Our Homeschool Room

Growing up I always enjoyed school. I enjoyed learning. I enjoyed looking around a classroom at the posters and decorations on the wall. Truthfully I can still recall what classrooms looked like growing up based on what they looked like. I remember being able to use the information during a math test, feeling encouraged by the poster, "Everything I needed to know I learned in Kindergarten." I am a firm believer in using visual posters and decorations to reinforce learning.

So even before I ever decided to home school I treated my home like my children's own private preschool. I would put up posters and ABC banners from the dollar tree. In their rooms I put up wall decor for numbers, colors and shapes. At one point I even had things labeled (until the labels were removed by curious hands!) like on a chair the word "chair","door" , "table" etc.

As we transitioned into home schooling I felt the urge to create a school room. A place where I could put all of this information in one spot. Getting the school room ready has definitely been one of my favorite parts of preparing for each school year. And no two years has the room been exactly the same, it is constantly evolving and growing in some way.

This year it is the best it has ever been. As I started homeschooling I had a vision of my ideal school room in my head, but  being an adult, I completely understood I had to use what resources were available to me and make it work. It has taken me a few years to get my school room the way I envisioned it.But thanks to God and His blessings, I have the school room I have always dreamed of! 

Our school room is where most people would put their dining room. In our home it's the only extra room and serves well for both a mid point in the home and a school/play area. I divided the space up into smaller spaces. We have a desk for quiet writing and drawing, our art display, the book nook/the library (according to Mia:)) Then I have an easel and our shelves lining the back wall. On the shelves I have toys for both Tripp and Mia. There is cash register and play money, toy clock, magnets, magna doodles, musical instruments, Lincoln logs, blocks, a globe, tools, lacing toy, sorting game, colorful pegs and peg board, I have toys for the Baby on there and Mia's collection of Fisher Price Little People. I have a science section with beakers and a book of 50 Science Things to Do and Make , some seas shells and a star fish, a piece of volcanic rock and a model solar system Tripp built. It is full of stuff that intrigue the kids and engage their imagination and learning.

On the walls I have the Alphabet, a number chart, the pledge of allegiance, months of the year, days of the week, colors, maps, calendar, Parts of speech, punctuation and motivational posters that say things like,"You are treasured" or "Your attitude is your altitude. It determines how high you fly." I have two cork boards that I use for Holiday and Seasonal Posters I have made. And as the school year progresses we will add to our walls with our own seasonal decorations and holiday crafts.

I have created my school room not necissarily to accommodate us as a traditional classroom would, where I stand in the front at a chalk board and teach - but instead as a space to get comfy and explore. I want to encourage free play and discovery. Yes we have structured learning time that I do either at the kitchen table or in the middle of the school room floor. Sometimes I do stand up and teach, others I am sitting on the floor right along with them. But structured teaching only last for so long so when you are home all day you need to get creative to fill the time! The school room was created to help me supplement  this time by creating opportunities for hands on play by taking a Montessori approach.

I have discovered that this approach so far has created two very imaginative, expressive,compassionate, kind and smart children. They are a little hard headed at times and can be very independent, but that is ok! Essentially that is what I want. But honestly they are good kids and don't cause a lot of trouble. They are curious and want to learn,grow and explore! And I am more than happy to be the one to help them do that!