How to Prepare your Home for Homeschooling | Here We Are ...

We tend to start our school years around January, we like to take time off for all the December holidays and we like the fresh start that a new year brings.
When you first start your home education journey it can be a bit daunting and you might think that your main goal is to re-create school at home. Don?t worry, you do not have to go out and buy a blackboard and school tables. In fact, you don?t even need a homeschool room or classroom.
I thought I?d share some ways we have used to prepare for homeschooling in the past.

Organise your books!
Whether you have a few or a whole bunch of books, make sure they are sorted in a way you can easily find what you are looking for.
Our books are sorted by colour as well as by subject. Educational books are on a separate shelf to storybooks, and school workbooks are kept separate, too.

We also like to use themed book baskets, which really just means looking through shelves and putting all books relating to a certain subject together. Our current baskets are Winter and Chinese New Year.

Stock up on craft supplies!
This is important especially if you are homeschooling younger children. It is often so much easier to understand a subject if you can tie it to a craft. Now is the time to look out for affordable craft supplies, keep some of those glass jars and paper towel rolls you usually recycle and maybe ask family members to collect a few bits for you,too.

Some essentials we always have in our home are glitter glue, tissue paper, popsicle sticks and pompoms.

Make it interesting!

Put up pictures of things that your children are interested in. Arthur wants to be an astronaut when he grows up, so his grandfather gave him a set of lovely NASA prints. It?s more fun to learn in an environment that keeps you interested and inspired.

Display your little one?s art!

Nothing makes our little ones more proud than when they spot one of their drawings or crafts in a picture frame on the wall.

Display their art wherever you can; in frames, in windows and on the fridge!

Educational things:

I like having educational things on the wall, for example a bird identification chart next to the window and a large magnetic world map on the wall.

(If you are purchasing expensive educational toys like microscopes or star projectors, computers or even a tablet you might want to consider thinking about insurance, we use Aviva home insurance.)

Add a cozy space or reading corner!

No one likes to read sitting on an uncomfortable chair, and the ability to read and to enjoy reading is such a wonderful and powerful gift to give a child, I want to encourage it in the best way possible.
We recently moved our sofa under the window, now we have lots of natural light for reading, we can snuggle up under blankets on a rainy day and read together while listening to the rain gently tap on our windows, and we can keep a collection of book baskets on the windowsill, too.

I like keeping soft toys nearby for the little ones to hug in case they need a break, too.

Seasonal Corners:

We like having a Nature Table in our home, it reminds us of the changing of seasons and gives us a place to put all those special things the children find on our Nature Walks. For some helpful hints & tips please read this little nature table how-to.
We also like these month by month postcards that we keep over our mantle. You can also see our Chinese New Year lanterns in this picture.

Pick a curriculum that works for your family!

We went through quite a few different curriculum books, packages and plans before we found a mix that works for us.
It?s not always easy to try out many different ones as they can be pricey, but you can look into different approaches to education and talk to other homeschoolers who have been in your shoes.

Now, I saved the most important one for last. It is the reason homeschooling works (for us) and I feel very strongly about it.

Make it fun, make it special, make it magical and make it work!

We like to light a candle while we work on workbooks, while we read stories and learn together. It makes our school time feel so much more special. Snacktime can be special by cutting your little one?s apples into star shapes and letting them help to prepare lunch. Maths can be made special by using shiny crystals to symbolize numbers and if you need to make up a song to help someone understand or remember a scientific formula or concept ? do it!
Do whatever you can to make learning fun, amazing and joyful.

What are some ways you prepare your home (and your family) for homeschooling?
Have a wonderful day!
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Source: http://www.herewearetogether.com/2013/01/16/how-to-prepare-your-home-for-homeschooling/

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