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Becky Parker
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I'm really just dreaming here. I don't have money in our budget to remodel our school room, but I'm making an "If money were no object I would add/change ___ to the school room" list! That way, if I ever do have some extra $$ I'll know what to do with it!  So, what do you have in your school room that you love, or what would you like for your schoolroom? Of course, it doesn't have to be a school room, but anyplace that you do your school work.
Also, what color is your schoolroom? I think, if nothing else, a fresh coat of paint would really help our situation.
Thanks for helping me dream!
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Becky
Wife to Wes, Mom to 6 wonderful kids on Earth and 4 in Heaven!
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Paula in MN
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I love my book shelves!
I would love a fireplace for our cold winter days. We recently painted the walls, kind of a golden tan. I mixed leftover paint together, so there is no "name" for the color. But it's warm! Oh, and I went with a semi-gloss. So much easier to clean!
I'd love more hanging space, for maps, bulletin boards and my huge white board.
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 Paula
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SuzanneG
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We just converted our garage into living space and it's a "learning/school/play/reading/project/book room."
Here are some of the things we did or are dreaming about:
::Big Windows
::Many, many recessed light fixtures. Lighting is EVERYTHING!
::Electrical outlets in the middle of the room on the floor
::MANY other electrical wall outlets (can you tell we live in an old house w/hardly any outlets and I hate it?  )
::Adjustable tables with new chairs that match the table!
::Door to the outside
::Pull down maps---someday!
And, we painted it a sage-cottage-green. I love it!
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Suzanne in ID
Wife to Pete
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Becky Parker
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Paula in MN wrote:
I love my book shelves!
I would love a fireplace for our cold winter days. |
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Now that would be nice!
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Becky
Wife to Wes, Mom to 6 wonderful kids on Earth and 4 in Heaven!
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Becky Parker
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SuzanneG wrote:
::Electrical outlets in the middle of the room on the floor
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I would never have thought of this Suzanne. What do you use these outlets for?
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Becky
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Kathryn
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Ohhh...you get us dreaming....
I converted my "office" to the school room. It is kind of school-y with the mounted dry erase board and their desks and a few posters but I could NOT get by without my dry erase board AND it's magnetic. We all (including the 2 year old!) use this board. It's gotten sooo much use I only wish I could have a bigger one (I have a 4 x 6 but had to turn it's taller than wider).
This room is only about 10 x 11 though and I would sooo love one that's about twice this size to have room for a community ? table instead of or even in addition to their individual desks. Plus room for more bookshelves although there is a really nice size closet in here, it's amazing how easy it is to fill up.
I would also like more wall space for bulletin boards, posters, maps AND a timeline! I need more space at child level as opposed to the 8-12' these ceilings go. They'd have to practically squint to see their timeline but it would keep it out of the 2 year old's hands.
White walls here....blah! I really do want to paint but not sure what color. Ideas?
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amyable
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I would like a ROOM for my school room.
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Amy
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PDyer
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Our school room is the fourth bedroom in our house. It's on the first floor, set off by itself near the garage entry to the house. The first thing we did to make this room work as a school room was to build in four shelves the width of the closet (a standard bedroom sized clothes closet). Those simple shelves give us plenty of room for our "stuff". Maybe too much room, as I need to purge. Again.
When we moved in the room's walls were covered in deep green and plum golfer-man wallpaper. Last summer I decided we needed to brighten the area up a bit, and got out the paintbrush. After the wallpaper was gone (a project, let me tell you), I painted the walls pale yellow. Our winters are dark and gloomy, so the glow of the walls is welcome! I moved a large chair and an ottoman into the room, so now we have a cuddly place to read as well. Then I found a pair of girly butterly and flower curtains at Target.com for the windows. For very little money as redecorating goes, we're really happy with the change.
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Patty
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Mackfam
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A collection of lovely things that are important to me in the learning spaces (I have some of these...some I dream of):
** Lots of natural light
** Adjustable bookshelves that are OFF the floor (mounted to the wall)
** Defined project space for science/nature area (dreaming of a cabinet, sink, room for chemicals and lab equipment)...right now we call this my kitchen. 
