# What is your school "space" like? (Cool new space here)



## cindy-e (Feb 14, 2008)

In the new place, I have an ACTUAL school house. I really need that separation right now. School has over run my life and my space for a while. This is a good thing for us. It is not attached to the house. It's walls are all windows, with very scenic view around it. It has a wood burning stove for heat. Went out there today to start organizing it. I put a computer out there, and an art center, all of our supplies and a lot of our books. My dd has a sewing area with her machine set up. It has a coffee pot, a tea kettle on the wood stove, and a microwave. There is a sink out there too. The little boys have a lot of their manipulative toys out there to keep them happy during the time when the older kids are doing school, and they are done. I like our little "one room school". My kids are really excited about it. They feel like they are in a little house book; well... except for the electricity.  In the past, I have not felt the need for a "school space" beyond the kitchen table, but this year, I do. 

So, what has changed about your school space? What do you like about your arrangement? What are you going to change for next year? Since mine is still in process, I would love to hear your ideas.

TIA,
Cindyc.


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## Becka (Mar 15, 2008)

Wow! Good for you. That sounds so wonderful to have a whole separate space for everything. Currently we use the dining room table and keep everything in a filing cabinet within reach.


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## cindy-e (Feb 14, 2008)

Becka said:


> Wow! Good for you. That sounds so wonderful to have a whole separate space for everything. Currently we use the dining room table and keep everything in a filing cabinet within reach.


In some ways, your way is more convenient, but I find the clutter of school really overwhelming, so I am glad to have a place for it to "live" outside of our living space. But my little school will have it's drawbacks, too, like not being able to cook and do school at the same time. At the moment, these are trade offs I am willing to make. But we'll see how it goes.

Cindyc.


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## Tracy Rimmer (May 9, 2002)

Both of my kids have plastic apple crates that they have their entire year's supplies in. The crates are easy to move around, and go where they want to work. Today it might be the dining room table, tomorrow the kitchen table, the day after, it might be the desk in their room, or the living room coffee table or out on the screened porch. The only restriction is they are not allowed to take anything other than their reading assignments outside. I have found them sitting on a branch in the apple tree reading, though -- which is fine, I just don't want them taking their math or science stuff up there 

When they're done for the day, all of their materials must be put back in their crates, and put away in the den. This keeps the clutter to a minimum, and their schoolwork is still accessible, if necessary.

We had a "schoolroom" in our last house -- it had a room off of the kitchen that we turned into a library, with a big table in it -- the boys did their schoolwork in there, but I found as they became more independent, it was easier to let them work where they were comfortable -- we got a lot more done that way.

I do envy you the entire separate STRUCTURE for your school, though -- it sounds like a wonderful learning environment. Was it a summer kitchen at one point, I wonder??


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## rosehaven (Nov 5, 2004)

I was working on our schoolroom all day yesterday cleaning out, hanging new posters, etc. We have an older building on our property that looks like a little red schoolhouse but husband has dibbs on making it his workshop

Please post some pics as your place sounds very cool.

blessings, april


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## Karen (Apr 17, 2002)

I'm _soooo_ jealous of your schoolhouse! I always wanted wanted one. It sounds wonderful and I know you will love it. Congratulations!!:banana02:

We have a school room. Well, it's actually a combo school room/sewing room/my office. But it sure does keep everything in one place -- and it has a door.  

It works well for us because, since we're retired, my husband can go about whatever he's doing for the day or people can stop by, and I can just shut the door and school doesn't get interrupted or our child distracted. My little guy tends to take every opportunity he can find to get off task!:hobbyhors

Prior to having a school room, we also did school "wherever" with our children. We used the plastic rolling carts with drawers for each child's books/supplies. We just pulled them wherever we were that day and pushed them back at the end of the day in their place in the dinning room.


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## cindy-e (Feb 14, 2008)

Tracy Rimmer said:


> Both of my kids have plastic apple crates that they have their entire year's supplies in. The crates are easy to move around, and go where they want to work. Today it might be the dining room table, tomorrow the kitchen table, the day after, it might be the desk in their room, or the living room coffee table or out on the screened porch. The only restriction is they are not allowed to take anything other than their reading assignments outside. I have found them sitting on a branch in the apple tree reading, though -- which is fine, I just don't want them taking their math or science stuff up there
> 
> When they're done for the day, all of their materials must be put back in their crates, and put away in the den. This keeps the clutter to a minimum, and their schoolwork is still accessible, if necessary.
> 
> ...


I don't know. It kind of looks more like a sun room. ??? The sink is more like a bathroom sink. There are two rooms out there. One is not heated, and is used for storage and as a potting shed. There is a "dog trot" in the middle under the peak of the single roof, and the second room, with the wood stove in it, where we have our school stuff. The dog trot (I think that is what they used to call them) uses the same concrete slab floor as both of the room, and also the same roof. It has some good lights, and we currently have our picnic table under there. 

