Home School Room Brainstorming Ideas
First decide how the
space will be used. If it's mainly for storage, you'll set it up
differently then if you intend to use it as your main school
room during the day. Does it double as a play
room/office/etc? After you know how you intend to use it, here
are some ideas to start brainstorming the different spaces you want
to incorporate for different uses...
Reading Space...
• Comfortable reading
area (lamp and beanbags or reading chairs w/ basket full of current
books)
(originally posted
here and here and here)
If you're pinched for
space, try this one on for size... Here's a sweet little reading
nook set up inside a closet! The mom who made it says although it's
on the small side, it makes a nice place to snuggle up and read
together. She also hears whispers and giggles coming out of it at
times. How cute!
(Originally
posted HERE!)
• Books (Have you heard
of rain gutter shelving??? Although it won't hold ALL your books,
it's a great way to feature a few at a time, and studies show that
forward-facing books get picked up and read more... a lot more!
Check it out HERE!)
(original photo posted
here)
Working Space...
• Table or desk.. each
child has a place for independent work...
(originally posted
here and here and here and here and here and here)
• Clean larger table to
spread out for projects, group projects, experiments...
Ikea rocks for this sort of
thing.
(originally posted
here and here and here and here and here)
• Plexi-glass on table
top with different things under it. You can even write on table
surface w/ dry erase markers! Here's a US map under a plexiglass
table top: (originally
posted here)
• Families using a glass
dining room table for school work also enjoy the ability to write
w/ dry erase or overhead markers & erase. If you like this idea
but don't have a glass table, you can also just do it on
windows. (originally
posted here)
• Round table with a
hole in the middle for chords, and put different stations around
the circle like computer, dvd player, etc... I couldn't find a
photo of a round media center like this, but in my head it's
similar to how the Apple Store (Macintosh computers) has a table
low to the ground for kids with computers facing out and the chords
going down the middle, like this:
• Writing
space... These crafty little centers could be used anywhere
around the house if you don't have a dedicated school
room:
(Originally
posted HERE!)
Sitting
Space...
• Before
automatically opting for traditional chairs, why not consider some
fun alternatives? Did you notice the plush ball-type chairs in the
previous photo from the Mac Store? Well, the closest thing I've
found to their chairs online is called a Lojo
Ball
(originally
posted here and
here)
• Another pretty narly
ball-seating option is a
Sit 'N' Gym Ball
• Yet another option if
you want to use balls for sitting, but want to get double duty from
them is to go with a
Jumping Ball
Just pay attention to
the size when ordering... 15" is best for age 2-4, 18" is for age 3
or 4-6, 20" is for age 7-9, 22" is for age 10-12, and anything
larger than that (I've seen 26" and 29") is for big kids and
adults.
Boards and such...
•
White board: You can get a huge white
board at a home improvement store pretty cheap- a 4'x8' sheet is
about $10. That's a cheap, easy fix. I may have found an
option I like even better though... One homeschooler made a
whiteboard from a sheet of plexiglass! They just painted the back
of it white and left the front clear. I'm thinking I like this
option better than a regular whiteboard since they tend to get
grungy over time and the plexiglass should wipe all the way clean.
This family velcroed the plexiglass to the front of their
bookshelves, so it hides the contents of several
cubbies...
(originally posted
here)
•
Magnet board: If you want a magnet
board, just repurpose an oil drip pan! These are available at
WalMart for $12.
(originally posted
here)
•
Cork board: I think you can also buy
this at the home improvement store. Then, if you want it to be
cute, just cover it with some fabric, like
this:
(originally
posted here)
•
Chalkboard: Paint a board or even a
wall (or portion of a wall) with chalkboard paint. If you do this,
you may want to also paint a couple small boards while you're at it
to save for other uses. The only downside to a
chalkboard wall is the chalkdust!
(originally
posted here and
here)
•
Cute Boards: I also love these three
boards from Pottery Barn Kids (I won't mention the price b/c it's
ridiculous)... I think it'd be doable to tackle this as a
do-it-yourself project! One is a cork board, one's a chalk board,
and one has a roll of paper on it. I posted the second picture to
show some more ideas of different things you can paint w/ the
chalkboard paint- like organizing boxes or even cabinet doors. It's
a great way to label stuff, or just some extra drawing space. While
I'm mentioning it, we receive their catalog and although I never
buy anything, I get all sorts of cute decorating ideas from it... a
lot of the time there's really cute stuff like this that you can
make yourself if you're so inclined.
(originally
posted here)
Organization...
• Shelves
for books & baskets/tubs/buckets for supplies (or install some
shelves in a closet)
(originally
posted here
and
here and here and here and here and here)
• Alternately, here's a
re-purposed entertainment center and another tall cabinet, used for
homeschool supplies:
(originally posted
here and here)
• And here's a couple
home school rooms making use of built-ins:
(originally posted
here and here)
• Prettied up plastic
drawers (just use scrapbook paper!)
(originally posted
here)
• Shoe holder that hangs
behind a door for school and/or art supplies
(originally
posted here)
• Or, if you can score a
free card catalog... that would be wonderful for school, art &
craft supplies!!
(originally
posted here)
• You can even store a
variety of items in bags (sewn or ziploc) hung on a curtain rod or
tension rod. The first photo shows bags with a binder clip at the
top attached to shower curtain rings. The second uses hangers with
clips, which you can probably get free if you ask at a department
store. The third is my favorite, and uses a towel rack, binder
rings, and binder clips. These can be used for art supplies or even
busy bags handy to grab when traveling or going to doctor's
appointments or even just something to occupy little ones when
you're teaching older children.
(originally posted
here and here)
• Magazine racks or bins
for each child to store their current work. For a cute label,
string ribbon through and attach a label card to
it.
(originally posted
here)
Room Decor...
• Display
artwork on clothesline
(originally posted
here and here)
• Maybe paint a wall for
each child's interest or inspiration.
(originally posted
here and here)
• Now, wouldn't this
look nice in just about any school room? Just cut the globe in half
and make pendant lights from each half.
(Originally
posted HERE!)
• One family posted 3
John 4 on the doorframe going into their school
room...
(Originally
posted HERE!)
• That same family put
in a peek-a-boo door from the kitchen to the school room, so Mom
always knows what's going on in there! What a great
idea!
• Change it up and keep
it energetic and reflective of your children's ages (Like glow
stars on the ceiling & planets hanging down or maybe a theme
like painting a jungle or aquarium on walls & use plush
animal toys along with it.) Here are a couple fun
rooms...
(originally
posted here and
here)
• Make it a place that's
fun to go to! Not too
schoolish.
Next:
Before Making Your School Room
Too Schoolish... Think About It!
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