** Wall space for dry erase/chalkboard
** Map space! I dream of one that rolls up and doesn't cost a fortune!
** Big table in center of room - individual work areas available
** Large cabinet for supplies (craft, paper, cd player, copier/printer)
** BIG comfy reading chair near one of the windows
** Pretty desk for me. 
** Lockable closet space/cabinet space for rotating manipulatives and activity/work.
** Small DVD/tv combo for educational DVD's (I moved a small portable DVD player we already had into our learning room with a basket of educational DVD's. It's been a GREAT tool. Our Latin DVD's can be viewed here, Leapfrog, Math Circus, nature docs, etc. Definitely not necessary! But nice I'm finding! Especially helpful cuz the big TV stays CLOSED FOR BUSINESS during the school day, but if I'd like to supplement with an ed DVD or something, it has a place...and headphones!)
** Nice lighting for cloudy days...and a ceiling fan (we're in the south...must have breezes!)
Color choice:
My learning room is painted a soft powder blue in satin (bounces light around nicely) and I love it!! Below the chair rail it's a high gloss cream color. I love that too...wipes up super easy!
It was fun dreaming with you, Becky! Have fun planning your spaces!
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Jen Mackintosh
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Donna Marie
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Mackfam wrote:
A collection of lovely things that are important to me in the learning spaces (I have some of these...some I dream of):
** Adjustable bookshelves that are OFF the floor (mounted to the wall) |
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Hey Jennifer? What are the pluses for this over a bookcase? ...Just wondering..I have been doing the bookcase thing but I am interested in adjustable shelves too...
I do find it is important to dream of what you cannot afford too!...you never know when you might come across something..or if someone else hears of something that needs a new home! Wish lists are wonderful for organizing your thoughts...you can always tweak them as you go along!
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Donna Marie wrote:
Mackfam wrote:
A collection of lovely things that are important to me in the learning spaces (I have some of these...some I dream of):
** Adjustable bookshelves that are OFF the floor (mounted to the wall) |
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Hey Jennifer? What are the pluses for this over a bookcase? ...Just wondering..I have been doing the bookcase thing but I am interested in adjustable shelves too... |
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So...a description of what I have and how mine are configured:
** They're wall mounted
** Each get 3 tracks for support
** The system can be purchased from Lowe's or Home Depot in increments (in other words...a little at a time as budget allows...we spent about a year to put up 6 sections of wall shelves)
** Mine begin about 4 feet high on the wall and the track/shelves go up to 9 feet on the wall. So, the bottom half of my wall does not have the wall mounted shelves. It's free for other things. We had to start at 4 feet because we took over a dining room with raised panel wainscoting...so that was just a limitation in place in our room. I like how it has worked out though.
My opinion and preferences on the benefits of adjustable, wall-mounted shelves:
** They hold and distribute weight nicely. My husband mounted all of them in studs. The extra support in the middle of shelves helps keep them from sagging. I believe my shelves will individually - one shelf - support 80 pounds of weight. That's a lot of books and supplies.
** They're adjustable. I can have 8 very shallow spaced shelves or 5 medium spaced shelves or a variation in between. I can add shelves...take away. Very adjustable and can meet different needs at different seasons/times.
** They can go all the way up to the ceiling. I have 9 foot ceilings and not much wall space. I wanted to be frugal and make use of every bit of wall space I had...that meant that shelf tracks are installed so that there are shelves all the way up to the ceiling. This is nice for storing my off-season books. I like having these books around. They're accessible, but not taking up valuable real estate on shelves that are more reachable. It makes good use of all the wall space.
** Small people CANNOT reach these shelves. Big plus!
** All of the floor space in my room is now free for me to make use of in other ways besides book shelf space. I have room for shallow Montessori shelves for the littles on the floor now, tables under the wall shelves are nice (the children's books can be within arms reach if we arrange the table this way), small reading areas can be snugged under a collection of wall shelves without blocking books or materials, etc.
** The room is easily arranged and re-arranged to accommodate different needs/priorities...or just to add seasonal freshness. I can do this easily WITHOUT having to move or rearrange bookshelves.
** Unanticipated benefit...the shelves allow for the room to feel/look more open. Because there are no sides, and the back is the wall color (which can be a light color in a sheen that bounces light) the books and materials I have sometimes just seem to be floating in the room. Visually, it's less bulk in the room for the eye to take in. This was pretty important for us because our learning room is in the space of what used to be a dining room in an open floor plan. It's the first thing you see and is visible from everywhere in the downstairs. I wanted the light coming in the room to be able to move around the space well.
** Cords can be run easily behind the shelves. This is great if you have something electronic (CD player, copier) on the shelf. The mounted tracks allow for a space of about a half inch between the back of the shelf and wall...perfect for cords to find space in seeking outlets...and they're hidden by books in front of them so not unsightly.
