What makes the room you teach in comfortable? particularly seating...

[madteaparty]

I have a dining room I am converting into school room. This is a bit of a (welcome) shock to my 9 year old system, moving and starting HS all in one fell swoop at this age, so I want to make it warm and comfortable and happy and the opposite of the overcrowded public school he is being taken out of..

 

I am getting a round white table from IKEA to do work at.

I would LOVE some upholstered chairs witht he curved backs, but have been unable to find any for a reasonable price

Expedit units everywhere

Trying to fit a couch in the room but not sure, between that and the piano...

Maybe a bean bag if the couch won't work, though I object to them aesthetically.

 

What is your suggestion for the comfiest room?

[TraceyS/FL]

Well, I am in love with our standing height table and would highly suggest that over a regular table. We call it "the project table". It is two 30x60 Ikea desktops on top of two 2x4 expedits. The plan is to put the expedits on wheels - but I haven't gotten there. The kids then have Ikea stools (Franklin) to sit at. My original plan was to have the 2x4s in the middle and attach each desktop to them so they hung out cantilevered, then put a do-hicky-thingy on the expedits to hold them together (lol, a latch of some sort). BUT, I was over-ruled by the config they are in now.... it does make it easier to access the cubes. I had planned on them being the "not so often used materials".

 

I hear you on the chairs.... that aspect of my room is a work in progress. another week or so and I am digging into stuff out there!!

[Jennifer]

Couch or loveseat where you can sit together and read. Actually, lots of schoolwork can be done on the couch. I hate beanbags.

White board. If you don't want one on your wall get a couple little ones.

Warm colors. None of those bright, overstimulating posters that are hung up in classrooms.

You can google waldorf classrooms for some great decorating ideas.

Good lighting

Place for computer, CD player, etc. Lots of outlets or power strips/extension cords

Table to display art, seasonal nature stuff

If you have pets some place for them to hang out with you during the school day.

 

I will be watching this thread for more ideas. I want to have a learning room again. I did when the kids were younger but now at 12 and 13 they would rather be in their rooms.

[Violet Crown]

I've noticed with all my girls an inverse correlation between comfiness of seating and sprightliness of intellectual faculties.

 

So we work at the cleared dining table, with white board on the wall, natural light streaming in from three sides, and hard, straight-backed chairs. The comfy couch is for reading only - and even then, not reading that needs careful study and retention.

[Alte Veste Academy]

Will it just be you and your DD? If so, and if you can't fit a sofa, maybe two comfy chairs with an end table between them. IKEA's Jennylund chair is small, economical, and so comfy. (Ours is almost nine years old and feels like new!) That set up and a lap desk could take you far. It would make for a picture perfect space for discussions, read-alouds, or tea & poetry. We use a living room/dining room combo for our school area, with a big table in the dining room for very focused work and an Ektorp sectional in the living room for read-alouds and less formal, more creative work.

[birchbark]

Real sheepskin rugs on the floor are so comfy to walk on or for sprawling. We keep ours in front of the bookshelves. I got them years ago at Sam's for a good price. I think they still sell them on their site.

[Farrar]

Our dining room leads into the living room, so I don't really need a sofa in there. But since we sit at the table a lot, I have these padded dining chairs from IKEA at the head and foot of the table and that's nice. I dyed the covers on mine so they would match the room and they took the dye nicely. This way, I have a soft chair but it still fits in as a dining room.

[fourisenough]

Our 'school room' looks nothing like a school ~ that's the best thing about it. We have beautiful photographs on the walls (but not too many) and plenty of white space (taupe actually, trim is white). I use my grandmother's old dresser as my stand-up desk (I'm a fidgeter - don't sit down much), with writing instruments, scissors, letter opener,etc. in glass canisters. No window treatments on the windows, so lots of natural light streaming in. We have a large table in the middle, always covered with a pretty table cloth. Computer is on a sideboard near the table. Curriculum and all homeschooling materials are in a tall cupboard with doors, which I like to keep closed so we can concentrate on one thing at at a time. We're right off the kitchen so food (coffee!) is accessible. No rug, just bare wood floors make clean-up easy. Living room is nearby with the 'na-na chair' (where we mostly sat while breastfeeding) and two small sofas facing one another with a low table in between. We often read on the couches and play board games on the table in between them. I try to pick-up several times during the day so we are clutter-free and focused. I'm always tempted to hang a timeline or art prints, but I've found that it makes our space feel too school-like and less homey. Plus, I get tired of looking at anything on the walls and it quickly loses its original draw.

