School Room Archives - Eva Varga


August 10, 20142

This is perhaps one of the hardest posts for me to write because we don’t really have a school room or room dedicated to homeschool. We live in a modest sized home and like most homeschool families, our lifestyle of learning is evident in the decor of our home.

our school room

As I will explain more in the near future – we have a very relaxed approach to homeschool. My kids and I also have many interests. As a result, we tend to have projects and activities – in various stages of completion – strung about and on display all the time.

Like most homeschool moms, I also adore books. I regularly scour second hand stores for classic titles and even old textbooks. My shelves are double stacked and there are still piles of books in front of the book cases.

Most of our formal schooling – when we are home – takes place here in the living room. The kids and I stretch out on the couches as I read aloud. We squeeze around the coffee table, sitting criss-cross on the floor, to work on our history timeline or map work. Larger projects are spread out on the floor.

schoolroom

In the center of the photograph, you can see my secretary desk – a gift from my husband when we first began our homeschool journey. It is made from the wood of a black walnut that my dad sawed on his mill. It is the perfect size for the kids’ laptop and for journaling or correspondence.

This photograph doesn’t show it, but the hallway is strewn with posters that correlate to our current studies and a few projects the kids have recently completed.

One of my favorite areas of our home – and the one that elicits the most comments – is our Our Cabinet of Curiosities. This is where we can display our nature collections, field guides, and nature journals.  

Looking for Inspiration?

If you are new to homeschooling or just need a little something new to kick-start the new school year, then check out the Big Book of Homeschooling Ideas!  This amazing, resource-filled e-book download is full of ideas and inspiration for the novice or seasoned homeschool family (including a chapter I authored on Inquiry Science for Middle School) for just $10.99!  Click HERE to buy or for more information.

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You can also see how other homeschool families set up their homeschool “rooms” at the Not Back To School Blog Hop from the iHomeschool Network.

Come back often to visit new additions all week this week. Next Monday we will be sharing student photos. Grab a button so your bloggy friends can share their hard work, too.

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August 13, 20121
We live in a modest sized home and like most homeschool families, our lifestyle of learning is evident in the decor of our home.  Our projects and activities are strung about and ‘on display’ all the time.

The foyer and nature center. All our field guides are stored in the cupboard below the curio cabinet.  You can see our field bags under the table and our walking sticks in the corner … ready for an impromptu outing.  Our journals are on the table … along with the Handbook of Nature Study, a few specimens, and our microscope. 

The hallway with posters that correlate to our current studies and a few projects the kids have recently completed.  This is a new feature in our home and we’ve only begun to use this as a teaching tool.
Looking into the living room from the foyer … the piano and our library of resource books.  There are also two 4-drawer filing cabinets full of material but those are in the corner of Sweetie’s bedroom.
A close-up of our library.  The two wooden boxes on the floor store our Book of Centuries,    postcard albums, and other materials we use regularly.  The kids’ Mandarin bags are tucked between the boxes when not in use.  

The living room showing the coffee table or where you’ll find the kids’ math workbooks, our library books, and their writing journals.  These seldom get put away because we use them so frequently. Beneath the table is a box with dividers to organize pencils, scissors, post-its, tape, glue-stick, etc. This is where we do our school work – either independently or cooperatively.  We’ll spread projects out on the floor, cuddle up on a couch and read, or each find a comfy spot to work on our own.