We are changing a room in our home into the "school room". I am interested in one of those banquet type adjustable tables,(like those used in churches) I thought it could adjust w/the boys as they grow! Do any of you use such? What have you done to make your "school room" better?
We don't have a "school room" per say, but if I did it would have lots of special "centers" in it. My ds's ps classroom used this method and the kids liked it alot. They were able to get up and move around to the various activities. The centers I remember where: Writing--lots of paper (lined, unlined, half-page lined so that the pages could be illustrated, etc.), pencils and pens--it's amazing what kids will write if you let them use the coveted ink pen! Legos--need I say more?! Computer--his classroom had 4 Dells in it and only 13 students--sweet! 8) Reading--books, books, and more books....usually she had topical books depending on the unit they were working on. Art--markers, paper of various types, color, and size....Scotch tape (you wouldn't believe how my ds put that stuff to use!), scissors, glues, etc. Science--depending on the season and thematic unit (caterpillars, spiders, eather, etc.) it might contain a "classroom pet" and any relevant information and data being recorded on a daily basis. There were several others that are eluding me right now. Anyway, for the "school at home" mom, centers would be wonderful as you could rotate who was at which center....my son of course loved "free choice" time at ps and picked the Lego center and science most of all but the teacher made sure that everyone was using the other centers a certain amount of the time. You could add whatever you like to keep the room interesting and mobile for all the ants-in-their-pants type of kids (and moms! :wink: ) We have an alphabet that I printed from my computer instead of border paper around the top of my kitchen walls. We also have a huge calendar. The kids take turns writing or drawing something for each day (most of the time). The kids each have a desk in their rooms for their own favorite stuff......dd has mainly art supplies in hers and ds prefers to keep his full of his favorite books and clutter (I have no idea where he gets it!). I have one cabinet in the kitchen full of workbooks and games, art supplies and STUFF. The kids each have book cases in their rooms as well. Now that I have succeeded in rambling (no babbling brook jokes! :roll: ) I was curious how much room you have to work with. Some of the other moms will be better suited to let you in on what they use for their school rooms.....I'm anxious to hear about it myself....I need some new ideas, too!
I have a school room also. I do have a banquet type table in ours, it sits in the middle of the room that way we can all sit around it for craft time and science projects. It also helps having it in the middle because I have my girls sit on one side doing their work and I sit on the other side working on records or lesson plans. I also have one wall lined with book cases. I have one book case for each child ( I have 2) it holds their current year workbooks/textbook ,scrap paper, coloring books, rulers, pencils and pens. The rest of my book cases are filled with reference books, Harry Potter, Little House Series, C.S. Lewis and J.R.R Tolkien and the like, teacher manuals ( that I pick up at thirft stores) Homeschooling books, crafts and science project books and tons of childrens magazines and classic childrens books. On my other long wall I have a set of upper kitchen cabinets. I place craft stuff in different bins , project boxes and art work and extra school supplies like paper and pens and rulers etc. The walls are decorated with a world map and math charts and we change a few posters around when the new ones come in the Zoobooks or National Geographics that way it does'nt get too boring. I also have a seperate office that has 3 computers and filing cabinets for each child that way I can have records for each month of the year and have yearly files as well. But If you have just the one room to work with then you could put a filing cabinet and computer in there and keep all of their learning records in that room as well. I love having a schoolroom because at the end of the day when you just did'nt get that project done you can always close the door and no one will know how messy it can get! But it also helps having a room that way all of the school things are contained in one area. Hope this helps, Crystal from CA
We have a classroom, too !!! I use an 8' banquet table for the kids; although there are a couple of desks in the room too. They all just prefer to sit at the same table. I have my own 6' table with the computer on it, as well as those plastic magazine files for all my manuals and texts. In a couple of weeks, I'm dismantling the whole thing for a major overhaul. New carpet, new student chairs, fresh white paint instead of the tan OSB walls, and we're going to paint the table-tops as well. Hopefully hubby will install another flourescent fixture and it won't seem so basement-y (hahaha ... new word). Gotta add more bookshelves and get some of the great reading stuff out of boxes ... I know I'll be surprised at how much there is once it's all out on shelves. What we have works, but it's just time for something bright and new. I hope it gives us all a lift !!!
