Homeschool World Forum

I have 3 kids and we live in a small 2 bedroom apartment. I homeschool at the table because there simply isn't room anywhere else! I don't mind though. It's cozy.

When we only had 2 children and had just started homeschooling I had the luxury of a "spare bedroom" to homeschool in. We had bulletin boards, a chalkboard and all kinds of posters. Oh for those days lol. Now we are squeezing 6 people into a 3 bedroom home and use the dining room for our schooling. In it we have our computer desk, the dining table (I think, haven't actually seen it in a while lol), a small chalkboard and a few posters scattered around. But there is a large window that provides lots of natural light so we like it.

We start out in the living room if I'm feeling up to it, otherwise we start on my bed. Then there are days when we start in the family room downstairs because I want to use a video at the beginning or to include Dad. And it's less common now, but in years past we have sometimes started the schoolday in the van while on the way to our first activity of the morning.

I have the kids do a lot of work with me on my bed. That way I can rest whenever I need to. (I've been either pg or nursing for over 7 years in a row now, and that is only with my youngest kids.)

On nice days like today, we do as much as we can outdoors.

While they eat lunch I read aloud. Usually I lie on the living room couch, which is right next to the kitchen/dining room.

We have lots of our school supplies in the family room. I also keep a set of shelves with one shelf for each child in my room next to my bed. Then we have a large bookcase with one shelf per child in a wasted bend of the hallway across from my bedroom door. Each child keeps some school things in his/her bedroom. And a few books are in the living room because they have overflowed the family room.

Ramona
HSing 6 kids for 12+ years and #7 on the way

That's a very good question. When I first started homeschooling when my now 19 year old was just 7 we homeschooled in the office area, and kitchen table I was trying to be extremely organized. These were great places for both my then 7 & 5 year old boys to study because I was able to corral my then 3-year-old girl in the living room/small play area that we had.
Once, I was teaching all three children at the same time, and was blessed to have the place to do it. We set up a schoolroom in the garage. The kids loved this because at the time we were living with their Grandma while DH finished out his tour of duty in the navy over in the gulf.
Later on we set up a school area in a den area where the kids could all sprawl out, and I was able to be close by to help when needed. For the most part I was right there with them as three kids can get sidetracked easily either with what type of pranks they are going to pull. Science seemed to give each one of them many ideas at things they could pull. Or they would be helping each other with subjects that went off into some interesting conversations which was great, but they would become massively side track and not accomplish what was set out for the day. Or as I’m sure everyone has either dealt if they have more then one child computation of who could do it better, which ended up with Mom having to stop the very LOUD discussion before it turned into a fight.

Now that my old is taking a GED coarse at our local college my two youngest now 17 & 15 are at the point where they are for the most self taught can be found all over the place. They are either in their rooms, in the office area, in the living room, and have been know to study outside. I have learned that it’s easier now to let them study where they feel comfortable, and they seem to thrive.

All this to say: don’t get stuck at where to do school, do what works for you. I have found that what works for one homeschooling family doesn’t always work for the other. Along with what works for one child never seems to work to the other child.
Kathy, who has been homeschooling for a lifetime.