Cindyc.


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## cindy-e (Feb 14, 2008)

rosehaven said:


> I was working on our schoolroom all day yesterday cleaning out, hanging new posters, etc. We have an older building on our property that looks like a little red schoolhouse but husband has dibbs on making it his workshop
> 
> Please post some pics as your place sounds very cool.
> 
> blessings, april


I'll try. Got to remember how to do it. Tech stuff is not my "thing". But I'll try. I have managed to get it to work a time or two.

Cindyc.


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## cindy-e (Feb 14, 2008)

rose2005 said:


> Our daughter has one of those loft beds with a nice desk underneath in her own room. She does her schoolwork there and also has a computer.
> The boys sit at the dining room table for their work, but when it comes to reading...they are usually found on their beds, in a rocking chair on the back porch or the swing on the front porch. If it is a hands on building project, then it's either outside or our large coffee table. Educational games are the same.
> 
> This year, our two eldest are doing SOS so both of them need a computer. DD has hers, we have our main one and two laptops, so Jacob age 9 will have a choice.
> ...


I am sort of worried about what I am going to get done... But I don't tend to multi-task very well anyway, so honestly, during "school time", I probably don't get as much done as you do anyway. Figure I might as well admit that school is more compartmentalized than I want it to be and use it to my advantage if I can...

Cindyc.


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## cindy-e (Feb 14, 2008)

rose2005 said:


> Sounds good.
> I'd love to see pics too.
> 
> 
> Rose


Well, I got as far as getting batteries for the camera today, so I'll try to get it done tomorrow. More likely, though... I'll TRY to get it done, and then have to have my dh come home from work and do it for me when I can't get it to work!  Oh well.

Cindyc.


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## Cara (May 9, 2002)

ONe house we lived in had a living area upstairs separate from the bedrooms and we set up a more traditional classroom up there. It worked alright, but I wasn't getting the house stuff done. I couldn't rotate the laundry as easily and that sort of thing. So we're back in the dining room. Each of the kids has a desk and we do our together subjects at the table. It works better for us. I always thought I wanted a separate space, but it turned out I;m not organized enough!


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## cindy-e (Feb 14, 2008)

Cara said:


> ONe house we lived in had a living area upstairs separate from the bedrooms and we set up a more traditional classroom up there. It worked alright, but I wasn't getting the house stuff done. I couldn't rotate the laundry as easily and that sort of thing. So we're back in the dining room. Each of the kids has a desk and we do our together subjects at the table. It works better for us. I always thought I wanted a separate space, but it turned out I;m not organized enough!


Well, I think this is what we need right now. I tend to get too focused on school, and I need to be able to leave it and be done sometimes. Time will tell if it works. 

Cindyc.


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## halfpint (Jan 24, 2005)

Sounds cool, my kids have often asked why we couldn't get one of those large barns (with lofts like you see at Lowes), and build it for a school house. But I also like to cook, clean and do laundry while they work on projects, and also have a child that needs silence while he works, so he would have to leave the schoolhouse when I'm instructing/teaching the other.

Currently, we usually do school in our living room or basement. They like to do Bible reading and reading aloud in our living room, and most other things we do in the basement. Our two each have an end table with a storage cabinet underneath that they keep their things in for our upstairs work, and we have a large desk with shelves above it in our basement that we keep our current work in. I also have a storage cabinet in our basement that I keep books, video's, music, paper, art supplies and such that we will be using in the current year. 

I have a room on the upper level that I keep books from previous years of my older two that I haven't used with my younger two yet, as well as all of our past work. We originally finished off this room as a 'school room' but found staying in one room so far away from everything else in the house was too confining for me. And when I had my two younger ones, I couldn't hear them wake up from naps.

Since we have a fairly nice semi finished basement, that's where all of our school projects sit out, so our living room and kitchen aren't hit too hard by most of our schooling efforts.

In the spring and fall, we love to sit outside on our patio and do our schoolwork though, we just have to be careful not to leave anything out there for the rain or animals to get to.

Dawn


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## cindy-e (Feb 14, 2008)

Well, the kids are begging to start school already, because they like their little "school house". So maybe it will have some positives. I just can't keep it in my living space right now. That is NOT working. 

Still no pictures, but I am working on it.

CIndyc.


