I'm homeschooling for the first time! What are all the things I should have in my "School Room"?

Question

A list, please?

Answer 1

Depends on how much money you want to spend, how old the child is, and how much space you have.  But here's a list to start with....

Obviously, all the things a child in a school would need:

paper (lined for writing, unlined for art projects or typed stuff, construction paper), spiral notebooks

glue, scissors, crayons (if the child is little), colored pencils, markers, ruler, tape, sticky tac (for putting things on the wall without damaging the paint), poster board is nice, too

pencils, pens, pencil sharpener

maps (a big wall map is great--old National Geographics often have nice ones, an atlas is good to have, too)

dictionary, thesaurus, encyclopedia (we've gotten old ones very inexpensively at library sales or through Craigslist.com--even when the one we had was 35 years old, we still got a lot of use out of it, though we've since upgraded to a much newer set)

a wide variety of board games (great for learning a lot of things and for enjoying "down time")

index cards (good for making flash cards and other things)

We got some things from thrift stores or yard sales that are great to have, but not necessary, such as a globe, a big white board (with markers), school desks, file cabinets, containers for organizing materials (including one to hold old magazines and such that we cut up and use, and another for holding paper that we recycle and use the back of--use that junk mail for good!)

book shelves and cabinets are a must given all the stuff you'll have to store and organize

posters of some of the things you plan to learn are great to have (either buy some, or make some, or have the child make some and then put them up on the wall)

**library cards**--we found that everyone in the family needed their own or we were running into the library's lending limit (even though it is 50 items per card)

We use a three-ring binder with dividers to organize our portfolio of work that our state requires homeschoolers to keep.

A computer with printer is great to have, too.

A variety of things for science experiments:  liquid measuring cups, thermometer, a simple balance, a variety of glass and plastic containers, fun inexpensive science models and kits, magnets, maybe a microscope (though the cheap ones are really little more than toys, they still are useful in teaching how to use microscopes)

And lots of room for books!

Answer 2

School Room kinda turns into any room in the house

Answer 3

just think of a typical classroom, thats what I do with my sons classroom.

If you want posters for the walls, look online, & you can print smaller versions off the web.

Also look around at $1.00 stores, & thrift stores too. You'll be amazed at what you may find.

I have the obvious, pens, pencils, crayons, markers, glue, scissors, pencil sharpener. Everything a classroom needs. A globe.

also if you want some coloring pics of famous people your learning about, just type in there names, & a page will come up  you have a art project for them to color.

Also ifyou want awards to give them, just type in "free printable childrens awards". I get all my sons awards off of the web for him. I got ALOT of neat awards for him too.

Hope this helps you out.

Answer 4

From my experiences I use multiple textbooks( one for each subject) you can find them used online if you want to save money, about 4 or 5 notebooks, an agenda so you can keep track of what you are doing, pencils/pens, looseleaf paper, and maybe if your family chooses a curiculum ( I dont use one I just do what it says in the textbook, doing this saves about 200 dollars) Hope I helped!

Answer 5

Not all of this is necessary, but here's a list of things you might consider getting for or moving to the school area.

-Crayons

-Markers

-Construction paper

-Paints and brushes

-Glue

-Colored pencils

-Modeling clay

-Scraps of anything from feathers to fabrics to old magazines

-Smocks (old baggy button-down shirts that can be worn backwards work great)

-Dry erase board

-Bulletin board

-Laminator

-Plastic sleaves for holding papers

-Comb binder

-Stapler

-Hole puncher

-Pencil sharpener

-Dictionary

-Atlas

-Encyclopedia

-Globe

-Educational posters (Elements poster, Multiplication poster, Solar system poster, etc)

-Animal books

-Educational magazines

-Any and all educational reading material

-Desk

-Comfy chair(s)

-Project table (perhaps in a corner with a plastic mat underneath it for messy projects)

-Lots of empty floor space

-Bookshelf

-Plastic organizer drawers/shelves on wheels (like the ones you see at WalMart)

-File box

-Computer

-Good light sourse

-Clock/stop watch

-Lab equipm3ent (Google "Home Science Tools" and have a look at the first web result for some GREAT kits and materials for homeschoolers)

-Thinking Putty (something for a child to fiddle with in their hands while they think or read if that helps them)

-A curtain for if you ever need to divide the room up, say if two kids are working on different assignments and one is distracting the other.

-Notecards (for making flashcards or using for any other purpose)

-Phonics/multiplication/divison flashcards

-Math manipulatives (blocks, fraction circles, K'nex, colored string, a peg board, colored straws, pipe cleaners, you'd be surprised what you can use)

-Educational games (Scrabble, Chess, Cranium, Trivial Persuit, Blurt, any Mensa game, Othello, that chemistry card game where you have to match up element cards to make chemical reactions, etc)

-Printer

-Any educational computer software

-Notebooks

-Binders

-Tape/video recorder

-Camera

-Dress-up clothes, or materials to make your own for history or literature role playing activities

-Internet connection

-DVD player

-Educational DVD's

-Masking tape

-Clear tape

Just a few ideas of things I would have loved to have in my own personal learning room if I'd been homeschooled all the way through (I didn't start until highschool). But don't get into a mind set where you and your kids start feeling like school only happens in this room. Treat EVERYTHING like a learning experience, like a part of school, no matter where you are, and have fun with it.

Answer 6

Lots of the basic supplies- paper (all types), pens, pencils, markers or crayons, glue and glue sticks (sometimes one type is better than the other)

stapler

three hole punch

pencil sharpener

rulers

calculators

cubbies or other storage system to keep supplies

file cabinet

file folders

computer with internet access

chalkboard/white board

reference materials- dictionaries, atlas (or make sure to bookmark some websites on the internet!)

math manipulatives

wall maps- i would suggest at least one world and one US (assuming you live in the US!)

check out the local teacher store for some posters for the walls- you can find lots that are educational

A lot will also depend upon the grade(s) your child(ren) are in. Obviously, an elementary student has different needs from a high school student.

There are also lots of websites for homeschooling parents. I am sure that you can find several with tips.

Answer 7

Paper

Pencils

The classics

An encyclopedia, if you can afford it.

Answer 8

How old are your kids?  You would need different things for a 1st grader than you would for a 10th grader.  Can you clarify?  We'd be happy to help.

Thanks :)

Answer 9

My soon to be 10th grader does most of his 'school work' in his room, We have a bin where can he put all of his books in to tote up and down stairs as needed.

We use our Dining room a lot so there are a ton of book cases, maps on the walls, a globe, puzzles, a table to spread projects on etc.  

It might take you a year or two to figure out the homeschooling approach you and your kids are comfortable with but whatever you do, dont bring home public school, it causes burn out quickly in your child and YOU!

Answer 10

An electric pencil sharpener (trust me, get an electric or battery operated one) three hole punch, stapler, globe, world map on the wall.   Little post it note things are good for marking places in  books. (love those post it notes) I like the stick on page labels for quick reference.  A dictionary should be at the ready.  I prefer one at least 50 years old.  Modern dictionaries are not sufficient for 19th century literature.

My school room usually has "Bristol Board" cardboard pinned to the wall.  I tape informative bits to them--all the little things we have to remember.  We used to start out the day by chanting them together. (multiplication table, parts of speech, definitions, Latin verbs etc. anything you need for quick reference.)  Oh yes. A hardware store will sell you a long thin dowel for a pointer so you can point to your map and posters.