Because we homeschool, people often ask us if we have a classroom. When we first began homeschooling, I had a 3- and a 1-year-old in addition to my 7-year-old homeschooler. Because I needed a place where my little ones could safely play while I worked with my oldest, we set up our basement as our playroom/schoolroom/office. We had a table for school, a comfy couch for reading, a separate area for watching TV or using the computer and lots of toys. The walls were adorned with maps, a dry erase board, a cork board, charts, the ABC's and lots of fun "educational" pictures and posters. It was the perfect setting. The younger kids could play or watch an occasional video with absolutely nothing in the room that they could hurt or be hurt by. I could sit in the floor and play with them when I wasn't helping my oldest. Everyone was happy.
As the younger kids got older and started doing their own school work, we moved our school stuff back into the main living area of our home. The basement was too far from the bathroom, it was cold in the winter, and, all those fun toys had become a distraction. So, we moved upstairs. The school supplies went into plastic bins in the cabinets of the china cabinet. The ratty-looking cork board was left in the basement in favor of the shiny new one that now adorns one dining room wall. We got an easel for the dry erase board so that both can be easily stored out of site when not in use. We recently even put a small bookshelf in one corner of the dining room for more organized storage.
Although we prefer the dining room table for seatwork, painting or craft projects, we school everywhere. The living room couch or the patio furniture provides the perfect place for reading. The basement couch is a great place to get some independent work completed without being disturbed by younger siblings. The younger kids even enjoy doing their independent work in their “hide-out” in the backyard.
Schooling in the main living area of our house works much better for me, too. I can wash dishes, cook lunch or do laundry while the kids are working independently. I'm right there for them to come to me with questions...and to make sure that they aren't getting distracted. School used to be a big, separate part of our day. Now, it's just a lifestyle that has become woven into everything else we do as a family simply living our lives.
Oh, and whatever became of our school room? It is now the puzzle-making, sewing, crafting, Wii-playing playroom/office/exercise/TV room.
Kris is the sweet-tea-drinking, classically eclectic, slightly Charlotte Mason, homeschooling mom to her three Weird, Unsocialized Homeschoolers.
I like how your plan evolved according to the needs of your family! Thanks for sharing your space with us!
ReplyDeleteIt's great that you involved your younger children in school early on. And I love the name of your blog - it cracks me up! Thanks for sharing!
ReplyDeleteSo is Guitar Hero/Rockband a part of your curriculum, too? nice... I like to see the ongoing study of adaptation you offer. It will serve them quite well in life. Thanks for the story, friend.
ReplyDeleteGreat write up on the changes as you have homeschooled longer, Kris! We recently did start using a school room area, just because that seems to work better for us at this time. But, every so often, I still bring people out to the counter if I need to work on something in the kitchen that can't wait.
ReplyDeleteOh, and we almost always do non-seat work at various other places in the house. We love to do read alouds in the living room, so everyone can be comfortable.
Rock Band should totally be part of our curriculum. Actually, maybe I should consider that the Teacher's Lounge. Students are supposed to stay out of the Teacher's Lounge, right?
ReplyDeleteI, too, love the way we've been able to adapt. To me, that is a big part of what homeschooling is -- a lifestyle that adapts to the needs of the family, not something to which the family becomes enslaved.