If you could design a homeschool room...

[mackysmama]

What would be the essentials for it, both in terms of items and flow.

I have cleared out our dining room/art room/play room and it is painted and cleaned and ready to be filled. :

Here's some info. It's isn't a huge room - about 9x12. It is off of the kitchen and then opens into our formal living room, which is being converted to a large playroom/keeper of the mess (um, I mean toys). I have a 6yo and a 3 yo. We are relaxed homeschoolers with an unschooling twist on a classical education . So, this isn't a desk against the walls kind of room but a place for the kids to work without having to clean it up for dinner and a place to keep all of the stuff so when the mood strikes us, we don't spend 30 minutes looking for SOTW.

So, what do you think is a must have in a homeschool room?

What I plan to put in there:
~a work table - breakfast table size with 2 chairs
~a computer stand with a broken computer (gonna get that fixed) w/ a office chair on wheels
~two small basic shelves (2.5x2.5' each)
~a 4-drawer black file cabinet (not for homeschooling but for family stuff). I think it will go next to the computer stand to hold the printer on top. Thought I could make good use of the magnetic surface but not sure what?
~a basic Ikea wooden easel w/ dry erase and chalk w/ roll of paper
~art supplies - paint, markers, crayons, paper, collage materials, etc. These need to be easily accessible b/c my kids do a lot of art but it needs to be easy for me to clean up - ideas?
~playdoh
~homeschool resources (Signapore books, SOTW books, etc.)
~US map and world map

Maybe an Ikea plastic kids table and chairs for my dd to work at and for them to do the messy stuff.

A carpet that is about 4'x6'. Not sure where to put that - under the work table?

I have a big bookcase to (maybe 7'x3') or a smaller one (4'X2'). Whichever one I don't use will go in the playroom to hold picture books, toys and games. I also have some small ugly ones that I can put in there if I need them, and I think I will. Any ideas to make them look nicer?

Not sure which books to put in there. Maybe the read-alouds and his readers so we don't loose track of them? Maybe the books that will go along with the science or history programs?

So, what else? What is your favorite thing about your homeschool space? What do you wish you had? What do you wish you didn't have?

[LilyGrace]

I have a dresser in mine. It's a long, 6 drawer style one so the top is perfect for a workspace. The drawers help to contain messy projects, toys, etc. Our "homeschool" room does double duty as the home office area, so we try to balance the needs of everyone in the family here by not letting one side take over too much.

Although, if I could, I'd stick the buffet in here, too. It has a fold out tabletop to increase the surface area and a nice big section underneath for bigger projects. I think it'll make a great science area this fall.

[dawningmama]

It already sounds great! I don't know how old your kids are, but I'd bet dollars to donuts that they will have some great answers to this question.

Stuff my kids and I like to have on hand:

~a good stereo, or some good speakers on the computer.
~our microscope
~reference texts: dictionary, history books, anatomy text
~puzzles!! And lots of 'em!
~our dry-erase week-at-a-glance calendar---you could maybe use that magnetic spot for your calendar

[elizawill]

perfect thread!!!! i am in the process of doing this too and need all of the ideas i can get a hold of!!!!!

[zeldamomma]

I would love a chalkboard (probably painted on).

We use our dining room, and since we have a large extended family, the table is BIG. It seems to encourage my kids to make a mess, then just move over to a clear spot, and make a new mess. A smaller table (which it sounds like you've got) would be much better. I wouldn't recommend a second art table, but we have bad habits, and too many surfaces just encourages us to leave messes around.

I would definitely put a rug under the table, if the room has wall to wall carpeting, so that "overflow" from science experiments or art projects doesn't do any major damage.

If you have a sunny window, I'd put a table there for plants (growing things is a fun science project for little ones). I'd set up a clothes line of some sort for art projects to dry (I've heard that a folding clothes rack over a plastic tarp works well)

Fun thread!

ZM

[mackysmama]

Originally Posted by LilyGrace

I have a dresser in mine.

Oh, that is a great idea and I might even have one I could use! It would be great for keeping paper, large art supplies, etc.

Originally Posted by dawningmama

~a good stereo, or some good speakers on the computer.
~our dry-erase week-at-a-glance calendar---you could maybe use that magnetic spot for your calendar

The stereo is a great idea. Again, I have one around that I could move in there.

Originally Posted by zeldamomma

I would love a chalkboard (probably painted on). ....

I would definitely put a rug under the table, if the room has wall to wall carpeting, so that "overflow" from science experiments or art projects doesn't do any major damage.

If you have a sunny window, I'd put a table there for plants (growing things is a fun science project for little ones). I'd set up a clothes line of some sort for art projects to dry (I've heard that a folding clothes rack over a plastic tarp works well)

I thought that I "needed" a chalkboard or dry-erase board but then I couldn't really think of what we would use it for. Maybe I'm missing something? We do have the easel w/ dry erase and chalkboard, but we don't use either much.

The room has wood laminate floors so it is pretty easy to clean. I might skip the carpet.

A table for plants is a great idea. We have the perfect window for that.

I do want to hang some hemp string or something for them to hang their art on. But, I was thinking that would be for completed art.

Hmm..what do people use to dry art without it dripping?