[momee]

Caution: this link could be expensive

 

http://www.playspacestransformed.com/

 

Maybe they will get some creative juices flowing for you.

 

I've been steadily gaining progress in my school room.

 

Her #1 goal :

Creating an asthetically and purposefully designed playspace that inspires both the child and adult so optimal state for learning occurs and more fun can be had.

 

That makes me want to buy it. The price: not so much.

[craftyerin]

What makes our learning space comfortable is that it's the middle of our home.  We use our kitchen table, our kitchen bar, our couch.  We moved all of the school stuff out of what had been our designated school room about 6 mos ago because we realized that no one wanted to be confined to one room together all day.  We were dragging our school stuff out into the middle of the house every day.  So, we went with it, rearranged, and love it!  No regrets!  

[8filltheheart]

I agree with whoever said that you cannot tell that we homeschool except that we own a lot of books. ;)

 

We have a living room/dining room combo in this house that forms an area that is smaller than our last house's living room. I adapted the area to make it more homeschool friendly w/o looking like a school room and w/o needing to function as a dining room (the dining room area wouldn't hold a table large enough to fit our family anyway.)

 

I purchased one of these units (except mine is black) http://www.samsclub.com/sams/6-cube-organizer/prod8010577.ip?navAction=

It stores all of our paper, pencils, arts/crafts supplies, staplers/hole punches,etc. The copier/printer sits on top.

 

For a table, we have a game table with 2 upholstered chairs. (It is used for chess and other 2 person games outside of school.)

 

There is also a large cabinet which holds books, TC lectures, file boxes w/all our records--test scores, copies of reporting records, etc)

 

We also have a very comfortable sofa and chair in there.

 

This area open to the kitchen on the end with a bar type sitting area. On the very end near that room, we have a computer. There are also 4 cushioned bar stools.

 

We have a no working in your room rule. I have lots of kids, so we sort of shift around a lot during the day. Kids that are reading silently tend to sit on the sofa or chair in the living room or the sofa in the family room. I typically sit at the bar while working one on one with a student. My younger kids sit at the bar working while I am working with someone else.

 

Kids that are writing sit either at the bar, game table , or kitchen table.

 

In our last house we had room for hoop chairs. They loved curling up in those hoops for reading.

 

Edited....Jeepers autocorrect made some doozies this morning. :p

[lllll]

..

[jljohn]

What is your suggestion for the comfiest room?

 

Honestly, lack of clutter.  Clutter distracts the eyes and the mind (at least in my opinion).  I'd keeps the walls nicely decorated with a few important pieces--maps or works of art--but I'd avoid posters or over-decorating.  I'd also try to keep everything put away and off the table surfaces, except for what is being used at the moment.  

 

Virtually all of our school work (desk-based school work as opposed to nature based, of course) happens either at the kitchen counter while seated on stools or at the dining table while seated on a bench.  The seating in both cases is simple wood--no upholstery.  It's comfortable but not soft and 'bed-like.'  The couch puts them to sleep.  So, I agree to some extent about the inverse correlation between cushy-comfort and thoughtfulness!

 

As far as a specific chair recommendation, I'd recommend looking on craigslist, if it is active in your area.  You should be able to find some nice chairs for a much better price than new.  If it were me, I'd be looking for wood/chrome school chairs or eames / other mid century fiberglass or bent plywood chairs.  I'd start rooting around for something that has a certain design aesthetic to add to the room.

[Bensmom]

Couch or loveseat where you can sit together and read. Actually, lots of schoolwork can be done on the couch. I hate beanbags.

White board. If you don't want one on your wall get a couple little ones.

Warm colors. None of those bright, overstimulating posters that are hung up in classrooms.

You can google waldorf classrooms for some great decorating ideas.

Good lighting

Place for computer, CD player, etc. Lots of outlets or power strips/extension cords

Table to display art, seasonal nature stuff

If you have pets some place for them to hang out with you during the school day.

 

I will be watching this thread for more ideas. I want to have a learning room again. I did when the kids were younger but now at 12 and 13 they would rather be in their rooms.

 

 

This is our room too.  Almost everything is done from the loveseat (with a cat on the armrest).  I am getting rid of my  more attractive loveseat (that we have used for the past 5 years of school) in exchange for a new comfy, but less attractive sofa that has recliner footrests at each end since ds and I both appreciate being able to put up our feet :)

 

Being comfortable has never seemed to make my ds sleepy or unable to focus on his work.  I think if he had to sit at the table in a wood chair for several hours each day, he might be more resistant about heading off to the school room in the morning.  Also, I love the fact that though my ds is 10, he still enjoys snuggling up to me to share a great book.

