Big Ideas for Classroom Space at Home

What resources do traditional teachers have in their classrooms that you don’t? Well, a whole room that’s just for school, for one thing. Yours may be your kitchen table where meals are served, mail gets sorted, groceries land, and so forth.

They have cubbies and shelves of some kind too, whose sole purpose is to hold learning supplies, whereas you may have Junior’s algebra book sharing a shelf with your copy of Joy of Cooking.

Plus they typically have four really big walls, and maybe a lot of windows, too – much more room for charts, inspirational posters, and art showcasing than even the biggest home fridge. Add to that those giant blackboards and white boards!

Let’s talk about using the room resources you have. Yes, the kitchen table is a great space for overseeing work while you prep for lunch or move from one student to the next, or when the kids are working together. No doubt about it.

Think about making smaller ‘classrooms’ and even portable ones, too.  A desk in a bedroom is great, even if two kids share it, especially when they each get their own bulletin board. 

Lap desks work, too, and are flexible. A kid can work in the back yard, on the couch, in their room, at Grandma’s house, or just about anywhere.  Get yourself a folding chair or stool that you can grab to go alongside them for tutoring.

You could, theoretically, put posters all over the house but that’s probably not the aesthetic you’re going for, so yes the fridge likely remains your primary show space. You can’t have everything up at once, but you can rotate. I know what you’re thinking – where will you put all the stuff that’s waiting for its turn in the spotlight?

Here’s your problem solved, and I mean solved. Use tiered skirt hangers! Here's what I’m talking about. A three pack of five-tiered hangers doesn’t just give you space for 15 items – you can easily put a few math posters on one, a periodic table of the elements and your “Flora and Fauna of the Tundra” posters on another, and keep going.

Admittedly, it is a little easier to get them on and off if they’re singles though, but at that price, you’re still in bargain territory. And if you have an extra one or two, you can always hang skirts on them!

If you really, really want a giant black or white board, or even both, consider buying a 4x8 sheet of paneling from your local home improvement store, the kind that’s plain white with a slick surface and no pattern. They cost around $20.

While you’re there, get yourself a can of chalkboard paint and use it on the other side. To be honest, I’ve never actually done that but I read about it somewhere.

It’s so big though - where ya gonna put it? Hmmm. We have a bedroom that’s right off the kitchen that serves as our craft/sewing/office space and I put big stuff behind the door in there. Maybe you’ve got a wall across from your pantry, or maybe you can mount it on the other side of the kitchen door.

If you want to go straight blackboard, paint a door. You’ve seen those. Personally, I’m not a fan of a large black or green door as part of my decor, but if I’d thought about this when my kids were little, I probably would have painted the inside of our pantry door.

Here’s an alternative, and it’s a good one. Use your windows. Dry erase markers clean off easily, or sometimes leave a little ghosting that comes off with diluted vinegar. What kid wouldn’t like to solve 3,482 – 1,759 on their kitchen window on a day when they’ve just figured out the whole borrowing and carrying concept and want to show off? Or maybe someone wants to practice tricky spelling words there.

It’s not an every-single-day idea, but more of a pinch-hit to turn around discouragement or frustration, or just to change things up a bit.

Remember that it’s okay for your kitchen or even your whole house to show signs that kids work there! Neat stacks of books and things are fine, but if you don’t think Aunt Barbara would particularly enjoy viewing a chart of the anatomy of the respiratory system at your next Sunday dinner, maybe you need a trip to the skirt hangers for a swap.