We have one of those wooden swing sets. The kids have figured out how to hang two old sheets on it, so they actually have a double-decker hammock! I use to freak out at Faythe's weird way of doing her schoolwork. She would want to do her math upstairs on her bed with the music on. At first, I had to check to make sure she was doing MATH up there, and not reading a book, lol. But eventually she settled down to where she WAS doing the math every time I checked on her, AND (more importantly!) it was being done MORE ACCURATELY when done on her bed. So I had to let up on my preconceived notions on how it SHOULD be done, lol! I think I posted a picture last year of my kids doing their work outside in the hammock; I'll see if I can find it! Here it is, but it isn't the double-decker one! http://www.homeschoolspot.com/showthread.php?t=5851&highlight=hammock&page=4 You have to scroll down to see it!
In our old house in Oz, we had 2 studies, so 1 became the school area. Here I use the dining room (I moved the smaller table into the kitchen), and we use this room as a play room/school room...I like to have it with toys/books so I can watch the little one, while helping older 2. We have to move from here in few months (area is being demolished), and the house we are trying to move to has a seperate maids room, which we will convert into a school room. My kids prefer to do bookwork at a table, but will happily read anywhere. When the weather is not too hot, they sit outside in a pop -up shade tent (no such thing as cold here ..lol)
No! You do not need a room We use a closet to store most everyting, it has a bookshelf in it and that's where it all goes. The kids work whereever they want to. We have a white board which is also in the closet. It would be great to have a separate room for everything BUT I wonder if we would actually stay in it to do all the work? The kids like to go outside or in another room to do their work.
IF you looked at the photos someplace here on our family we have a shelf desk that has computer and the wall next to it, then we have put up things on our sliding glass door occasionally and a small wall between garage and kitchn holds our Constitution stuff.
Hey, how'd I miss that whole thread? Or at least that page?! I need to go back and read through that one, cuz I didn't see any of those pictures--yours or Jen's!
First 5 years of homeschooling my girls we lived in a 40 foot motor home (RV) we had no class room and we did fine. just store things where you need to store things.
I think that storage space is more important than a room. Even if you have a room, keeping things organized so you don't waste time looking items is important. Plastic bins work well. We are working out of cardboard boxes and I might upgrade to bins later. We are in cramped quarters and dd's each have a box with their items in them, and I have a box for the stuff I use. Then there is an art box and a math manips box. We have an art easel thing that has chalk board and dry erase on it. We just stack the boxes in a tower next to the easel in the middle of the "living room"
We school at a table in the corner of our cellar, most of the time. Sometimes we head upstairs to the kitchen table or the kids stretch out on the floor. If DD is under the weather we will hang out in her room on her bed, which she loves. Kids just realized that reading outdoors is great! They each grab a book, a drink, and a chair and plop themselves in a nice shady spot.
When my ds10 was younger he would take his LIfe Paks up to the top of the Fort in the back yard and lay down and work for hours on it! One day he came in asking if he could finish a whole book of History up there, I told him to go for it! And he did. It is amazing what out of doors does to thier scope for learning!
Nope, you don't really need to have a room. I am a homeschooler and I like to study in the library instead of my house. Therefore, it really depends. Every child is different. You may discuss with your kids to figure out the best way to homeschool.
we used to have a "classroom" because our old house was once an apartment house and who the heck needs 2 kitchens? we used all the cabinetry for bookshelves and the hard floor, big table and sink made it the perfect place for messy art and science projects. but we never did 'real" schoolwork there, my kids do their work outside, too. It's relaxing & usually quiet. We have a "home library" room now, because we have so many books but I dare not call it a school room, because I think I'm the only one that ever goes in there.
We also have a "home library". when we first moved in here, I decided a library took priority over my girls having their "own" bedroom. So they share, and we have a Futon Bed in the library for guests.
I have a school room, and am glad for it, but I would be able to survive just fine without it if I had to. My kids are little and I like having the alphabet, numbers, calendar up on the wall. I have lots of low bookcases for supplies and books. Most days we do math and language arts in that room, but if the kids want to do their stuff elsewhere we do.
We had around the room with Alphabet when we started out, and had posters all over the place in the Family/school room. IT was great! then we painted and got different furniture, out grew the school desks we had and poof! here we are more of a Family Room/school on the smaller end. I still hgave maps and memorizing things up on the wall, I put up some good work the kids have done too... so its not just family room.
You know, a few years back at our old church, the pastor's wife and I weren't seeing eye-to-eye on putting stuff on the 2yo Sunday School class. I was teaching/writing curriculum for that class 9 months of the year, and had been given pretty much free rein. Now they wanted to paint it (fine with me!), but she didn't wanted me to put stuff up all over the walls once this was done. Finally, in exasperation, she asked me, "Do you let your children put stuff ALL OVER THE WALLS in your house?" (To which, in her never-had-kids mind had to be NO WAY!!!) I just smiled, and reminded her, "Patty, I HOMESCHOOL!" (And guess got to use ALL the walls as I wanted, lol!!!)
Nope, We use our diningroom table as well. Sometimes the coffee table in the living room serves as a classroom. Just Where ever you are most comfortable will do. Good luck and have fun!! Angela
No you dont' need a room. I like that I am able to have one though because all the stuff gets stored in one place. A closet would do just a as good (or whatever space you have). We hardly do any school in the schoolroom though. we do it all over the house, outside, parks, van, ect.
We are in our 5th yr of homeschooling in a 12oo sq ft trailer ---- which currently houses 6 people. My son, as we speak, is sitting in the kitchen with a TV tray doing History. Would it be easier & less cluttered with a school room? Oh yeah! Do I plan on making my living room into a classroom when I get me new house built next year? Ya darn right!! lol but do you NEED one? No... of course not. Some people prefer to have school all over the house and yard. I didn't mind it either... until our family was growing & our house was shrinking! lol Just too many distraction with 3 other little kids running around in such a small area for us.
Hey ! Here we are in our last month of school just about and since I am redoing parts of ds' room I had a shelf I left in family room by the wall... dd and ds10 made lables and made it our "Library Book shelf" for the books we check out.. trust me WE need a shelf just for this! It inspired me to set the bulletin board back up too and now ds wants to put up the whale info poster back up on the wall too... if we were not nearing our end of the year I would say GO For it! But this summer I hope to get our new floor in family room and we will re paint before that! So...... next year is going to be a nice set up! I kinda hope we do it with all three again just cause we can and it woudl be fun again!