Organizing your Homeschool Classroom breaks down into 3 basic idea structures; Deciding WHERE you will teach, HOW you will teach and WHEN you’ll be teaching. The “what” to teach is another post, for another time. But for now, in this post, I’ll walk you through the Where, How and When that build your structure for a Homeschool Classroom.
Homeschool Classroom | WHERE
There are several areas within our house that I have built to be educational environments. These are the WHERE for our Classroom structure and where learning will happen. Inside a traditional classroom, you can easily identify areas for learning when you walk in. Those areas are not as obvious in a home as the rules are different and more relaxed. Plus, those same areas may have more than one set of rules throughout the day.
For example, your dining room table might serve as a desk in the morning, allowing elbows all over it. Whereas during dinner, your elbows on the table would be against the rules. Training kids to regulate themselves between rule changes is a big ask, the younger they are. Therefore, we try to make our Prepared Environments as unique as possible. Often, your entire house or property becomes a giant classroom… In our home we utilize three main learning environments that are completely unique to the rest of the house:
The Mess Mat
A free-moving, designated area for creative & sensory play. It provides a structure with expectations, behavioral concepts, and educational scaffolding. See what we’re doing & follow us every morning on Instagram! #TheMessMat
See how I build our Morning Mess Mat Schedule in THIS POST: Good Morning Mess Mat {Building Toddler School Routines}
Catch all our Sensory Play & Sensory Bins HERE
The Literacy Corner
We do have a Book Club and utilize our local Library often to bring home Unit Themed books. Our Corner is designed to promote reading and self-guided discovery.
The Teaching Table
One of my favorite furniture gifts is our little Teaching Table. It has moved around our house but eventually settled in front of our living room window. I think the sun helps their little minds grow.
Find out about all of my favorite furniture and the pieces I use to set up our physical classroom in this post: How to Set Up your Home School Classroom for Pre-K Kids
Homeschool Classroom | HOW
All three areas mentioned above that build our classroom structure are called Prepared Environments. Materials are all kid-friendly manipulative that inspire discovery and thought through Student-Led Learning. That is to say, they are designed to promote learning at the child’s level. In a Prepared Environment, all materials are stored in small containers kids can reach and open themselves. They do not need adult assistance to access learning.
We use each Prepared Environment to learn content in focused Blocks throughout the day. This practice stems from the idea of dedicating all one’s focus on one thing for a specific amount of time. This Block scheduling combined with manipulative in small containers means that we can focus play on one concept, close the lid and move on to another with high efficiency and intent. Learning ends when a lid is closed on a subject and begins again when another is opened. Multiple learning experiences only occur with guided instruction and through Discovery Learning.
Starting a learning experience at a specific time, with a specific end time gives us the scaffolding for highly efficient learning. Students know when their focus ends, giving them the ability to pay attention more consistently within a Block. As I’m teaching my boys now, 5 and 6 years old, they ask me exactly, “Now how long is this Lesson? {Block} Okay, I can do this!”
An established end time motivates kids to work hard and conquer each block the best they can. As kids get older, within this structure, they’re more capable of achieving goals on their own because they can structure their workload.
Homeschool Classroom | WHEN
The Learning Blocks lead us right into my favorite subject, SCHEDULING and deciding when to teach throughout the day. After you’ve decided on the Blocks you’ll teach, you must make a plan for when they will happen in the day. I’ve written an entire post on this subject. READ | How to Build your Mom School Block Schedule.
A Homeschool Structure
Once you have a handle on these 3 pieces, your Homeschool Classroom begins to take shape. Eventually, you’ll find a system and rhythm that works for your family among these three structures and the feel of *School* becomes natural. You’ll be able to branch out, expand your classroom even more into the Garden, Back Yard, Front Porch or even the Garage and Kitchen.
Good Luck Mamas! #GoTeam
RELATED READ| Dollar Tree Bulk Buys | 7 Summer Fun Must-Haves
Welcome to Mom School! This post is one of many Homeschool Preschool Lessons with #MySweetandSticky {Cash & Wyatt} As a former educator, I wanted to give them their best start before heading into public schools. (Which we LOVE!) On occasion, and throughout the summer, we continue our At-Home Learning. Cash is my Science Guy and Wyatt can’t get enough Sensory Play. Join us for every Sweet & Sticky moment.
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Read all about:
- Mom School & Building your At-Home Classroom
- The Literacy Corner
- The Mess Mat Follow our Hashtag #TheMessMat
- Sensory Play
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