We have a table that we bought the table top from The Container Store in Houston (on sale) and then ordered the adjustable legs online. About $70 The only thing I don't care for are the sharp corners. Sam's Club has some neat tables for good prices and the shipping is included. If you are a member or know anyone who is. Check out their website. www.samsclub.com Those Mr. Clean eraser pads are PERFECT for wiping down the table with crayon, pencil, glue, you name it. Comes right off!! We have a guinea pig in our classroom and I made his home using the build your own cubes out of those square grid wire things. Tough to explain. Underneath I build cubes to hold some of our stuff.
our room This will be the first year we have had a real school room. We have had an unfinished upstairs and are going to have it done by the end of summer. I plan to have loads of shelves as I too have most of my books packed up in boxes. Hard to get to that way and you never know what you have. I am really excited. I plan to put up some type of boarder even if the kids make it out of paper. I had thought it may be pictures of books that they will read during the year. Let them put them on computer paper and then tape them to the wall for a school boarder at the top. People could see their work and I think they would feel very proud. Also clean up the refrig. LOL We have old fashioned school desks for this year. I will begin to look for a table maybe at yard sales and such.
schoolroom border Lorna, Somewhere I saw a really neat border in a child's room. They had attached a 12 inch border around the room made of cork tiles, I think. That way, their child could put up artwork, but it could be changed periodically. What fun to plan a room just for school! Enjoy! Anne
It sounds as if you guys have some really neat school rooms. A freind of mine has one and loves it. We don't have the room, but I don't think I could use one regardless. When my kids are doing school in the kitchen, I'm busy doing other stuff. I might have my daughter's spelling words posted on the cabinet by my sink and will give her sentences while doing dishes. Or I'm up and down the stairs with laundry, but always going in and out of the kitchen so I'm accessible to help with math or whatever. If I was confined to a school room, I'd never get anything else done!
I absolutely love my school room! It has worked out so nice thats part of the reason we are actually selling our house :wink: I want another BIGGER one! hee hee I worked slowly on the improvements. First the room was built for an activity room anyway. So its larger than a 4th bedroom. In order to save space i bought a yellow trimmed kidney shaped table. The kids sit around it and work. It adjusts up and down. Each kid has a primary colored seat, including me. :lol: I have an open primary colored storage bin I got from Target. Sams carries them too. I put in manipulatives, games, cards, dice, pencils, shapes, and anything else that the kids want easy/open acess too. Each open plastic bin is yellow,red, blue,etc. At Target too I bought like 3 primary colored storage drawers. One drawer is red, the other blue, etc..We stuff all our art and paperwork in their along with crafts. I have two huge built in bookshelves, I keep their curriculum their. I also bought a another primary, colored bookshelf to go on opposite wall for more book storage and games. On top of the that bookshelf, since its quite small in height (kid size) I put the globe and atlas and stack their notebooks. On top of the primary 3 drawer storage they each have clear drawer with their names marked on them for putting away junk each day. I ran 2 clothes line the whole lenght of the room for displaying art and poems. It clips by either clothes pin or some bright colored plastic clips I have. The other other wall has wall charts. It starts with Prek and goes through 4. Sorted by subject. Language arts, history/geogrpahy/time line together, and then science and math together.... On the floor i have a red carpert that is hop scotch. We also have words that we like hanging from the ceiling on yarn. Behind me where I sit is MY drawer with cd and music and my supplies. EVERYTHING has a place and is put away...We ony do language arts and math in there. Maybe some science. Mostly, science and history is in the living room so that I can do housework while they are working. I bought the cutest plastic trays from Hobby Lobby. They are like TV tray/snack trays. The plastic legs are just the right size for the kids sittting on the floor and putting their legs underneath it and still having a hard surface to write/color/work on . I have a blue, red and yellow one. Just perfect for work in the living room. They fold away compactly back in the schoolroom. All right like I said I worked slowly over the past 5 years to FINALLY get the school rom the way I liked it....I just love it!!!!!!! My next school room will have an 8 x 8 foot window. ONE WHOLE WALL is what I want. My living room has a window like that and I lOVE LIGHT....The window in it now is not standard size, its bigger, but I still want it floor length so that we can see out to the pond and woods. All right,blah, blah...... long enough here......are you still awake? :lol:
Sorry to be so "late" on this but we just got back from Mexico. We have a school room that sounds alot like Kathe In fact I thought I already posted. lol. Any how I do not have room for a table so we just do major projects at the kitchen table. I have a set up just like a class room. We have cubbies each child there own. They may keep whatever the want in it like a few dools or toys coloring books etc... I have a "library" in my room that is a few book cases that have ministry books but down low are the kids readers and I have one case entirely for school stuff. ( I am a book junkie) I have a teachers desk compleate with slide out thingy that I can give assistance at Mom bought us a huge!!! white board I have a craft corner and each child has their own desk! I insist they keep their desk in order. My sister says I am a teacher wanna be. We do a bullitin board for the seasons and I have "The Wall" The kids dubbed it that. Stuff they want to show off will get taped up there and last year we had a map and postcards from the exchange went on the wall and we colored the state in. I have a busy bible center that has a small table(card style) I keep a bible and story books on it coloring sheets etc... they can go there whenevr they like. Now if I could keep a schedual I d be in great shape!!! lol
