Friday, September 18, 2009

Polka Dots and Crayons: A School Corner

School is now in Session
As a lot of you know, I am home schooling my oldest son this year. It was a quick change of plans and the other two are still attending the private school (which we still LOVE by the way!). The 3rd grade curriculum just didn't fit what we wanted for Cameron Skyler. So, we got busy switching gears!

This past week the two of us have been creating a school corner just for him. I am the parent but apparently my 8 year old knows more about hammers and nails than I do. First we assembled a cube bookcase. He took charge of this project and comforted me through my pathetic fits of throwing the instructions across the room and muttering under my breath about the "stupid people" who write these instructions.  Cameron's words exactly, "it's okay Mom...you just need to go slower and be a bit more patient!". Umm, wow. Yes, apparently our roles were reversed during this project. Buying furniture from Target, with all the pieces compacted into a neat heavy box wasn't as painless as I had hoped! BUT! I actually did have such a fun time trying something new and I absolutely LOVED every minute of my one-on-one time with my oldest son.
We also transformed an ordinary pegboard into a contemporary bulletin board to display his work and hang some school utensils.

A big warm thank you to Chris at Just a Girl for sharing her ideas on this pegboard and more! Visit her blog, she has incredible ideas that don't stop. :)
She has propelled me to action and I am enjoying every second of it.
I am thriving on blogs right now because I get inspired to do something with every blog I visit!


-First I bought some pegboard at Lowes and had them cut it down
- Then my extra cool husband sanded it down for me a bit
- Cameron and I painted it navy blue
-And added the white dots using the paint can lids for a stencil
-We used bull-nosed clips as Chris suggested to hang the artwork and finished papers on.
-We used nuts and bolts to attach them to the pegboard.
{Wow! I actually used nuts and bolts!}

By the way, look at Cameron's handwriting...he has better penmanship than I do and he is eight...


Now the fun part of decorating and organizing!

This *too cute* stapler and tape dispenser are from Pottery Barn Kids.
(An elephant for the tape and alligator for the staples)


Fun toys for little breaks between homework.


Books...

...and more books


School Supplies all twirled into recycled food cans and peanut butter jars.

His complete school curriculum....busy year ahead.
Getting this in the mail was super exciting!

I lined his whole desk with a roll of paper to use as "scrap paper" when he needs it.


I am still on the look out for a nice DESK to finish off this corner! I want something unique with character. I will keep you updated on my find.

Cameron Skyler is super happy to start off his 3rd Grade learning.
You can click on this photo (and any photo actually) to enlarge it.

I pray blessings over the school year for all 3 of my bright-eyed boys.
Education is so important.

For more Works For Me Wednesday ideas, click here.
I am also linking to Homeschool Happenings HERE.

"Give me six hours to chop down a tree
and I will spend the first four sharpening the axe."

-Abraham Lincoln


41 comments:

caveman said...

Wow! Skyler looks happier in that picture then in any other that we have! You can literally see the joy his eyes. I'm confident that he will remember the one on one time he got with you throughout this project, for the rest of his life. And judging by the way his "classroom" looks, the two of you make a great team!

Sherry said...

What a GREAT! Room. I wish I could make my office all pretty and organized like that! Good job! The Peg board is my FAV!

Faded Plains said...

What a great space for Skyler...I think this school year will have lots of good memories.

b. said...

everything looks great and right in its place. skylar looks soo happy! its nice that you got to do it together, too!

i also saw that cork board idea too on the blogs! how did you find her?

Nancy said...

That is so awesome! Environment totally sets the mood for learning! So is "Abeka" the curriculum your Mom used for you too?

Jamie said...

Amazing! I want to come to school there too! Looks great!

Diann said...

Hi, Lisa,

I came over to tell you thank you for your kind comment on my fair entry. Some of the women I know here do these cards which are absolute works of art. The funny thing is that then they never send them. Of course, if mine were that beautiful, I'd probably have a hard time giving them up also!

