Hanes Academy

When Addy was little, there was no need for a big production about "school." Every day was school time and it was just her and I playing and learning. Now that my sweet Blair is in the picture, things don't flow as easily. I have to designate periods of time during the day for learning, playing, cleaning, etc. We do not and never will have a specific itinerary for the day because that is not real life. Things comes up, schedules change, and I want my children to learn that no matter how many lists you make or schedules you try to stick to, there will more often than not be a change and we must learn as humans to go with the flow.

With that being said, we have officially started "preschool" in our upstairs office and things have been going quite well. We are most often in the classroom first thing in the morning because it is upstairs and it's easy to monitor them while also getting ready for the day. In the afternoon while Blair takes a nap, Addy and I use the classroom for about an hour. And lastly, we use it any other time when the girls ask or we do not have other things that need to be done.

Addy keeps bragging about going to school and how mommy is her teacher and that really excites me and motivates me to continue. Additionally, I've witnessed Addy on more than one occasion assist Blair in her work or try and "teach" her. That has also given me the boost of confidence I needed to know this is the right thing for our family.

Here are some photos of our classroom/office:

We still have furniture to remove including the couch and coffee table. Also, we have more supplies we need to purchase with the most important being a new printer. Our printer is no longer made, which means the ink is also no longer made. This is pretty ridiculous to us because our printer is only a few years old, but I guess technology is always changing and either way, it's an absolute necessity for our lessons. Another mandatory item is another desk of some sort which I have been have not refinished. My intention is for the plastic art desk to become Blair's work space and for my nice wood desk that is unfinished to be Addy's.

Most items were purchased at Target over the last year and more often than not, they were found in the dollar bins. We have also purchased a lot of things from the Dollar Tree. The season, months, weather, etc. board was an idea I found on Pinterest and copied. I still need to complete the number dates for each month, but so far Addy has really been enjoying it.

Our biggest asset over the last 6 months has been our local library. Can you imagine thousands (maybe even millions) of books at your disposable...and they're free??!! What a wonderful thing for taxpayer dollars to go to! If we are focusing on a specific subject for the week, I can go on to the library website and reserve the book(s) needed on that topic. We pick them up and the girls can play in the library or select other non-educational books to borrow. It has been such a blessing and I am incredibly thankful for it. I cannot explain the pride I have in these two little girls who so love books, stories, the idea of books, etc. As a child, I was a horrible reader (I never quite understood the idea of sounding words out). Because of this, I hated reading in all capacities, but especially reading aloud in front of others. Thankfully, my hatred of books did not follow me into my adult life and I now love nothing more than dissolving into a good book. Reading is literally the foundation for ALL learning. If you can read, you can educate yourself on anything imaginable. I encourage all parents, whether homeschooling or not, to read to their children as much as possible. And not just the 20 suggested minutes by educators. Read to them all day, whether in the grocery store or at home. Encourage them to follow along and even participate in the stories. It will not only build the greatest foundation for learning, but it will also allow their imaginations to explore and when a child has an exceptional imagination, they are more likely to play alone so you can clean house or have personal time.

Do not start feeling bad for my kids as if they are punished with school time. They also have a playroom which is honestly a little ridiculous. We recently removed 1/3 of the toys and placed them in the attic because space was insanely limited. And remember, playtime is learning time too. You do not need a fancy classroom to educate your children. I have noticed that the girls are much more willing to give me 30 minutes to workout, 30 minutes to clean, 30 minutes to make dinner and 30 minutes to check emails, make phone calls, blog or have personal time if I have spent the rest of the bulk of my day with them in the playroom or classroom learning and playing together.

**Let me be totally honest that our lives are not perfect. Some days, we do not go anywhere near that classroom. Some days, I let my kids watch an hour of Mickey Mouse Clubhouse so I can take a shower and sweep my floors. Some days, we spend 6 hours outside and other days, we do not even look out the window. Life is about balance and nothing will make you realize how important balance is until you have children. A classroom setup isn't necessary for all families and more importantly, it isn't even feasible. But it works for us and we enjoy using it. Never base parenting or educational decisions on the actions (or words) of others. Do what is right for YOUR family!

What are some ideas you have for a classroom? What should I add? Any teachers of lower grades (preschool-2nd grade) have opinions about what you would like kids to know or have a foundation of before entering your grade? :)