It’s the middle of August. The school supply aisles have been in full swing for several weeks now. Anticipation is building. School is starting soon!
Many people are curious about the nuts and bolts of how schooling at home really works. Granted, it is different for every family, and that is part of the beauty of it. Maybe you’ve thought about homeschooling, but you were intimidated by the beautiful and spacious homeschool spaces on pinterest or mommy blogs. There is good news – there is no one right place to “do” homeschool.
Let’s talk about where in the house you can homeschool. Maybe you will be inspired to get your space ready for your littles… wherever that space may be, however tiny or large, beautifully decorated or utilitarian.
Option 1: Homeschool Room
Having a whole room you can dedicate to school may work for some. When we were just starting out, we were able to use one of our extra bedrooms as the place where we did school. The kids were little and didn’t require lots of curriculum choices, so the supplies and books were at a minimum. We had little desks and kept the crayons and manipulatives in there. The beauty of a homeschool room is that you can shut the door, and the chaos {usually} does not have to take over the entire house.
Here are some beautiful homeschool rooms from around the web.
Option 2: The Kitchen Table
In our last house, I had the homeschool area set up in the basement with bookshelves, supplies, and a big table, plus several smaller school desks. Guess what? Everyone migrated upstairs to the heart of the home – the kitchen table. We just liked being together.
So this year, I’m planning on just using the kitchen table again.
Remember, you don’t have to have a dedicated homeschool room! Just use the space you have.
Here’s more inspiration from the web.
Option 3: Bedroom Desk
We have never used this option as our main place to homeschool, but it’s definitely a good option, especially for kids who are older or more independent in their work.
Three Quick Tips for Homeschool Organization
No matter where you “do school” this year, organization is a must. Even if you have a whole room to dedicate to your supplies, but especially if you don’t.
Tip #1: Supplies Caddy
I picked up this simple utensil holder at a yard sale, and use it to stash our glue sticks, scissors, pencils, and markers. It can travel to different spots in the house as needed. And when school’s done, it gets hidden behind closed doors in a cabinet.
Tip #2: Repurpose Furniture
For this season of life, you may want to repurpose some furniture for school organization. The hutch in my dining room has two bottom doors, and we have used it to hide books and supplies. You can find some great sturdy furniture at yard sales and thrift stores! We found a great cubby system at a toy store that was going out of business and used that for several years.
Tip #3: Look into the Workbox System
This needs a post all in itself, but if you’re concerned about the flow of subjects, check this out, and this.
The bottom line is to just use the space you have, enjoy your kids, rely on God’s grace every moment, and you will have a great homeschool year!
What can you add to this list? Where do you homeschool?
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I have a school room. Generally, that’s where I do all the teaching and the kids do most of their seatwork, but when they are working independently (especially if one is being distracted by my teaching the other one) they are allowed to leave the school room and sit at the kitchen table, on the couch, or in their bedrooms.
Great post, Abby! :0)
Sounds wonderful!
I love the idea of having a supplies caddy! Even if you don’t homeschool these ideas still apply for keeping a homework area organized.
These are really great ideas! Thanks for sharing at Savoring Saturdays!
Lots of great ideas! I did the same thing–I set up a schoolroom in the basement one year, but we just kept gravitating to the kitchen table. I still keep the bulk of our supplies in the basement, but what we use every day we keep in the kitchen. Thanks for sharing!
I love all the ideas for home school rooms! Great ideas. Thanks for sharing @DearCreatives party. I’ll be pinning this to my Educational board. Hope to see you again this week. Theresa
some great choices and ideas! love the supplies caddy. Thanks for sharing with us!
We don’t homeschool, but I LOVE that caddy for our homework supplies. I tried a pencil case last year, but the caddy holds more.