• Facebook
  • Pinterest
  • Instagram
  • YouTube
  • LinkedIn
  • Skip to secondary menu
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer

Tina's Dynamic Homeschool Plus

Activity, Change, Progress

  • HOME
  • How to
    • Preschool
    • Kindergarten
    • Middle School
    • High School
  • Planner
  • Lapbooks
    • Trioramas
    • History Games
  • Shop
  • GET STARTED NOW!
    • Learning Styles
  • 7 Step Planner
    • DIY Best Student Planner
    • Free & Easy DIY Home Management Binder
  • Unit Studies
    • Creation to Ancients
    • Middle Ages to Reform
    • Exploring to Revolution
    • World Wars to Today
    • Science
    • Free Art Curriculum Grades 1 – 8
  • Curriculum
    • More Unit Studies
    • Geography
    • Writing PreK to 12th
    • Geronimo Stilton
  • BootCamp
    • Resources
      • Dynamic Subscriber Freebies
      • Exclusive Subscribers Library
      • Ultimate Unit Study Planner

Organization

School Room Tips!

May 21, 2013 | Leave a Comment
This post may contain affiliate links. For more information, please see my full disclosure policy.

 

Not every year have I had a school room. I know I mentioned it before, but if I was told once I was told numerous times that I would never use a room. That was far from true.

What I have learned is that opinions and advice come from “perspective”. Don’t they all? :o)  Look at some school room tips!

Homeschooling from the beginning, I can say that a designated school area went a long way to training my toddler and preschoolers to sit down quietly for a few minutes.

school room tips

It kept crafts, toys and books to one area thus helping me in keeping my house more organized while the children were young and I had minimal help. I did not ruin them by thinking that learning only happened in “one” room. But it might have ruined me…lol if I had let messes be ALL over the house.

Now. that my newborn is 10 years old, we do school at the dining room table, however, I STILL have a designated area of the house where all of our curriculum is kept.

Here are some of my school room tips:

1.If you have space, consider having a school area and train the children to put things back.

2. The best stores that had great storage items through the years were Target and Ikea.

3. In the spring time, look at the hardware section for children. I use bright plastic colored buckets available at spring time for supplies. Kid size lawn chairs for them to sit and read in was a big hit.

4. Not all ideas of public school are bad. The best thing that worked for me is a kidney shaped table that was adjustable. Myself and all the kids could sit around it and do crafts and write.

5.If your children are all very young, consider “stations” in your room. One table was crafts, one table was “writing” and another was file folder games. This allowed me to work 1:1 with one child while the others were in the same room with us.

6. Clear plastic containers from the dollar store with a screw lid was the best storage items when the kids were young. We could clearly see what was inside, it was safe for my toddler but yet they couldn’t open it so I could keep it down on lower shelves.

7. I bought a small forward facing book shelf (the kind use too in public school) that was child height that I could switch out classical books each week on. I would choose some from the library and some I had and I would give my young children “choices”. The point here is that I could still guide them to good literature but it allow them to “think” they had freedom. In their free time, they would choose a book.

8. My husband put up a clothes line and attached it almost to the ceiling for me. He zig zagged it back/forth so I would have more than “one” line. I attached all the art work with clothes pin and hung it from there.

9. When my children got older, I also used a “bar height” activity table that had drop down leaves on both sides. My space was limited in that room so the activity table was perfect.

Chairs were important then because I needed chairs that had bars for their feet to rest on since we were sitting up real high. So be careful not to pick just any barstool.

The activity table was purchased at a huge furniture store and was intended for an island in the kitchen but was PERFECT for our limited space. It had TONS of storage under it. It had two shelves and we put away our curriculum under it. When the leaves folded up and extended, we pulled the chairs up to it.

10. If you have room for bookshelves think: some closed storage and some open storage. Closing off and not seeing messes goes a long way for sanity.

Also, for cheaper versions or even more sturdy shelves look at Automotive Shop stores that have brightly colored shelves that are aluminum. Some roll and some do not. I used those too. They are cheaper but still nice if you can get them in black or red as they do not intend for them to be used in the home. They are sturdy, have plenty of storage, cost less and even lock. I used steel hooks to hang items off the side of them. They are great too for storing small items like lapbook items along with sewing containers.

Hope you are inspired to try out a designated area.

Hugs

©Tina Robertson

Leave a CommentFiled Under: Homeschool Space, Organization

Homeschool Organization + {Storage,Spaces and Learning Places Part 3}

May 21, 2013 | 5 Comments
This post may contain affiliate links. For more information, please see my full disclosure policy.

