by Janny Jackson
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As we approach the start of a new school year, my fifth-year homeschooling, I have become increasingly aware of the growing needs of my kids as they get older. The older they get the more pressure I feel to make sure I am doing everything in my power to make sure that they are not only receiving the education they need (and deserve), but that I have a dedicated space that allows me to take full advantage of, and feel in control of, the school year as we start the new year.
You have already seen my coat closet turned homeschool closet. This is still one of my most favorite and practical transformations we have done in our house so far. Once I was able to organize the books needed for our homeschool area, I was able to reorganize this closet, again, to make it more efficient for the year.
The bottom row holds books and curriculum we will use later on in the school year, as well as their portfolios and a science kit for my third grader. All within easy reach and accessible for when needed.
The middle row is where I keep my kid’s artwork, stored in the blue containers, as well as science kit materials for my fifth grader.
The top row is where I keep past school year portfolios, as well as extra supplies such as notebooks and paper, things I don’t need access to regularly.
I was able to move curriculum books we are not currently using into my Ikea bookshelves, seen on the left, after I moved my kid’s picture books upstairs. I have all of the curriculum books organized by subject, such as history, science, bible, etc. I love being able to see what I have, while also keeping them behind closed doors, because dust is real, and I really hate dusting books.
The closet, and our little homeschool area/wall, have undergone MANY a transformation while we have lived here. The last time I attempted to “makeover” this space it looked like this.
Before
We do not have a dedicated homeschool room therefore having to school at our dining room table, which is totally fine with me, but the space that we have presents its own unique challenges as far as the placement of where our table is to the wall space we have available. I have found that (over time) this little wall area is the best place to house our daily homeschool materials.
This setup was great for a while. The little black drawer cart really helped us create a system of organization that I will never deter from. I love having drawers for each kid’s subjects. It keeps the books in decent condition throughout the year, yet hidden, in a dedicated space, and every book has a home.
I have always wrestled with what to do with a bulletin board. I have found that, even with the best intentions, I very rarely use it. That thing has been on and off my wall so many times over the past couple years. I had it in my homeschool closet for a couple months debating on if I should just get rid of it or not. Eventually the last remaining things on this wall at the end of our 2023-2024 school year was the calendar and the cart, and I knew I needed to completely redo this area, yet again.
One of my biggest (personal) struggles that I’ve wrestled with over the years was making this area look too “homeschool-y” since it is a visible space from the front door. I take pride in my home, and even though it will never look perfect, because kids, I do still like to keep a minimal aesthetic.
All of that went out the door this year as I planned to redo this space. I have come to realize that I NEED this space to be more functional, more than I need it to look a certain way for myself or others that may walk through my door.
Homeschool is a HUGE part of our lives, and one I want to be fully dedicated to, not just within myself but within my home as well.
So, I started brainstorming. I reevaluated what we had and what I needed to make our homeschool wall more practical in every way possible.
Prep Mode
I knew I needed a new drawer system. What we had was great, but that plastic drawer cart was not something that was going to last forever, in quality or space.
I knew I needed my kids to have access to their chapter books and books needed for their curriculum, instead of having them on my tall Ikea bookshelves.
I knew I needed a smaller calendar that wouldn’t take up so much wall space.
And I needed more color! I really wanted this small homeschool wall to stand out against my simple home aesthetic and be a place that made us excited for school, with lots of color and better functioning.
This is what I came up with!
After
Other than having painted the walls and hung curtains, this wall was pretty bare compared to now.
It all started with Ikea, of course. I saw another homeschool mom had these drawer units for her kids, and I knew that it was exactly what I needed for mine. They are obviously much taller with more drawers (that are mostly closed in!), but the biggest deciding factor for me was the quality and longevity I will get from them. These are drawer units we will be able to use for years and years, Lord willing. Ikea furniture is not top-notch quality, obviously, but they are much better quality than what we had before and are so easy to clean. These were 100% worth every penny.
I was able to resolve the issue of not having the kid’s books accessible to them with a revolving bookshelf! I don’t even remember how I stumbled upon a revolving bookshelf as an option, but I knew as soon as I saw it that it would be perfect for our small space. I purchased this one from Amazon. My son and I put it together and it was incredibly simple. It is much taller than I expected, holds a ton of books, and the quality is great. It’s definitely meant to last. I love the natural wood tone as well.
I’m no stranger to wallpaper, and I knew that the best way to add color to this space was with just that. I found this colorful wallpaper, ordered just one roll, and had it up within an hour of receiving it. It was just enough for the small half wall area and really makes this wall feel like a dedicated space just for homeschool. I love it!
Then, the bulletin board. I will be trying to utilize it again this year, we will see how it goes. I purchased some fun border for it and put pocket sleeves up to be able to change charts and things I want for display a little easier. I am hopeful that with all of the subjects my kids are learning this year that I will be able to utilize the bulletin board for important things we need to look at often. Fingers crossed I keep up with it this year!
I also purchased a smaller monthly calendar that I have since hung onto the side of the Ikea drawer units with command strips, in view from our dining room table, that is space saving yet helps my kids to see the date in a monthly view instead of the weekly view we were used to.
Another change I made this year was I got rid of individual pencil boxes for each kid and instead will be fully utilizing our supply caddy every day. We just don’t have the space for individual boxes, and it looks and feels more cluttered with 3 boxes, versus the one caddy.
I purchased these customizable drawer labels from Teachers Pay Teachers and let the kids pick out their own colors for their drawers.
Overall, I am extremely satisfied with the outcome of this space. It feels refreshed and alive and way more practical and functional than before.
We are so excited to begin our new year!
Have you made any changes to your homeschool space? Has this given you any ideas? Let me know below. And as always, thanks for being here!