Our Learning Space(s)

We, believing that the normal child has powers of mind which fit him to deal with all knowledge proper to him, give him a full and generous curriculum, taking care only that all knowledge offered to him is vital, that is, that facts are not presented without their informing ideas.  Out of this conception comes our principle that :--

"Education is the Science of Relations"...  (Charlotte Mason, A Philospophy of Education)

One of the lovelist things about home education is just that, that I get to be home with my dear children and learn along with them.  It's such a joy to be the one to hear of their first discoveries of any given subject or at their enthusiasm at learning a new thing.

Our Learning Room is a room that was used as a guest room on the main level of our rental house and is right down the hall from the kitchen, so for me seemed the logical place for us to gather for table time.  In the past we've had our learning space closer to the children's bedrooms, and also at the kitchen table, but in this new place we've settled on the guest room!  Upon entering the room, the focal point on the adjacent wall is our Marian Shelf/Mini-Altar that we just completed and installed on Our First Day! 

Learning Room Mini-Altar/Marian Shelf:

I also put up our 2007 Liturgical Wheel Calender which won't begin until Advent, but I love the look of it and it helps to remind us of our faithful living of the liturgical year everyday of the year.  We also have a Monet wall calender that we use for picture study off and on.  I also just put up our World map and map of the United States.

We chose to go with a table and 4 chairs set up with a bench as well.  We've tried separate desks, but they seemed a little too distant and as our Learning Room is on the smaller side the chidlren seem to work better with me being able to "float" the room.  It is necessary for me to be on the floor Playing or in the reading chair with the little boys, so I am still accessible for the older two at the table.

So here are some pictures to give you a sneak peek into our school:

Reading Corner:

Little Ones Reading Corner - Board Books:

Music Center:

Math Work:

Puzzles & Sensory Work:

Small Motor Skills Work:

(Notice the missing "peg" I've had this since Violet was 4 mo.s old, so we're hoping it turns up!)

My Learning Space Shelves:

This closet goes all the way under the stairs and is directly across from the Learning Room so I am trying to move stored items towards the back and most of our Arts & Crafts items and all of my home school books are kept in here.  My dear husband was a peach and installed extra shelving all the way across the back for dual purposes!

Lacing Beads:

Varied Play - Rice Box:

Many different things go in and out of this!  Usually little trucks and tractors, but also small pitchers and cups of different sizes for pouring and transferring!!  The tube in the corner at present is a "grain silo"!

I haven't as yet been able to set up any permanent low shelves with Montessori trays as our littlest guy would just dump them all. 

Learning Room Closet:

I do have more shelf space in this closet where I have the older kids things up high and play things down low and on the floor.

When the weather is good (and not too hot) we love to take our Learning outside, especially for read alouds, or working on nature notebooks!!

So here's a look at the many items and places we like to learn with in our home.  I hope maybe some of them will inspire you in your Learning Spaces.  I'm not sure whether they are elegant, but they are simple and to me that's the lovelist thing of ALL! 

Thanks for visiting and my God Bless you in your day!

Comments

[Cheryl]

Meredith, you have many good ideas for preschool activities. My dd would love those nesting dolls. Where did you get them?

[Jennifer]

I love your first paragraph. I can't explain how joyful it is for me to be right beside my daughter as her math lesson clicks. It is not in me to hear about that second hand.

[Theresa]

Meredith, it looks wonderful! I absolutely need to set up a cosy reading corner like yours somewhere!

[Amy]

Thank you for sharing your lovely learning space! We have the same peg board and one missing peg too. :)

[Dawn]

Meredith, I love your learning space! It is so bright, cheerful and well organized! Btw, we have the 2006 Ltp calendar (smaller size) and really love it. I'd like to get the larger one for next year and find some wall space for it - as you said, it's a wonderful reminder of our faith! :)

[Melanie]

I love your beautiful marian shelf/home altar... A great idea to keep it up out of the reach of toddlers... I'll have to try that out when I have time...

[Rebecca B.]

Meredith, You have such great ideas! I am going to try the rice box. My littles would love it! We love the Matruska dolls too! It was so good to talk with you the other day. Let's do it again, soon. :)

[Krisann]

I really enjoyed peeking into your learning spaces. What wonderful ideas.

Blessings,
Krisann

[Genevieve]

I had the same problem with the Montessori trays and little guys but I think I might have a solution to it on my blog under the post "Learning Room" . Scroll to bottom describing white boxes. So far so good with this system.

[Alice]

Wow, Meredith, you have settled in beautifully! How did you manage to get so organized so quickly?! Your learning space looks wonderful!

[Christine]

I just love all of your mulit-sensory tools for learning. Blessings to you!