HTH in your brainstorming, Donna Marie! These wall mounted shelves were really just a solution to some challenges I had in our space, but as I lived with them I found other benefits which make me find these very valuable. If we move or find ourselves in another space I will go with this option again...unless Paula rolls up in my driveway with her FIL! My, but her shelves are lovely. So, short of Paula's talented FIL, these wall mounted shelves answer my needs nicely!
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Jen Mackintosh
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SusanJ
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So, this is pretty much the total opposite of what Jennifer would want, I think but I was going to chime in that we are getting a double-sided bookcase--sometimes called a room divider bookcase. Bascially it's a bookcase with no back but finished on both sides. We don't have a schoolroom and I don't think we'll want one but I'm a fan of smaller, cozy areas within the home. The double-sided bookcase can be used to make a small partition that doesn't overwhelm the room and allows light to pass over. If we did have a school room I can imagine using one to make a reading nook or older/younger sections of the room.
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Mackfam
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SusanJ wrote:
| So, this is pretty much the total opposite of what Jennifer would want, I think but I was going to chime in that we are getting a double-sided bookcase--sometimes called a room divider bookcase. |
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Actually, this sounds like a great solution!!!  I'm filing this one away...cuz you never know! But, I love the idea of using a nice double-sided bookshelf to divide a room and create special spaces!
In the end, I'm all about finding creative ways to address the needs and limits within a space! So, like Donna Marie...I love reading threads like this...adding ideas to my inspiration planner...because you just never know!!! Very glad you shared, Susan!
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Jen Mackintosh
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Chris V
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amyable wrote:
| I would like a ROOM for my school room. |
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That is *my* dream too! 
I'm thoroughly enjoying this topic. When I've got a spare moment, I'm grabbing a pencil and jotting all of this down, just in case my dream comes true!
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Bookswithtea
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We are right in the middle of re-doing our craftroom, which also is sort of a schoolroom. Jen and her blog have been invaluable for ideas! 
My room is small and its in the basement (can't be avoided). It has to serve as the main place for book storage. It is also the room where every messy craft, puzzle, etc happens. It is also the room where the sewing is done (I have two girls who sew for 4h). And each child will have a small space for doing/storing independent schoolwork. The reality is that schoolwork happens in lots of places in our home, but we find that having a small personal space does help.
Our walls are getting painted a really soft blue. Even in a basement, the light (lots of lighting is crucial!) bounces off it nicely. The wood is IKEA birch color...as in lots and lots of 7 ft IKEA bookshelves covering one wall. Another wall has the small IKEA desks (birch for the boy, pastel pink for the girls). IKEA is great for pieces that fit a small room. We have two of IKEA's cubbie sets (Expedit). These are *awesome* and bolt to the wall. Thhis gives us 16 cubbies for craft/puzzle storage, and a different IKEA system that has 12 shallow bins that act like drawers but pull out completely, for crayons, scissors, etc. is the rest of the craft storage. If it doesn't fit in these three systems, we don't need it.
Target sells a celery green box (I think its called ITSO?) that fits perfectly in the Expedit shelves that is strong enough that when my 2 yr old decides to dump one out and use it as a stepstool, it won't break. The last wall will have overhead cabinets for the sewing equipment and below will be two small sewing tables. In the center of the room is a table for crafting. And I discovered that Lowe's sells stick on vinyl flooring in a wood look that is in the shape of planks rather than 12 inch squares. I would never use stick on tiles in a kitchen, but for a basement floor, it doesn't look half bad and I needed something clean up friendly and budget friendly.
Its not my ideal, but I think its going to work nicely. For me, storage, color, a big table, and flooring are the crucial elements.
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SusanJ
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Bookswithtea wrote:
Target sells a celery green box (I think its called ITSO?) that fits perfectly in the Expedit shelves that is strong enough that when my 2 yr old decides to dump one out and use it as a stepstool, it won't break. |
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Books, thanks for this tip. We're getting a slightly different IKEA shelf but I think the cubbies are the same size. I need a few pull out storage bins/baskets/boxes for the kids clothes and didn't like any of the IKEA options.
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Donna Marie
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Thanks Jennifer..you always give me great things to ponder!
