Our "School" Room

Last fall our family was blessed in a huge way. We moved into a home that actually fit us well. After living in a small mobile home for eight years we were able to purchase a home with enough bedrooms for everyone and enough space that occasionally we can't find someone. Don't laugh. It's happened.

One of my absolute favorite rooms in our new home is our dining room. It's HUGE! Picture five people around a table meant for no more than four, in a small kitchen, in a small mobile home at dinner time. It was typically pushed against a wall. When it was time to eat, we would pull it in to the middle of the table and make sure all the food was out of the oven first - otherwise we couldn't open the door all the way. We even occasionally brought in a tray table or two to hold our plates if we also wanted to play a board game while we ate.

Now we have this....which is where we also do the majority of our school work....

 

The table is large enough to fit seven or more. In fact, I think we had about 10 around it at Thanksgiving this year. The first year I was ever able to host. All of those bookcases lining the wall behind were crammed into my living room in the trailer along with all those books! 

I use the small whiteboard on the wall to teach, leave chore lists, or just messages. 

I do have two older boys who do the majority of their independent work in their bedrooms. They are 12 and 17. I sit at the dining room table with my younger son who still needs a bit more one-on-one. 

And just to keep it real....here is another important part of our homeschooling....my very messy desk area.

 

The filing cabinet holds supplies and has my laminator on top. There is also an overflowing pile of school papers that still need to be filed away. The table holds all the boys current work. They each have a bin where I put their work for the week and then check it each night and print off the next day's checklist for them. Ignore the tray table. That has a stack of old photos I was scanning. :-) And that table...THAT was our old kitchen table (with the leaf removed - that added about six inches). 

Head over to the iHomeschool Network to check out other homeschool spaces.