For those that have a designated space to school, how large is it? I'm contemplating changing from a small office room to our living room (the fancy room that never gets any use). It does have downfalls, though. It's right off the entry way, has no door, and where do I put all the furniture that I'd have to remove? Anyway, I'm just curious how large your space is. If you have pictures I'd love to see them!
We have an office/den that we used for our school. As the kids got older we use it less and less. Now my dd does her school in her bedroom. She has a desk and bookshelf in her room. My ds does his in the kitchen and living room. We have bookshelves in the living room. We do our reading on the couch and then all of our writing is done at the kitchen table. It all depends how you do your school. Do you sit at a table or desk most the time or use the couch to read? Think about what you need first and go from there.
I would LOVE to have a separate room for HS. There is just no way in our house, the kids are sharing rooms as it is. I was even contemplating turning our garage into a HS room, but then where would we park when it rains I end up having to use the kitchen and it is such a pain. There is always school stuff on the table when we are getting ready to eat.
I say go for the front room especially if it's unused. Spread the stuff you have in there throughout the house; bedrooms, family rooms or repurpose it. Keep some seating in there if you have room! Who cares if it's the front room! Yours sounds like it's in a better location than mine! I've moved out of a back bedroom and into our family room. We only have 1 dd and really didn't need this room as we also have a living room where we all watch tv as a family. Both of my rooms are right off my front door (my front door splits the two and I have to walk through the family room to get to the secondary bedrooms and bathrooms. Its location isn't an issue except with company, one because we have to walk through it and all the fun stuff so it's not played with. This problem seems to be withering though. I keep some fun stuff like manips high on the shelves. I have one wall of bookshelves, a white board, chalkboard, love seat (but it's the dog's, yuck) and an activity table. I don't get company very often and it's only my dh's family. So having company and it's looks aren't an issue. So far that's been working fine. You sound like you have better placement! The feeling of the room is better, it's brighter, more open, it's larger and I feel like I'm not in a tunnel all day. My back room was dark. This room was always dd's tv room and I removed the tv and put it in her room, (we don't get satellite and she can't see regular tv (no antenna) so she can only watch movies. It's also on a timer (by Bob) where she has to plug in a code to watch for a set amount of time). As far as furniture, we never had much in there because she'd play in here. I took one recliner out and put it in the living room, we have a wall of bookshelves that stayed. I just switched what was on them. So my personal books are on shelves sort of all over the house, some in our living room, some in the back office, etc. My space is probably 14x13, but it's basically a passthrough...not a lot of walls. And the fact that I have to walk through it to get elsewhere is annoying, but it's still better than being in what I call the black hole. It got stuff too. I say do it! Who cares if you can close it off. I did end up making sure that my containers where the same and if I had book baskets and such, they were the same just to streamline the colors. I used to have a different bedroom that was bright, but dd wanted it so I gave it to her. That was a nicer room to hs in. I also loved the bulletin boards and I'd put things up, but she never cared, so we're out in the family room. If you pm me with your email address I could send you pics direct.
I agree with the other posters that as kids get older you'll use it less and less. My dd is only 9, so we'll use it a while. Then we'll turn it into a reading area, which is sort of what it was anyway. I also hated hs-ing throughout the house. I was always unorganized and if I used the kitchen table, then I had piles all over the kitchen. Drove me batty. I was always shlepping stuff. Go for it. Got pics? We could help!
we shared the family room with school room for years have been through a couple couches to and some school desks to make things fit we rearanged, and changed it when school was our for summer and when kids out grew school desks. I would make the office room into your school space... depending on kids, and if you had to actually move any furniture make it be the office to combine it with your sitting room/living room instead? I have seen this done in many home,s not just homeschools.
I agree with Lee, as the children get older you really don't need a school room. For six years we travel in a rv and did school there so room what is that. We bought a house about 2 years ago I was excited because we would have a school room --- office room right. No way it is a office room but never used for school much. The girls both go to room to do most of there school, when they are reading they go to the couch or chairs and read. Writing they do on the kitchen table or desk in there room. So, it has to be up to you and if you want all the work of moving everything around. But, do keep some chairs in there for reading time. Good luck.
We took over our living room recently for our school room because we spend so much time on school. It has our computers, a big table for a desk, bookcases, two big rocking chairs, a four foot by eight foot dry erase board, maps, storage drawers, some posters, toys to keep Babyboy happy and all the stuff we want. We do have a tv in there that they watch during lunch sometimes and we still gather in there to play the Wii. Freddy watchs tv in the den because we don't like the programs he likes. (Cop shows) Our dining room opens right off of the school room and has built in bookcases that we use too. Our house is pretty much centered around our kids and our family. It certainly isn't a showplace, but we love it. Our yard is fenced in and has tons of outside toys. Once a man stopped and asked if we were a daycare because he and his wife were looking for daycare for their little boy. I cracked up!
We are currently using our dining room since we also have an eat-in kitchen. It works out for us but my two are in the high school so that may make a difference. At this point, most of their HS is done on the computer so there's not a need for a lot of books. We have a "bonus room" that was used as our oldest son's bedroom before he moved to college, that would work for a HS room, however, its upstairs and our policy is that all computers must stay in either in the living room, dining room, or kitchen...in other words, out in the open.
Our schoolroom is mostly used for organization and storage. DS7 (second grade) is my oldest and the only doing any 'formal' school work. He is a VERY kinestetic learner, so he has to roll around the floor, move all over the couch, etc, just to think clearly. But I keep the school room so we can use the white board when we need it, or just need to sit down at a decent desk to work. I also use it for my own homework. Here is a link to some pictures I took last year. I've changed out a few posters and such since then since we no longer needed the ones that were up. Other than that it looks basically the same. http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/educhronicle/576344/
