When I first started homeschooling I dreamed of having a dedicated homeschool room. I imagined all the fun and learning that would take place in our little school room each morning. Then reality set in and I realized that I live in a tiny apartment with no extra space and I needed to figure out a way to make do! A few organization pieces go a long way to making everything feel more organized and less cluttered.
Staying Organized without a Dedicated Homeschool Room
I have found that I don’t need much to make school time work without having a dedicated space, but these are three essentials:
1. The Dining Room Table
This is where the magic happens most of the time. We do our devotions during breakfast at the table and this is where we do math, spelling/reading and copywork. It’s also the place we end up for science projects and anything else that’s hands on.
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2. Shelves
I have a shelving unit that sits behind the sofa in my living room. This is where I keep all of our curriculum, books, art supplies, etc. These cloth drawers are a great way to hide the mess so that the living room doesn’t look so cluttered all the time.
I have one of these in my dining room. My boys and I each have a drawer for our individual school supplies. My boys have their readers, copywork books, pencils, scissors, etc in their drawers. This keeps everyone’s stuff organized and separate. I use my drawer for any extra supplies or things that I need to have close by (like dry erase markers).
Why Not Having a Homeschool Room Works for Me
While my main reason for not having a dedicated homeschool room is lack of space there are a few other reasons that a special room doesn’t work for us right now:
- I want to create an environment of learning in my home: I don’t want my boys thinking that learning only happens in the school room. Working beside mom in the kitchen to fix a meal or learn to wash dishes is a part of learning. So is stretching out on the floor with lots of books from the library trying to identify that weird bug we saw on our nature walk.
- The temptation to collect stuff: I’m not a hoarder but I have the tendency to collect stuff. I know that if I had a room where I could close the door and ignore the clutter it would be full of stuff that we don’t really need or use.
- I need to be able to multitask a little: doing school in the living room and dining room gives me the ability to switch out the laundry and still keep an eye on the little one that likes to slack off on his copywork. Being able to see the dining room table from the kitchen lets me call out spelling words while I wash dishes or get dinner into the crockpot.
What about you? Do you have a dedicated school room or do you do school at the dining room table?
This was a very good article- thanks!
You are very welcome!
My default for grading is the kitchen table and this is where I prefer to work with our girls. But their independent study can happen anywhere at our place in the country….on our porch, in their bedroom, in the pasture sitting by the horse and yes, even in a tree!!!! 🙂 Wherever the mood takes them and their books don’t get messed up! 😉
Yes! My boys often have their books or projects all over the place, LOL
I read this and I wish that I could have home schooled.
Emil
We recently moved to a much smaller space. I Had a nice big ol’ house in the south and we moved to a state where everything is more expensive and I feel like I barely have enough space to breathe. Everything is cluttered and I really feel like I’m not doing anything well. Especially schooling the kids. It’s so overwhelming.
Just focus on the simple things. Read more until you get your space figured out. You will get it figured out. Kids can learn a lot with little. Do what works for your family right now, they will learn all they need to. Try to get out more too especially if you feel crowded and overwhelmed. God bless your dedication!
*hugs* relax as much as you can. Maybe even take a short break while you get settled and adjusted.
I have a dedicated area, but it’s mobile. LOL! Our homeschool stuff is on a similar shelving unit, but it has wheels. I’ve been known to throw a few things into a little tote bag and homeschool anywhere in the home, and occasionally elsewhere.
That’s awesome! I sometimes throw our stuff in my 31 bag and head outside
I started out with converting half of our kids room into a school-type room. Even painted chalk board on the walls etc. But with 5 kids *almost* under 5 years this became a big mess after they got into the art supplies. Yah! Needless to say, that ended the whole school room idea and we went to the kitchen table too!
Thanks for you post 😀
Yay! KITCHEN TABLE HOMESCHOOLERS, UNITE! 🙂
We are currently living in an 18-wheeler turned into a fabulous living space! Yeah, I know, we’re crazy. 🙂 We want to build our own house one day on the land we are currently living on. We have been back and forth with house plans trying to decide if we want a “dedicated” school room or not. I have decided that as much as I thought I wanted an actual school room, our day flows much better if we simply do school amidst the craziness of life. Plus, who doesn’t want to do math on the couch or have a little oatmeal on you science paper? 🙂
An 18-wheeler! Girl! That’s awesome. I have a school room but it’s not a “dedicated” one—it’s just where we can go if we want to. I’m all for options if you can have them! Enjoy your adventure!
I love this blog! I’m wondering how many folks register as a private school and how many go through a public school charter?