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JennGM
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| Posted: March 10 2005 at 2:49pm | IP Logged
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We're looking to upgrade to a single family home, and I was thinking of how I wanted our learning areas to be...so that is something I'm trying to evaluate when purchasing the house.
I was wondering how you set up your learning environments? Do you use desks, tables, other conventional "classroom" set-ups? If you have more than one child, are there assignments that require quiet time, separated from others? And if so, is this in their bedrooms, at a private desk? Is there a total break from the school approach, or a mish-mash?
I'm eager to hear different approaches. Thanks! 
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Jennifer G. Miller
Wife to  & ds1  '03 & ds2  '07
Family in Feast and Feria
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Karen E.
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| Posted: March 10 2005 at 5:13pm | IP Logged
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jenngm67 wrote:
I was wondering how you set up your learning environments? Do you use desks, tables, other conventional "classroom" set-ups? If you have more than one child, are there assignments that require quiet time, separated from others? And if so, is this in their bedrooms, at a private desk? Is there a total break from the school approach, or a mish-mash? |
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Hi, Jenn,
I have two school-age girls, and a 2 yr. old. We don't have a separate school area, because we don't tend to operate that way ... lots of "school stuff" happens cuddled up together on the couch, or on my bed, or at the kitchen table.
That said, I do have the kitchen organized to accommodate our schooling. I sacrificed a couple of kitchen cupboards to school supplies, my planning materials, paper, things for the toddler to do, etc. I also have a small, oak filing cabinet in the kitchen which houses some school stuff and some personal/household files for me.
When the girls need to do something in peace, they usually want to go sprawl on my bed to work. It works out fine, because what they usually need peace for (math) doesn't require that they use their best handwriting. If they're working on handwriting, if neatness counts, etc., they work at the kitchen table or the coffee table in the living room. They do have a desk in their room, but that's not usually their first choice. It's usually covered with markers and art projects. :-)
Our books are shelved and organized in a couple of different places in the house. Things we use daily are in the kitchen, in a storage tower/pantry, or in the cupboards I mentioned before. The living room holds several book shelves full of the kids' stuff, read-alouds, etc. Downstairs are Tom's and my books, things the kids don't need easy access to, etc.
Kate is asking for attention now, so I don't have time to ramble on anymore ....
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God bless,
Karen E.
mom to three on earth, and several souls in God's care
Visit my blog, with its shockingly clever title, "Karen Edmisten."
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Mary G
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| Posted: March 11 2005 at 6:29am | IP Logged
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Jenn:
I'm just doing my littles -- Thomas (6) and Maggie (5) -- this year (with John-Paul 2 in tow) 
We are lucky to have a large dining room and so have many reference books, our family altar, big desk for computer and little desk for seatwork all in the DR (including our 8ft table -- like I say, it's a nice room).
But as Karen puts it, most of our work is done cuddled on the couch, reading to the littles and talking about it; we also use videos to help them (nature tie-ins for the Arnosky books this week), etc.
Next year, I'll have my 9th grader home for high school, so we'll probably use the DR table much more -- I like having everyone in the same room (especially with the computer) and we have lots of windows onto the backyard from this room so it's nice and bright.
Our supplies (other than shelves of books in the DR and LR) are upstairs in bins and shelves in our hallyway -- keeps them out of JP's way but still relatively accessible.
Hope this helps.
Blessings
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MaryG
3 boys (22, 12, 8)2 girls (20, 11)
my website that combines my schooling, hand-knits work, writing and everything else in one spot!
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Elizabeth
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Dear Jenn,
When we were building our home,we noticed that it was supposed to have a two-story family room. We asked that they make a fifth bedroom upstairs instead. The room is pretty big and in it I have low shelves with Montessori activities, a computer desk with printer/scanner copier, a table that seats six with some tall charis (Ikea) for little ones. Theres a bookshelf full of games and quiet toys and an armoire with paper, glue, laminator and various scrapbook/lapbook stuff. The room has a large walk-in closet. In it are floor to ceiling bookshelves, labelled according to category. There are Montessori style mats in a tall basket and baskets with lapbooks in progress. This is the room where most of our "word processing" is done--including my writing. I've never had a "personal Space" to work in and I have the ulcer to prove it  . Off the kitchen is a sunroom with a play kitchen and trains and cars and city-building stuff. The family room is also off the kitchen. We use Math-U-See so I store all the DVDs, books, and blocks in a cabinet in the TV hutch and math gets done in the family room. Each of the school-aged children has a desk in his or her room, so there is someplace quiet to go. There are bookcases in every bedroom for personal literature collections. And we have a giant backyard which I consider as important as the library closet  . Hey, I think we're moving; you could just buy my house
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Elizabeth Foss is no longer a member of this forum. Discussions now reflect the current management & are not necessarily expressions of her book, *Real Learning*, her current work, or her philosophy. (posted by E. Foss, Jan 2011)
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cathhomeschool
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Our set-up is almost an exact duplicate of Karen's. The kids have desks, but use them exclusively for crafts and their own projects -- never school. To do seat work, they use the kitchen table, bench-sized window ledges... often they go out on the deck or in the hammock or up a tree with a clipboard to do math. They sprawl out on the floor quite a bit too.
