Sunday, August 8, 2010

Where we school

Not Back to School Blog Hop

The majority of our schooling happens right at the kitchen table.  Not only am I excited about showing our 'school room' I am also happy to be giving you all a sneak peek at our newly re-done kitchen!  (I'll be posting more of that later this week.)

So, anyway... school.  At the far left is our chalkboard door, a new addition.  So far we've been posting our daily schedule on it.  Just around the corner from the chalk-door is our dry erase calendar.  We love labeling and drawing our own symbols for special days, and marking off each day as it passes.

A view from the other direction, mainly to show our window to the backyard.  It's nice to be able to look out and see the boys playing or, in the winter, the birds at our feeders.  We currently have a hummingbird feeder out this window that.... um... needs to be filled.  Can't seem to remember to get to that.

My Mom the Librarian helped me with one of my favorite organizational upgrades for this year.  We have school books lined up on bookshelves all over the house, but this one in the kitchen is the main one.  It holds most of the resource type books that the boys have free access to.  While we have quite a few good books, the problem has been finding what we need (or, more accurately, remembering we have it) when we need it.

So, we categorized everything and color coded it.  Don't you love color coding?  Below is a picture of our science books, divided into 3 shades of green for earth science, animals, and plants.  More or less. ;)
And finally, the It's-on-extended-loan-to-me Hoosier, loaded up with all our miscellaneous school gear.  You can get the full story on this wonderful piece and how I came to have it in this post.

This is the picture I posted of it not long after it arrived last September.  The contents have changed and rearranged considerably, just since then, but you can still get the general idea.  I love using this to hide organize all our stuff!
 

Thanks for visiting, and happy NOT back to school blog hopping! :)

22 comments:

Marsha said...

What a great view from your window. Your school space looks wonderful! Thanks for the tour!

Trina said...

I would love to learn how to color code my books . . .can your mom come help me please. Thanks for sharing your room, have a blessed week.

Wendi said...

Love the chalkboard door! The color-coding idea sounds great...I like the different shades of the same color concept :)

We have our kitchen table right next to our sliding glass door...we spend many breakfasts watching the birds :)

Mom Guide said...

I just colored our book in July. It makes it so much easier.

Nicole said...

Great room and the chalkboard door is awesome!

Joelle said...

THanks for stopping by and leaving me a comment. I love your schoolroom, especially that window letting in the nice light. You are pretty good at organizing too. That''s great. I wish you a great year.

Lora @ my blessed life said...

Looks great and organized!

Jen@Scrapingirl said...

A chalk board door!!! That is the coolest!! And I do think our blogs are related too. :)

Jamie said...

I love to organize the books but Inever thought about color coding!New Idea,thanks.New follower from Indiana,please feel free to stop by and visit!

Unknown said...

Great space and can I borrow your mom? I have a big problem with forgetting which resources I already own. A librarian in the family should be a must for all homeschoolers lol.

Unknown said...

New reader here. Love the way you color coded the books. Great idea.
Blessings
Diane

Amy Lynne said...

Happy new school year! I hope your routines and schedules keep going well for you!

Anna P said...

What a bright cheery space! I LOVE the Hoosier as well! Thanks for sharing!

Jennifer said...

Love the color on the walls!! Do you know the name of it?? Everything looks great:)

Catherine said...

What great ideas, and such a nice area. I hope you're loving your new kitchen/school! That Hoosier is just perfect. i wish you a happy and blessed school year.

Cheryl Pitt said...

Very nice! I love the color of the walls!! I'd love to be that organized... hopefully one day :)

JACQUELIN said...

What a great space you have, thanks for letting me take a peek inside. I love the organization of the books, color coding makes my heart go pitter-patter. That is definitely on my list of things to do and to get a resorce listr of all the books we own too. What is the name of your wall color, it's very warm and pretty. Have a great year!

Deb said...

That Hoosier cabinet is fabulous! I am getting so many great ideas on this blog hop -I just love peeking into other people's rooms!

Mendi... said...

Awesome ideas of how to turn an ordinary space into a learning spot that is extraordinary!! Thanks for sharing!

Blessings~
Mendi

Amy said...

Thank you all for your lovely comments! Our paint color is Kilz brand "Casual Colors" from good ol' Walmart, and is called "Cowboy Hat".

Katy said...

You have made a wonderful place to educate your children! I hope you all have an absolutely wonderful year! May God bless each day! :)

Amy @ Jesus, Coffee & Fitness said...

I love your use of space. Very cute! Have a great school year!