Y’all should know by now I never leave well enough alone when it comes to our homeschool spaces or furnishings in general in our house. I think my furniture rearranging is a genetic condition inherited from my mom, so blame her.

Anyhoo, let’s take a little tour of our current homeschool room — which isn’t really just one room at all.

The table:

Our school table, a.k.a. dining room table. It’s where the coloring and drawing happen. Where Kathryn usually sits with her laptop and regular ol’ schoolish stuff takes place.

Yes, that was a wall of IKEA bookshelves last year but we just didn’t need THAT MANY so I sold a few bookcases and a boatload of books. {Simplifying is an ongoing process!}

Yes, that’s a different table than last year. And the year before, and the year before that… actually I figured up this is at least the 9th dining room table in as many years. Clearly, I have an addiction! The previous tables have been re-homed and I’ve promised Kathryn we’ll keep this one. {Her rearranging gene must be dormant.}

Anyway, this table has a top hard enough not to be dented from writing, and expands to seat more on the rare occasions when we need to use it as a dining table.

The map (and it’s friend) came laminated and we used spray adhesive to attach it to foam board so it stays flat and looks nicer. Someday I may actually frame it, but it’s good for now.

Pie safe:

Anything likely to actually be used at the table lives here in the pie safe/hutch. Behind the side doors we keep our microscope, Kathryn’s laptop, and other supplies. Actually it’s somewhat empty right now because I purged a bunch of stuff and because anything that goes in here is going to have to earn it’s right to be there.

I bought the pencil cup tins for $1 each at Target, and printed out chalkboard-looking labels so each kid has their own. My lazy susan organizer wasn’t cutting it because not everyone is good at taking care of supplies, which was making those who do so rather grumpy about sharing. At this point in life, things are simpler when everyone has their own.

Those chevron-patterned magazine holders are from See Jane Work. Her stuff is so pretty, and obviously I love the name of the company! I keep the little kids’ workbooks in one magazine holder, with Kathryn’s books and basic resources on the little cubby-shelf which used to hold a wine rack.

That lamp was formerly some other color and has been spray painted in high gloss turquoise since it’s original incarnation. And my wise owl (from TJ Maxx) is actually a vase but having flowers coming out of his head seems weird so he’s just a statue as far as I’m concerned.

Craft cabinet:

Most crafty things live here in this old chest of drawers I repainted. Not bad for $25, huh? It houses construction paper, extra crayons and pencils and glue, modeling clay and play-doh, miscellaneous other supplies, and a whole drawer of duct tape. {See this DIY makeover.}

I love chalkboards but chalk doesn’t love me (I’m allergic). So I tried a black dry erase board but it just didn’t do the job. This year I bought a new board for this spot: it’s half cork board and half magnetic dry erase. Much more useful. Our virtue of the week will reside here, plus to-do lists, kids’ art, etc.

The basket holds our read-alouds all in one handy spot. And it’s cute. The globe is within kid reach, but it’s plastic so I don’t worry about breaking.

Living room:

This is where the read-alouds and board games happen. Sometimes Kathryn takes a lap desk to the sofa to do schoolwork. The TV is usually rather lonely, but we do occasionally watch shows on Netflix.

We put down these new floors in January; it was a hard DIY project but so worth it for easier cleaning and even for improving allergies and asthma.

Though I did sell bookshelves and a whole lot of books, we still have plenty of both. There is another nearly full bookcase behind the sofa on the left.

Kitchen:

When we do art, we move to the kitchen table. It’s covered in oilcloth for easy clean-up, it’s near the sink, and the light is better. I keep painting stuff, chalk pastels, and extra old vinyl tablecloths in my vintage Sellers cabinet.

{See the before and after makeover of that Sellers cabinet.}

My office:

Here’s my spot. Yes, my desk is always that organized because clutter causes my brain to misfire. And I’m still in looooooove with the color I painted my desk: Annie Sloan florence teal. {swoon!} This room, where the piano lives, is just a few steps from the living/dining area.

Prints from a Dick and Jane book are framed over a shelf with my printer, assorted papers and printables we may need, and files for the kids’ papers and things. {Mom confession: having a file for each kid lets me have a depository for the 497 or so pictures they draw every day so I can sneakily move them to the trash later. I know, I’m brutal – but all that paper becomes clutter!}

Behind my desk is the door to the back yard, and that’s where a whole lot of the little kids’ learning happens!

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So that’s it, my friends. You don’t need an official homeschool room for learning, but we try to take advantage of what we have. Don’t be afraid to move things around, experiment with what works, and use the whole house for learning!

*Get more ideas from other homeschool rooms in this week’s blog hop.

Jamie

Wife, mom, J-ma. Introvert who enjoys good books, sunshine, and authentic conversation. Often seen with a steaming mug of tea in hand – unless it’s lost yet again in the microwave. Read more »