Setting Up Your Homeschool "Classroom"

I founded a Waldorf inspired K-5 school, have taught K-3rd grade AND am now homeschooling my own children. Believe me, I am intimately familiar with the innate desire moms (especially creative moms) struggle with to create the “perfect” classroom. TRUST! I see you scrolling through instagram, heart palpitating over the freshly sharpened colored pencils, new boxes of crayons organized by shade in the tins labeled with the label maker you’ve been salivating over. Your Pinterest features a folder labeled “Homeschool Classroom” and has fifty plus images of #pinspiration. You. are. not. alone!

I’m here to grant full permission to delete that folder and turn your classroom space back into the home gym that no-one uses, but house guests swoon over. Why? Because, often times homeschool moms become unnecessarily stressed, and overwhelmed, trying to create the perfect classroom space, but also because, need I remind you we chose to homeschool because the traditional model was not appealing or, perhaps, was not working for our child(ren)? Why then do we feel the pressure to create a classroom?

Here’s what I propose to the homeschool mom who has the kid who refuses to be put in a metaphorical box, but rather sees the box as a helmet, a spaceship, a fort, a torture device, or the Princesse’s much needed reading nook.

Let homeschooling be messy!

READING:

“A room without books is like a body without a soul” -Thomas Jefferson

Put kids cooking books in the kitchen, science books outside on the patio (or in the treehouse), poetry and fairy tales in the bedroom, read aloud books on a shelf in the living room, art books near the easel or craft table and books about anatomy or sports in the garage near the play equipment.

HISTORY/GEOGRAPHY:

In every house should be a globe, a world map tacked to the wall, and a map of various places you and your child frequent like theme parks, the zoo, aquarium and botanical gardens. Near the globe, perhaps there’s a wicker basket filled with colored pencils, compass, magnifying glass, and graph paper to inspire map making. This may be where you keep books on vikings or explorers.

SCIENCE:

Outside on the patio, near the bin full of science books, is a bug catcher, butterfly net, ring gauge, gardening tools, binoculars and blank paged journals for sketching nature or taking notes on observations made. Perhaps there’s a sun catcher in the window and a kite or windmill. Science workbooks can also be kept in a backpack in the car for long roadtrips or the lobby of a doctor’s office!

MATH:

If you have a younger child, there may be number magnets on your fridge, but tacking a whiteboard to the refrigerator with a dry erase marker is also a great place to let kids practice random math problems while you’re cooking or perhaps help you double recipes by converting fractions if you have an older child. Keeping flash cards in the console of the car or in your mom tote is a great way to keep math skills sharp outside of the school day. Don’t lie, I know you’re past the diaper bag stage, but you still have A bag somewhere with emergency stash of bandaids and wipes. Your “Mary Poppins” bag needs math flash cards and scratch paper now, mom.

SPELLING/VOCABULARY:

Get yourself a pack of advanced vocabulary words, introduce a new one every Sunday night and stick it to the fridge. Write words on index cards and tape them around the house like “window”, “cabinet” or “couch”. If you have older kids, create a scavenger hunt of really tough words to not only spell, but define and place these around the house!

ARTS/MUSIC:

Because you have a homeschooler, you likely are also the family chauffeur between piano, art class, karate, ninja, hiking, and board game playgroup, but be sure you’re also exposing your child to great works of art, and creativity, on the regular! Maybe there’s a shadow box in your home that features a great work of art every few weeks, or you’re frequenting local art museums. Perhaps classical music is played each night over dinner or the family becomes a member of the local opera house or symphony. Great works of art inspire the child to also be creative! Don’t sleep on this one!

See, mom (or dad), there’s no need for the perfect at-home classroom. Learning happens by living life! Life IS the curriculum. -Chelsea Vail, Epoch Waldorf Life

 #homeschool #worldschool #unschooling