A Peek Into Our School Room

Homeschooling does not require a specific classroom space, but when we were looking for houses almost 9 years ago, this space was one of the things that set this house apart from the others we had seen (the extra bathroom was a big plus too!)  We remodeled our downstairs almost 5 years ago after we had some significant water damage and while we were at it converted the garage (which is off the classroom) into a family room.

I did not do any special cleaning or organizing to prepare for these pictures except for the normal picking up, vacuuming, and mopping.  Trying to keep it realistic :)

This space serves two purposes for us.  It is both a playroom and a school room.  The majority of the toys are kept down here with the exception of the boys' LEGOS and the girls dollhouse and dolls. When we remodeled we put in ceramic tile floors.  They are so much better then the pergot that were there before and easy to clean up paint and other kid messes.

This side is the school side.  The younger children do their afternoon school work at the table.  We also do lots of art projects and crafts there (they like to display them in the wall you may have noticed.)

I keep our school books on this shelf.  Well not all of our books.  The overflow I had to put on some shelves in the living room.  And our My Father's World Adventures I keep in a crate so it all stays together.

All of the children have a crate to keep their school stuff in.  They each have a pencil box with all of their supplies in them.

The other side of the room is where toys, puzzles, games, and the children's books are kept.

The girls enjoy drawing on the blackboard.

Having the toys in the same area always made it easy for me to keep the younger ones occupied with something while I was working with the other children.  Yes it does get loud from time to time but for the most part it works out well.  It is not always neat and tidy either, especially when the girls are making crafts or decide to get ever stuffed animal they own out, but as they leave the school area clear for us to work I don't mind.  I never wanted the younger children to feel like they were pushed aside during school time and I never wanted them to be afraid of making or doing things because theu might make a mess. I once had a comment on Facebook thanking me for being realistic when I posted a photo of one of something we had made and there were toys on the floor in the photo.  There are always toys somewhere on the floor in this house (along with laundry to be folded and dishes in the sink.)  It is part of our reality.


Just because we have a space for our school stuff, does not mean we only "do school" in this room. In the mornings it is much more comfortable for all of us to do our reading on the couch in the family room.  Nick will often go upstairs in my bedroom to do some of his work so he will not be distracted. Our living room upstairs is a nice quiet room that they will read in.  Science experiments and cooking happen in the kitchen and dining room.  And of course there are many educational experiences to be had outside!

Happy Homeschooling!