We have a room that used to be the "school room." We're considering moving, and in a new house I'd like a large room like Elizabeth's -- bookshelves, tables, etc so that school supplies, crafts, and computers can all be in the same place. I doubt that "school" would actually happen there very often, though.
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Janette (4 boys - 22, 21, 15, 14)
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amiefriedl
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Jenn,
Coffee hasn't kicked in yet, so I apologise if this is sketchy.
In a way and at one level, I certainly treat homeschooling as a business. I get what we need to run smoothly (in a budget of course). My motto is "The right tool for the right job".
Right now we only have a first grader and a pre-schooler, so I'm sure personal desks in rooms are a thing of the future.
Our school has consummed the dining room. We have no DR furniture at all (I sold them for school furniture). We have a nice sized desk for mommy with hutch, computer and filing boxes. For children, we have 2 low Sandusky metal cabinets full of Montessori-like activities. The doors lock, so when I cannot stand the idea of another day of playdoh and such everywhere I can veto their activities. I use the tops of these low cabinets for electronic media related items: TV/VCR unit, odds n'ends.
To save space I have 2 tall cabinets, one with locking doors, the other is their more educational toys on bottom and my scrapbooking equip on top shelves. The locking door tall cabinet has their full fledged art supplies in it.
We have a low 6ft table w/little chairs and a small pooh table w/chairs. On the table are tiered baskets with pencils, sharpener, glue, scissors, markers and so on. My kids work in here ALL through the day. They are constantly doing writing/arts/crafts. My walls are covered with their beautiful work. It's so satisfying for me. I buy paper and supplies in bulk at a local paper salvage place that I could not live without.
I find that the neighbor kids come over here and immediately get to work in the school rm most days. They love having a place to work that is all theirs with plenty of room to stretch out.
Something I really love are my filing cabinets. We have one in the sch.rm. Top drawer is mommie stuff, kit catalogs and manuals. 2nd drawer is all misc school stuff; school stencils, spiral bound activities books, master copies of all differnt activity handouts, even spirograph plates. 3rd drawer is homeschooling catalogs and records. 4th drawer is just supplies right now. The idea is not to have stuff piled up and in the way laying around. Art easel is on top of filing cabinet.
Of course we read on the couches and beds for comfort and a little at the kit table during teatime. My bookshelves are in the living rms and bedrms. I keep all the toys in baskets on the low bkshlves everywhere.
Of course this all is per your own temperament. I'm choleric-melancholy with a strain of Sanguine. If you are Sanguine-phlegmatic then none of this will make sense or be important to you!  Depends on what God made you for! 
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In Christ the King through Mary our Mother,
Amie
Blessed with an awesome hubby and Mom of ds10, dd7, dd3 and dd 10months.
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JennGM
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| Posted: March 11 2005 at 4:40pm | IP Logged
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Elizabeth wrote:
Dear Jenn,
When we were building our home,we noticed that it was supposed to have a two-story family room. We asked that they make a fifth bedroom upstairs instead. ...And we have a giant backyard which I consider as important as the library closet . Hey, I think we're moving; you could just buy my house |
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We almost bought a new house that had a two story foyer which had the potential for a 5th bedroom. What a waste, I thought! We were trying to figure ways to close it off and use the space.
Your house sounds dreamy and so organized! We just put in an offer on a house today, but I have doubts they will accept it. How big is your yard? DH really wants a large yard...which is hard to find around here. He commutes to DC on the train, so South Riding isn't really close for his commute.  But if your price is right and your yard is big, maybe he'll go for it!!!
It's hard for me to look at houses and want to use the dining room for the school environment, because we use the dining room for family functions. We have a large extended family, most of them nearby. So thanks for all the ideas...it helps me solidify in my mind what I need to do.
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Jennifer G. Miller
Wife to & ds1 '03 & ds2 '07
Family in Feast and Feria
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Elizabeth
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jenngm67 wrote:
How big is your yard? DH really wants a large yard...which is hard to find around here. He commutes to DC on the train, so South Riding isn't really close for his commute. But if your price is right and your yard is big, maybe he'll go for it!!!
