we have a corner in our kitchen that, since the day we moved in, we always thought would "be something"--first it was going to be a breakfast nook, then it was going to be an after-dinner coffee nook, and most recently it was going to be a baking and canning nook. but it was never any of those things--instead it was the place where things that needed to go to the attic ended up spending the rest of their natural lives.
(note--this nook is not the restaurant. we are blessed with two kitchen nooks).
last week our kitchen was invaded by ants for the second time this year--the first was because they were escaping the flood--this time was because they were escaping the heat wave--and i am saddened to inform you that i committed ant-icide but my goodness they just wouldn't leave.
then ella and i took action--we removed everything from the counters, cabinets, and floors--and we emptied the nook to the bare walls and floor.
we steam cleaned the entire kitchen by hand from ceiling to floor, including the walls and the doors, using our trusty and much-adored shark handheld steamer (seriously, internet, go get one of these--they are awesome--that is a totally unsolicited and unpaid endorsement)--and then, we transformed the wanna-be space into a miniature classroom:
the highlight is the little desk for my star pupil. i put out the call on facebook and within hours a sweet friend sent me a picture of this little vintage school desk which she found at a yard sale. it was exactly what ella wanted, even to the color. with a little steam cleaning and a pass with a magic eraser sponge, it was as good as new!
then we moved the two little shelves and the black table from the craft room, stole a chair from the restaurant, set up our stuff, and now we have our own little one-room schoolhouse.
for enquiring minds:
the black floating shelf is what ella calls the show-off shelf. this is for anything she is especially proud of. right now it holds some special plants, a bucket she used to play at the beach, a jar of some beach sand and shells she collected, and framed pictures of herself and rudi. the cowbell is how i call the class to order each morning. :)
the wall space above the black shelf is empty now but my plan is to hang art prints of specific artists each month for us to study. this is going to force me to think further ahead than usual--i wanted george seurat for august but apparently he isn't "in season" in any of the local museums, book stores, or gift shops. :/
on the shelf units below:
the left shelf unit is mine and is where i keep resource materials, project kits, and games. on the top are little bins for my random desk stuff (pens, scratch paper, scissors, etc). the right shelf unit is ella's, on the top are her work folder basket and two dollies who were visiting for the day, the next shelf holds her learning tools (binoculars, flashlights, journal, and cubby box), and on the bottom are her manipulatives.
to the right of the shelves is the family corner--that is why the framed pictures are on that end of the black shelf and why ella's desk is here. my mother made the lamp when i was a child, she poured the lamp base then sculpted the details on it, painted it by hand, even wired it herself. the painting on the wall was made by rudi's father when rudi was just a little boy, rudi went with him when he went out to paint this scene. on the floor you can just barely see the pets' watering bowls--our dogs and cats are part of the family and have always been watered in this corner, so that is why ella chose this side of the noook for the family corner.
ella calls me "miss mama"; this is miss mama's desk. in the window is a stained glass piece that my mother made using an old window frame. from here we have a view of the deck and the backyard, so this week ella and i are cleaning up the view to make it nicer to look at. to that end, today we are making bird feeders to hang outside the upper window so we can see the birds up close. when the class is in the classroom i turn my chair around to face the students, and we are close enough that i can see her work to help her if she wants. this desk arrangement also lets ella watch instructional videos or DVDs easily from her desk or from my lap. :)
this is the first official "homeschool" space we've ever had, and it feels very special and personal. we still do lots of things all over the house--among other things, we have a very cool book club that we can't let go to waste--but it makes ella so happy and proud to have her very own "real school room".
*if you have a designated space for doing homeschool activities--no matter how formal or casual it may be--please leave a link in the comments! i love seeing how other homeschoolers meet their family's learning needs!