I got a little eye candy for you today. I have two other parts in this series that I started last month. I will link them for you at the bottom. I really like this series because there are so many different things and rooms we can look at to get ideas for our learning area. The ideas are endless once you step outside the box. You do have to take several ideas from many different types of area to make a unique learning place.

This is the time of the year most people get the itch to organize or set up a school area. I get it ALL year long but end up making little adjustments this time of the year. So I made a slight tweak to our school area and will share when I am finished with it.

This first picture I like because besides the colors being gender neutral, I have been swooning over that map on the wall.

Source – Censational Girl

This is the playroom of Kate at Censational Girl. Even though it is not a homeschool area, it is pretty close to being one with a few changes. For a younger household, I would make the couch a love seat or rocker recliner to free up some room. Then shelving would be sorted by boxes for each child. Also add a smaller desk for mom to keep her teacher goodies. Though I have sat on many a small kid’s chair while homeschooling, it is nice to have my own desk when the kids were young. The tushy will thank you later on that one the longer you school.

There is so much natural light you may need to worry about lighting which is another huge concern in a school area. This could be a WOW school room with not much effort. She shares her before and after picture and her budget of about 800.00. Still swooning over the map…on to the next one..

Source – Joyfilled Family

Even though I love play areas, I like to keep it real and that means seeing other real homeschool rooms. I love this area because, like a lot of us, she turned a formal dining area into a school area. Another tip for hanging storage, like she uses in her school room, is fishing line and clothes pin to show off arts and crafts. A good example of mixing a learning area with furniture used for everyday living too. Above her storage units she has a week at a glance system for all the members of the family to see.

Source – Homeschool Creations.

Keeping it real in this next homeschool room I love Jolanthe’s new up do last year. She really changed the area into a beautiful learning space. Besides the beautiful color, I love the fact that each child has their own work space which gets to be important as they get older. You have some kids that need an organized desk before they can think clearly and others that can put up with a little more left out. This pleases all learners.

Source – Learning with Charlotte

This room takes a Charlotte Mason learning approach in her set up. I have to admit I heart dark wood. I love the look of bright white wood but something about popping color in dark wood gets me to pause. Too, I think heart things old fashion, timeless and precious. Incorporating her solid wood bookcases into her living area just looks cozy and warm.

Source – Satori Smiles

Also do not forget all the other myriad of ideas we need to use to create unique areas. This one I love the reading wall and area set up for an all day reading day. There are some benefits to homeschooling an only and you have so much room to create beautiful spaces.

Source

I love this arrangement, though not a homeschool room, it easily could be. Using the center of the room frees up wall space but too this is so creative grouping several work areas together. This would work well for older children or teens if you can keep them busy enough from fighting talking to each other.

Source

Built-ins are nice if you can have them too. Again, here is separated learning areas. If you can do it that way from the start, then it minimizes your budget. There are some subjects like math and some language arts that are better learned by having each child having their own table or desk. A lot of subjects can be taught together and when the children are real young, one table does the trick but you out grow that in a few short years. It is good to start with that when they are young just keep those purchases to a minimum because they will use individual spaces longer. Even if it’s a not a separate desk in your school room, it could be their bedroom with a desk or learning area.

Source – New Life on a Homestead

Though I love color and want a homeschool area to be beautiful, budget is a real factor these days for most folks. These pictures are timeless because they show what can be done a modest budget and how bright a homeschool area can still be.

I want to share one “set up” tip that I did notice about this room in this last picture above which is why I put it here. See how high those days of the weeks and numbers are? That is too high for a preschooler or elementary aged child to be engaged with them. Setting up a room should be not only age appropriate but HEIGHT appropriate. You want an engaging interactive place. A child wants to feel those numbers, see the days of weeks and interact with by either using a pointer

Source Source Source

or just being able to see them. We don’t have to abandon everything about the set up of a public school. Have you noticed how their rooms are set up for children and the adults desk is there incidentally? We do want to take that to our home school room. One chart is height appropriate but otherwise the child can’t see all the beautiful learning tools she has. It is not easy because, like me, you may have a monster sweet toddler who loves to tear and shred when you start schooling. After the “new” has passed on the school area, most of them won’t bother it anymore.

Source Gennine Art Blog

Don’t forget to make desks unique as well. Often times I have used flowerpots for pen,pencils and supplies. You can find them less expensive and sometimes more colorful than pencil holders. Here she used bright flower pots from Ikea and the desk from Ikea.