It's hard for me to look at houses and want to use the dining room for the school environment, because we use the dining room for family functions. We have a large extended family, most of them nearby. So thanks for all the ideas...it helps me solidify in my mind what I need to do. |
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We have a little over a half acre which is big for South Riding and it's all in the backyard. We back up to similarly sized backyards..No train to DC but we do lots of extended family things in the living and dining room together. I can put a table for eight in the DR and in the LR and in the breakfast nook and in the sunroom and I've done it before . Originally, I wanted a center hall colonial with the LR and DR on separate sides of the foyer, but we've really enjoyed having one big space because, like you, our extended family is in the area. This house found us--and I think it was a godsend. if we leave, I'll be very sad to leave it...
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Elizabeth Foss is no longer a member of this forum. Discussions now reflect the current management & are not necessarily expressions of her book, *Real Learning*, her current work, or her philosophy. (posted by E. Foss, Jan 2011)
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burgerktjds
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We live in Georgia and this is an area where big yards are typical--my hubby loved the idea of 'needing' a riding lawn mower for once, but then we had to put in a new AC unit instead. Our backyard is about 1 acre and has 3 huge pecan trees, several dogwood trees, bushes, and about 8-10 elephant ear plants that grew HUGE with leaves about 36" across. Its the best yard we've had and it also has an inground pool which was a lifesaver for our first year in HOT & HUMID Georgia. The spring months find us usually in the gazebo for read alouds and watching the birds at the feeders. I know nothing about birds, so we're going to work on that area. We're a family of 5 and so our house was a bit small, but the backyard made up for it big time.
We do school in the dining room. Our dining decor slowly changed from the initial set up to now look like a homeschool space. We put up a wall timeline that is 10ft across and this has been incredible to tie things in. I have our keyboard with our picture study prints hanging (just mounted on black construction paper, not fancy) right above--fits about3-4 prints across before the big window starts. We have a big world map on the other wall with our FIAR disks, wipe-off marks from different studies, etc. I have a USA map below the chair rail with more marks, labels, etc. We have 1 tall bookshelf that holds each of their notebooks, the math manips (MUS)and a shelf for my books/notes that go with current stuff (easily cluttered if I"m not careful). We have two short bookshelfs (just the white sauder-style stuff...not fancy)that are side by side below the world map that hold all the scrapbook, draw-write-now, sticker/stencil stuff. There are 3 of those 3-drawer things from Target that hold markers/colored pencils/crayons, thin markers, etc. The second shelf is for my 3yr old and her 'colllection' of stuff and the age-appropriate manipulatives & learning activies for her. The 2nd bookcase has a shelf with bibles, big resource books, nature books...the bottom shelf holds past notebooks from different units (not sure how much re-looking they do and might use this space differently). I have a pretty sturdy paper holder with 8 slots for xerox and colored cardstock, lined paper, etc. sitting on one bookshelf. I try to place lots of library books (FIAR book, author study, others from booklists) standing up on the bookshelf and on top of the paper organizer for visual and color. WHEW!!! We eat all our family meals here, but the kids can also eat at the bar in the kitchen--connected with an open door --if we don't want to disturb our stuff. The computer and xerox/scanner is in the Famiy room which is one step down from the dining room--so you still see the rest of us. If the boys need privacy, they go to their beds, but they never do :-) The couch is also a big hit for read alouds, cuddled read to mommy time, and listening to Jim Weiss story CD's. The house fits our needs, but with only 3br and about 1600sq ft, I"d love a bit more space when we move in 2yrs...although the yard will be painful to part with.
My hubby is in the USMC and so we're most likely headed to the Quantico, VA area next. The prices of houses there give me nightmares!!!
Teresa in GA
wife to a USMC for 13yrs and mommy to 3 sweeties
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Karen E.
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burgerktjds wrote:
| We do school in the dining room. Our dining decor slowly changed from the initial set up to now look like a homeschool space. We put up a wall timeline that is 10ft across and this has been incredible to tie things in. I have our keyboard with our picture study prints hanging |
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Teresa,
Your dining room sounds like mine! I forgot, in my earlier post, to include what we do in the dining room: we also have a large timeline up there, and the keyboard, too, as well as more of our books.
Off the kitchen, we have the mudroom/craft room -- keep lots of art/craft supplies out there, as well as maps on the wall and the kids' artwork.
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God bless,
Karen E.
mom to three on earth, and several souls in God's care
Visit my blog, with its shockingly clever title, "Karen Edmisten."
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JennGM
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| Posted: March 12 2005 at 11:19am | IP Logged
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burgerktjds wrote:
My hubby is in the USMC and so we're most likely headed to the Quantico, VA area next. The prices of houses there give me nightmares!!! |
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Oh, Teresa, I feel your pain! I've been living here since 1986 and I still can't believe the prices of the houses! Quantico is close to my parents' house...it's a bit cheaper than closer to DC, but not much! Prayers for you!
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Jennifer G. Miller
Wife to & ds1 '03 & ds2 '07
Family in Feast and Feria
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4Real Forums : Living Learning
Topic: Real Learning Environments?
