Remember my post, 5 Things You {Don’t} Need to Homeschool? My number one thing on the list was an “official” school room. I have always been an advocate for, not needing an “official” room to call your school room, because I know many women feel pressured to do school the way the public schools do. Many people starting out on their homeschooling journey will feel pressured to copy things their public school is doing in an effort to look as much like school as possible.
The fact is, many people don’t have an extra room in their house that can be totally devoted to school. In many cases, a corner or nook in any room can be turned into the school zone. I was homeschooled my entire life and my family never had an actual school room. We sat at the dining room table, the couch, the swing set… you get the picture!
With all that being said, the room that was once our play room, has officially transformed into our school room! Since we have this space, that I decided was not really being utilized on a daily basis, I came up with a solution to make the most of it! We shifted some toys around and reorganized a lot of stuff. I wanted one central location for all our school supplies, books, teachers’s resources, educational toys and games. Up until now, these things had been sitting on bookshelves and in cabinets throughout the house. That has always worked fine, but again… we had the space! Oh, and did I mention that I’m slightly obsessed we rearranging and repainting? I actually think this is the third time I’ve painted this room in the past 5 years. Yes, I may have issues :)
This was an old desk from my grandparent’s basement. My husband thought I was insane for wanting it… but it works perfectly as a workstation!
Above is the room now… and below is the room before!
I love these shelves from Ikea.
I have used them over the years in so many different settings and for different purposes. My wonderful husband picked these up for me and put them together. They are sturdy and not horribly terrible to put together.
Finally found a place for these pictures, picked up from a street vendor in New York for $5.
This bench has been in my husband’s family for years. It fits perfectly under the window and has come in handy for holding toys. It is now holding Duplos and other little toys. A fresh coat of paint has revived it nicely! I used Behr paint and primer in one in “Dark Cavern”
I am totally in love with this Tiffany blueish, aqua, teal colored wall!! Call it what you want, it is actually Behr paint in “Cool Jazz”
These stools from Ikea are perfect! They’re just the right shade of blue, they stack, and they’re only 5.99!
This desk (also from Ikea) is the perfect little desk to hold the kid’s computer
…and it’s only 17.99!
I love decorating with trinkets and treasures found around the house! This is a collection of books I had been hanging onto for a while now. I believe there are books here from both sets of grandparents as well as my dad’s old office. When you look at what you have in terms of color, find things that make you happy and group them together in fun ways. I hold onto so many things, because I always end up using them again in new ways. You never know when you’ll need to redecorate, and there is always spray paint!
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Absolutely beautiful! Wonderful work :)
Found your school room on Pinterest – very fun! Love that blue color! The whole room is very inviting! We have a small “school room” – because we have the space. I love having the space mostly to keep things organized and in one place. But like you said, our school space is not limited to just this room.
What fun to see your school room. It looks so inviting and practical. Enjoy your personal touches like the prints from New York and the old school books.
New reader here :) Lovely school room! Starting up with preschool with my 4 year old this fall – great ideas!
Very nice! We always had an official schoolroom which is now a library, but still tended to do school all over the house. It’s the nature of learning. Who wants to be confined. And truly, isn’t it fun!