We recently moved into a new house that allows us to have a full-size homeschool room. Since the day we move in, I started gathering many ideas from Pinterest and other sources so I could plan the best homeschool room possible. Well, one that at least fits our budget! I felt it to be important, to keep in mind, that this will be a room that we will make lots of messes in. So, while I wanted it to look fancy, it had to stay very practical.
I like things a bit old-fashioned from time to time, so I choose to make a huge chalkboard that would be magnetic for our new school room. I thought about doing a whiteboard, but I don't like how the dry-erase markers smell or how they run out so quickly. Plus, the cost for an 4x8 white board is so expensive compared to a homemade chalkboard, and the chalkboard looks so much better.
It was quite simple to make the chalkboard. I took a 4x8 piece of birch plywood and lightly sanded it down. Then I dusted it off with a dry towel, and then wiped it with a damp towel (I let all the moisture dry before I went to the next step). I then applied three coats of Rustoleum Magnetic Latex Primer with a foam roller. After the magnetic paint was good and dry, I lightly sanded it with 300 grit sandpaper to get all the bumps out. Then I applied the two coats of the Rustoleum Chalk Board Paint. After the chalkboard paint dried, I found out, it is almost impossible to sand. I made sure to make smooth long strokes with the foam roller.
I found a little magnetic tin at Walmart that magnets to the chalkboard to store chalk. This is particularly useful, when you want to keep the chalk out of the reach of little ones. I can put it so high on the chalkboard that even my nine-year-old can't reach it.
I found that, these Magnetic Sheets from Walmart are great to use on the chalkboard. They peel and stick to anything I want to display on the chalkboard. I might cut them into fourths and attach them on some math posters I have.
Ikea! I love Ikea! I could not stay organized without these wonderful bookshelves. When my girls want to do an activity, like watercolor painting, they can find all they need in tote on one of the shelves (ex: table cloth, water jars, paints and paper). I put all the supplies for each activity in a cute tote so it's easy to carry over to the table. It makes for easy clean up too.
Containers of all sorts are always a good idea to keep things organized. I keep sharpened pencils and map colors on the table at all times during our school time. The less they have to get up to sharpen pencils, the more I have their attention!!! The totes came Thirty-One Gifts. They come in all shapes, sizes and colors. I love them because they all have handles. Little hands can carry things better with handles.
I have a special corner in the room for all my craft supplies. My grandmother gave me this beautiful hutch last year, and crazy enough, I found a table to match it on Craiglist. I love lucky finds!!!
I put all my fabric and yarn in the glass door part so it stays clean and dust free. Everything else is organized in plastic boxes and trays for easy transport to the table.
Last but not least, I added some bright colors to the room and some fun doodads. I think it's important to keep the room bright and colorful to promote lots of positive energy for learning. Now that we have this room with all this light, my kids have stopped complaining about being tired during school time. It must be from all the fresh light in the room!!!
