I don't have a special room.
We homeschool and we learn in my kitchen.
For years I'd lament not having the room -- you know, the one with the cute bulletin boards, and bookshelves, and drawers for manipulatives, and reading corners, and little desks. Don't get me wrong -- if you're blessed with a room like that I think it's marvelous and wonderful. I just don't have that room. I guess I could turn our family room into a room like that, but for me, and my family I just haven't felt called to create a specific homeschool room. Part of it is simply due to space. The other part? The way we do life.
So we learn in the kitchen. And the living room. And on the deck outside. And on the couch downstairs. Or the desk outside my girls' room. Or in the car. And on the dining table. And, you know what, I'm okay with it.
I've had to realize that it's quite easy for me to get discontent with the way and space in which we homeschool. I'll look at all the linkups of rooms or the covers of magazines or facebook posts and I'll feel that twinge of jealousy in my heart. But you know what I've learned? The space doesn't make the learning. The learning will come no matter where you sit down and teach.
It's the love of learning that makes the learning.
So I guess I'll just hang a map in our kitchen, and have a chalkboard by the table. We'll cart our books around in totes and I'll scramble to the bookshelves in the office looking for that one book I misplaced. And I'll think to myself, "if only I had...." until I remember the blessings and gifts in what I do have. A table, maybe a bit worn throughout the years but full of character and memories, to sit around. Couches to read on. Bookshelves bursting with books. And a family that I love -- ones in who I share life and the love of learning.
And that's my homeschool room.
It's my house. My life. My kitchen. That's it. That's where we learn.
We homeschool and we learn in my kitchen.
For years I'd lament not having the room -- you know, the one with the cute bulletin boards, and bookshelves, and drawers for manipulatives, and reading corners, and little desks. Don't get me wrong -- if you're blessed with a room like that I think it's marvelous and wonderful. I just don't have that room. I guess I could turn our family room into a room like that, but for me, and my family I just haven't felt called to create a specific homeschool room. Part of it is simply due to space. The other part? The way we do life.
So we learn in the kitchen. And the living room. And on the deck outside. And on the couch downstairs. Or the desk outside my girls' room. Or in the car. And on the dining table. And, you know what, I'm okay with it.
I've had to realize that it's quite easy for me to get discontent with the way and space in which we homeschool. I'll look at all the linkups of rooms or the covers of magazines or facebook posts and I'll feel that twinge of jealousy in my heart. But you know what I've learned? The space doesn't make the learning. The learning will come no matter where you sit down and teach.
It's the love of learning that makes the learning.
So I guess I'll just hang a map in our kitchen, and have a chalkboard by the table. We'll cart our books around in totes and I'll scramble to the bookshelves in the office looking for that one book I misplaced. And I'll think to myself, "if only I had...." until I remember the blessings and gifts in what I do have. A table, maybe a bit worn throughout the years but full of character and memories, to sit around. Couches to read on. Bookshelves bursting with books. And a family that I love -- ones in who I share life and the love of learning.
And that's my homeschool room.
It's my house. My life. My kitchen. That's it. That's where we learn.
