Homeschooling 101

Lesson 3: Instant Learning Environment: In Your Home!

Do I Need A School Room?

When I first started homeschooling, I had dreams of sitting in front of the fire reading books, sitting on the patio doing science projects and containing all of the clutter in our school room. None of those things have happened yet. We don’t have a fireplace, and if we did, my kids sure wouldn’t sit in front of it without getting the overwhelming urge to poke and prod... and possibly toss the book into the fire. The neighbors would have a conniption if I tried to make a volcano explode anywhere near her Wisteria. The schoolroom… well, that’s a whole other story.

There aren’t many living situations we haven’t homeschooled in. We started off in a huge five-bedroom house. We had two rooms we called our schoolrooms. We sold that house and moved into an apartment where we spent many productive days gathered around the kitchen table. We have homeschooled in corporate housing, staying at my mothers waiting for our house out of state to be ready, while moving, in the tiny (1,000 square feet) house we are in now, and everything in between! No matter where we have been, we have always had a few essentials.

Here are a few things to get you started.

• A well-lit work area for each child
  This can be the kitchen table or a desk for each child. An older child may prefer to have their work area in their rooms (if it is ok with mom)
• A shelf (or other storage system) for books
  If you don’t have the extra space for bookshelves, don’t worry. I know of a family that uses backpacks to store all of the books the kids need for school. When they are done for the day, they pack everything into the backpacks and hang them in the closet.
• A place to keep each child’s supplies
  Each of my boys has a pencil box they use to store all pencils, erasers, glue etc. Everything is packed into there and put in their dishpans (more on those later!)
• A place for mom’s “stuff”
  All of the supplies I need for the day are kept in a plastic container with a snap on lid and handle. If we decide to take off for the park for school, I can just grab it and go.

Here are a few optional things you might find helpful:

We bought a 4x8 “white shower board” from our local home improvement store for $10. Hanging on the wall, it makes a great “dry erase board.”

At the same home improvement store, we bought a 4x8 sheet of homosote board. Covered with inexpensive material, it makes a perfect bulletin board.

Whether you have the space for a schoolroom or not, a few simple steps now will ensure your success in the future.

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