One purpose of this blog is to show that anyone who wants to homeschool can homeschool. You don’t have to have a certain kind of house or a certain kind of kid or be a certain kind of parent. If you want to, you can homeschool, and you can do it very, very well.
When we were getting ready to downsize to our 750 sq ft apartment I was kind of surprised when some friends said something like, “You’re still planning to homeschool? In that tiny apartment?” And I was like, “Um, yeah. What does the size of my apartment have to do with anything?” It wasn’t until later that I realized that many people have a preconceived idea of what homeschool should look like, and a lot of times that doesn’t match the reality of our homeschool at all.
It’s very common for homeschool moms to post pictures of their homeschoool rooms. I have to admit that sometimes I feel jealous of all the space many of them have, not to mention how organized they are. But then I have to bring myself back to my moment and remember why we live where we do and all the amazing benefits we reap from city living, even if bounteous living space isn’t one of them.
I mean, I don’t have a homeschool room. We live in 750 sq ft apartment, for heaven’s sake! I barely have room for my clothes and my food and my kids. And we store our bikes in our apartment. And we have things like beds and a refrigerator that take up most of the space. We homeschool successfully without having a dedicated school room, and I believe you can, too.
How do we do it? We sit on the couch to read most of the time. We sit at our table or kneel on the hardwood (kids’ idea, not mine!) to color and paint and write. We tape the artwork and maps to whatever available wall space we have. We have to be diligent with our papers and either toss them or file them in our homeschool binder so our apartment doesn’t drown in paper!
Where do we store our homeschool stuff? If by “homeschool stuff” you mean books, they go on one of three bookcases in the apartment. We have a computer in the corner. We don’t have a TV taking up extra space. We have paper and crayons and all kinds of art supplies underneath the computer area. I store some of the more special homeschool toys under my bed (the microscope, the balance, the math manipulatives, the magnet set) so the pieces don’t get lost. The most important thing, though, is that we don’t have a lot of stuff because we don’t have space for it and, frankly, we don’t need it.
Here are some pictures of our apartment, AKA our homeschool room. I even vacuumed before I took these pictures!
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This is one bookcase. Notice our little collection of feathers and acorns on the top shelf. When we go on walks my kids always love to bring home treasures π |
Maybe one day we’ll have more space with a dedicated homeschool room, and maybe we won’t. Either way, though, I know our little homeschool is a success, and yours can be, too, no matter how big or small your living space is.
What do you think? Do you have a dedicated room or dedicated space in which to homeschool? Do you think it’s a necessity? I’d love to hear your thoughts.
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You’re right! I was raising 5 kids in a 500 sq. ft. cottage in the woods once upon a time. I was homeschooling 3 of them as a single mom at the time. The other two were an infant and 4-year-old. It’s amazing what you can do!
Thanks for sharing this at the #LaughLearnLinkup
Wow, that is WAY more hardcore than what we do! What amazing experiences you must have had π
Thanks so much for this post! I also live in a small flat and was wondering how do I go about if I want to homeschool? Is nice having some honest, real life input.
Great to see how you do it – Thanks for linking with this week’s Parenting Pin it Party.
Thanks for stopping by!
Thx for linking this up at the Thoughtful Spot!
Thank you for stopping by!
Came here after Googling “apartment homeschooling”…thanks for the reassurance! We moved from 750 square feet to what my landlord calls 1000 but Zillow says it’s only 850–either way, it feels bigger! But I do still struggle with worry/doubt when others have more room and more stuff, even though I know more stuff would stress me out. Anyway, didn’t mean to ramble, but I was very encouraged and thought you should know. π
Your comment made my day, thank you!! We always say that if we move to a bigger place one day we won’t accumulate more stuff, we’ll just let it be empty and big and wonderful π Thanks for stopping by!
Thanks for the reminder. I’ve been apartment schooling five kids for 8 years in a 850 sq.ft. 2 bedroom/1 bath apartment. We have bikes and camping backpacks hanging from our ceilings. :). And yes, kid creations everywhere. Back to school time always turns my head to those coordinated dedicated homeschool rooms, but that’s not necessary. Pencils, paper, a flat surface and a comfy place to sit will take you pretty far. My first leaves for college (w/scholarship) tomorrow and she got the bulk of her education reading in bed. :). Good luck everyone!
You are inspiring! We are about to have our third baby and getting worried about space, but if you can do it with 5 I think we can manage 3 π Thanks for your encouraging words!
I am homeschooling in a 445 sq. ft apt with my 2 kids. It’s definitely tough but manageable. Thank you for sharing your encouraging words and photos.
Wow, that’s amazing! You go, Mama!
We live in 900sqft. I’m about to begin the adventure of homeschooling. We live on the ground floor which allows a bigger patio then those higher up. As of April we can use this space for an outdoor classroom. We have a park/public library with picnic/tables across the street. I’ve got an old Ikea toy box turned into a supply trunk. Again many resources across the street. In the cold winter we sit at the kitchen table and can still use surrounding facilities. Even a cozy chair in a coffee shop for guided reading so mommy doesn’t feel couped up. It can be done.
Thanks so much. Please continue to post things like this. Gives you much more confidence I’m a full time caregiver for granny so the downstairs really has to stay dedicated to her which only Leaves the 3 small bedrooms for actual living in or schooling in. I’m so thankful for posts like this. We have more space than we need after reading these comments. I try not to listen to others comments on my small space.
Thank you so much for your comment! It is amazing how little we actually really NEED, isn’t it?
This is such a great encouraging post. We are seriously considering downsizing to an apartment closer to church and friends. Getting rid of a bunch of stuff and just living simple and minimal. We will still have 6 kids at home but the apartments we are looking at are 1300-1400 sq ft. I want to be able to focus on the bigger part of life without all the stuff that surrounds us and distracts us daily. Great helpful post!
That’s amazing! We have loved downsizing and getting rid of all our excess. It has made our lives better in so many ways! Good luck to you!
Thank you for your blog post, itβs encouraging! My daughter and I want to begin homeschooling.