Hey there!
Let's talk about homeschooling and how to make it not just possible, but beautiful in a small space.
This is something that can seem very overwhelming when you first begin homeschooling and even years in, as you try to refresh your learning environment.
It can be very discouraging when searching for inspiration, and all you seem to come across are "Pinterest Worthy Homeschool Rooms" all over social media..
In reality, most of us do not have an extra bedroom that can be converted into an extraordinary classroom or even an open space within our homes that isn't already in use!
A lot of teaching and learning happens in this space, so it feels important to make it something special. I think it is wonderful to do just that, but in a way that is realistic and stress free.
Always remember that learning takes place beyond this space as well, the world is your classroom and as a homeschool parent, your options are limitless!
We love to take our lessons to the library, the beach, the museum, the book store, out on a trail, the cafe and the park!
I want to free you from the idea that you need to have all of the shiny things to have a homeschool that is successful and full of love.
Your children are not going to grow into beautiful humans based on how elaborate your classroom is. They are going to remember the loving and positive place that you provided them with. They are going to notice the time you spent with them and fun things you did together. They are going to remember you taking the time to teach them in a way that they could understand.
They are going to remember the days you spent diving into things that interest them.
They are going to remember the slow days, cuddled up reading a good book, and the days of being excited when they were allowed to explore and question things.
They are not going to remember the perfectly curated classroom that they learned in, they are going to take with them the heart of your homeschool.
May we release the idea of homeschool perfectionism. May we remember how happy the messy and the free are. May we provide an environment for our children that is safe for them to be themselves and a space that is full of possibilities.
Every single family is going to do things differently and in a way that works best for them.
I would like to share with you some ideas that I use in our homeschool and hopefully inspire you to set up your learning area in a way that feels easy and also works well!
When deciding where to create our homeschool area, I took into consideration where would be the most convenient for myself and my son to spend most of our time.
I decided to create our workspace next to my office desk. Not only was this the only open space we had in our home but it allows me to work on my offerings at my desk while my son is doing independent work at his desk. It may sound like I still have a separate room specifically for school and work, but I would like to share with you that is not the case. Our home has a very open floor plan and this room serves many purposes.
The only furniture I purchased for our homeschool was my son's desk and our bookshelf.
We tried a few different tables and chairs before deciding what was going to work best for us.
We now use a sweet wooden school desk with the chair attached. (If you have little monkeys you will understand how helpful the attached chair is.) You can find these types of desk used on Facebook Marketplace all the time! My son loves this personal style desk rather than a large table. When we need more space, we spread out on the floor, outside or at the kitchen table.
I use baskets to keep our supplies organized on our shelves. I also love rolling carts for organization, we just do not have the floor space for them.
I set our bookshelf up in a way that we know which books are for what purpose.
We use a book basket for independent reading. Each week I fill the basket with new books that are related to what we are learning and throughout the week he can choose any of those books to explore and dig deeper into what we have been learning about.
We display the work my son is proud of on our refrigerator for the following week and then put it away in its subjects folder.
I like to use folders to hold all of our loose work, I have one folder per subject, and a binder for math.
This year we have added a large dry erase board on an easel that I found for free! It has been so useful already. This has allowed me to stand up while I teach rather than always hunching over the desk.
I make it a priority to only keep the supplies available that I know we will use. I take the time each season to clear the books from our shelf that we have finished in order to make room for new ones. We love homeschool yard sales, this is a great way to find gently used material and swap out what you have already used. We also take advantage of our local library rather than purchasing all of the books we wish to read.
I have a planner that I love for keeping all of our lesson plans organized and they also have a matching student planner, I will link it below.
We use lots of games and manipulative for learning almost everyday, but I like to keep these things separate from our school space until we need them. Keeping things clear helps us remain organized and free from distractions. I have found that keeping things put away helps us start fresh each day and gives us the space to create so much more magic.
It sounds simple, right!? That is because it is simple.
It takes effort, love, patience and willingness. But it truly is simple.
Children are born with the desire to learn, I believe it is our job as their guide, to teach them the truth.
Homeschooling doesn't have to be hard or overwhelming or intimidating.
It is a beautiful journey that is not closed off to one certain way, you are allowed to try things, change them around, and find what is going to work best for your family.
Happy Homeschooling!
Love, Carlie Anna Humble
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