The Schoolroom

Ok, I promised a peek at our schoolroom so here it is!

My teacher's desk is on the right-hand wall.  I didn't get a close-up of it but here is where I keep whatever teacher books we need for that day, my schedule binder, our All About Spelling review boxes and a CD player that we use to listen to Story of the World or audio books from the library.  We just got an antique set of 1958 Encyclopedias that are finding a temporary home underneath until we get more bookshelves.  We also have an Art Corner, where I put up the more elaborate art creations, and the 1-10 number cards I made.

Before the beginning of each year I take down all of the previous year's certificates, artwork, progress charts etc. and add anything new we might need to have posted. So there is some blank wall space now, but we'll fill it up throughout the year.

On that same wall there is actually a chalkboard that I don't like (since we got a very nice new one), which is holding up our Spelling Board.  **We got an Oil Drip Pan from Auto Zone (this one) for about $15 or so.  It's like a giant cookie sheet - perfect for our magnetic spelling letters & so much cheaper than a magnetic white board!  I'd like to screw it onto the wall at an accessible height eventually but for now we just pull it down and sit on the floor with it propped up against the desk.  

This year we have totally rearranged our room since we had to have room for the workboxes.  In the past, I've had the desks out in the room so I could stand in front of the kids for teaching.  It seems to really work better for them to have their desks up against a wall because they focus much more on what they're working on and can still turn in their seats to see the chalkboard easily.

Since we have the desks up against the wall, each boy has his own wall space for progress charts, smaller artwork or other things they want to display.
You can't see it well in this picture but we found an old wall-mount antique pencil sharpener at an antique store and mounted it to our wall (it's next to the giraffe in the window).  We all love having this and it's much better than a hand-held sharpener.  I also made a set of Alphabet Cards that we have going along the top.

On our left-wall is my super-smooth, porcelain, magnetic chalkboard that we got last year.  ♥  I would like to get another Markable Map like we have here because it is reversible, so we have to flip it over if we need to change between US States & World.

Last year we displayed our 4 Seasons sign with each season's sign, as well as each of the 12 months.  Since that took up a lot of wall space and the boys are getting older we changed it up.  I am still showing the 4 Seasons picture but below that I stapled a couple of page protectors that we can slide in and out the current season & the current month.  Here's a closer look at that.


Little man, Shorty has his own table for pre-k activities.  This is just an old coffee table that is just the right size for our little rocking chairs.  I put a basket on top to hold whatever puzzles or games he can work on while we're doing school.  It's easier for him to clean up because he can put things in the basket and if we need to the big boys can put things back in boxes properly after school.  Last year he was small enough to use the high chair and stay put in it coloring or playing while we got a good bit of school done.  So if you have a small one 3 1/2 years old or younger, you may want to consider getting an extra high chair for your school area!

Below the chalkboard is our Reading Corner with a library book box.  Since the boys' have built-in bookcases in their bedroom that are filled to the brim with books, we have a firm rule that no library books are allowed in their rooms.  They can bring one in if they're reading on their beds but we make sure it gets back out to prevent it getting lost amongst the others that belong there.  This makes library day much easier, too, since I know I just have to look in one area for books to return instead of hunting all over the house.

So that's our schoolroom!  We are using an upstairs room that separates the master bedroom from the other bedrooms & office.  The other side of the room is where the stairs are and we also have a good-sized game closet where I store EVERYTHING from extra homeschool books, board games, puzzles, a 2-drawer file cabinet full of DVD's and oh-so-much-more!  Having a dedicated room for doing school helps us stay focused on what we're there for and lets us create a fun school environment that doesn't overtake the rest of our home.

**All of the signs on our walls I created myself and will happily offer as free printables in a future post.  Check back soon for those or Like my Facebook page so you can keep up with new posts, tutorials & printables!