Homeschooling in a Small Space

The home school classroom. Pinterest is loaded with them. Colorful and inspiring. Organized and tranquil. Classic. Trendy. Fun. They come in many different forms. What happens though when you don't have a large space to educate in?

We have always had our classroom in another room. First it was in our dining room which opened into a living room. We pushed the table into the middle and made a nice little space. We later moved it into our room which had a large space for an office. It made for a pretty decent size classroom.

Upon moving into our new house we have laid out plans for converting the third portion of our garage into an awesome classroom/office for the hubby and I. We had every intention of doing it before the beginning of the school year but then there were additional expenses on the house, our car broke down and we needed a new(ish) one. You know, life happened.

So here we are, in a new house, with no where to do school. For many, this is the case. We don't have an extra room designated as a classroom. This year, we are the kitchen table classroom family. I think many of you are too.

This causes a little problem for us. We do family dinners around the table every night. We cannot have school books lining the table. So, we worked out a solution that is still somewhat aesthetically pleasing (since it is in the center of our home) while still being really functional.

By simply moving the table up against the divider in the room we were given enough space to create what we call the command center. The table positioning is not conventional or entirely ideal but it works.

Luckily the cut out above was already decorated in school type items because I love me some globes. We didn't have to fork out extra money that we don't have in order to make it look school like.

We recently inherited this beautiful tea cart from my husbands equally beautiful grandma. It is the perfect piece for organizing our little ones assignments. Again, not the conventional use of a tea cart but we love it and think grandma would be proud of it's new use.

On top, the things we need daily. A crate-style filing system with our charts, worksheets and such. A vintage case holds all of our flashcards and some other manipulatives. The cute wire drawers holds the daily work that the kids need me for...to go along with the workbox drawers that sit next to the tea cart. Before we start the day, I will put what will be needed in there so that the kids have easy access to their work. Then of course some vintage rulers and lots of crayons to make the space look a little more fun and inviting.

The middle section is simply things that we use on occasion. Big Books and fun little lessons.

In the cabinets, all the additional curriculum. The stuff that we aren't using for the day. We will also store library books and current unfinished projects in this area.

Off to the side is a vintage vanity which is my little station. All of my lesson plans, calendars and some supplies. This is the no touch area. Only for parents/teachers. Mostly because the art supplies are hidden in there and I do not want colored walls. Chalkboard up above for teaching the kiddos on.

I would love to balance the space out with a filing cabinet on the other side of the tea cart with the workbox system. I am currently on the hunt for one that won't break the bank. Thinking old chipped up filing cabinet that I can paint the facings poppy colors. This will hold all of the important stuff. Like grades, tests, and forms from our PSP. I will probably also throw in non-school or semi-school stuff like Nixon's medical/ABA/OT/everything else stuff.

So that is our little space. Now the kids can do school at the kitchen table without taking over meal times. I hope this inspired you to not be held back by your small classroom spaces like I initially was.

Where They Learn

Homeschoolers just chill in their PJs and watch the discovery channel all day right? No, they hike up their pants, throw in their pocket protectors and walk around museums, avoiding other "normal" kids at all costs. 

There are lots of stereotypes. In some cases, people fit into them. But in reality, those kids are few and far between. Not many homeschool moms rely on TV to teach their children. I mean that goes against the main reason most of us homeschool. We want to be the ones teaching our kids.

So what does a real homeschool kid and a real homeschool environment look like? I have no stinkin' clue. I wasn't homeschooled. I didn't see it first hand. What I did know is that I didn't want my 3 year old to be distracted. I wanted the place she learned to be inviting. I wanted it to be fun, so she would associate school with a fun time/environment. So that's what I modeled our homeschool classroom around.

Unfortunately, we don't have a ton of space. We're working with a limited budget, with no extra rooms and basically what we already had. Creating our dream space has proved to be a challenge.

We pulled this beautiful vanity from Rhiannon's room and turned it into her desk. She has her art supplies in one drawer, flashcards and science project stuff in the other. The center holds her paper, personal chalkboard and coloring books. 

This bookshelf was a steal. Only $5 bucks on craigslist. Added a fresh coat of white paint and accented the back paneling in green and it was set. The shelf holds her school books, my homeschool planners and some games and manipulatives. 

As far as making the room look like a place she wanted to be, I let her pick out some fabrics and I made her an alphabet banner. Which a few friends have commissioned me to make for them as well. The chalkboard was an old mirror that we painted a bright color. We pulled out the glass and replaced it with a thin wood that was painted with chalkboard paint.

I took apart an old office chair and jazzed it up for her. Tutorial here.

 

And hung clipboards to show off her work (little brothers too). They are so proud to see their art hanging.

It isn't much. We did what we could with what we had space and financial wise. But it didn't take much. Rhiannon is thrilled. She is counting down her days to preschool. She goes and sits at her desk and asks daily when school will start. I'm hoping to expand and add to the room gradually. 

But for now, this is where she will learn.