A Walk Around Our Library {A.K.A. The Schoolroom}

We are so blessed to have a room dedicated to school. I know the thoughts are mixed on this, but for us with six children I’m so thankful we have a place to land. We don’t always stay in the room for every subject or every assignment, of course, but we do use this room A LOT every day, including Saturdays and Sundays.

I call it the library and our one-room schoolhouse!

Without further ado, here’s a look around the room from a wide-angle viewpoint.

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This photo was taken panoramic from the end of the room next to our supply shelves looking toward the front with our large window and 15-foot-long bench seat! That spot gets used A LOT too as the sun comes over our home and doesn’t flood the window until late afternoon as the sun is going down. I love curling on this bench with a good book and a few little ones crowded around me (and sometimes some furry friends too).

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Along the long wall, we have our supplies such as pens and pencils, art goods, math and language/geography shelves and BOOKS—hundreds and hundreds of books! I will get back to the math and language/geography shelves, but below are views of the supplies and books!

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I have been trying to organize our math and language supplies ever since we moved into this room a little more than a year ago last summer. I am still struggling. I think I’m getting closer. I wish I had made the shelves along the bottom with doors deeper. Alas, I am still super blessed to have all of this storage space! Here’s a look at the shelves before I reorganized some things including the math tubs in the next photo below this one.

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I still have some work to do, but I’m getting there! I really want these items to be accessible, so we can use them more often. That is my goal! Getting there slowly but surely. Here are some more shots after that reorganizing.

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I already showed our wonderful bench seating, so we’ll move across that to the other long wall, which includes the door into our schoolroom. This is where our 3rd graders and our PreK student find their learning tools and often are found working away in this area. They also use the large table at the other end of the room as well as the computer and writing/listening desk along the supply/book wall. You can see the corner of Li’l Bit’s table and then Li’l Miss and Li’l Bro’s desk in this photo, where I have their writing menu on the large board above their desks and WONDERFUL, STURDY bins below.

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I reorganized their bins this year as well as purchased ones that FIT the shelves and don’t fold up on them. On the left side I have 4 bins for each of them with writing materials and ELA activities. On the front of that shelf, I have their Daily 5 choices. I used clips for each of them and as they complete an activity, they clip out and put the clip in a little container on my desk. Super simple and working quite well for all three of them.

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On the other side, they have 4 math bins and the Daily 6 math choices, which varies. We don’t always do math group for instance, but that is where the clips come in so handy. The only addition I want to make is to add labels on the bins that coordinate with the clipped labels. It is on my to-do list! This way they can do this even more independently excepting group activities. Here is a closer look at the math side.

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Right beside the math side, I have a large metal bulletin board that is focused on math. I have our interactive calendar on the bottom and Li’l Bit is LOVING working with this each day. Above I just have some math vocabulary and a glimpse at math, which I change out each week.

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Along this wall, you arrive at my desk area and back to where we started at the far end of the library. I LOVE having my desk turned so that I can see the whole room. I actually sit there some during the school day for a few moments at a time and for individual work with a student. In the next photo, you’ll see a closer view of our nature shelving, which I would like to organize a bit more but at least our students have a feast of nature items to explore at their level! Please ignore the old iMac which I need to purge and maybe sell?

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Lastly, here is the view from this end of the room looking back into our library. When we looked into buying this home, THIS ROOM, THIS SPACE sealed the deal for me. I LOVE IT!!! We ARE SO BLESSED!

Before:

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After:

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I’m linking up!


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11 thoughts on “A Walk Around Our Library {A.K.A. The Schoolroom}

  1. Lucy S.

    I love how everything looks and how you’ve really transformed the place to make it so comfortable and inviting. I’m sure your kids enjoy studying there!
    Thanks for sharing the pictures!

    Reply
    1. Leslie Post author

      Cate, every home should have a library I think! Even if just a small space! It is so relaxing and serene. You don’t have to homeschool to have a library if you have a space. Go for it!!! 😀 One reason I call it the library is because I don’t want us to ever think of it as “just the place we do school.”

      Reply
      1. Cate

        I wonder if my husband would be willing to give up his home office for one. He can just work from Starbucks, right?.

        Actually, we have a huge open kitchen/dining room space. It’s probably 700 square feet. I’d love to slide the dining table over, take the far wall, add built in bookshelves and fire place and just have a quiet space to read. The toys/TV room is off this space with French doors that close. A girl can dream.

        I’ve been following your journey since you were in China to get Lil’ Miss whom I thought was just a strikingly beautiful child–even as sick as she was and before the repair. It’s been a delight watching her and your other littles grow up.

        Reply
        1. Leslie Post author

          Cate, I think he can totally work from Starbucks, Cate. Sounds totally logical to me. 😀 Built-in bookshelves in your open kitchen and dining rooms would be wonderful! Definitely dream! Thank you so much for your kind words about our Li’l Miss and our family. She is a beautiful girl and is growing up so quickly! I don’t post many photos of their faces anymore, partly for privacy and also because Li’l Miss in particular has asked me not to. 🙁 I have to respect her wishes though. Are you on FB? I recognize your email. I post a few more photos on there since I don’t have too many friends and I “know” them all. Take care and hope you can get that library space sometime! Leslie

          Reply
  2. Cori P.

    OH MY GOOOOOOODNESS! If this was my library I would never LEAVE!!!! This is amazing. You have done everything I ever wanted to do! I LOVE THIS!!!!

    Reply
    1. Leslie Post author

      Cori, I do love spending time in there!!! We play games in there, arts and crafts and it isn’t uncommon for me to find someone in there reading. 😀 Thank you so much! I really hope you and your boys can come visit sometime! My boys would love that!

      Reply
  3. Becky

    I love this room. The transformation is absolutely incredible and so functional!! I enjoy watching your kids grow, hearing of their adventures and the outside activities are so interesting. Just as much learning should go on outside as inside. Very blessed family!

    Reply
    1. Leslie Post author

      Becky, thank you so much for your comments and following along with our adventures. We just spent some time outside on a leaf hunt and reviewing the main parts of a leaf! It is funny how interesting Botany can be! We are indeed blessed! 🙂 Leslie

      Reply
    1. Leslie Post author

      Aw, Nancy, that isn’t my intent! 🙂 I hope, hope, hope someday to open up our library to outside guests. I have a dream of teaching illiterate adults to read. At this time, I can’t make it happen, but someday I believe the Lord may work this out. Also, we live in an economically disadvantage area, and I’d also love to have a lending library for our little community. It is on my pray big list! In the meantime, we put the room to good use every single day! Thank you for reading! Leslie

      Reply

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