School Room Overhaul

I've posted the various transformations our school room has had over the years, but this one is the biggest change.   The boys keep getting older, which means:

1. New needs
2. More books!

Here's the first post from 2007 (teaching grades 3, 2, & K with a preschooler and toddler).  Here's the second post from 2010 (teaching grades 6, 5, 3, & 1 with a preschooler).  And finally, the third post from 2012 (teaching grades 7, 6, 4, 2, & K).

Obviously, a big change is the paint.  It was time to get rid of the cheery elementary yellow and make the room a little more grown up and serious.  This year I'll have grades 9, 8, 6, 4, & 2.  We sold the loveseat and went with these two IKEA chairs for reading.  For some reason, when more than one boy needed to read on the loveseat, we ended up with a lot of wrestling matches.  I still have plans to paint the filing cabinet, and in the closet are books we aren't currently using.

The treadmill and the older 3 boys' desks.  We do most of our work in this room.  It's what we're used to, and it helps keep us focused.  The older two boys will take their work up to their rooms every now and then, but I'd say 95% of our work is done here.  I've got my eyes open for something for the wall by the treadmill, and we just got new white wooden blinds for the window.

The younger two boys' desks, and the bookshelves.  Oh, my.  The books.  So many books.  I also painted my desk and updated the drawer pulls.

This is taken from the back of the room by the reading chairs & treadmill, just to give you perspective.  I've got plans to add another piece of whiteboard to the wall, and we'll also be replacing the TV with a touchscreen computer that Craig's parents gave to us.  You can see the printer in the corner (I also painted the table it sits on).  On the side of the desk are two small IKEA stools for when I'm teaching 1:1 or 1:2.  It's nice to be right by the white board for this.

The maps--I think I paid around $10 for these when Luke was in Kindergarten.  I think we've gotten our money's worth out of them.  You can also see part of the "library" door.  It's a closet under the stairs that holds most of our non-homeschooling related books. 

Finally, the cabinet that holds the boys' current books and binders.  When they were little, we needed a cabinet with doors I could put a lock on to keep out little hands.  Now we need the cabinet with doors to help hide the fact they cannot consistently place books and binders neatly back on the shelves. The door to the left is the door that leads to the playroom & stairs.

The boys & I are thrilled with how it turned out.  They love the colors, and they have more space with this room configuration.  I feel like it's organized and like I have room to work, so I want to be in there.  It'll be a great place to start our new year!