What Kind of Homeschool Room Fits Your Family?
When it comes to preparing for a new homeschool year, it can be so much fun to get your homeschool space ready! There are so many things to consider when deciding where to teach your kids. Do you go with traditional desks and a white board, or free-living beanbags and boxes of trendy learning toys, or something in between?
It’s a question a lot of homeschool moms have, at least according to the ever-popular “world’s catalog of ideas,” also known as Pinterest. The look and design of our beloved homeschool rooms are the most searched-for homeschool-related topics on Pinterest. They’re even searched for more than homeschool organization and homeschool curriculum. It turns out as homeschool moms, we may be more worried about what goes into our rooms than what goes in our kids’ heads. Let me tell you, I’m the first to raise my hand and admit I’m one of “those moms.”
Before I started homeschooling I was a public school teacher with a brightly-colored room with a cute little owl theme complete with construction paper tree. When I came home to teach my kids, I thought it was vital that I re-create this scene because that’s what a good teacher does, right? So I found a cute calendar, a number line, and a rug with shapes on it and was pretty proud of myself.
That lasted all of about five days, and I quickly learned that the whole schoolroom setup wasn’t for our family. The designated school room was away from the main hub of our home, and it became more of a hassle than a blessing to try and get anything done there. That’s when we learned we were more of a “let’s learn around a table, or on the couch” kind of family. But that’s us. We had to give the classroom thing a shot and who knows, as the kids get older we might give it a shot again. But that’s our homeschool.
A friend of mine is currently recreating a public school room in her basement complete with work centers, just like a “real” classroom would have. I’m imagining lots of color and organization and personally can’t wait to see it when she’s done! How did she come to the decision to give the traditional classroom a chance? She has kids that can work individually at centers while she teaches lessons to her older children, so she needed a space where she can keep the kids busy while her mother-in-law is living with them in the floor above. It sounds like it will be a perfect fit for her family.
Bottom line: your homeschool room is meant to help serve you and your family. If that means it looks like a public school classroom or a super trendy room straight from HGTV, both are great. As long as you have space, any space, where you and your kids feel comfortable, you’re good to go.
What kind of space do you and your family use for your homeschool? Do you have a room decorated and set aside just for school? Do you use the kitchen table? How about taking school outside? What works for your family? Please share in the comments below!
