This week's Blog Cruise question is How do you organize your homeschool space? You can see more answers by other homeschooling Crew members by going here.
Okay, so organization of my homeschool has evolved, and will probably look different in another few months, to be perfectly honest! We started out at the dining room table because we had an infant and a preschooler to care for during our lessons. At some point during Year 2, we recognized that our dining room table was the first thing visitors clapped eyes on when they came into the house, and it was always a mess - books, papers, pencils, markers, crayons, science and art projects... aak! In order to tidy the disaster that had taken over our home, we moved thejunk learning supplies upstairs to an open space the size of a small bedroom.
We have a couple of large simple cabinets with doors, and inside them, we hold the tools of our trade: printer, papers, crayons, markers, puzzles, books, workbooks, CDs, tape, glue, paint supplies, Play-Doh, musical instruments, colored pencils, coloring books, craft supplies, and our curricula. Close the doors, and the room is much tidier - though I could never call the room neat. My computer desk (the computer mainly used by the children - out in plain view, which is critical) is also in this room, along with all our computer games, my co-op planning stuff, and my homeschool review materials.
We recently put a laptop on a small folding table in a corner of the master bedroom for the kids to use when they need a bit more quiet and fewer distractions. Let's face it, with a preschooler and a first-grader in the house, the fourth-grader who is easily distracted needed a space to get away from it all and concentrate!
We also recently put all of our science equipment, most of the preschool puzzles, and a bunch of art supplies back downstairs in the living room to allow our home to be "learning friendly" again. Yes, we still see a mess when we greet our guests at the door, but we have learned that we are different. Homeschooling is a lifestyle, not a portion of the day.
So, though I hesitate to call what we've done "organization," there is a method to the madness.
Okay, so organization of my homeschool has evolved, and will probably look different in another few months, to be perfectly honest! We started out at the dining room table because we had an infant and a preschooler to care for during our lessons. At some point during Year 2, we recognized that our dining room table was the first thing visitors clapped eyes on when they came into the house, and it was always a mess - books, papers, pencils, markers, crayons, science and art projects... aak! In order to tidy the disaster that had taken over our home, we moved the
We have a couple of large simple cabinets with doors, and inside them, we hold the tools of our trade: printer, papers, crayons, markers, puzzles, books, workbooks, CDs, tape, glue, paint supplies, Play-Doh, musical instruments, colored pencils, coloring books, craft supplies, and our curricula. Close the doors, and the room is much tidier - though I could never call the room neat. My computer desk (the computer mainly used by the children - out in plain view, which is critical) is also in this room, along with all our computer games, my co-op planning stuff, and my homeschool review materials.
We recently put a laptop on a small folding table in a corner of the master bedroom for the kids to use when they need a bit more quiet and fewer distractions. Let's face it, with a preschooler and a first-grader in the house, the fourth-grader who is easily distracted needed a space to get away from it all and concentrate!
We also recently put all of our science equipment, most of the preschool puzzles, and a bunch of art supplies back downstairs in the living room to allow our home to be "learning friendly" again. Yes, we still see a mess when we greet our guests at the door, but we have learned that we are different. Homeschooling is a lifestyle, not a portion of the day.
So, though I hesitate to call what we've done "organization," there is a method to the madness.
Thank you for sharing this. I especially liked your conclusion: "Yes, we still see a mess when we greet our guests at the door, but we have learned that we are different. Homeschooling is a lifestyle, not a portion of the day."
ReplyDeleteWell said. :)