Where do you hs?

[Aubrey]

Ok, ladies, I'm breathing again & ...hm...either glad or chagrined? ... to know the tooth didn't have to come out after all. :glare:

 

I have a different question. Last yr, we spent a lot of time hs'ing out of the house, partly because of showings. Wether we had one or not, it was easier to just pick up & go w/out the fear of making a mess & having to get out quick hanging over us.

 

Our favorite spot was Starbucks. The dc would share a cup of hot tea, & I might bring a snack, & we'd read, write, draw, etc. Tiny tables, but otherwise good.

 

Now that #3 is here, this seemed more impractical. But dh started working at Sbux, & sometimes we needed the car, so we'd haul our schoolbooks up there & hang out & then go do whatever we needed to do.

 

I've noticed that we get a lot more done when we're out--at Sbux, the college, whatever. We stay more focused & cheerful, etc. Somehow, home is distracting. And I feel guilty about this. Like I ought to be able to make enough changes here to make this as good as or better than "out."

 

But maybe I'm fighting an unecessary battle? (See tooth-pulling incident for further ex's of my tendency to do this. ;)) What do you think? Where do you hs? Have you noticed anything weird like that that seems to work better for you?

[Alenee]

No, we can't seem to get anything done out of the house. Too many distractions for us. When we're on our schedule and I don't answer the phone, all goes well. I honestly cannot imagine trying to teach at a Starbuck's. That just would not work for me...but more power to you if that works!

[swellmomma]

I find in the warmer months we focus much better if we take our work out to a park with a picnic, or even into the backyard. Being cooped up for 8+ months is enough to make us all want to kill each other by March. I have never tried at a coffee shop, mainly because with 4 kids I would go insane worrying about us disrupting others as opposed to schooling. At the park, they can do some work, then go play, we eat lunch do some more owrk and go play again, tends to keep them on task to get their work done knowing the park is right there.

[Aubrey]

No, we can't seem to get anything done out of the house. Too many distractions for us. When we're on our schedule and I don't answer the phone, all goes well. I honestly cannot imagine trying to teach at a Starbuck's. That just would not work for me...but more power to you if that works!

 

My distractions are housework, (you guys, lol!), & baby/ bored dd5. The people milling about entertain baby (somehow) & she's contained by her stroller. Dd happily does what I've packed for her there, but at home she either complains about it or ds wants to do it, too. And ds is more focused...at home, he seems to look for opportunity to slip off to his bedroom to build something.

 

I think the biggest difference is the fact that I'm tied to the table. I just...haven't been able to do that at home. It feels like such a waste of time. I could start the dishes or laundry. I could watch him from my desk (where you guys are). And baby. Oy vey. Somebody's got to get her out of the toilet & the trashcan.

 

But then I think...if I brought sewing or a magazine to the dining table, & put her in her stroller or high chair here...? But she associates the dining table w/ eating, & fusses more. Kwim? And we're less interesting than the people who come in & make faces at her, lol.

[Aubrey]

I find in the warmer months we focus much better if we take our work out to a park with a picnic, or even into the backyard. Being cooped up for 8+ months is enough to make us all want to kill each other by March. I have never tried at a coffee shop, mainly because with 4 kids I would go insane worrying about us disrupting others as opposed to schooling. At the park, they can do some work, then go play, we eat lunch do some more owrk and go play again, tends to keep them on task to get their work done knowing the park is right there.

 

You're not from Tx, are you? LOL--the heat index last week was already 115. Sbux saves electricity--yeah, that's it!

 

But no, if baby fusses or becomes distracting, we leave. Most of the time people stop in awe to comment on how quiet & well-behaved the dc are. And we advertise hs'ing, since they have to know a) are they doing homework b) why aren't they in school c) is school out, etc.

[8filltheheart]

I can't imagine trying to do school in an environment like Starbucks! Wow.....I'm pretty speechless (takes a lot to do that!! :) )

 

We do school at the kitchen table, out in the screened in porch, on the family room sofa, in our home "library/school room/office" (a new room in our new house that we have never had before......I am not quite used to its existance. The kids enjoy going in there for quiet.)

 

I think I would suggest developing a routine dedicated to school vs leaving the house. ;)

[hsmom]

Where ever and when ever we feel the need. (wow that sentence has a lot of "e's") We will work at the desks, table, floor, couch, porch, park, by the pool, while he sits on his dirtbike with a book. Just about any where. He has found he loves my hammock and goes outside to it.

[Kim in Appalachia]

I am schooling 4 kids, plus I have a little one. The work required to get there would outweigh any benefit.

 

If you can make that work, though, go for it!

[Aubrey]

I am schooling 4 kids, plus I have a little one. The work required to get there would outweigh any benefit.

 

If you can make that work, though, go for it!

 

Ok, I'll give you that. But we kind-of streamlined it when we were showing the house, & I disguise the bulk w/ the stroller, so we don't look like we're there for an invasion. And I pick a table way off in the corner where we won't be noticed as much. And I don't go if it's busy. (Dh's store is dead during the week.)

