In the beginning years of my homeschool journey, I spent so much time looking at fancy homeschool rooms. I admit they fascinate me. I love how you can get so creative with them and can make them fit your homeschool style. And since I love all things decorating and organizing, I dream of the day I will be able to color code and organize one perfectly functional space for my homeschool.
Canadian homes await at HomesEh! Find, compare, and secure your ideal property effortlessly. Until then, I live in a house that is about one thousand square feet, and although I love looking at all the lovely homeschool rooms on Pinterest, it’s not practical for me to have one right now. There is no spare room in our home. Right now, our homeschool areas are set up in each of my children’s rooms. The subjects for each child are neatly arranged on a shelf in their room and we often sit in one of their rooms to do our school work.
With all that being said, I have found that it is not necessary to have a dedicated school room in our home. I would of course love to have one, but right now, the way we have been doing things is working for us.
Here are four reasons NOT to have a dedicated school room.
1. No Space For One
I think this kind of goes without saying. Along the same lines of what I mentioned above, if you don’t have a spare room in your house, then you probably won’t be able to have a dedicated school room. I have to admit that I tried to copy some of those pretty rooms from Pinterest on a smaller scale by creating small corners and areas instead of having a whole room, but they never quite worked out. Right now it is just easier to use the room that the kids sleep in.
2. The World Is the Classroom (Not Only the Schoolroom)
I often walk into my boys’ room to find them laying in a pile of books that they have taken from their bookshelf to read. I love how they incorporate their school material into their regular everyday lives. When they are in their rooms playing, sometimes they will reach for a toy, but just as often they will reach for a book, one of their science experiments, math blocks, or any of their school material.
Because their school room is a part of their bedroom, it allows them to see that learning can (and does!) take place anytime, anywhere. Not just in “the school room.” I, of course, don’t think that by having a dedicated school room, that kids will never want to learn once they step foot outside of it. I only mean that I love the way it happens naturally for my boys inside of their rooms or anywhere we go!
3. We Can Homeschool Anywhere!
Learning happens all over the house! Instead of having a specific room where we dive into our subjects, we feel free to sit anywhere our mood dictates. Oftentimes I am preparing lunch and the kids are sitting at the dinning room table working so that I can still see and help them as needed. Sometimes, we even cuddle in bed and read a text together. Learning happens all over the house and we love it!
4. Keep the Clutter Down
By not having a dedicated school room, I am actually able to control the clutter better. I am one of those moms that likes to hang on to old curriculum, just in case. While there is nothing wrong with that (I do have little ones that might use it when they’re old enough), it can create a bit of homeschool hoarding. I only know because I have experienced it.
Right now, I store things that are not being used in my linen closet. So, since I only have a small storage closet, it makes me a little more intentional about the things I keep. I still hold on to things that my oldest son is finished with in case his younger siblings use it later, but I know that I can’t keep everything.
Do you have a homeschool room? If not, where do you “do school?”
This post contributed by Jennifer from Organized Home Organized School