 

Our room has a small work table, and lots of bookshelves, but looks like a comfy home library not a classroom.  I love to look at homeschool classrooms online, but the bright colors, walls covered in posters, and classroom seating is just not for us.  

 

Have fun creating your new room and do what you feel fits your family best.  Then post pictures!!!

[Michelle My Bell]

Something I never see mentioned is a few plants. They freshen the air and add a nice touch of nature to the room.

[elegantlion]

In lieu of sheepskin rugs, we add a dog and occasionally the cat will join us. :D

 

We have more of an office/library feel, low bookcases line the wall. Ample table work space is important and a comfortable chair. Ds likes office chairs. 

 

 

[Violet Crown]

Being comfortable has never seemed to make my ds sleepy or unable to focus on his work. I think if he had to sit at the table in a wood chair for several hours each day, he might be more resistant about heading off to the school room in the morning.

They're supposed to sit? :P

[Midway]

If you've got the windows for natural light to stream in, that's the optimum. It's pleasant and easy on the eyes for reading. If you don't have the luxury of getting natural light, a good alternative is an OTT-LITE.

[Midway]

I also agree about eliminating clutter. I'm reading "The Joy of Less" which talks about living a minimalist lifestyle. The author noted that you can be sitting on the couch reading or just thinking and about to be enlightened when your eyes rest on a pile of magazines or other clutter and then your thought are disrupted and you leave your deep thoughts to instead think about what you should do with that mess.

[MotherOfBoys]

I'm listening closely. I'm painting my school room this week. A calm tan to cover up the obnoxious green from when it was a nursery room. I was going to do all the art pictures and phonics charts on the wall even though I hate looking at them and my boys are overwhelmed with them just because I thought I had to have them. I will leave them down after reading this, along with the other horrible ps charts I have. I push my boys to work fast because I want out of the room as soon as possible and they are easily distracted with too much to look at so we are losing at every turn.

Thank you for the links to pictures of ideas. I'm going for calm, comfy, clean and organized.

[texasmama]

We do most of our schooling on the couch so that gets my vote.  Comfy.  :)

[Frosch]

For us, comfort is having options and with 4 boys...they also need to to be able to work alone if they want to.

 

We just moved into a new house but our set up is the same as the old house thanks to wonders of Military housing.  

We have a dining room which is the main "school" room although it just looks like a dining room with tall cabinets where all the supplies are stored.  I have padded dining room chairs and a Queen Anne Chair for me with a end table that holds all my teacher's guides.    

Right by the dining room is the den and the breakfast area.  DH built a big farm table and that's where the boys will spread out.   Two of the boys have desks in their rooms but my oldest has discovered that couch is now the perfect height for him to lie on his stomach and hang over his book on the floor to read and write.  One of the boys likes to work at the patio table and now that we have an actual porch, I imagine he'll be out there this school year. He's has been known to do his work on the hammock as well.  

We have plants in every room and I keep the blinds open all day.  (Natural light is a must for me.)  I also have 4 different "school day" playlists on the ipod that I keep going.  We do have a family white board in the kitchen (for messages and random deep thoughts) but we use small portable whiteboards for school....or we use the sliding glass door with the whiteboard crayons.  

 

 

[jljohn]

I'm listening closely. I'm painting my school room this week. A calm tan to cover up the obnoxious green from when it was a nursery room. I was going to do all the art pictures and phonics charts on the wall even though I hate looking at them and my boys are overwhelmed with them just because I thought I had to have them. I will leave them down after reading this, along with the other horrible ps charts I have. I push my boys to work fast because I want out of the room as soon as possible and they are easily distracted with too much to look at so we are losing at every turn.

Thank you for the links to pictures of ideas. I'm going for calm, comfy, clean and organized.

 

This may sound odd, but we have a large area rug (8"x10") in our living room, and I keep maps and large (poster sized) stuff under it.  When we want to pore over maps, we roll 1/3 of the rug back to expose all the maps, and lay with our elbows propped up on the rug roll and study the maps.  It works like a charm, and you can get about 12 laminated maps between a thick rug and its pad before you feel or see a 'bump' in the rug.  This may not work for the OP, but for anyone looking to deal with posters and maps it might be helpful.

[jhschool]

Pictures, you guys????

 

Pictures of comfy school rooms?

 

:)

 

Pretty please??