There are several options for organizing your homeschooling home. Different approaches will appeal to different families. My kids generally like to have a say and help me organize, but they don't mind a surprise once in a while.
Some families have a homeschool room in which all or most of their learning supplies are kept. Others may have a shelf or cupboard dedicated to homeschool supplies. Craft shelves, such as those designed for scrapbooking are popular. Although you can buy school furniture designed for teaching and storing school supplies.
Although my family does have a crowded shelf and cupboard where we keep a hodgepodge of science kits, puzzle books, pencils, paper, etc., mostly we prefer to create thematic learning areas in the nooks and crannies all over the house.
Learning Nooks in the Stairway
My children call these areas "sections." In the stairwell, for example, they have the body section where you would find a life-size poster of human anatomy, our human body model with tweezers to remove (and put back, I wish) organs, and a pile of relevant books.
In the opposite corner of the stairwell, the newly created penguin section already has a penguin size comparison poster, relevant books, toys, videos, and whatever else my children have found to add to it. This section is mostly the work of my two-year-old who is enamored of penguins.
In addition to the educational posters, historical timelines created by my children stretch up the stairway walls.
In a previous article, I described using your walls, refrigerator, and ceiling to full advantage as presentation spaces. Any surface could hold possibilities.
Learning Nooks in the Bathroom and Laundry Room
It's not uncommon to find books on the counter or stacked on the back of the toilet in anyone's bathroom. My six-year-old uses our master bathroom as her art studio. I set an easil in front of the toilet and hung closet organizer shelves from the shower rack and an over-the-door pocket organizer on the inside of the door. She's got brushes, bowls, spray bottles, glitter, scissors, and a everything a little artist could want in there.
I've got two other bathrooms in the house. They're known as "the forest bathroom" and "the ocean bathroom."
The laundry room is where you would go to consult the world map or the U.S. map. It's just opposite the washer and dryer, where otherwise you would have seen a blank wall.
Learning Nooks in the Family Room
My children refer to this room as the library, because it contains more book shelves than any other type of furniture. Between the book shelves, you would find little learning nooks. One little space, for example, has a dinosaur poster about a foot off the floor, along with a collection of dinosaur and prehistoric period books. My children's plastic dinosaur figures often choose that nook as a location to get together and play.
They've also got the bird section, the mythology section...you get the idea.
Learning Nooks in the Kitchen
The kitchen table is a common place for homeschoolers to congregate. Some families create comfy reading areas under the kitchen table.
My family uses the kitchen to keep the crowded shelf and cupboard that holds overflow kits, LEGOs, and other supplies. What doesn't fit there goes in the pantry or in the coat closet. I go to these overflow sections for supplies to create more learning nooks.
It's fun to create learning nooks. Invite your kids to join you or surprise them with a new section tucked between the couch and table or under the table.
You might also enjoy: The Homeschool Organization Collection
Sara McGrath - Sara is a veteran homeschool mom of three, Usborne consultant, and the author of Unschooling: A Lifestyle of Learning.
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