5 Tips for an Awesome Homeschool Schoolroom
Do you have a homeschool schoolroom? It’s certainly possible to be quite successful in homeschooling without one, and we didn’t always have one. We do now, and I’m happy to share with you now 5 Tips for an Awesome Homeschool Schoolroom. But, feel free to adapt these tips for anyplace where you homeschool!
Disclosure: I get commissions for purchases made through affiliate links in this post.
Have your Computers Facing Out & Use Headphones
We have 8 children, so we have slowly added more computers as the kids have grown since several of their subjects are done on the computer (Teaching Textbooks math, IXL grammar for middle school, Touch Type Read and Spell for typing, IEW Phonics Zoo for spelling, and coding practice with Sonic Pi and Scratch).
In 2020, my kids are now using Masterpiece Society for art as well!
One tip that I have is to make sure the computers are facing out. It makes it easy for me to glance at the screens to see what each student is working on and helps keep them accountable. We also have headphones that help the kids be able to concentrate more easily, whether they are listening to the lesson with the computer or sitting in the room at their desk doing other schoolwork.
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Colorful Educational Posters!
Put Educational Things on the Walls in your Homeschool Schoolroom
One of the fun things about having the luxury of your own schoolroom is having more freedom with what you put on the walls since this room isn’t frequented as often by guests. I fill my walls with maps,
educational posters (such as this one about fall leaves),
a calendar & weather chart, motivational posters,
and art that we use for art appreciation and picture study.
I have a stack of the kids’ artwork that I’m going to frame and put up on the wall as well.
Get a FREE download of 7 Colorful Educational Posters
2 Alphabet
3 Life Cycle
Periodic Table
Multiplication Tables
Organize books by subject or category
We are blessed to have so many built-in bookcases in this house. I highly recommend them if you are designing your own room! I organize my books and resources by subjects or categories such as math, science, phonics, grammar, art, music, etc. My history books are separated by the four divisions of history that we follow with Tapestry of Grace and the three years we aren’t using presently are in closed-off cabinets in our living room.
Each Student has His or Her Own Desk
Getting a desk for each of my kids was a decision I made many years ago. I kept an eye out on our county-wide homeschool Yahoo group for free or cheap desks that others were getting rid of. (Now, you can check Facebook Marketplace or Craig’s List!)
We have had several different types, such as the metal type of desks that high school students used to use in public schools with the attached chair attached and the lid that opened where you can store things inside and different desks you see in this picture. I purchased this wooden desk at a garage sale:
What I find most useful in having each student with their own desk is that they can keep their books, notebooks, and supplies more easily accessible and organized. At this point, each of the three youngest students has an individual desk, the older elementary students use the other side of the large desk in the middle of the room (with drawers),
and my middle schooler and high schooler have desks in their bedrooms where they do most of their reading and written work so it’s quieter for them.
Have Supplies Handy for Use
I have accumulated supplies throughout the years to make our homeschooling easier such as a three-hole punch, printer/copier, and laminator. The laminator is in a nearby drawer in the homeschool schoolroom. The others are sitting right on top where they are easy to get to and use.
Morning Basket Set-up
Every morning at 9 a.m. All the kids meet together with me in the living room for our Morning Time (also called Morning Basket Time or Circle Time by some homeschoolers). I recently got this new basket that I LOVE for our books and supplies that I set on the end table by the couch.
I also use my laptop, smart TV (with Apple screen share), and a blue tooth speaker to do some of our morning time subjects, such as science with No Sweat Nature Study, music appreciation with Music in Our Homeschool Plus, art appreciation with Masterpiece Society, and current events with World Watch News.
What’s in it?
(See links to these in my Amazon store here or at individual links below.)
- Tapestry of Grace history and literature books such as The Mystery of History, Story of the World, and Beorn the Proud
- An art appreciation book– ART: A World History
- Flip Flop Spanish teachers guide, flashcards, individual dry erase boards, markers, and eraser
- Inductive Bible Study for kids workbook and colored pencils
- IEW Medieval History-Based Writing Teachers Manual
- Brain Break flashcards
- Grammar Galaxy text
- Tuttle Twins books
- Poetry book: Sing a Song of Seasons
- Homeschool supplies (pens, pencils, sticky notes, sticky bookmarks, reading glasses, and foam dice for games)
More Tips for your Homeschool Schoolroom
At our old house, we transformed our dining room into a homeschool schoolroom. (We had a large breakfast area next to the kitchen and didn’t need a separate dining room). My husband put in a long shelf for computers and cabinets to keep books and supplies organized. We used an armoire for more homeschool book and supply storage. Most other books were stored upstairs on various bookshelves in various rooms.
I love the shelves for all of the books, and the computers facing out would help me to check on all the kids and view their work simultaneously.
What is the You Can Quote Me! pocket chart?! Nothing is coming up when I search for it and didn’t see it in your Amazon store…..
Oh, that’s too bad. I guess they don’t sell it anymore. 🙁
~Gena