Homeschooling: The Space

 

We began homeschooling our oldest son timidly at the kitchen table with a crate of books and a laptop.  After the first year went well we decided that this “homeschool thing” was working for our family and we needed to dive into it with a little more solidity.  We revamped our dining room/front room to create an area for the kids and I to learn and play.  I am thankful both for the space and a husband who was willing to let this part of our lives take over even the setup of our home.

 Our beloved dining room table has been abused as our homeschool table.  An old TV armoire serves as a cabinet for Legos, games, coloring books, pencils and more.  My two older kids each have a drawer to keep art projects out of the view of the younger two.  We bought book cases from Costco that came with large fabric storage boxes for toys and books.  Then we split up our living room furniture so tha t there was a soft place to sit and read and play. 

Learning and school does not stay on this half of our house.  It spreads to the kitchen table, the floor, the back yard and let’s not forget the van.  Much to our children’s dismay we do not have a DVD player, and the kids are subject to questions such as “Can anyone tell me what direction we are heading?” or, “If yesterday the temperature was 0 and today it is -10, which day is warmer?”  Iowa winters are great for math.  J

I wanted to up the field trips this year since I don’t have a nursing baby!  We have had a membership to a local living historical museum and will be going a couple more times in September before our membership runs out.  We have field trips planned to the zoo, historical building, the woods, an apple orchard and pumpkin patch, and state capitol.  We are hoping to take in a few of the plays available in our city.

I am so thankful for the space we have in our home for school and so thankful for a town with so many wonderful learning opportunities.  We are looking forward to a year of learning in so many different contexts! 

 

This post is linked up at We are that Family, Heavenly Homemakers and Raising Homemakers