" I need your help...

[heartlandsahm]

We have a fourth bedroom (long story) approximately 12' X 16' that is mainly a climate controlled storage room and occasional place for guests. I realized finally that we HS everyday and only have visitors once in a...well, who knows?

 

In this room we currently have:

 

 

• 4 drawer filing cabinet
  
• floor lamp
  
• folding card table with 4 chairs between the bed & wall
  
• daybed
  
• a narrow 4 shelf bookcase
  
• short 3 drawer chest
  
• 4 ft. long foldable table (the think sturdy type)
  
• crafty stuff (scrapping stuff, wrapping paper, sewing machine)
  
• junk, junk, oh and did I mention, junk? Oh I meant to say "stuff"
  
• 1 window on 1/3 of the wall
  
• 1 two door closet
  

 

So, it has finally donned on me that this room is really being wasted. This was our first year to HS and we have pretty much schooled at the table and on the couch. This is fine, however, I feel we actually need more structure. DS would absolutely tell you that we HS ALL DAY but we do not. It is more throughout the day, and I am hoping that having a dedicated room would help us stay more focused, on track, and get done sooner.

 

Plus I am going to really start bringing in DD4, and would love wall space not only for a word wall, but also maps, etc. I want and need a space that works FOR me/us.

 

What suggestions do you have for me? I figure this is a great summer project and have been looking on Craigslist for student desks.

 

Do you use individual desks or a sturdy table with chair? DD is 4 and DS is 8.

 

If you use desks, if I could get one with storage beside or underneath is that the best kind so that they can keep their materials in their desk? I have also seen desks with the attached chairs that have storage underneath the desk top, is that better? I think the writing surface is slanted though?

 

Thanks for any help you can give me, you can see I am completely at a loss.

 

I am NOT spatial nor can I look at a room and "see" how everything should be.

 

Also, do you have your own desk?

 

:confused:

Edited May 12, 2011 by heartlandsahm
typo

[*Lulu*]

We have a late 60's style ranch house, and across the front is a room intended to be the formal living/dining room. I have converted this space into our homeschool/playroom. The kids work at a low table, and keep their personal supplies in the top drawers of their workbox towers. (Each child has their own 7 drawer tower.) I also have bookshelves along one wall; each child also has space on the bookshelves for their notebooks, and any curriculum that they are using. I keep art supplies, science centers, music instruments, and any other thing I want the children to have free access to on these shelves.

[heartlandsahm]

BTW if anyone could post pictures, that'd be AWESOME!

 

Hm...I guess I AM visual!

 

Thanks!:lol:

[Tess in the Burbs]

We used a table for years but they kept shaking it this year so we moved them to desks for individual work and kept the table for group work. This has been a perfect setting for us. our room is rectangular shape as well. I don't have pictures of my desk or the wall with art stuff on it but I have the desk and tables areas in my album.

 

http://www.welltrainedmind.com/forums/album.php?albumid=428

 

if that doesn't link I will try to post here.

 

When they were little a table was fine, but I think as they got older they needed/wanted a desk. We got ours from Ikea years ago and it has those shelves above that as they get older they can fill up with their own books. Dh and I each have one for ourselves, lol. in fact, there are 5 desks in our home :001_huh::lol:

[Cheryl in NM]

We use our extra bedroom as a school room and when we have visitors we set up the Aerobed. They don't have a lot of room, but they don't come visit to hang out in a bedroom by themselves. :tongue_smilie:

 

I have a computer desk on one wall, facing the wall. Ds has an office desk on another wall, facing the wall. We have bookshelves on 2 walls and ds has a computer desk on a wall, facing the wall. We have a foldable easel that we put in the middle of the room to present new material, we each just turn our chairs around and put our books in our laps. This leaves the entire middle of the room open, except when we use the easel.

 

Hope that helps!

[Pink Fairy]

If you click on my name, I have a photo album with school room pics that you can look at. It's a couple of years old, but the general layout is the same.

 

We live in a 60's ranch, and like the PP we use the room that would normally be a formal living room (ours is actually sunken--love the 60's!). It's right in the middle of the house, open, next to the kitchen, and overall perfect for us.

 

I don't know how this would translate into a bedroom setup, but my feeling is that we wouldn't use it except perhaps as a storage area for our school things. For me the location is very important. The kids can be working in the school room while I'm in the kitchen or the living room, or throwing in a load of laundry, and I still hear everything. If they need a more quiet spot, they use a desk in their bedroom, but in general they prefer to work in the school room.

[happypamama]

I really need to take some pics, but I have a desk for my stuff, which is where I keep the schoolbooks and resources. We also have a small desk tucked into a nook for our DD (her request -- she is easily distracted), a table (with accompanying shelves and cabinet) for art stuff, and a table with two chairs at it for the boys. And some shelves for puzzles and CDs. And a reading chair.

[elegantlion]

I don't have pics of our new schoolroom, but we use a bedroom. It's about 10x12, not huge, but workable.

 

I prefer a table type work surface. Our last school desk was our old dining room table. My son and I are very interactive. He works at the table and I have a desk.

 

We use bookcases and a third desk for more storage and the printer.

[HollyB]

We are still finishing our school room. I'm excited to have all of our school stuff in one room, rather than scattered throughout the entire house!

 

I bought desks at the university surplus store. They are large enough for two students, but they'll each have their own. The flat surface will allow them to work on art or science projects (my kids are 6 & 3). We should be able to use these desks all the way through high school. I think I'm going to have the desks face each other and the kids will look sideways to see the white board. I have a computer desk for me to use. I would love to get one of those roll-up maps that schools use, just to save wall space.

 

I'm using an old entertainment center for all the "teacher" supplies, like art, science, extra paper, games, laminator, etc. I'm getting a few more bookshelves from Ikea this weekend. I have no idea how to fit it all in the room...:D

[Allearia]

:bigear: I've been planning my schoolroom space and love to hear everyone's ideas!

[heartlandsahm]

I would love to get one of those roll-up maps that schools use, just to save wall space./QUOTE]

 

 

I have SOOOOO been looking for one of these too!

[Mama2Many4]

We live in a 2 bedroom apartment. What should be the dining room, we use as a living/dining room. I have all 3 of my kids sharing the largest room, my DH and I have a tiny bedroom, and the room that would be used as a living room is our school room. I'll show you pics, because I have A LOT of school stuff.

 

Living room/dining room

 

 

We took the TINY bedroom

 

 

The three kids have the biggest room, but it looks like a bomb went off in there. So we'll pass on that pic. ;)

 

Our learning room. You can see how much stuff I have. It would NEVER fit all over the house.

 

 

So If I were you, I would pair up as many kids in bedrooms as you can comfortably, and have a school room wherever you need it the most. My kids only sleep in their room anyhow. They play outside or in the living room/learning room all day.