Hi! I'm a first year homeschooler going into the 10th grade. What I was wondering is.. does anyone have any suggestions for a school room? The boyfriend's family just has a room with a computer, table, and shelves. I want something interesting. I know I won't use it full time. (I have to change things up from time to time to focus) But I want something that will be interesting and very useable, making the most out of space. I need a way to stay organized with books, curriculum, etc.. and a space to do work. I'm thinkin that I'll throw a few large cushions or a couch maybe in the corner to do reading and bookwork on. And I have an individual desk. I want some type of table for doing work with others. (ALL of my friends are h.s. already) Any ideas? *Can post pics if that'll help.*
Hm. Try something moveable. Set up some shelves like this: get those fogged glass blocks they use for basement windows, and some wood planks. Set the glass and wood up to build layers for a bookshelf. This can be easily moved, switched, and rearranged. You could have a couch, but maybe make a funky-colored slipcover, that way the color won't get boring, you can switch back and forth. Your desk could just be any old student desk, you could paint it, or just decorate it. I've got a tower desk with a lot of personal things on the shelves, along with my tv. A table in the center of the room...if you've got a lot of space, you can take say, two barstools or sawhorses or something and set a door over them. The door would just be plain, that way you can personalize it as you feel the need to. You could also put plexiglass over the top, and things between the "glass" and the door, that way you could always take the "glass" off and move stuff around. Having big cusions is great, its easy to just lounge and read. Those can be moved, or changed as often as you'd like. I have a mental picture, maybe I'll draw one out if i can find time
I've been homeschooling my kiddies all along, and we've changed our school area several times now... so specifics don't seem to be terribly important to me. We just swapped my kids' two school desks for a small table so my kids could do larger projects on it as well. They're pretty happy with that. Our school "room" is part of our living room - kind of tucked "behind" the loveseat. The computer desk is there, the kids' school desk is there, our bookshelves are there, and I have an Iris cart (6 plastic drawers on wheels - $25 at Target) for supplies like pencils, crayons, glue... that kind of thing. I've got a few baskets on the bookshelf that hold their current curriculum, and because of the way the "room" is set up there's just one teeny section of wallspace. I've got watercolor paintings up high that the kids painted 4 years ago, and a matched set of small magnetic blackboards that they can work at - or take down & move around the house. It really looks like a "study corner" more than anything else... but we're pretty happy with it this way We really take over the whole house though. We're in the living room watching different shows or exercising, or the dining room working on cooking skills... It's good to have a designated area to keep things organized, but keep in mind that homeschooling doesn't ALL take place in one room. So I guess - to try to answer your question, I think the important parts of a school room would be: plenty of bookshelves drawers, baskets, buckets or some other storage space for basic supplies some sort of desk/tablespace and something fun to look at - be it a cool poster, a window, or... SOMETHING you don't mind seeing every single day! love, mom
Each of my kids has a desk, computer and book cases in thier rooms. There are more of all of these all over the house. We have a particular area for library books and another for reference books, though each has some beloved reference books in thier rooms. We get together over the dinning room table, the back yard, the living room, the car, just about anywhere, when they want to discuss things or need help. I don't think a separate room is needed and we don't have room for one anyway.
If you've got a whole room for it, why not put things on the walls that interest you? A map of the world, maps of countries/cities you're interested in, etc. If you have a favourite animal (or a few), print out a diagram of the anatomy (I have a spider and a human heart in a notebook, and I'm not even in school any more, ha!), just looking at it will get you stoked on biology. If you have trouble with math, keep things like times tables and other basics pinned on the walls (or a bulletin board). Food/fitness charts (for health classes, obviously), things like that, and lots of things that specifically interest you, it'll keep you wanting to learn more.
