Setting up my Homeschool room - need ideas (pictures included)

[CanaryMelody]

We FINALLY just moved into our new rental home after 2 years of looking for a place. We have this awesome room that I want to use as a homeschool room. It is suppose to be a master bedroom but who can resist those windows and space for learning! :D

 

I'm so tired from packing, unpacking, and cleaning that I am in need of some help arranging this space for a inviting and fun learning area. I look at other homeschool rooms and am just never creative enough to look at my own space and arrange it attractively. lol

 

So, some of the items/furniture I have now and can use:

 

2 medium Rand McNally maps (US and world)

a LARGE whiteboard

a LARGE bulletin board

2 tall Ikea Trofasts (one for my 2 oldest children... eventually want to get 2 more for the boys)

a couple of cubby type shelves from Target (but really the shelves are kinda low for tall books... good for paperback classics, though; we have dark expresso color)

a cabinet with doors (kinda wobbly; it had always been in a closet before to store supplies)

a 28"x48" table with 4 chairs (this one even though I may upgrade to a 30"x60" if I have room)

1 small desk

a tan loveseat

an overstuff chair and a half (not sure if that will stay or not depending on space)

a tallish bookcase

a couple of shorter bookscases

a medium sized white table for my stuff

tons of posters for various things (i.e. handwriting chart, ancient Egypt, etc.)

 

Besides work space, I also need space for our printer, laminater, nature tray, etc. We won't have a TV in this room... it will stay in the living room. And we only have laptop computers (no desktops) for use. We have no A/C and since this room faces the west sun and no natural shade, I'll probably have a fan in this room during the summer to keep it cool. All this while keeping much out of a 2 year old's reach. :confused:

 

Things that I would love to help organize:

These TrapEase Display Rails and rain gutters shelves.

 

So if this was your space, how would you arrange it? You can use items I already own or suggest new furniture or items. :001_smile:

 

Looking into the room from the door. Facing the northwest corner. Double doors leading outside is to the left just outside of this photo.

 

Turning clockwise now facing the southeast corner. The window bench has storage space in it.

 

The south wall is the only wall without a window or door. Just these 2 light fixtures.

 

 

The northweast corner showing the double doors and a closet. There is a door to the rest of the house is to the left (out of the photo).

 

The north wall has some wall space and these double doors that lead outside.

[helena]

OH MY GOSH!!! YOU LUCKY GIRL!!!

:drool5:

 

That's such a cool room, anything would look neat in there!!

[brehon]

OH MY GOSH!!! YOU LUCKY GIRL!!!

:drool5:

 

That's such a cool room, anything would look neat in there!!

 

:iagree::iagree:

 

I have no ideas for you; but, I'm definitely drooling with envy.

[A.Balaban]

I would set up your white board on the wall in the second picture down. And put your maps either next to it, or on the wall in the first picture.

 

You have SO MUCH available space! I am so jealous. :)

[elegantlion]

I would get some cool comfy pillows for the window seat. What a lovely room, congrats. I have no other ideas really, I'm still working on my school arrangement.

[smillard00]

You have a great room! Congratulations!

 

I don't know what the configuration of your cubby shelves is, but at our previous house, we were able to put two sets of cubby shelves back to back where they were two shelves high and three or four shelves long. Putting them back to back made them like a table with cubbies underneath. I put baskets in the cubbies with toys in them and then we used the top as a play surface for trains or the doll house or whatever. I wonder if you could do something like this to make an area for your little one(s) to have toys and manipulatives and things that are OK to touch. You could put it in the middle of the room or you could put one of the solid sides against a wall but leaving the cubby sides exposed so both sides can be reached.

 

When you have a lot of book cases, it helps everything look more put together if they are all the same color. So you may want to consider painting them if they don't match. I like to see a big tall shelf, then a low shelf and then another tall shelf. Then between the two tall shelves on the wall above the low shelf you could hang a bulletin board or map and use the top surface of the low shelf for your nature display or your laminator or something like that. Put books on the tall shelves and baskets for supplies on the low shelf.

 

Find a comfy rug to put under/in front of the loveseat and have some floor pillows down there too for a comfy area to sit and read to everyone.

 

Have fun with your room! I'm trying not to envy. :D

[CanaryMelody]

Thanks everyone! I won't show you the rest of the house. :lol: It is a 200 year old home short on space. This room is the only modern room added on recently. We are definitely enjoying this new found space! :D

 

I don't know what the configuration of your cubby shelves is, but at our previous house, we were able to put two sets of cubby shelves back to back where they were two shelves high and three or four shelves long. Putting them back to back made them like a table with cubbies underneath. I put baskets in the cubbies with toys in them and then we used the top as a play surface for trains or the doll house or whatever. I wonder if you could do something like this to make an area for your little one(s) to have toys and manipulatives and things that are OK to touch. You could put it in the middle of the room or you could put one of the solid sides against a wall but leaving the cubby sides exposed so both sides can be reached.

 

Loving your ideas especially putting the cubbies back-to-back. Kind of like making a toddler/preschool "center". :001_smile:

 

Anyone else?

[imagine.more]

Oooh, nice homeschooling room!

 

I would line the far wall of that first picture with bookshelves, that should hide the cable wires and extra outlets from the toddler :)

Then in that middle space near the big bay window I'd center the large school table maybe 2-4ft. away from the window for general schoolwork to happen at. For the actual windowseat I would definitely make a pad for it and add a couple pillows, it'd be a perfect place for the kids to lounge and read.

 

Along that very long wall I'd do the whiteboard and bulletin board above the Target cubby shelves. Next to that I'd put the Ikea shelves thing centered and on the other side put the maps and such on the wall, maybe with the single desk below them.

 

In the corner beside the windowseat I would make a little nook for your toddler, maybe use the target cube shelves to have montessori/workbox-ish work for them to do and put a small carpet there to define his workspace. That would be an excellent place for the raingutter bookshelves too, going up the short wall beside the window. We used the Ikea picture frame ledges in white for raingutter-style bookshelves and they work perfectly.

 

In the remaining floor space in front of those beautiful double doors leading outside maybe a big rug would be good and that can be a good space to get the wiggles out, give your LO room to break out some bigger toys like train tracks, or do other non-table projects.

 

Btw, you totally need to post pictures when you've got it all set up :)

[kalliemorgan]

FANTASTIC ROOM! I am so jealous! I'm seeing green...no wait that's the color of the walls. Many a fun school day will be spent there. Enjoy!:D

[amyrjoy]

This blog I just came across this weekend has a room with doors like yours I think and it's just gorgeous...here's the link: http://www.babeofmyheart.com/category/homeschool/. I love her room, and I'm so jealous, in a good way. Lol. I'm trying to fix up part of our basement so I've been looking for ideas.