 

But it looks like it's a consensus: I'm nuts. It makes such a noticeable difference in productivity & attitude, though, that dh has offered to help us make it happen on a daily basis. For ex, getting everybody ready & out the door to school w/ him in the mornings. We'd sit in the coffee shop at school while he's in class, then go home w/ him a few hrs later.

[mcconnellboys]

Well, we do hs at home, mostly, for our own things. We are out a lot for extracurricular activities, too, but we do most of our academic stuff at home. I do see a ton of people who are either hsing or afterschooling/tutoring, etc. at my local branch of the library. It's quite and nice and the tables are large enough. The only drawback is no food or drink.....

[Aubrey]

Well, we do hs at home, mostly, for our own things. We are out a lot for extracurricular activities, too, but we do most of our academic stuff at home. I do see a ton of people who are either hsing or afterschooling/tutoring, etc. at my local branch of the library. It's quite and nice and the tables are large enough. The only drawback is no food or drink.....

 

And there are too many unsupervised dc. And the bathrooms are so far away that you have to pack everything up & take it w/ you & when you get back, somebody's taken your table.

 

Library hasn't worked for us, ironically. Can you tell? :001_huh:

[RoughCollie]

I've sent some of the kids to DH's office so they can study in the conference room. What happens instead is that they fool around on the laptop and DH doesn't make sure they are doing their work. Either that, or DH decides that would be a good day to take them out to eat (at a sit-down restaurant, which takes an hour) and to Barnes & Noble (another hour), plus travel time (another hour) and maybe to run errands (another hour).

 

Last week, I took the boys to our library to show them how to use the adult nonfiction and reference sections. It was quiet and we got a lot done. I am going to take them there for the purpose of doing schoolwork at least once a week, just to have a change of pace. I can read or talk to the librarians while the boys work.

 

There is a dog park about 20 minutes away where the dog can run free. They have some seating and a picnic table there, so I'll take the boys there a few times a week to read their literature book while the dog gets some exercise.

 

I also plan to hold some classes outside in the yard, and at the state park.

 

We need to spend as much time out of the house as we can, IMO, because all winter long we are stuck inside. The weather here is great for only 4 or 5 months.

 

RC

RC

[Aubrey]

We need to spend as much time out of the house as we can, IMO, because all winter long we are stuck inside. The weather here is great for only 4 or 5 months.

 

While I don't want to be out in the actual weather, I do think I need to be out of the house. I'm such an introvert, that my natural tendency would probably be to dig myself a hole & climb in. Otoh, being around other people too much can really drain me. Doing school out in public seems like a good enough balance between the two to keep me...human.

[swellmomma]

You're not from Tx, are you? LOL--the heat index last week was already 115. Sbux saves electricity--yeah, that's it!

 

But no, if baby fusses or becomes distracting, we leave. Most of the time people stop in awe to comment on how quiet & well-behaved the dc are. And we advertise hs'ing, since they have to know a) are they doing homework b) why aren't they in school c) is school out, etc.

 

 

Lol nope, I'm in Alberta, where winter starts mid October and lasts until mid-May

[Elisabeth in IL]

But it looks like it's a consensus: I'm nuts. It makes such a noticeable difference in productivity & attitude, though, that dh has offered to help us make it happen on a daily basis.

 

I don't think that you are nuts. My kids do well at the library. I haven't tried Starbucks but I could see where it would work. I ,too, get distracted by other things and then my kids start wondering. If it works, do it!!!! Side benefit is that it helps keep the house clean. :D

[Closeacademy]

We actually do school in the master bedroom on a bed-tray. This way I can work with one child at a time, closing off all distractions and we either sit on the bed and use the bed-tray or we use a TV tray and I pull in a chair from the dining area.

 

I found that this works very well.

 

Other places we have schooled:

 

The basement--too cut-off and dark

The breakfast bar--nice but not enough room to spread out

The floor--great for games and manipulatives

The kitchen table

The front porch--too windy

 

:001_smile:

[PinkInTheBlue]

Beyond a shadow of a doubt I think you should homeschool where ever works best for you and kiddos. Starbucks or library or kitchen table or car or designated school room. As long as everyone is learning and mama is happy. :)

 

You just made me remember that years ago we did a BUNCH of our homeschooling at the library. We had one car, lived several miles out of town and it was just easy to drop husband off for work and we'd just school at the library. It worked really well. Hmmm... :) Too bad we have such a rotten library here!

[dragons in the flower bed]

Our favorite spot was Starbucks. The dc would share a cup of hot tea, & I might bring a snack, & we'd read, write, draw, etc. Tiny tables, but otherwise good.

 

I've been thinking about how I could make that work ever since PlaidDad blogged about taking his DD out for cafe-schooling. I love the idea of having caffeine on tap, and no distracting chores. When my partner is going to be at home all day, I could leave the 5yo & 2yo with him and take the big kids to the coffeehouse.