I've been wanting to branch out a bit from my sister's and niece's blogs to reading what other people have to share. And I keep telling myself I'm going to do that as soon as I catch up on all their prior posts. Probably wouldn't do it for just anyone, but I feel a strange sense of obligation with my nieces. So imagine my surprise when I got here and thought, "hrm, this looks familiar." And then I remembered why ... I came over yesterday to read about your yummy blackberries. Can I just tell you how I was drooling over your page or is that too undignified?

The bonus part was seeing this great post on what you've done to organize school supplies. I'm an organizationaholic to begin with (I think that's the right word) and I feel like I've been trying to find ways to make everything work ever since I started the Nursery. My husband still doesn't get why we need an entire room just for a baby, but I assure him it's a necessity. However, this has meant shoving things into an even smaller living area. I still haven't worked out all the kinks (up for a trip to Italy to help me with that? :) but I love getting all the good ideas I can.

Beautiful family, lovely blog page and great ideas! And now, I'll stop rambling on your comment section ...

Nice "meeting" you ...

Roeshel said...

Your school is so cool! haha I love the fun accessories!

Roeshel

Michelle @ Delicate Construction said...

That area is sooo cute! Thanks for stopping by my blog! Let me know if you would like me to send you five words. Oh and I love the wreath!

Shelley said...

You really did a fabulous job! We used some of the same books as you- when I still had a 3rd grader, lol. We LOVED 21 Balloons!! Wishing you much fun and blessings on your homeschooling adventures!

Mid-Atlantic Martha said...

Thanks for your sweet visit this evening -- good luck with your homeschooling this year -- hope it's a wonderful experience for both of you.

Melissa Miller said...

Hi Lisa,
Thank you very much for your sweet support and encouragement this evening. I can't even put into words how much it means to me. I feel like I suddenly have so much help with this issue from my blog friends. I really appreciate it.

Have I been to visit you here before? Your blog is wonderful and very nice to meet you! It seems pretty familiar to me here though. Hmmmm...:)

Your school work station is so nice that you made. Love it!
Very beautiful Fall wreaths too.

I hope you have a blessed Sunday,
~Warmly, Melissa :)

Kelly Miller said...

Lisa, I am so in love with that pegboard. We were just tossing around how to display Javi's artwork (and get it off my countertops). We decided to string it with nylon rope and colored clips, but the pegboard idea is fabulous.

Also, those recycled cans and jars touched my heart. I've been wanting to do something like that except I figured I'd need a cool paper to cover them. They look great just cleaned up.

Awesome, functional, and stylish learning space. I love it!

Jane said...

Hi Lisa -
I love your school corner. This new adventure for you and Skyler is going to be wonderful...and memory making. And Skyler is going to thrive! I admire your decision to home teach your son. It will be a wonderful bonding time for the two of you. Don't be surprised if the other two want to join in.

One of my sons' favorite homeschool memories is the "day off"... We had a set of glasses that were rarely all in the cabinet at the same time...usually one was hiding somewhere in the house. On the rare occasion that ALL the glasses (24 of them) were in the cabinet at the same time...that was a day of celebration. We would declare a holiday and go on a field trip...maybe bowling, a picnic, or to the beach, or ice skating. It was always a memorable day. Be sure to incorporate times like this into your curriculum. It truly helps break the monotony for both of you.
Have fun!!!
Jane (Artfully Graced)

Angie @ Many Little Blessings said...

Oh man! This looks amazing! I really love the pegboard. The whole thing just looks so inviting as a learning environment. Love it!

Mari said...

Your room looks great! Since you will spend a lot of time there, it's nice to have pleasant and inspiring surroundings.
Skylars penmanship is way better that mine!

Julie said...

You did a fabulous job on the school room....I know time spent with Skyler will be great for you both... This school year you will make lots of good memories. What lucky children to have such a great Mom...
xoxo
Julie

Admin said...

