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Well, I took the plunge this year and decided to homeschool my kids. It wasn't an easy decision. If you had asked me even a year ago about homeschooling my kids, I would have laughed. I actually have said many...many times in the past that I would never homeschool. I know how my attempts went with homework alone, and they weren't successful. You see, I have very little patience...and sadly, I feel like my kids are as stubborn as me sometimes. Well, I guess I should never say never :) Here I am two weeks into this journey, and I wouldn't change it. I wish I didn't have to make a decision like this. I mourn the idea of my little one missing out on the traditional idea of kindergarten. I'm sad my older one won't get excited about having a certain friend in her class. It is hard, but I wasn't happy with the way public school was looking to be this year, so I made that leap. I was super lucky to have a friend guide me in the process, and another friend make the leap with me. It's always a little easier with support.
To make sure we had a successful year, and to try to make it as fun as possible for my littles, I knew I needed to carve out a special space in my house dedicated to just homeschool. I was going to do it on the kitchen table, but really didn't like the way that went last year when they were forced to do online school. I also wanted to be able to have them do their work in the same room as my office.
So, I found the space by moving my massive armoire. I seriously still can't believe that just me and my husband moved this down the stairs alone. It was heavy! It used to act as a closet since we don't have a coat closet or linen closet anywhere in our house. But as the years have passed, it became more of a storage for my blankets and pillows...hoards and hoards of pillows. I decided that I can have that kind of storage in the basement :)
I just had to share this photo with you guys after the armoire was moved. Yep, that is called pure laziness :) I couldn't reach to paint the rest of it, so I just left it. Seriously had no intention on ever moving this armoire 4 months ago. And that board just dangling there? Ha!
Here's the after! I ended up fixing that board, and obviously painted the rest of that wall and other wall.
My vision fell together quickly with this. I had about a week to make it come true. I saw these prints while scrolling homeschool ideas on pinterest and kind of went with the black and white theme from there. I actually ended up making these charts on my own which I will share with you the tutorial soon.
While scrolling Amazon for homeschool ideas, I came across this calendar and "today is" set. It just fit perfectly with the look I was going for...plus, these were some ideas I knew they would be doing in kindergarten, so I wanted to add them.
I spray painted a cute little bucket to hold some of the weather options. I just put these on the wall with sticky-tack. The weather options and numbers etc are also put on with the same stuff.
I bought this sugar mold about two years ago, and never used it. I decided that it finally had a chance to shine as an organizer for pencils and crayons.
Here's a closer look at how I hung the charts. I made these too! I went to buy them, and realized I could easily make three of these for the price of one of them online. I hung this metal caged light up...mainly for decor. Not so much functionality. These fairy lights don't give off much light :) But, I love how the design and color mesh with the charts.
My initial idea, before the charts, was to add strings of jute to hang up artwork. The charts obviously took up some space, so I had to improvise. I ended up finding a space underneath the chart on the shorter wall.
As you can see, there's really not that much space to add more things. So, I had to get creative! I ended up putting our "180 Days of School" chart on the inside portion of the barn door. I'll be adding more stuff to this door as the year progresses. I already have a solar system that is going to go on the top.
As for the desk, this isn't exactly what I envisioned, but it's what it ended up being since the space was so tight. I actually bought two of these file cabinets for $5 each... I know, right?! They weren't this pretty when I got them though :) I knew I needed storage, so it pained me to only be able to use one of them. I actually had to move some stuff around on the other side of this room, but I was able to make the second one work. That's what is going to hold all my teacher stuff. I'll be sharing that updated space with you soon too!
I'm super loving how this all turned out .... I know, lots of black and white and wood. Don't worry, when school is in session, there's lots of pinks and purples and blues and greens .... lots of other colors in other ways :) This space is in the main part of our house, so I wanted it to jive with my decor and aesthetic.
I still can't wrap my mind around the idea that I am actually doing this thing called homeschooling. If you want to learn more about my decision to do so, what curriculum I'm using etc etc. Let me know and I'll be happy to discuss it with you!
Also....shall I now count the functions of this single room? It's a little crazy. Living room. Guest room. Playroom/storage. Office. Homeschool room. Amazing what you can make a room do with a little creativity!
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