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## Louisiana Mom (Oct 15, 2004)

That sounds great.
We did school at the kitchen table for 1 year & then my hubby, son & I built a "schoolhouse" in the back yard. It is not too far, but it is far enough to feel like we're in a different place. (in a good way)
It is 12x16. The outside is painted barn red with white trim & it has a tin roof. There are 2 small windows in the front & a white door. The walls are light panneling & the ceiling is white board. There is a big florescent light in the ceiling. We each have a desk (3) and there are 2 metal shelves & a book case. There is a white marker board at the front & I have different charts & posters around to decorate it. There is a small portable radio/tv as well. I also made curtains with some cute yellow fabric that has chickens & abc's on it in a country look. 
We live in Louisiana so heat is not a big concern, we do have a small fan type heater that plugs in but on the really cold days we usually just have school in the actual house. Air conditioning is a BIG concern so we have a small window unit.
It stays pretty cool/hot when needed because we also insulated it well when we built it.
I also have an 8 foot table in there that has my sewing machine on it & all my supplies stored underneath in plastic bins.
It is one of my favorite things we have.
I like it best because although we do not do real "strict" schooling, it is a great place to keep everything. Our home is only about 1200 sq.feet so any extra space is great. We can go out there turn the radio on lightly & enjoy our schooling day.

I would love to see pictures of yours when you get them.


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## cindy-e (Feb 14, 2008)

Louisiana Mom said:


> That sounds great.
> We did school at the kitchen table for 1 year & then my hubby, son & I built a "schoolhouse" in the back yard. It is not too far, but it is far enough to feel like we're in a different place. (in a good way)
> It is 12x16. The outside is painted barn red with white trim & it has a tin roof. There are 2 small windows in the front & a white door. The walls are light panneling & the ceiling is white board. There is a big florescent light in the ceiling. We each have a desk (3) and there are 2 metal shelves & a book case. There is a white marker board at the front & I have different charts & posters around to decorate it. There is a small portable radio/tv as well. I also made curtains with some cute yellow fabric that has chickens & abc's on it in a country look.
> We live in Louisiana so heat is not a big concern, we do have a small fan type heater that plugs in but on the really cold days we usually just have school in the actual house. Air conditioning is a BIG concern so we have a small window unit.
> ...


Thanks,
I'd love to see yours too.  My daughter loves having her sewing stuff out there. I don't sew, but she is glad to have a space where she can go and sew if she wants to.

Cindyc.


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## Cashs Cowgirl (Jan 26, 2006)

oooh, I'm sinning because I'm envious! LOL!

I'd like to have a main separate room or smaller building for schooling, but for now I'll have to make do with our dining area for the fourth year! I do have two nice short shelving units that I got for $10.00 on clearance at Office Depot for storing their stuff on. Works really good for now.


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## cindy-e (Feb 14, 2008)

Cashs Cowgirl said:


> oooh, I'm sinning because I'm envious! LOL!
> 
> I'd like to have a main separate room or smaller building for schooling, but for now I'll have to make do with our dining area for the fourth year! I do have two nice short shelving units that I got for $10.00 on clearance at Office Depot for storing their stuff on. Works really good for now.


My books are actually in a different room... the storeage room across from the school room. (Hard to explain). They have the same roof, but they are not attached in any enclosed way. That is not very convenient, but the one thing I don't have yet is book shelves. The ones the kids use every day are in milk crates under the work tables. Each child has their own crate (as do I.) I have a place in the room for book shelves, and hope to get them soon.

Cindyc.


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## Sonshine (Jul 27, 2007)

We have a school room, but I have considered using a building we have out back. It's 1000 square feet. Only problem with that is, no a/c. So, for right now, we'll leave it in our school room.


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## cindy-e (Feb 14, 2008)

Sonshine said:


> We have a school room, but I have considered using a building we have out back. It's 1000 square feet. Only problem with that is, no a/c. So, for right now, we'll leave it in our school room.


That would work too. The main thing for me is that I get tunnel vision. I get so engrossed in school that other things don't get done. I need to be able to HAVE to walk away at a certain time every day. ...and to be able to keep order in my home without having to fight the school clutter war. 

Cindyc.


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## ShyAnne (Jun 18, 2008)

I used to have a school room. It was great for storage. It was great when the kids were little. Now, our books are in a Kitchen Cabinet. My kids sit a different areas to work. One at the table one at the bar.
My one son has to have silence to concentrate, and my other has Tourettes Syndrome.So we do school separately most days.


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## cindy-e (Feb 14, 2008)

ShyAnne said:


> I used to have a school room. It was great for storage. It was great when the kids were little. Now, our books are in a Kitchen Cabinet. My kids sit a different areas to work. One at the table one at the bar.
> My one son has to have silence to concentrate, and my other has Tourettes Syndrome.So we do school separately most days.


I can understand that. I usually have to do it in two blocks these days... olders and then youngers. Just TOO chaotic for ME the other way. 

Cindyc.


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## ShyAnne (Jun 18, 2008)

Exactly. Glad I am not the only one!


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