Ideal home ed for primary school kids

[grey12]

Hi!

So backstory: we're moving to a different country and I'll be starting to homeschool my kids (3yo nursery, 5yo going to y1, 7yo going to y3). We're looking at houses and everything is unfurnished so will furnish a house more or less from scratch with IKEA stuff 🤷🏻‍♀️🤷🏻‍♀️🤷🏻‍♀️

If you could populate your ideal home ed room, what would you choose? Big table? Small kids tables (saw one in IKEA that has flexible height, looked interesting)? Hidden storage vs open bookshelves? Computer screen vs blackboard vs one-to-one paper? Soft corner for book reading?

Thank you!

We just use our dining room table occasionally to spread things out. We have a bookcase, laptop and a tablet. Most learning is done outside, at groups or online. We tend not to sit down and ‘do work’. Personally I would join local home Ed groups and see what’s available, plus read up on different approaches to learning styles, educational philosophies etc.

I know it's not what you asked, but why wouldn't you send them to school for the language immersion at least? Seems like a huge missed opportunity.

@titchy super expensive 😕 only option is private schools

I think you will get more useful answers on an international forum. I have only ever met a few home ed families in the UK who have a dedicated room set aside just for home ed. Most of us either can't afford that, or like @AppleWax we see learning as integral to our lives and not necessarily something we would sit and do in a separate area.

Is there a thriving home ed community in the new country? If not then I really would reconsider schooling options. I appreciate it's expensive, but home education is likely to make it harder to integrate and find local friendships. Are you moving for your partners job, if so is there any chance of school fees being part of the package? Also is the move a permanent one?

Presumably this country has children?

@Saracen I understand your point. My question was more in the vein of if you dreamed of your ideal scenario what would that look like

@Whinge couldn't be part of the package, we tried that 😕

I believe there is a home ed community that we could hopefully become part of.

There are a few reasons that make me content to start with home ed. Firstly, my oldest is struggling in school. She should have been deferred a year but the school didn't allow us. Secondly, I'm not happy with system, everyone expects extra tuition (FOR PRIMARY SCHOOL KIDS 🤯🤯🤯), they are rushing with learning, no help for the ones struggling, no support for the ones doing very well. And also they have no time for extra activities. I would really like them to do swimming, gymnastics, martial arts, ballet......

At least for a year, even if I was staying in the UK, I think I would take them out of school, especially the oldest🤷🏻‍♀️

I know it's going to be a massive struggle. But I'm optimistic that we're going to figure things out.

We use our living room because it gives me easy access to the yard and kitchen (I'm disabled) and I find open storage like the ikea Kallax useful because it attracts them to something they want or need without having to go looking. We also have separate tables because my 2 can literally fight over anything (plus they have an age gap so I can get 1 started to work on something independently and do something different with the other) although we frequently just use the sofa! We also use a mix of laptop, phone, blackboard/whiteboard, pen/pencil and paper or outdoor learning as we see fit. They are both dyslexic and dd2 finds writing easier on non paper surfaces so chalk on the outside walls/barn/patio etc/Co-ordinates outside with chalk and a wooden pirate ship etc. Dd1 prefers paper reading but typing to write. Art materials seem to end up everywhere
Weirdly although probably because she never received any in mainstream school before we started Home Ed Dd1 absolutely loves a certificate so we have "certificate ceiling" to display all the certificates I've printed off and laminated of their achievements plus sport ones etc and stuck them all up on the living room ceiling, it gives them both but especially the eldest a real boost. (Can't use the wall, the hare eats them!) I also display banners of their chosen topics on the patio door at their request so they can show them off and for motivation and again because cats and hares can't reach there).

Work life glue on you tube has kids similar ages and homes schools maybe worth checking out some of her videos?

Twinkl or similar have lists of “must have resources” for classrooms for each year group. Make a mixture so all your children can benefit from it. Get open ended resources. Research learning through play - Anna Ephgrave has fab books. In general I would say if you’re making a whole “classroom” basic would then include;
reading area - comfortable and cosy
writing area - with movable resources such as clipboards, range of writing materials, sound cards etc
maths area- range of counting materials and manipulatives.

water / sand
construction
then you enhance each area with different resources depending on your topics but also make sure to leave the basic resources all year round too.
Remember you can make/ collect lots of these things by using natural materials eg using conkers for counting objects. Happy to help with more ideas if you would like to DM ☺️

Really? Where do the local kids go?

@Zonder my kids don't speak the language and also eldest was really struggling with school in english in the UK 🤷🏻‍♀️ I would imagine she would crumble under that pressure 😬 maybe the others could manage. It's an option

@BuffyFanForever thanks for the advice ☺️ really good ideas!

How will the children do clubs - ballet, martial arts, ... without the local language ?

I think with the young ages you have I'd be trying to make things as accessible as possible for the children, so that they can be independent learners and decide on the activities they want to do. So that implies a fair amount of open storage, so that they can see what's on offer and don't need you to get things every time.

You can get blackboard paint, so if you don't want a blackboard taking up space you could paint some of the IKEA furniture tops or fronts in that (we painted a cupboard door in the kitchen with some, which our 3.5 year old loves drawing on).

Read alouds on the couch, their bed or a picnic blanket (Charlotte Mason style).
Montessori-style hands-on activities, accessible household tasks in the appropriate place, and a shelf for manipulatives. Learning is integrated into life, a practical kitchen with the things you need in child-safe sizes.
An accessible arts and crafts area where things are organized and easy to see, with a few books on art history and artists and a space to create that won't be disturbed (i.e. a family table, not a dining room table that constricts activities each time it has to be cleared away).
An open bookcase with all types of books, a map on the wall, a globe, a microscope.
A blackboard for chalk drawings (Waldorf for letter learning, combined with Montessori, and All About Reading). Whiteboard markers for writing on the window.
Sensory and physical play and movement opportunities. A wobble board for feet whilst sitting at a table, or a standing desk for older children once handwriting is well established.

I think your first step is working out what kind of learning suits your children (and it might be different for each one), and then where you go from there wrt furniture and supplies.

My kids do a lot of reading, story writing and craft so we have a learning room with large table, and drawers full of craft supplies. Lots of book cases with all their books.

Agree that Kallax storage is good. You can have boxes for each kind of learning toy and craft supply.

For the little ones things like crayons, paper, little toy animals, building blocks, washable paints, fine motor skills things like large beads, etc.

Which country are you going to? In many places your youngest two would still be in a more kindergarten style so a good opportunity to learn the language. Tougher for your older child.