I'm an olive and need help!

[momof4]

We've made the big decisions. We're going to homeschool ds for K and we've decided to use Little Hearts and just move a little slow through it. Now the Olive in me kicks in and says, "I need to get organized!" I'm tired of the kitchen table having to go through major demolition every night to be able to eat on it. We're looking at our downstairs living room which is abnormally long and thinking we could use half of it for a classroom.

Sooo my question to all of you is, if you had an empty room/area what would you put in it to homeschool? Maybe you could list things as "must haves" and "wouldn't this be great"?

We have do have bookshelves and filled with lots of kids books already, but what else...

Thanks,
Laurie

[inHistiming]

That is what we lack the most, and we already have lots of them. I'm a 'book junkie' I guess. Other than that, I would say a desk or table where each child can spread out. We use our DR table too, and it is often a problem when we all want to spread our books and papers out to work. And our DR table seats 6! Actually, we do have two desks in our 'school room' but we don't use them. It's very crowded in there because we have several boxes that have not been unpacked since we moved in 6 months ago. BTW, is this normal? So that's why we end up in the dining room. My intent is to eventually get the extras cleared out of the school room and have the older two work on independent work in there. We do all of our together things such as reading, bible, etc. in the LR on the couch. Then, next year, I can work with 5 year old at the DR table while the other two are working in the other room. I'm hoping this will work. But then, we may be moving in six months so we'll have to do it all over again in a new home. Who knows but God? I know he'll direct me when the time comes! What else? It would be great to have a space large enough to store craft supplies, desks, books, 'learning toys', computers, office supplies, etc. If our school room was as large as our LR we could probably do this. HMMMM...maybe I should ask hubby to switch the two rooms? Like that's gonna happen!! Some comfy chairs or a couch would be nice too, so that when the kids are reading they can be comfortable and cuddle up. Hope this helps someone.

[kerby]

I would add table/desks for working at. Also some cubbies/containers for keeping supplies in one place. I would probably start there and then see what you find you need/want in that space as you work in it.

K

[Tansy]

I live in a tiny house (that I love very much) 2 bedrooms and a living room kitchen combo, add in 2 bathrooms and the house is complete.
I had the same problem putting away school so we could eat!

We solved the problem in 3 ways.
1. I cleared out a lower cupboard in the kitchen and filled it with all the kid art supplies, using 2 plastic drawer things, for easy axcess. Because she uses these supplies outside of school.

2. We cleared out the shelves in DD's closet and made them school book shelves. Before they were for sweaters and not used often clothing but that didn't work out then they were used for toys. Getting rid of all the useless toys (aka "prizes" from happy meals) made plenty of room. All the school books not currently in use hang out here, or in the toy chest in my bedroom.

3. We went to Ikea and bought a "desk" its long and not to wide. It looks like 7' X 2.5' later I went back to Ikea and got a set of storage drawers that fits perfectly under the desk. Its on rollers so I can pull it out and stick my guide on it. We put this up in our dd's Tiny room. Since it is not to wide its working out great.

On one end is My dd computer, my old work horse of a mac now resigned to be a gaming computer. The internet card slot is fried but the rest still works. On the other end is my "Big Box of School" all the stuff tossed in there higgldy-piggledly in my global order. The drawers hold the MUS blocks, and note cards, a small amount of art supplied dedicated to school, one box of crayons, colored pencils, hole punch, tape ect. the last drawer is still empty but I'm sure I will grow into it.

The middle of the desk is kept clear of nick knacks ect.. and is only used for school. DD knows anything not school related on the desk hits the floor the minute we start. I love having the computer handy incase I want to look up stuff in the encyclopedia. Our stools fit under the desk. So when its not in use the foot print is still just the size of the desk.



Edited: added photos

[water2wine]

Oooh if I was looking for just a place for one kid to have all their school stuff that could go anywhere. We have a great little secretary desk we got at Ikea. Something like that would be perfect. Or one cabinet with things in bins that pull out. I have our we use it every day in a bin for BHFG and LHFHG and then my we're using it this year in cabinets with history in one part and reading in another. I am not an Olive so I have to sabotage proof myself. I love just being able to pull out the bin and use it knowing I can find it all again tomorrow.

[Tansy]

water2wine we must be a pair I have been drooling over that secretary desk since I saw it when I went to go get the drawers!

[Sharon]

All the replies sound great and I think the only thing I would like most is a comfy cozy couch to snuggle in and read! I don't have one now and we all get on my bed to read!


Blessings,
Sharon

[Tansy]

LOL i should have added one more pic If u turn to the left My dd has a Pull out couch bed thing that we use when we have guests.

[MamaMary]

I LOVED the pictures. We also have a very small house. 3 bedrooms, one bath 4 sons, mom, dad, cat and dog! We have all boys so we bought a really nice loft that has 4 beds. They share a room and we are turning the second bedroom into a school room. However, for the past ten years we've used our dining room for books/shelves and our living room/dining room to "do" school.

[my3sons]

Great ideas - Tansy, I confess you've got me wishing I had a daughter! Pink... our entire house seems to be filled with blue. 3 Sons and hubbie outnumber me!

