by Monica Tunnell

Created on: November 18, 2008   Last Updated: July 30, 2010

A homeschool classroom is a very special place. It is a reflection of both teacher and student. The key to decorating the room effectively is to allow your children to participate in the process. This creates a sense of pride and ownership in their special room, compelling them to spend time there even during hours they are not in formal learning. Learning should not be a deplorable experience, but instead, should be a fun and engaging process. Chairs should be comfortable, desks inviting, and materials accessible. It is important that your children know where everything is as well. Make sure that older kids help in the process of organizing the room, and create a special system for younger ones to identify what they are looking for.

First, choose your space wisely. Make sure that it is a quiet area of the house where children can focus on what they are doing without being distracted by constant background interruptions. If you are not able to create a seperate room for school, at least make sure the area where you choose to engage your children in learning is a dedicated area. Some people go for the dining room table when lacking a dedicated room. This can be convienent, but is not as effective as a dedicated space. It can make school seem like an after-thought. You want your children to see what a priority their education is to you. Taking pride in the space where you conduct school shows them that. In addition, having a dedicated space for school allows you to have a dedicated space for lesson planning during time off or while the kids are sleeping. I spend quite a bit of time in our school room doing lesson planning as well as most of my writing.

Color is a key to the energy of a room. If the energy of a room is soothing and positive, your school experience will be positive as well. Please do not leave the walls of your school room white! This is very sterile and cold. Paint the walls a warm and inviting color. Make sure that you do not choose something too dark or too bright as these choices might be tiring or stress inducing. Choose a warm earth tone. If you are not fond of earth tones, try creating a happy mural on the wall, or maybe even one on each wall. Have your children help you to create the murals. If you just can't stand paint and want no color on the walls whatsoever, then cover all walls with bookshelves! This is something that all homeschoolers know how to do well.

Next, pick the furniture you will use in the room. A helpful hint here is to

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