Our School Room {We Don’t Have One}

Last year I set up a school room in our finished basement.  It was fun and inspiring to have everything all together in one place.  We had a table, bookshelves, a computer, sewing corner, etc.  But after a few months, we found that we were gravitating upstairs to the kitchen table. Especially as the darker days of winter came upon us, we all just continued to prefer the kitchen to the darker basement.  And then, we started having water issues down there.  The drainage system around our house failed, and we found ourselves needing to move some of the furniture in the basement due to water coming in during heavy rains. All of our bookshelves and sewing things and computer remain down there, but now in place of some of the furniture, we have exercise equipment.  I meant to take a picture, but forgot.

So, we now do most of our work at the kitchen table.  I also have a one-on-one teaching time with each child in my bedroom.  So, we now use the living room, master bedroom, kitchen/dining room, and also the basement (for computer-based subjects, such as the Teaching Textbooks math) for our school days.

After breakfast and chores, we gather at the table for our Morning Time, or Circle Time.  We go over the date, months, and other calendar items, character study, and Scripture memory.  Then I have preschool (Before Five in a Row) with my little one while the older children work on workbooks that they can do independently.  Then we’ll go into the living room for history and science read-alouds.  After that, the older children rotate between playing with their little brother, working independently, and having a one-on-one teaching time with me.

This little wooden box (which years ago used to hold recipe cards) holds our Scripture memory system.

The pie safe from a local flea market (which was inexpensive, since one of the doors had broken off) now holds school supplies and educational games and puzzles (another thing I forgot to take a picture of!).  Each child also has a shelf for keeping the books they use at the table.  After several years of using our school bags to hold books and supplies, this year we’re using shelves.  I just decided that a few days ago.  For our current setup it just seems more practical.  And the bags will still be useful for many other things (who knows, I may even return to them eventually).

Even though our bookshelves and other supplies remain in the basement, we all enjoy having our daily learning time upstairs in the sunnier kitchen.  (And, someday I hope to paint this red kitchen.  The former owners painted it this color, and I just haven’t had a chance to repaint it. But it’s really too dark for a room that only has a couple of windows.  Painting it a lighter color would make it even lighter and sunnier.  But for now, it is nice that it hides so many fingerprints and things!)  

Do you have a school room, or do you learn all over the house like we do?