{"id":7375,"date":"2012-09-06T03:00:11","date_gmt":"2012-09-06T10:00:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.movoto.com\/blog\/?p=7375"},"modified":"2012-09-06T03:00:11","modified_gmt":"2012-09-06T10:00:11","slug":"back-to-school-what-makes-a-homeschool-classroom","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.movoto.com\/blog\/back-to-school-what-makes-a-homeschool-classroom\/","title":{"rendered":"Back to School: What Makes a Homeschool Classroom?"},"content":{"rendered":"

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\nIn the coming days, children across the nation will return to school, if they haven\u2019t already. At the same time, there will be those young learners who wake up to study in their homes. While it\u2019s difficult to accurately calculate the number of homeschooled children in the country, a 2009 report estimated the number was close to 1.5 million.
\nRecently, Movoto Real Estate<\/a> became interested in homeschool parents and how they prepare for the school year. Specifically, we wanted to know how parents went about creating classrooms, or learning environments in their homes.
\nFor tips and guidance to the difficult task of making sure a child keeps abreast of his or her studies, we reached out to homeschool parents from across the country for their advice on turning a home into a schoolhouse.<\/p>\n

To Desk or Not to Desk<\/h2>\n

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\nIt might be easy to think that designing a classroom for your children should focus solely on the students, but this is only part of the decision. Choosing a classroom is as much about philosophy as it is about learning.
\nThere are homeschool parents who believe the world is the classroom and that traditional classroom designs don\u2019t adequately prepare children for a lifetime of learning. Nonetheless, there are those who see the advantages of more traditional classrooms and go about creating a similar\u2014but probably not exact\u2014environment.
\nDr. Brian Ray runs the National Home Education Research Institute<\/a>. He has studied homeschooling since the mid-1980s. During a phone call with Movoto, he said one of the most important things for homeschool parents to consider when designing a learning environment is the needs of both child and parents.
\nIf the main teacher needs structure, an in-home classroom might make teaching easier.
\n\u201cThe advantage of a dedicated room is efficiency,\u201d Ray said. \u201cA lot of times it\u2019s easier on the children if they know where the Crayons are.\u201d
\nHe was quick to point out, however, that a dedicated classroom doesn\u2019t work for all students and philosophies. In fact, bring up the idea of a dedicated classroom irks some homeschool parents, who liken dedicated rooms to prisons that sap creativity.
\n\u201cIf one of your objectives is to help your children to (cultivate) learning habits all the time, you usually choose the eclectic approach,\u201d Ray said. \u201cSome children will thrive with a dedicated writing space, others will atrophy.\u201d
\nThere\u2019s no right choice, however. With more than two decades of home school study, Ray was unable to guess what type of philosophy and design are more abundant.<\/p>\n

Make It Yours<\/h2>\n

Opinions and stories about homeschooling are plentiful. From speaking with homeschool parents, the Movoto team learned that many experiment to learn what works best for their children and family. In fact, what works at one point might change as a child grows or more young ones are added to the school environment.
\nAnn Severi, who is a credentialed teacher, favored learning in any circumstance. \u201cHomeschool rooms just keep you in the room, in the house, and IN the BOX,\u201d Severi said. \u201cLet’s rip up that box, and leave the rooms for living, loving, and of course learning.\u201d
\nAlong these lines Alyssa Canann said people should think of a homeschool room as a place in which students can create any number of things.
\n\u201cThink of a homeschool room as a Maker room, an art studio, a craft center, a library, a writer’s nook, a game room, a mad scientist’s lab, (and) a zoo,\u201d she said. \u201cHaving a place to set up the potter’s wheel or microscope or rocket launcher phases 1, 2, and 44 is a wonderful convenience.\u201d
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\nWhile Canann didn\u2019t eschew learning in other parts of the house, she said a dedicated room, or space, provides organization. The benefits of a \u201cdiscovery lair\u201d include:<\/p>\n