Also, I'm planning on getting a clear hangable shoe-rack to organize art supplies.

Keep the ideas coming!

[citizenfong]

Great ideas!

We are getting ready to move and I am hoping to set up a homeschooling room. Hope to see more ideas here...

[1stTimeMummytoLore]

my DH is actually building me built-in bookshelves along two walls in our brand new "school room" ours is technically the formal dining room too. besides the bookshelves to store everything, we're putting up a huge wipe board on one wall. i'll put linen lined baskets on the lower shelves of the bookshelves for the stuff the kiddos would like access to on a regular basis. i'm also putting big squishy, comfy pillows and a rug in the sunny bay window for a relaxed reading area. i'll be looking for other good ideas here too!

[Mommy&Will]

So do any on you use school desks instead of the kitchen table? We are using our dining room (which we don't use to eat), and I found some school desks on craigslist and think the kids would love them. I use to think there is no reason for such things, but now I feel that they would like to have furniture their size. It must get tiring having everything in your world too big for you, yk?

What do yo think? Should I get these - I would buy both and put them together to make a big table (don't anyone buy these if you live in KC! lol):

http://kansascity.craigslist.org/fur/749598041.html

Also I'm considering hanging a hammock chair up:

http://www.hammocks.com/hammock-chai...withfringe.cfm

[elizawill]

Originally Posted by Mommy&Will

What do yo think? Should I get these - I would buy both and put them together to make a big table (don't anyone buy these if you live in KC! lol):

http://kansascity.craigslist.org/fur/749598041.html

Also I'm considering hanging a hammock chair up:

http://www.hammocks.com/hammock-chai...withfringe.cfm

the desks are cute and reasonably priced. sure, i think you should get them. we have a dining room table i set up in our school room (a work in progress) - but i only used that because we already own it, yk?

the hammock chair is awesome too!!!

[mommyto4grits]

I love that chair, I need some of those!!

[Milakais]

I love the hanging shoe rack for art supplies idea.

Originally Posted by mackysmama

Thought I could make good use of the magnetic surface but not sure what?

Letter magnets. Magnetic tanagrams, pattern blocks, or Fractiles-7. When they're a bit older, maybe one of those magnetic poetry sets.

[Wilhemina]

What I am missing (and trying to remedy):

Several empty baskets or bins for the kids to place works in progress and the attendant supplies.

[mackysmama]

We are almost done with the room - just a few more details and materials to put in. The very best thing about the new room is definately the hanging shoe rack with the art supplies! It is easily accessible for the kids, takes up little room, easy for them to clean up, and holds so much stuff.

[Maggi315]

hey, does anyone have photos of their rooms? We have our whole dining room to use and although i have been trying, it's just not coming together, I seem to have too many ages and too much stuff crammed into there

[elizawill]

Originally Posted by Maggi315

hey, does anyone have photos of their rooms? We have our whole dining room to use and although i have been trying, it's just not coming together, I seem to have too many ages and too much stuff crammed into there

well, i'm in the same boat as you. this is our first year that i will have a dedicated space or "school" room. i have A LOT to do still. here is a video from the first day i started in it (the first half is the school room, but the second half is a video of my kids bedrooms).

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DsRvksYSOYo

i need to get 2 chairs for the table, i plan to move my bookshelf in there (currently in my laundry room), and i plan to hang a map on the wall.....maybe get a dry erase board??....and i absolutely want to get some wire on the wall to hang art work, etc....maybe some plants....move in our cd player....ugh! i dunno. lol. like i said, i need HELP too! i hope other will post pix and inspire me as well!!!!!

[eilonwy]

I do not have anything like my ideal room, but if I did...

I'd want a table & chairs suitable for smaller children, but a broad range of sizes/ages-- probably something like those adjustable tables they use in classrooms a lot-- and big enough for at least five people (ideally for eight or nine).

Also-- a comfy, low-stimulation reading nook. Floor lamp, beanbag chair, and a fold-out "wall" or partition. Granted, I have four kiddos instead of two, but I can totally see the need for a chill out area.

A small fridge, to hold drinks (water, mostly) and random, temperature-sensitive projects.

A drawer/box for myself containing the things I'd need to hang things onthe walls.

A wall painted (partially or entirely) with magnetic paint. The idea is just too much fun. Likewise, if I had a dresser in the room I'd want to paint the sides with chalkboard paint and/or magnetic paint.

If the room was really huge, I'd probably put a water table in there on a tarp. My kiddos would be absolutely enthralled with such a thing.

Something the kids could use to section off small areas for themselves.

Hm. I could go on and on like this. I often imagine what I'd do if I had the opportunity to create my ideal hoemschooling space. It's fun.

[1stTimeMummytoLore]

something we recently did to help conserve wall space was to build a timeline scroll with two thick wooden dowel rods and a big roll of brown shipping paper. then my husband built upper and lower brackets for the dowel rods and mounted them on the wall. so now we have a timescroll on the wall that we can leave up to see the chunk of time we are studying, but it also only takes up a smaller section of wall and we can scroll it along as we move through time. i'm working on getting the rest of the room painted and we still need to build our second built in bookshelf and mount our huge shower board for a white board surface. i'll post pic when we get it done (hopefully by the end of august! )