Source – A little Busy

Again, a very simple but cheery school area. The shelves are unique and reachable by the youngest learner.

Source – BHG                                                                      Source – BHG

Source – Something is HIding in Here

Do not forget nooks, crannies, moving storage and what you have just hanging out as trash around the house can be turned to treasure making your own organization bins unique. From top to bottom, left to right, Magazine Holder on the door, potato chip containers wrapped in pretty paper creates unique storage, a mobile desk on wheels if you don’t have room for a teacher desk, old paint cans turned fabulous storage and then making your own unique storage system by using peg board, hooks and is that plastic cheap inexpensive glasses? Swooning again….

I hope you were a little inspired for your school room. School areas do a lot to brighten and bring harmony to my day and are just as important to me as choosing the right curriculum. If you have not created a place yet, take time before you start school.  Remember, you have to look at it every day and it counts.

Small changes count too. I know I must have homeschool-itis {is that such a word?} when I go crazy over a small thing like file folder change. Do you have any changes you want to share?

As promised, here are the links if you need to continue your homeschoolitis. Click on the pics.

I was inspired by this today as I get ready for my school year and because I want real things around me that are beautiful too.

“If you want a golden rule that will fit everything, this is it: Have nothing in your houses that you do not know to be useful or believe to be beautiful.”

~William Morris~

Hugs and you know I love ya,

Save

5 CommentsFiled Under: Homeschool Space, Organization Tagged With: schoolroom

Homeschool Organization + {Storage, Spaces and Learning Places Part 2}

May 21, 2013 | 2 Comments
This post may contain affiliate links. For more information, please see my full disclosure policy.

When you homeschool ANY length of time you find out that you have to take ideas from every different type of room like an office, craft, sewing and playroom to combine and get what we need to make a cozy learning place at home. I have some more favorites to share. If you missed Part 1, go here to drool over some more places.

 

Homeschool Organization part 2

 

{source}

Though this is set up for use as a craft area, I find parts that could be used at home. First that desk just looks like something that could be bought inexpensively and redone to be smokin’ hot. Those stands on the floor I believe are umbrella stands and could be used to rolled up masterpieces of art.

There is not much room taken up horizontal, it is all vertical. Great idea for a teen who likes to be in his room for school  or if there is a small area to work in. LOVE the color choice to brighten up the room.

Contemporary Kids design

I have my school room upstairs that has roof slant like this room and though I have all clear storage there now, I have been mulling over the idea of having something like this. Even the center part that has only two drawers, could have more drawers for more closed storage if you wanted.

The room on top can store, globes, lapbooks and even a microscope. The tv screen is a great addition to a room for group science videos. As much as I love how open it is, I think that one part of this unit though should utilize more wall storage by going up higher.

{source}

Don’t you love to actually see homeschool rooms like this one? These next couple of pictures come from Suitcases and Sippy Cups. What I like about this is that she just incorporated their school into their everyday life. When I first started homeschooling and had a newborn and a toddler, a comfortable couch in the same room we were learning in was a must. I could nurse there, change a quick diaper and just rest as my oldest son worked at the table.

{source}

{source}

Here is another actual home school area. I think some of the best use of spaces is a built in or diy project . And that is what Cha Cha at the Heartfelt Home did for her school desk. She explains on her blog how it was built. This is a clever use of a half wall or center wall. Though there are three chairs, I see this working better for two students if they were older because of the need of space on top to spread out books.

{source}

Here is another true homeschool room that I love. I love the fact that even though the room is small, she utilized it to the full. She has closed storage using the boxes and kept the seating in the center and kept the light by using a smaller shelf area.

{source}

I find this photo inspiring because it used a u shape space with built in seating. So much again in a small space.

{source}

Then I wanted to share a few creative nifty finds. I heart Murphy beds when you have limited room. Why not a Murphy desk? Great for traveling and schooling, or just to have a another work area for a laptop. I lived in a small log cabin when we first started and this would have worked ideally.

{source}

I spend so much time telling New Bee homeschoolers and even those not so new to move away from public school and don’t copy it, but hey some things we just should. These lockers make great storage and add that element of school to our room.

{source}

This next idea is so creative and I could imagine some really bright colored fabrics to make these crate seats. These crate seats only have 3 steps to make AND you have a seat and instant storage. Check out how this public school teacher made these and they so could be used at home.