The thing that really kills me is the lack of wall space that I have. I have no walls that are uninterrupted by a door or window and the longest wall I have holds my 3 bookcases. I really would love having a corner and a place to post work...like a large bulletin board! I am very visual and this is important to me. We have small spaces and have to make things feel right...displayed without a cluttered feeling. and to make it worse, no real storage, unless you count under my bed and the bunk beds...we have trouble storing children too! LOL
Actually I have been praying for a new home, if it is God's will. It is IMPOSSIBLE considering our current situation so I feel such a request is right up God's alley so to speak! ...did I mention that I am an incurable optimist??
One thing that has helped is having (what was a wooden waste paper container from marshalls) as a place to put rolled up Montessori rugs, laminated maps (that I don't care that the kids lay on or play on...I have had them for 10 years, wrinkled as they are!), and pocket charts rolled up. I installed cup hooks under the mantle by the fireplace and under the long accent window in the diningroom for hanging them...much like Jennifer did in her schoolroom. I keep the folders and envelopes that contain their work near the space where they hang them and keep the bulk of them in filing cabinets that fit under our computer table...(the best desk I ever had)!
I digress..but this is a way that we have things able to hang without cluttering the space in non-school time. I wish I had a more permanent place somedays, but it works for now.
ok enough computer time for me! I have spent the better part of this early afternoon looking for VBAC options in NJ...very, very frustrating!! But this thread has me nicely distracted, thank you!
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Mattie
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Oh, such an exciting thread! Especially on the eve of a move into a BIG house with a HUGE schoolroom! 
So if I may share my plan, which is in the beginning stages (I have 26 more days to wait until we move (but who is counting?), so I am trying to stay calm about the whole thing...
And please add any ideas you might have, I would love it!
The room is a little weird because it is an addition that was put onto the side of the kitchen and the family room. It is very long, pretty wide (no dimensions, sorry), it has 6 windows on three walls, and the fourth wall has the original kitchen window and the family room's sliding door. And there are 2 more doors that give into the back yard, one right across from the sliding door and one on the side.
So what I would like to do is to have on left of the sliding door a big table (the current 2 desks put facing each other so we can all sit around the table at anytime.
I would also like to somehow have my 2 shelves with bins (you know, the dowel rod shelves with the plastic bins?) to fit somewhere close to the table since it is where we keep most of our crafts and paper supplies. Dh put hinges on them so they stack up nicely and safely, so maybe they will fit on one of the side of the desk against a wall, it would help to have measurements...
Then on the other side of the sliding door, across from the desk I would like to have the couch (so in the middle of the room with its back to the desk) and on the right of the sliding door, the only full wall, I would like to put shelving, which I guess will have to be free standing since I don't think we can screw anything into the outdoor wall of the house (any suggestions?), And I will probably extend the shelving so it condemns the side door to go outside. on the opposite wall I would like to put our CGS altar and all spiritual books.
On the right side of the door to go outside I would like to get a little bench with cubbies underneath to store shoes and hats, etc.. and pegs for coats as this is the only door to the backyard.
I have not thought of walls yet... We have a few posters and maps but not many and I am hoping they will fit between windows.
The carpet is a dark red (not my first choice but we cannot afford to change it as of now but in the future I would like it to be either tiles or a wood looking linoleum for easy clean up.)
walls are white and will probably stay that way for a while as well.
So any ideas, suggestions?
Thank you for starting this wonderful and timely thread! Here goes another night of sleep! But all for a good cause, right?
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Bookswithtea
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Mattie, this sounds like a really beautiful room. I would so love to have windows!
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mothering ds'93 dd'97 dd'99 dd'02 ds'05 ds'07 and due 9/10
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Becky Parker
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I think windows make a huge difference. Currently, our school room in the basement has two smallish windows. The wall is cinderblock so I'm guessing we wont be able to replace them with bigger ones. I think that's why we end up in the sunroom upstairs in the winter. We like the natural light. Since I can't change the size or number of windows I would love to rip up the carpet and replace it with something that reflects light, like wood or vinyl. I probably wouldn't go with ceramic tile because my kids play down there and I wouldn't want any injuries from falls on the floor. Redoing the floor, adding better lighting and painting the walls a light color would probably help.
I'm really enjoying all the ideas. This gives me lots to think about.
Here's a question: I have dark wood bookshelves that line the back wall of our school room. I have another bookshelf, the same color of wood, on one of the side walls. Will it clash if I get the kids light colored wood desks? In my idea gathering quest I'm trying to think of ideas that will brighten up our classroom.
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4Real Forums : Living Learning
Topic: School room remodel
