Our Learning Space

I am so incredibly happy with how well our learning space is working out for us, and how nice it looks. I guess I always worried that this room wouldn't look "right" if it didn't have formal furniture in it; I am rather pleased to have been proven wrong.

Anyway, it is a work in progress.  But here is what we have so far:

 The piano, which used to be in the living room.  This was given to us by Papa's step-brother. We're planning to put up a large world map in place of the watercolor painting.

 One of our black boards, mounted vertically.  With nothing on it, because I haven't gotten around to doing a drawing yet.  Sometimes I write an inspirational phrase instead.  The board is mounted with Velcro tape so I can take it down to draw.  It works beautifully.

The armoire, which now houses our computer.  It was a hand-me-down from a friend. The black board has been mounted to it for some time now, and it has been placed in three different rooms.

 A close-up of the painting my great-aunt did for my grandmother.  I put here mostly to remind me that I can't be perfect, but it also reminds me that the boys can't be either.

 The table, viewed from the living room side.  It's just perfect.  Because we bought it used it already has some paint splatters and indentations on the surface, so I don't have to obsess over ruining it. 

 The typewriter corner with the library basket and the boys' portfolios.  The typewriter and stand were thrift store finds.

 The table, looking toward the hall and living room.  I made the centerpiece with a piece of vintage thrifted Pyrex, some river rock, and tea light candles.

 Our Trofast units, which move all over the house as needed.  Three were hand-me-downs and the others in the house we purchased. The plastic bins hold art supplies; they aren't pretty but it is far easier to grab a bin of paints or modeling beeswax than to pull them off a shelf.  This wall is where we will be installing the white board.

 The corner is where we store our art clipboards, painting boards, black boards, etc.

 I love this little table top easel!  Before I had black boards I would post my crayon drawings on it for the boys, and also their copy work, so that they could practice looking up, holding information in their minds, and copying it.

One last shot with the table, armoire, and typewriter.  The room isn't very big, but the coziness is nice.

This room just works!  We have home schooled all over the house and no room has worked as well as this one.  The breakfast nook is too small and we had to clear our things at lunch time even if we weren't finished.  The back bedroom felt cave-like, and the master-bedroom-turned-family-room (and now returned to master bedroom) was an uninspiring, ugly mess.  Here we have the beauty of the wood trim, the redwood trees through the windows (yes, my property has coast redwoods and palm trees), the gleaming wood floors, the coved ceiling, the gorgeous light, and is centrally located in the house.  As a bonus it is still a great room to share a meal in even if we can't seat more than six people at the table.