I’m totally reposting an old post for My 3 Boybarians’ Blog Hop. Not all that much has changed since the last time I posted on the topic, except that I have a fifth child now. And a kitchen table which is currently buried under their latest project.
First, we have the independent learning center. This is where children may come to select activities and interact with one another during self-directed, exploratory activities. Note the purple curtain in the background. This is actually a sunroom-turned-bedroom and thus has three walls of windows, covered here for intimacy, but opened in the daytime to allow minds to range freely even while bodies are trapped indoors. Going with the Bringing-the Outdoors-in theme, my children are preparing for a camp out. Or is it a camp in?
With only 900 square feet, finding a place to get away is sometimes a challenge. Here, my daughter has solved the problem beautifully by retreating to the top of her bunk bed. And pulling up the ladder, which you cannot see in this picture. She has taken a quiet moment to read a book…at 11 PM! I think she may be a bit like me.
Many homeschoolers do the bulk of their teaching at the kitchen table. We did away with that nuisance long ago and no longer own a kitchen table. Instead, we use TV trays for just about everything that might pass as school. Here, the children are playing a nice game of chess. I love this picture because….well…it just looks so homeschoolerish. Nevermind that neither of them knew how to play when this picture was taken. It is all about the image discovery.
With limited space comes creativity, and every room and every piece of furniture does double duty. Here is an impromptu tea party on my old bed. And what tea party is complete without a baby dressed as a…actually, I’m not sure what they were thinking. Their living doll is pretty patient, however.
Last, but not least, is the center of our homeschooling: the sofa. And here you can see a little of my philosophy of how to keep toddlers under control while teaching: just give them the same tools and let them play along. Note the ubiquitous TV tray. Can’t do school without it.
As you can see, our school room covers pretty much the entire house. Nine hundred square feet may be small for a house, but it isn’t bad for a school room. All that aren’t pictured here are the laundry room because they aren’t allowed in there. Just LOOK AT WHAT THEY ARE CAPABLE OF and I think you will understand why. And the kitchen. For some reason, young children near open flame requires a level of atttention I do not have behind a camera, but if you follow that link, you will see my three year old in her chosen profession which definitely involves the kitchen.
And it is the school room of my dreams because here is where my children are now, building something for their futures that we cannot yet even guess at.
Thanks for sharing! Lots of fun learning!
Great pics, love the one on the bed (I thought that was a real baby at first lol.)
I like the way you do school using the whole house. Great pics of you and your family.
Thanks for sharing! I love how you let school happen all over the home — makes homeschooling really about the home. Learning can happen anywhere! And I am totally smiling over the dressed up baby — my older ones like to do silly things to the baby, too
We use our whole house too!:)
That’s about the size of my home too Dana. I feel for ya there. But it sure helps the family to learn to get a long and be patient. ;O) lol
There was a point that we lived in a travel trailer while homeschooling. Space was obviously tight, but that year is filled with great memories!
So you don’t have a table at all? Not even for dinner?
Interesting!
We do now, just not when this entry was written. It was kinda weird, but you get used to anything, I suppose.
I love tv trays too! They are so versatile. Thanks for sharing and many blessings on your new school term.
Where’s the picture of the CAR??
Such a great post! I love baby girl on the bed with her siblings… Have a wonderful year coming up!
ALOL!! OH MY! I thought the living baby was actually a baby!!! They are super real looking! Ooops!
Love the whole house use and appreciate your daughter pulling up the ladder.
Jessica, she really is/was a baby. Now she’s two, but very much alive and real.
awesome “campus”! i love that your daughter pulled up the ladder-kind of like taking in the anchor before setting sail!
we had a living baby when i was a kid, he is now 38 years old and the father of two.
And JJRoss, I’m not into airing dirty laundry or showing the inside of my car on the internet.
I love it–and your spunky attitude!
I had a great smile or three at this. I, too, have had 5 kids in a tiny living space (a 3 bedroom 2nd story apartment, to be exact), but now we are blessed with a nice sized 4 bedroom house (with a large yard, THAT is more important than the number of bedrooms).
Thank you for sharing on the Blog Hop.
Our house isn’t much bigger, which is why we usually do it at our dining table.
I’ll tell you though, I was thinking about getting some little kid-sized folding tables though, much like you use your tv trays, and have them set them up in the living room kind of desk like. Then we can put them away under the couch or behind the piano or wherever we can manage to find space to stuff them.
We do all-over-the-house homeschooling, too. We did the whole kitchen table thing, then the homeschool room thing, and now it’s desks IN the kitchen. Hey, whatever works.
It’s the learning that takes place more than the place that houses the learning!
Thanks for sharing!
Oh yes… homeschooling does go into other rooms of the house doesn’t it!
I played “Where’s Waldo” with your coffee cup. It was in 2:5 of your photos. LOL! Love it!
Thanks for sharing. My favorite part is that you have a SMALL house with LOTS of kids. We do, too, and it’s very trying sometimes. We also school all over the place.
I’m so glad to see others that are all over the house too! For morning Bible and history, our son likes to “host” us in his room. We all gather on his bed and it’s very cozy!
Good job Mom!