 

The tables are all different sizes, and there's one that's a six-seater. There's a cubby under the stairs with kiddie books in it, so the 7yo could hang out in there if he was done before the 10yo was done.

 

But I don't know if the owners would appreciate us hogging their space for two-three hours, even if I was buying lots and lots of chai.

 

And we never go to the coffeehouse w/o seeing someone we know. It would be like doing school with people dropping in constantly.

 

Maybe if I could find a cool coffeehouse in the next town over . . .

[3lilreds in NC]

We do school at home. I can guarantee you that if I tried to do it someplace else, we'd get there to find we'd forgotten at least one key component of our school work for the day, which would throw me off completely.

 

The thing about home is that when the baby is awake, he puts a great deal of energy into getting us to pay attention to him, chuckling and giggling and generally being irresistable. Who can do copywork when the Snort is grinning at them, wanting to play? We try to do school mostly when he's asleep but it rarely works out that way.

 

I do wonder, if we could go somewhere else and do it, if we'd be more focused. My little guy would be pretty good for quite a while, but I don't know if he would last long enough to get everything done. It's an interesting thought. Honestly I have enough trouble just getting to school at home and I think trying to take it elsewhere would do me in. :D

[mcconnellboys]

Oh, sorry, ours is really quiet during the day and bathrooms are close, too. Guess that's not a good option for you at all, LOL....

[Harriet Vane]

We actually do better outside the house. I refuse to feel guilty about it--we do what works.

 

When we're at home the kids can work wherever they want--we might start at the kitchen table, but many times they wander over to various favorite spots throughout the house.

 

All their books are in wheeled conveyance--dd has a small suitcase, and ds has a wheeled backpack. Going out to study is absolutely no big deal--they just grab their suitcases and we're off. I usually bring a little something to work on myself, but I am mostly just available to them. It works really, really well.

 

Often we go to the library. The children's section has windows that overlook a large park, so I can let ds play out there where I can see him if he gets ants in his pants. Other times we might go to a restaurant and drink decaf coffee--as long as we are not there at peak rush times it has never been a problem. This summer we are planning to expand out efforts to local parks to see how that works for us.

 

So, don't feel at all guilty about schooling elsewhere. Do what works, and don't worry about fitting into some mold of How HomeSchooling Should Be.

[Gamom3]

have an extra room, which was suppose to be the school room.

It just didn't work out, so we moved to the kitchen table..all the books stay in the "school room". The kitchen works so much better for us and I am able to do some house work while dc do their lessons.

 

I have seen people with dc at the library doing lessons. I have thought about it, but I think it might be a distraction for dc.

[elegantlion]

We don't have a car during the day so we are stuck at home. We do get creative. Our dining room is our classroom, but we like to go in the backyard and do some work in the hammock. It's very relaxing, but the dog throws a fit if we don't include her.

[Call Me Cordelia]

Answers that ran through my mind before actually reading the post:

 

1. In Ohio.

2. In the dining room.

3. Wherever the kids happen to be.

4. In a constant state of confusion!

 

Seriously - you do what works for you today. If it's sbux, go for it! If it's hanging upside down on the ceiling...go for it!

[ncmomo3]

Besides in the hs room, we at school these places occasionally: library, local coffee shop, a nearby lake. Once they even did their work sitting on the trampoline, and one time they did all of their math on the driveway with chalk. Good times...good times.

[Kay in Cal]

Well, used to go to the park a lot (then it was closed for lead contamination... ugh...). There are lots of other parks, but we could walk to that one, and was not so isolated that I worried about being safe.

 

When ds is on his own (meaning other ds was in preschool), we'd go to the cafe at Border's a lot. Occasionally a large Starbucks, or even the local deli.

 

I like schooling out and about, too! I even bought a new backback/notebook thing for us to use next year. It's kind of like a backback, but is a three ring binder inside. I take pages we are using, and books in another bag (or small books in it).

[Andie]

Ok, I'll give you that. But we kind-of streamlined it when we were showing the house, & I disguise the bulk w/ the stroller, so we don't look like we're there for an invasion. And I pick a table way off in the corner where we won't be noticed as much. And I don't go if it's busy. (Dh's store is dead during the week.)

 

But it looks like it's a consensus: I'm nuts. It makes such a noticeable difference in productivity & attitude, though, that dh has offered to help us make it happen on a daily basis. For ex, getting everybody ready & out the door to school w/ him in the mornings. We'd sit in the coffee shop at school while he's in class, then go home w/ him a few hrs later.

 

 

I don't think you're nuts! I'm considering doing school @ the library two mornings a week. I completely get it. (And I KNOW that my understanding is important to you! :lol:)

[Elaine]

At the kitchen table. I really don't think that I could focus anywhere else. I like knowing that all of my materials are close at hand. Plus I am not a big fan of schlepping books hither and yon, too much can get lost.:001_smile: