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August 13, 2020 7 Comments

We’re Homeschooling this year – Here’s our Homeschool Space

Filed Under: Homeschool, Kid Stuff 7 Comments

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Surprise! We’re homeschooling this school year. I’m kidding – it’s really not a surprise. Like the rest of the country, we’ve painstakingly struggled to decide how we wanted to return to schooling for our girls. Ultimately, we opted to take this opportunity to try homeschool and we’re so excited about it. I’ve felt a tug to homeschool for several years now but kept ignoring those urges until this year, which seems to be the perfect year to try homeschool if there ever was one. It’s going to be a different kind of year for all of us whether you’re doing “homeschool” homeschool or distance learning. It’s all a version a homeschool as in kids will be home during the school day. Since the spring we’ve been using our dining room as our school space and we plan on continuing that into the next school year. My friend Kate from Kate Decorates organized a really fun blog hop and a gang of us as sharing our kids’ back to school learning spaces all week. Today, I’m sharing mine along with a few others. Be sure to scroll down to the bottom for a whole list of inspiring spaces you’ll want to check out. Let’s get into it.

homeschooling in the dining room - our homeschool learning space with two elementary aged kids

Our Homeschool Space – Doubles as our dining room

Like I mentioned, in the spring when schools began closing we used our dining room as a temporary learning space and it really worked well for several reasons. I have two girls, ages 8 and 4, so it was helpful to have them together in this space during learning time. The other spaces in our home are rather small and closed off which didn’t feel all that conducive for learning. Our playroom which seems like the ideal space for homeschool would be more of a distraction than anything so the dining room was our best option. Now that we’re homeschooling, I’m even more convinced that our dining room is the perfect learning space. The girls each have one side of the table as their work area so they can be together while working independently. This also gives me space to join them and work quietly when needed.

My friend Destiny shared these great desk mats she found. I got one for each of the girls. They are oversized which is great because they have a computer or a tablet out plus paper for writing or drawing. The mats are really thick and protect my table very nicely.

I also picked up this caddy so they can have school supplies at the ready. We keep a lot of supplies in the cabinet in our dining room as well but these will be specifically for school so we’ll get it out at the beginning of our school day and return it to the cabinet at the end.

Our IKEA cabinet has been the perfect storage space for all of the school supplies. Prior to COVID this cabinet held all of my pretty dishes, cake plates, etc. Those have been relocated and now we’ve got it stocked with school and craft supplies; paper, crayons, pipe cleaners, paint, you name it. It’s stored here. I try my best to keep everything labeled so that the girls can easily find what they’re looking for and return it to its home when they’re done.

Now that school is beginning we have quite a few curriculum books, readers, and manipulatives that I wanted to keep separate from our craft cabinet so I’ve begun storing those school-specific items in this cabinet. Each girl has a shelf and as more of our supplies come they should fill up pretty nicely.

This season of life feels very out of control but it feels nice to organize this space for the girls in preparation for homeschool. I almost feel in control of our school year but then I remember I have kids and that idea of control is simply a fantasy.

My hope for all of us is that our kids remain happy and healthy. I hope they look back on this strange time fondly remember all the time they got with us and their siblings. I hope they remember the stories we read them and the dance parties we had and that the fear many of us might feel, the worrying will slip from their minds and fade away.

I hope for a wonderful school year that is positive and life-giving because we deserve it.

Make sure you visit the other spaces because there are so many creative and wonderful ideas for making a great at-home learning space for your kiddos!

Back to School (The At-Home Edition!) Blog Hop
 
TUESDAY
Kate Decorates  ||  The Organized Mama  ||  Blue i Style ||   The Goat Abode ||  Sweet Digs
 
WEDNESDAY
Home on Poplar Creek  ||  Cassie Bustamante  ||  Love and Renovations  ||  Small Stuff Counts  ||   SKG Designs and Style
 
THURSDAY
Natural Born Organizers  ||  Organize Design Create  ||  Making Home Base  ||  Practically Perfect  ||  Casa Watkins Blog  ||  Two Twenty One
 

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About Chelsea

Chelsea Coulston is the resident decorator, baker, and pillow hoarder around these parts. A wife to an active duty Sailor and mom of two girls, Chelsea's got a knack for decorating even the most challenging spaces (just see her military base house!) She's inspired by cool beach tones and warm natural elements that remind you of a day at the beach. After living in a half dozen rentals, she's enjoyed spending the last few years in a cute ranch style home that she and her husband have almost completely renovated themselves. Chelsea lives in sunny Jacksonville, Florida with her husband and two daughters.

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Comments

  1. Cassie Bustamante says

    August 13, 2020 at 11:36 am

    your kids spaces are always so cute and well organized! you’ve got this!

    Reply
  2. Jessica Litman says

    August 13, 2020 at 2:07 pm

    I love how you created such a great multi-purpose space! The supplies on caddies is so smart to grab, use and put away easily!

    Reply
  3. Joni + Kitt says

    August 13, 2020 at 2:26 pm

    Our dining room is also doubling as one of our learning spaces! The caddies and supply cabinets are the perfect addition to this multi-purpose space.

    Reply
  4. Jenny says

    August 13, 2020 at 2:38 pm

    Lovely. We opted out and are distance learning which is an outlier position in our private school. My boys are 7th and 9th. Starting high school as the only kid in the grade at home is going to be tough. They will both be on live zoom teaching schedules so we had to set up separate spaces. One is at a table in the corner of the dining room and one is at a big game table in the living room. Both have comphy chair cushions, beautiful windows, organized supplies, and an orchid! 🙂 Its going to be a wild ride. Good luck to us all. You will be an amazing homeschooler!

    Reply
  5. Kate says

    August 14, 2020 at 8:20 am

    This is a great learning space, Chelsea! I love that you’ll all be together at the dining table — there’s something really special about that (even in these strange times).

    Reply
  6. Stacy says

    August 14, 2020 at 8:56 am

    You have a beautiful family and home! Love seeing some of our fave games on your shelves — Sleeping Queens, Rat-a-tat-Cat, and Sushi Go! Awesome fun (even for adults)! Good luck with the school year — I know you will rock it thoughtfully and stylishly!

    Reply
  7. Amy says

    August 17, 2020 at 8:47 am

    SO many good ideas to help families manage school at home! Can’t wait to see more tips throughout the year!

    Reply

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Hi! I’m Chelsea!

I'm Chelsea. Wife to Matt, and mama to P and Millie. I'm a fan of making and decorating things and everything blue + white. I believe that there is no such thing as too many throw pillows. Lover of iced coffee and cocktail Fridays. I'm glad you're here.

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Removable wallpaper is a game changer! A couple mo Removable wallpaper is a game changer! A couple months ago Matt and I spent an afternoon slapping this up on our bedroom wall and it completely transformed the space. It can be super hard to put your stamp on a rental but I’m pretty pleased with the way this room turned out! #rentalfriendly #bedroom #milspouse #diyprojects #removablewallpaper #coastaldecor 
Download the LIKEtoKNOW.it shopping app to shop this pic via screenshot http://liketk.it/36TCW #liketkit @liketoknow.it @liketoknow.it.home
#ad Homeschool/General parent “pro” tip - buy #ad Homeschool/General parent “pro” tip - buy a shower caddy and stuff it full of art supplies to keep your kids from having their markers and crayons all over the place. For real though, this was a game changer. Previously, I had one hard and heavy caddy for all of our supplies that I would plop on the table during our school day but I found my kids constantly getting up to grab a pink crayon or the blue marker. Or at the end of the day things weren’t getting put away properly and the next day we couldn’t find the glue or the scissors. Now, they each have a caddy that they are responsible for. I’ve partnered with @walmart to share this simple organizing solution. The girls keep their supplies together and carry the caddy around to wherever they choose to school that day/minute. I used my Walmart+ membership again to pull this off. I was able to order all the art caddy necessities online using the W+ free shipping, no order minimum (excludes oversized/freight & Marketplace items) benefit so I can limit my time in stores. #walmartplus
Sitting here thinking about everything that’s go Sitting here thinking about everything that’s gotten me through this last year.
1. My family - having my girls home has been everything I never knew I needed. 
1a. My mom - in those early pandemic days, when we didn’t leave the house, she would meet me halfway between here and Vegas. We would sit in the middle of the desert with our masks on and just visit. I needed that so much and I know she did too.
2. My friends - it’s hard to imagine making it through this year without the friendships I have. They’ve carried me. A small group of neighbors here that would meet at the park for some outdoor fellowship and our weekly dinners made life feel a little more normal. Having regular calls with my best friend in FL was gold especially since we can’t see each other. And regular chats with @bykaithanson got me through especially in those early days.
3. Regular therapy - if I wasn’t already going before all this happened I surely would need to now. This all is very heavy stuff and having someone that is outside your circle to talk to is so important. This saves me again and again.
4. Making bread. I started making last year so when it blew up during that first quarantine I was so excited that we all were baking together. Whenever I’m feeling anxious making dough helps.
5. Exercise - this was the year I finally made exercise a priority. I love how much better I feel when I move my body each day. I’m less anxious and I’m more at peace.
6. All the technology that connects us. Marco Polo, FaceTime, texting, FB Messenger, all of it. Being able to reach all of my loved ones with the tips of my fingers has made it a lot easier when I can’t see them.
7. Television - how many shows have we binged this year? I don’t even know but I remember tackling Friday Night Lights in the beginning of the pandemic and being so sad it was over. 
8. This community. One thing I wanted in 2020 was to CONNECT with you all here and that has happened and its been wonderful getting to know each of you!
đź’™
We’ve been through a lot this year what has carried you? Tag a friend that’s gotten you through. 
Hoping and praying for a truly happy new year. 💙💙
Merry Christmas from our home to yours! I wish you Merry Christmas from our home to yours! I wish you everything good this Christmas and in the new year. 🎄
#ad Fun festive morning with the girls! My girls l #ad Fun festive morning with the girls! My girls love making and baking anything! We made cinnamon roll Christmas trees then decorated them with m&ms and sprinkles. I bought everything from Walmart, used canned cinnamon rolls to make them quick and easy so we could focus our energy on decorating them. Holiday memories made! How are you making memories with your family this season? @walmart http://liketk.it/34rdO #liketkit @liketoknow.it #walmart
I want to hear about your collections!! I don’t I want to hear about your collections!! I don’t collect much but I do have a few Christmas things that I’ve been collecting over the years. These nutcrackers are one. The girls pick out a new one each year. I have a small collection little white village houses and since the first year we were married we bought a peace dove ornament from Pier 1 (Li Bien brand) - they quit selling them so this will be the first in 14 years that we don’t get one of those. What do you collect???

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