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I have seen a big run on searches for homeschool room & homeschool spaces, so I wanted to share a few of our favorite items.
Eventually, I will come back and post photos from our space, but I thought it would be helpful to pop on here quickly and share some links!
This cart from target is one of the best I’ve seen. It’s sturdy & has a great aesthetic. I have 2 grey next to our main table, and 3 of my kids have their own in white, to match our homeschool room shelving.
“South Shore Axess Collection 5-Shelf Narrow Bookcase” from hay needle. I found these randomly when I was searching for shelves a few years ago. We have 4 next to each other in our main homeschool room. As of today (8/13/20) they are 10% off!
These shelves are particle board, I believe, but they are much sturdier than some of the prior shelving units that we’ve owned. They are also pretty versatile, and easy for me to move around on my own, which I sometimes do! Especially at the beginning of a new school year, ahem!
Most of the shelves are occupied with books, but some have bins as well. I will update with photos when I can. Perhaps a separate post? We’ll see.
You can find these in the dollar section. Target only sells them in bulk online, I think? Not sure. I tried to get the rainbow colors and have them be all cute. Instead my kids bartered and traded with each other for the colors they wanted, so now it’s a hot mess of a design. Next time I’ll know to commit to one color, or at least all neutrals! I use these and the bins above to store workbooks & readers for various subjects. I have one bin for non-fiction readers, one for fiction readers, one for history non-fiction books, and one for science non-fiction books. These were one of my favorite finds last year. They are very versatile, and the lids click on. We have a few in grey and a few in clear. I have two on the 3 cube bookshelf below. One holds all my planner stuff, and the other holds all my technology/cords & work supplies (files, etc.). There is also a low profile one which is perfect for things like LEGOs, and they stack very easily. The plastic is clear and easier to see through than some of the other options on the market. I have one of these for my books & work supplies! I used to have my 6 year old use it, but he now occupies several shelves of an IKEA unit + his rolling cart.I’m not sure if this is the exact unit that we have, but we have one of these ginormous bad boys, in grey! I would’ve gotten another one, but they are pretty large & inflexible in terms of layout. This is my favorite shelving unit for my younger kids. I have two in our “preschool area.” They are made from solid wood! (Birch). However, I wouldn’t try to put them together with your children. I recently tried that (how I did with my hayneedle shelves, which were a success), and I ended up taking it apart and putting it back together 3 times!!!!!! The sides have to face a certain direction for the back piece and so they reach the floor. After I put my second one together this year, I noticed the one I purchased last year was assembled incorrectly. Face palm. It is still bothering me, and I may have to take it apart and fix it! lolI have a few of these to hold loose parts and things for the birch shelves.I have 2 of these, in a lighter color. They hold stuffed animals and other random large stuff! One I alternate using for kid stuff & my knitting stuff (yarn).I got one of these to hold LEGOs! It’s a bit stretchier than I anticipated. I have similar baskets from Purl Soho & it’s not exactly like those. I have a couple of these on the preschool shelf as well. They’re a bit larger than the other ones. They would be great for holding board books or those Little Golden Books too.I have one basket similar to this one which I originally purchased to hold my crocheted afghan collection. However, I decided to re-purpose a hot pink & purple Duplo container to store books in the closet, so I dumped them into this guy. My 3 year old was very upset with me, for the record. It is kind of severe looking, but I prefer it to the fluorescent plastic, tbh.
So that’s our basic infrastructure, pretty much! My kids don’t have special order desks or study areas. Two of them have small tables from pottery barn kids that my parents got for us 10 years ago. One of them has a writing desk we snagged from the side of the road that I sacrificed for my 7th grader’s benefit. Our 6 year old has a desk like this one, but I wish we would’ve thought longer term for him, as it will need to be replaced soon (it’s not big enough for his projects, etc.) And, honestly, all my kids carry their schoolwork to the table and complete it there 99/99% of the time, LOL!
I want to point out that I didn’t rush out and buy all of these things all at once. We have been homeschooling since 2012, and I have been curating our space since that time. For several of those years we didn’t have a dedicated school room, we just had a closet and a kid’s table in our main living area.
I recommend these items because they are pretty flexible in the way they can be used. Carts, for example, have become REALLY popular because they can be wheeled anywhere, and they are incredibly versatile. They come in almost every color at this point as well.
I hope this post helps in your planning, and feel free to let me know what you think in the comments!