Anyway, I have decided to stop buying any piece of furniture that can't double as storage somehow. Also, if there could be a cabinet with DOORS... wouldn't that be great? No need to be try to be so neat that way. Also, a place for CD/tape player, shelves, shelves, and more shelves! If I had a school room in the house, I'd love to have picture frames to hang their work on the walls too, rotating them every month or so. Wouldn't that just be so neat? Computer hook-up would be nice eventually as they get older too. Adequate lighting... an overall homey feel... table with wheels... couch to snuggle up and read on... several places to sit and do work... how big was this area again? Is there a sink near there? That may be something to consider.

Well, you've got me dreaming now! My next big thing is a homeschool cabinet that is going to the ceiling in our kitchen. I've saved money from our last rummage sale, and I think we're ready to meet with a builder now! I may be asking a similar question here about that!

HTH

[annaz]

I'm tired of the kitchen table having to go through major demolition every night to be able to eat on it. We're looking at our downstairs living room which is abnormally long and thinking we could use half of it for a classroom.

Sooo my question to all of you is, if you had an empty room/area what would you put in it to homeschool? Maybe you could list things as "must haves" and "wouldn't this be great"?

I agree w/another poster that said, don't buy anything unless it contains some sort of storage, and closed storage is best! It's neat and clean! We had used an extra bedroom for school and it was cute and fun and I loved that I could put all the fun stuff on the walls. Part of me misses that, the maps and art, but I must say unless the room is accessable to other areas of the house, like a dining room, it was very clausterphobic after a while. I felt like we were always stuck in this one window room. Perfect is the dining room where you can see other parts of your house, but yet it's still the nice, area of it's own. Your spot in the living rooms seems perfect. A storage armoire works great. You can open those doors and hang maps and 100 charts, etc. on the inside of the doors and the rest contains all the supplies, especially when they're little and have manipulatives. When you're done, you close it off and everything is clean. The computer armoires work best because they contain cubbies for organization.

Since my dd is 7, we've passed the fun toy-ish school stuff that requires more space, however we have two rolling IRIS brand drawer units found at officemax. We can roll it away when we're done and roll it out when we start. It has two big drawers on the bottom and 4 small drawers on top side by side. So MOBILE....things on wheels are nice. One is for my dd one is for me. If I have company, I roll them into my back office and it's out of sight and out of play sight for other children!!! I never wanted other children playing with our school supplies!!

I also cleared cabinet space in my kitchen for the things we use there. I keep items where I use them now. But when we schooled in the back bedroom, I had everything in one room.

Our house has a desk area built in and it's not very useful as a desk unless you'd sit and write only. But I need a place to put the mail and such and clear off tables and counters. So that goes there. My phone, my cd/radio is there and mail. Where there should be a chair, is the IRIS mobile unit that fits under there nicely. The cabinets above I put her curriculum in and we have bookshelves in the family room for the rest of our books. So far it works for us.

So I'd vote for mobile units and armoires or a wood pantry cabinet that can house the good stuff!!!
Annaz

[water2wine]

Tansy that is an awesome set up you have! How great! You gave me a few ideas. Great job! I love having girls. My son is going to a boys sleep over and we are doing the doing the girls pedicures (I am the beautician for the night) and chick flicks night. I will have fifty toes and fifty fingers to paint. My son is so glad he is leaving!

BTW- It is the one that looks old fashioned maybe even Amish I would say and comes in red and I think white. My school is in my dining room but it is all hidden for the most part in cabinets. Some of it goes into my family room but that is hidden too. Except for all the books I have out to look at and read that I never do but it makes me feel better to see them all the time I guess. And depending on my mood that can be a little or a lot.

[momof4]

So many great ideas! I'm not real creative so this helps a lot.

Tansy, I love how you maximize your space and it is soooo cute. I love girls, too! We out number the guys 4 to 2 in our house.

We've been looking at the IKEA catlaog here and actually picked out the same table AND I think the same secretary table. We couldn't decide if we want the table to double as a game/puzzle table so we haven't done anything, yet.

I'll have to print this out and look it over with hubby to see what we should do! There's that Olive again.

Water2Wine have fun with the girls this weekend. My 5 yr old son had his first sleepover here last weekend. They decided on their own that a sleepover meant they had to go to bed. I wasn't going to argue so they laid down about 8 pm and went to sleep. Girl sleep overs here have never ended before midnight! Boys ARE different.

Laurie

[Tansy]

well since I live in a tiny but loveable house... her room is close to everything. LOL on the other side of the wall is our science place... AKA bathroom... and since school doesn't take forever we actually don't spend a lot of time in there.

and Pink eek I wish I had a boy!!!! You ladies do realize I do 2 loads of exclusively PINK clothing every week. The thing hanging on the wall is a sari its really pretty.

The table was very inexpensive, and a dirty dining table make the whole house feel messy. Where as a clean dining room is a blessing to my Hubby.

[MamaBear23Cubs]

I have an office aprentance (SP)from staples. I just put all my stuff in it and then I have another box with all the kids stuff. I love that it fits perfect on the table and all that we need it write there. One part of the wal is dry eraser. A high one for me and Dd and a low one that is magnetic for my preschoolers.