In a perfect world, I’d have a separate classroom full of organized shelves, drawers, cabinets for books and supplies, easels, desks, and lots of light.
In reality, we are more often than not “doin’ school” at the kitchen table, and most of the books are squished onto a few shelves. For the start of this school year, I sacrificed the sanctity of my “formal” living room to add an Ikea-shoe-bench-turned-homeschool-textbook-organizer-and-impromptu-desk. In a slightly less than perfect world, Miss A would sit at the bench doing her schoolwork while Lil’ G happily played nearby with her toys, and I’d hang out on the couch and catch up on some magazine reading time. It actually happened like that…for about 2 minutes. At which point Lil’ G decided it was more fun to rip all the workbooks, papers, and folders out of their neatly organized cubby holes, Miss A didn’t like sitting on the floor, so spent the next 20 minutes or so arranging a chair so it was “just right” and I tried to visualize myself at Starbucks lounging on a leather chair, thumbing a book, sipping a cafe mocha while jazz music crooned softly in the background (while I cleaned up toys, reorganized books, and stacked unread magazines that were now ripped thanks to a certain little redhead.
In a perfect world, Lil G would nap and/or play contentedly with her toys during designated school hours. But she has decided that such activities are beneath her…not when big sister is having so much more fun with paper, pencils, crayons and what not. I suppose this will turn out to be a good thing (her dexterity with crayons and pencils is amazing) but at the moment it is nothing short of frustrating.
So I have given up having school in the living room, and we’re back at the kitchen table.
This looks like a nice little scene, doesn’t it?
Lil’ G is enjoying some “big girl” time.
Everything looks to be in perfect harmony – everybody happy and doing their thing…so what’s the problem?
About 10 seconds after I took this picture Lil’ G fell off that chair and I almost had a heart attack. Turns out I can’t help Miss A with her nouns and keep an eye on Lil’ G at the same time.
So if she wants to do school, it’s while strapped into her high chair…which she doesn’t enjoy as much.
Which means nobody is enjoying much of anything…not for long anyway.
I am constantly wondering how families with several kids (many under the age of 4) manage to homeschool with their sanity intact…
maybe that’s it…
they gave up their sanity long ago.
Melonie Johnson 