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kristacecilia
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| Posted: Oct 11 2012 at 9:34pm | IP Logged
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Forgive me if this is the wrong place for this...
Next month we are FINALLY finishing our large basement room and it's slated to be a learning space. I am so excited. I am also a little overwhelmed with design ideas. I was hoping there might be a few ladies like me out there who just love to brainstorm and plan things for other people. 
The room is large, about 20 feet by 20 feet with a wall that divides it half way down, giving it a U shape. There is an entrance and a bit of a wall at the to of each side of the U. At the bottom, there are two large, full-sized windows that face north. The two sides of the U are just long walls and they will have a shelf running the length about half way up the wall.
I hope that all made sense!
Anyway, I want to plan this space carefully. I don't want to go gung-ho and end up overspending or crowding it in with too much furniture or stuff.
I want it to be as CM-ish as possible, while allowing for our family's needs/budget. So far I have the following jotted down as a basic list of ideas:
- homey feel, not a classroom feel
- well lit
- natural colors/materials when possible
- bring in plants and animals, space for nature display
- open feeling, not cluttered
- well organized, orderly, and accessible
- need places to post things on the wall (I'm thinking cork boards or something for composer/artist study, etc)
- a neat looking timeline around the top
- some mid-height shelves for displaying things on top of
- bookshelves
- central table/work area
I also have to plan some sort of play/work area for my toddler and baby. I already have plenty of toys. I am thinking of including a castle tent/dress up clothes, a train table with bins of building blocks or trains, and a toy kitchen area. I don't want it to turn into a toy room. I am already thinking this might be too much. :/
So.... any ideas? Really, if you could plan ANY sort of homeschool room, what would it look like? What would you include? Especially you moms who have been doing this awhile, what is on your dream list for a learning space?
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God bless,
Krista
Wife to a great guy, mom to two boys ('04, '06) and three girls ('08, '10, '12!)
I blog at http://kristacecilia.wordpress.com/
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Erin
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| Posted: Oct 11 2012 at 10:19pm | IP Logged
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Well I keep pinning ideas but most of all I want to have centres. Various centres that entice and draw in; art, science, nature, crafts, geography etc.
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Erin
Faith Filled Days
Seven Little Australians
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Mackfam
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| Posted: Oct 15 2012 at 1:09pm | IP Logged
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Hi Krista,
What an exciting thing to be planning a learning space! Your space sounds just extraordinary and I think your ideas sound great! Honestly, our learning space changes with the changing needs and seasons of my family...so what I could have described to you as our ideal a couple of years ago doesn't fit us now. So, I guess my first suggestion would be to implement your wonderful ideas, get in that space, live in it, and be flexible enough to change things to fit your family as needed!
I love Erin's idea of "centers" in the learning space and that has been one thing we've done consistently over the years is to have dedicated spaces or niches within the overall space that have a common theme - like our nature shelf which is near all the science/nature study/field guide resources.
If I had the space that you're blessed with I would absolutely love a reading corner with a comfy couch/chair/something big enough for all of us to sit and read aloud on.
I think it's great you have two full size windows in the basement - I'd definitely capitalize on those and invite as much nature right up to those windows as possible!
When I have really little ones in our learning room I like to keep little play centers down low for them, but I tend to keep them stocked with quieter type creative toys and that has worked really well for us. I keep most of the pretend play toys in another area of the house because it's distracting to my bigger kids when they work. I like open bins/baskets set right out in different areas of the room and use things like play silks, foam blocks, regular wooden blocks, stacking and sorting toys. My younger toddlers have always loved it when I set up a special rug for them on the floor (Montessori style) with a special of basket of "work" (creative type open ended toy). Do they sit there riveted for hours? No. But they will usually stay put for 30 minutes or so which is plenty of time to get a little work done with an older child.
You didn't mention a music source - but you probably have planned to put something in there. Maybe an ipod with speakers? I like playing classical music sometimes, or our composer selection, or having the music I'm working on with my littles (Wee Sing), or our liturgical music for the month. We couldn't function without a way to play music.
Have fun planning and setting up your space, Krista! It sounds just lovely!
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Jen Mackintosh
Wife to Rob, mom to dd 19 , ds 16, ds 11, dd 8, and dd 3
Wildflowers and Marbles
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kristacecilia
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| Posted: Oct 29 2012 at 10:51am | IP Logged
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Sorry it has taken me so long to get back to this. We had a family emergency (my grandfather passed away unexpectedly  ) and I had to travel out of the country and... ugh. It's just one thing after another, as I know you ladies well know.
Anyway.... Jen, I wanted to pick your brain a little more about not having the more play-oriented items in the learning space. I completely understand why you would choose to do this, and frankly, if I had another option I probably would, too.
Unfortunately we have a very small house with very tiny bedrooms and a tiny living room. There is no room anywhere else in the house for these bigger toys (like the train table and toy kitchen). I pretty much have to include them in this large room if we want to keep them, although getting rid of some of them is also an option.
Do you have any suggestions for dividing/separating the toys from the other kids? I have lots of littles to use them and need some place to put them while I work with the bigger kids anyway. I would much rather have them working sweetly and quietly at their own tables, but I know my 2 year old will never sit still and do anything that isn't destructive. She's rather precocious. 
Plus I have a baby coming up behind her, still.
Anyway, one idea I had was to use one of the upper parts of the U shape just for the toys, so that the wall that runs down the middle of the U would separate it away from the rest of the learning space. I'll also be making generous use of gates and other "walls" to make a play area that will actually contain the littles. I will have a work area for my 4 year old with her brothers. I have two tables that were passed on to me- child height school tables and chairs that would sit four kids each comfortably. I planned to put the boys at one and the 4 year old at the other (with the 2 year old to join her as she matures).
I wonder if I could hang a curtain or something to really keep the littles' area from distracting the bigger kids. Of course, that won't help with the noise.
__________________
God bless,
Krista
Wife to a great guy, mom to two boys ('04, '06) and three girls ('08, '10, '12!)
I blog at http://kristacecilia.wordpress.com/
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4Real Forums : Planning and Ordering our Days
Topic: Planning a CM inspired learning space
