School Room Tour

I don’t plan to turn this into a homeschooling blog, but I will from time to time share pictures or things we are learning during our home education journey.  I’ll share advice sometimes too.  Not because I’m so knowledgeable, but because I’ve read what others have done and implemented it, or found things that worked through trial and error myself.

Some of you have been asking to see our daily schedule and photos of our school room, so here they are!  This room is really supposed to be the formal dining room, but we are not “formal” people and have never actually dined in any room but the kitchen in our home.  The burgundy paint color on the walls was already there when we moved in, again, for the intended purpose of a formal living space.  I don’t really like it, but we’re going with it for now.  🙂

As you can see, we’re not using anything fancy or expensive to do schooling.  I would like to have a wood table and chairs one day, only because they are bigger and more sturdy, but this set-up gets the job done.

Our “shelving units”, inexpensively acquired from Walmart and Target.  The one on the left holds small toys in the first drawer, puzzles & games in the second, and art supplies in the third.  The bin on top contains play-doh, coloring books, stickers, and construction paper.  The unit on the right has all of our school books and science kits, along with some extra supplies.  The basket holds flashcards, activity books, notebooks, and dry erase boards.  The magazine holder next to it has all of the kids’ workbooks so they can easily grab what they need.  All of the wall posters are from the dollar store (two for $1).  The map came with Sonlight’s curriculum.  The kids love circling countries we are learning about with wet erase markers!

I turned this corner facing the front of the house into a reading nook.  We already had the blue and pink chairs (they were Christmas gifts from Grandma one year), and the colored mats.  Each of the kids’ baskets are filled with books for their level and ability.

The doors that face the front hallway.  With them closed, it gives everything somewhat of a fancy feel, but we actually prefer to keep them open so we don’t feel as boxed in.

Our pocket calendar and music area.  During our morning worship, the kids love to choose an instrument and make a joyful noise!

Okay, so this isn’t really in the school room.  I am using the built-in kitchen desk right outside of it as a place to keep my instructor’s guides, supplies, and laptop.  It has been very helpful to have my own space to plan, review lessons, and store everything I need all in one spot.

As for our schedule, it goes something like this: after breakfast we have worship and Bible reading, then Language Arts followed by a snack and some play time.  After our short break, we continue with Science, Math, and History/Geography.  We leave the school room as it is and go have lunch.  Reading comes next, when we all pile onto the couch in the living room and Colton reads from his readers.  I read any assigned chapter books out loud (right now we’re reading Charlotte’s Web, one of my childhood favorites!), as well as a picture book or two that the kids have borrowed from the library.  The total amount of time it takes us for actual school work is about 3 1/2 hours each day.  Of course laundry and cleaning still needs to get done, so I have the kids help me out with some chores after we read.  They are also responsible for making their beds and emptying the dishwasher before breakfast.

Though it’s typed up and displayed on the fridge, our schedule is not set in stone; it’s really more of a guide.  I know that it can become an idol for me if I’m not careful, and I don’t want to sacrifice my relationship with my kids for going crazy trying to stick to a thirty minute time slot.  It helps keep me on track, though, and gives our day some structure and routine.

I hope you enjoyed the whirlwind tour, and got a sense for what our day is like!

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