{source}

This next group of pictures I heart because it is a Montessori inspired learning environment that is organized so that a young child can easily explore and learn.

{source}

I love how colorful caddies are used to make the area bright and cheery. And I love that low lying art line.And one more thing I heart……

This adorable owl art line from Etsy. would look so cute hanging on a wall.

 

Just a few things I heart today, anything inspire you in a school room?

Hugs and love ya,

2 CommentsFiled Under: Homeschool Space, Organization Tagged With: schoolroom

Homeschool Organization + {Storage, Spaces and Learning Places Part 1}

May 21, 2013 | 2 Comments
This post may contain affiliate links. For more information, please see my full disclosure policy.

Learning at home presents unique storage needs. We are always wanting more book space and spaces used creatively. If you are wanting to set up a homeschool room or just change it around you find out that ideas that come from playrooms are sometimes too playful, a home office can be too office-y {is that a word} and a craft room is too crafty.  If we don’t have a school room because we school at the kitchen table and part living room we still need creative spaces for storage.

Homeschool Organization part 1

What I do is take inspiration from all the rooms mentioned above and create a learning space. I can never get enough tips and ideas for spaces and learning places. I will be rounding up unique finds and then just some ordinary tips as reminders and putting them in a series.





Some tips from a public classroom will work at home and visa versa. Hopefully you can find something that inspires you to use your area to the full. Where possible, if a link  was given, I have linked each image so you can read about the space.

{source}

You may recognize this school room from Confessions of a Homeschooler by Erica. What you soon find out is that your kids outgrow those sweet little desks and tables sooner than you realize. But they are still not tall enough to sit a high kitchen table. A craft table is a great idea because there is tons of room on top and chairs can be adjusted. Look at all that storage by using the center of the room. Do you see that trick? Free the wall to haul in more stuff.

                     {source}

This honey pine trestle table is ideal as well. The storage baskets under the table work out good. I would take notice of the sharp corners with a toddler that is using the table to pull up like my little ones did.  To me this works good for several preschoolers.  Look at this cool idea for the storage back with writing material . It hooks right beside the desk. Pretty, but something more durable would even be better.

Eclectic Kids design by New York Interior Designer Esther Sadowsky

Now this is one of those rooms that I mean by a play area. But there are several things that can be used. I love the color combinations and use of the chalkboard wall. The whole area is just bright and cheery.

{source}

Johnnia at Giggles, Wiggles and Wonder has a nice laid out school area. The area along one wall utilizes a lot of area for storage. I like the fact that some of it is closed storage. That one built in could easily accommodate two teens or one teen and younger sibling.  Again the colors are bright and cheery .

{source}

This area is so soothing and peaceful I could see an older student cuddling here to read or study. I love the bookshelves too.

{source}

Homeschool Organization

Don’t forget high spaces and out of the way spaces. An over the door organizer turned school storage is what I used when we lived in a cabin that was 800 square feet for 5 of us. Use every inch of space. At the blog bowl full of lemons she lists where she purchased this cute overhead storage and there is one that is hot pink.

{source}

Homegrown mom uses the space in her loft. One wall holds a good majority of her books  but she also has closed storage by using the boxes. How do you like the table is turned ? Again it is not against a wall but by coming off the wall unit she utilizes more of the center of her room.

{source}

I love, love this room. It looks like a schoolroom but may be a craft room. But look how the small wall is used and each kid could have their place to study. There is only two sets of drawers but if you used workboxes those drawers could be used for shared supplies. Surround shelves make this room have tons of storage.

Are you going to make changes this summer while school has slowed down some? I am still pondering. Have a picture you want to share of your school room make over?

Switching gears here, I love the fact that our blog is hosted on a website so that when I get a twitch I can change our blog header anytime without completely redoing our website. I updated the blog header, what do you think? Keep it or go back to the other one?

Thinking about convention time, I wanted to share this with you.

By Todd Wilson

Hugs today and coming up next, MORE planner forms and a few more covers!

Love ya,

Save

2 CommentsFiled Under: Homeschool Space, Organization Tagged With: homeschoolorganization, schoolroom

  • « Go to Previous Page
  • Page 1
  • Interim pages omitted …
  • Page 11
  • Page 12
  • Page 13

Primary Sidebar

Footer

Privacy Policy | About Me | Reviews | Contact | Advertise

Categories

Archives

Tina Robertson is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to amazon.com. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.

Copyright © 2025 · 5 TNT LLC · Log in · Privacy Policy