You have created a beautiful room for your son! Thanks for sharing the lovely pictures too! I believe education is so important too. I know that I am so thankful for the education that I received both in and out of the class room. Wishing you all the best.

Best wishes,

Janie

Anonymous said...

Can I come to your school? What a happy corner!! :)

Decor To Adore said...

The school room looks fantastic. Kudo's to you for knowing just what your little guy needs.

SmilingSally said...

I am a retired public school teacher who is in favor of homeschooling. I've watched my daughter homeschool her 4 children; two of them are now in college.

My best tip is to make school the number one priority every day. (Do not answer the phone; school is in session.)

nannykim said...

I home schooled one of my boys in third and fourth grade since he has a learning disability--asburgers (I forget how to spell it!!). It made all of the difference--he needed one on one for math, penmanship, etc. We have had to help him through his whole schooling with math. He took the AST instead of the SAT and was able to go to college. Now he has one class and he will graduate. It is a computer language class which he is using instead of regular math and he has flunked it 3 times. It is the only thing holding up his degree! So he is now commuting 5 hours three times a week to the college (because they require him to take this last class there!). We are so praying he will pass it this time--it is his last try.

Anonymous said...

Your boys are so handsome. Your school corner looks wonderful. My daughter would love that pegboard. It would totally match her room. What a wonderful place to learn!

Let it Shine said...

SO cute! Your kids are darling. And I LOVE that wreath on your door too!

Alyshia

Clueless_Mama said...

What an awesome little area you have created for him! I love the pegboard. AWESOME idea!!! Good luck, I am sure you are an amazing teacher for your little guy.

BTW, if that is his handwriting, it is amazing. Much better than mine!

Slice of Pie said...

Thanks for becoming a follower of my site! I love your site ... your kids are so cute. Looks like the school corner is turning out nicely ... and you'll probably really enjoy home schooling.

Missy said...

Your school corner looks great! What a fun place to learn. The polka dot peg board is awesome. I especially like how you have supplies in the cans. Great organization! That always makes me smile.It looks like you had a smart helper, as well.

Anonymous said...

Thanks so much for stopping by my blog!

I love that pegboard. So cute with the polka dots!

Judy@cutest-little-things.blogspot.com said...

What a fab room! What child wouldn't be inspired to learn in such an adorable environment! Great job!

Have you seen the adorable Pottery Barn Kids school-house shaped chalkboard and bulletin board? They look like they'd be easy to reproduce very inexpensively!

Just an idea...

blessings said...

You're so organized!! I'm certain it'll be a wonderful year for both of you.

We used a picnic bench for our desk the first year. My then preK son would sit with our kindergarten daughter in their little chairs and they had a ball. These days they irritate each other so I have to keep them separated. =)

Blessings... Polly

Lynn said...

Lisa,
Thanks so much for coming by my blog. Your sweet comments made my day!
Your back-to-school area looks so very inviting. I hope it's a wonderful year for you and your guys. Blessings to you!

lindsey said...

so great! i love what you've done!

Adena @ Friendship Alley said...

Good luck on your first year of homeschooling!! This is our 14th year and it's been a wonderful journey. I love the pegboard idea!!

Just Jennifer said...

Heh that is so cool :)

Paula @ Organizing Tips For Moms said...

I love it! What a great space to learn in!!!

Kirsten said...

Wow, your school corner is so inspiring! Makes me want an organized little corner like that - for ME! ;)

Lori said...

I'm so inspired by your school area! This is my first year of HSing and I love your ideas. Thanks for sharing!

Olivia said...

Great ideas!

Chris said...

Offended?? NO way! I think it turned out GREAT, and I'm so glad you got to use it! Thanks for the shout out! Enjoy the pegboard!

Shannon @ Silver Trappings said...

Hope your school year is going great! We homeschool too, and love it!

Patio Furniture said...

great room.. two thumbs up with you, u made a Cube Bookcase, a nice room.. very organize school room... im sure your son really enjoy while learning..