I've been meaning to post some pictures of our updated homeschool room, but I just got the chance to do so today. We had a couple of dilemmas. First, we wanted the homeschool room in the basement, because then, we can be away from other daily distractions. I also wanted it in where we used to have the playroom, because there is plenty of natural light there. It used to be carpeted, but we wanted hardwood... but that was a little pricey, and I thought the kids might destroy it, so we went with pergo, which we installed ourselves. The largest dilemma of all was that the room was a playroom when I started homeschooling, and with two of my kids still being very young, I didn't want to sacrifice the playroom. The solution to that was to make it a multifunctional room!
I'll try to take you on the visual tour here:
This is the hallway at the bottom of the stairs leading into the basement. The entire wall is a chalkboard (created with the chalkboard paint you can buy at any Walmart, Home Depot, etc). We also have the little ones' toy piano here, because it was too loud for the homeschool room! :)
I did all the muralling in the homeschool room. I did it in a Dr. Seuss theme, because I've always been a fan. Here is my son working at the desktop computer in the room. Inside the computer desk is all the software we need for classes, plus the kids' computer games.
To the left of the computer, you will see my daughter sitting at her homeschool desk. Her 3-ring binders are in her desk, along with all her markers, rulers, pencils, highlighters, bookmarks, etc.
...and here is where the play part comes in... Behind the school desks, you will see my baby girls' doll station. The door leads to a full bathroom. On the wall, you will see the Lorax, the Truffula Trees, and the Barbaloots in their Barbaloot suits. :)
On the next wall to the left, Horton! :)
I have placed some more doll toys, a rocking chair for yours truly, some maps, an alphabet chart for my youngest ones, and to the left of that...
A reading area and more young child toys, all on a comfy, furry rug. I love my Melissa and Doug calendar above the sitting area, because it is magnetic and super-customizable. There are more maps here, as well.
To the left of that area is the door leading back to the chalkboard wall and the stairs going up. I love the baby kangaroo, who loved to say, "Hmmph too!"
To the right is the toychest, the play kitchen, and more charts and maps. Straight ahead is our loving lizard, Romero :), and a bookshelf containing the majority of our curricula. And how could we forget the Cat in the Hat?? He's juggling quite a few things, which I think is appropriate for this room! In the cloud, it says, "The more that you read, the more you will know. The more that you learn, the more places you go." - Dr. Seuss
Another look at the play area (and the star-bellied Sneetches!) :)
A further out view
The bottom line is, when you fully embrace homeschooling, you must accept a little chaos. I have decided the best way to multitask effectively is to contain the chaos to the best of my ability. I think this room keeps everything in a specific place, keeps everything within close reach, and most importantly, keeps everyone entertained, during the day!
Thanks for stopping by!! :)
