September 27, 2010

The Overhaul!

We have just begun our fifth year of homeschool.
We have not always home-educated.

In fact,
we used to be opposed to it!

Our playroom was deemed the *perfect* classroom
by our homeschool friends.

BUT...
the LORD wasn't going to call us to
do such a thing
!

A playroom it would remain.
Or so I thought.



For four years our schoolroom was just as it appears
in this post.

But this year we made some changes.
We only removed the little red table with
its one remaining chair.
Everything else was kept.
Most things were rearranged ~
The Overhaul!



Ahhh...it feels
So. Much. Better!



811. Thankful for an area in our home to "do school"

812. Thankful that the LORD called us to this!

813. And thankful that the children WANT to!


814. Enthusiasm of the children

815. The branching out and searching out on their own


816. New discoveries


817. Making discoveries together

818. Field trips taken together
(instead of with their separate classes)

819. Working through problems with our children

820. Their willingness to work at it


821. The "thank you" from a child and the hugs that follow

822. The sparkle in their eyes when they "get it"!

823. That I'm not too old to learn :)

824. Access to amazing resources

825. Thankful that we are able to teach from a
Christian Worldview

826. Thankful that the LORD promises to give us
the wisdom and grace and strength we need

827. A husband who believes in what we are doing

828. And who encourages along the way

829. And for his help in rearranging the room...
until midnight one night!

830. Getting to the bottom of the piles

831. Finding a place for everything!

832. A reading couch for the school
that was found at a garage sale many years ago

833. That the reading couch can be a bed for the child
who gives up their bed for an overnight guest

834. For Kristy who has had many a sleepover :)

835. Bookshelves and bookshelves and
books and books and books

836. For "Little House in the Big Woods" ~
our current after lunch read-aloud...

837. And thankful for my friend
@ Wanting What I Have
who rekindled the idea! :)

Many blessings,
Camille

14 comments:

Jill said...

What a lovely room Camille! They look so very happy, that's just priceless. Enjoy!
Blessings,
Jill

Intentional Living Homestead said...

Looks great...and those smiles, well they are priceless. Looks like they enjoy homeschooling.

Have a blessed week.

Camille said...

Dear Jill ~ Thank you for your sweet encouragement! :)

Dear Treasures ~ We are thankful for the opportunity to do it...having experienced sending the kids to school makes us appreciate it even more I think. :)

Blessings to you both!
In Him,
Camille

His bondservant said...

Camille,

Absolutely love the room! It looks so cheery. What a wonderful environment for your children to learn.

Happy schooling!
Jackie

Traci Michele said...

Beautiful List! What dilligent little students you have!

Blessings, Traci http://www.ordinaryinspirations.blogspot.com

Make a Joyful Noise all ye Lands said...

How the Lord does lead us. Your school room looks so sweet and well organized a perfect picture of learning in an atmosphere of love..
Have a wonderful day,

Your friend,
Virginia

Heather said...

Oh, it's gorgeous! I love your room! How inspiring. Wonderful light in that big window and the couch is perfect for a reader while others are doing table work. Thanks for sharing this with us! I'm glad the Lord called you to homeschool too!

Love, Heather

Linda said...

Hi Camille,
Happy Monday!
Beautiful room and beautiful smiles!!
Blessings and hugs.

Ann at eightacresofeden said...

I had a quick peek at the 'before' pictures and it looks like the new arrangement is going to work so much better for you. At the moment our formal living room is being relined and plastered - we raised the ceiling in there. So all our furniture is crammed into the family/kitchen/dining room which is where we homeschool. It is a big room but I am missing the former spaciousness now the two big couches have joined us, along with other items - everything feels cluttered. I cannot wait to have my two separate living rooms back - it will be time to do my rearranging then!
I appreciated everything on your list today Camille. I once proclaimed when living in NZ 'Why would anyone ever want to leave NZ and move to Australia?'

Camille said...

Dear Jackie ~ SO good to hear from you! Thanks for your encouraging words. :)

Dear Traci ~ Thank you! We are conscious of the fact that these are blessings from the LORD. :)

Dear Viginia ~ Yes, the LORD does lead us, and sometimes in surprising ways! But we are thankful that HE doesn't leave us to ourselves. :)

Dear Heather ~ I *love* your enthusiasm...it's a blessing! Thank you for your sweet words today. :)

Dear Linda ~ Happy Monday to you too! Thanks for stopping by to encourage...I appreciate it! :)

Dear Ann ~ Maybe you will do a "before" and "after" post to show your improvements? I understand the disruption that renovations cause...hang in there...it will all be worth it! :)

Blessings to you each one!
In His Love,
Camille

Unknown said...

What a beautiful school room. Love all the light coming in through your windows.

Trisha said...

You are so blessed to have a space like this. It's wonderful!

Tami said...

Love your list of thanks and that it's all about homeschooling. Your room looks like a great place to learn! So funny that although we are just getting started, I'm already seeing need for a better "system" for storage and such. So I've got dreams, sister! Big dreams! And it's fun to dream and grow and learn again.

Love 817, 818 - and dreaming of that 831 one day! ;o) All in due time and however God plans it.

Blessings, my friend! I enjoyed your post!
Tami

Camille said...

Dear Jenn ~ Thank you! We are thankful that the LORD gave us that room...we had no idea it would ever be used for school! Funny how things change sometimes, isn't it? :)

Dear Trisha ~ We thank the LORD for it...we are conscious that it is not something we deserve at all. How gracious HE is!

Dear Tami ~ Thank you for your encouraging words! I agree...storage is important. There are many creative ways to implement it...I'm sure you will figure out a system that works for you in your home. :)

Blessings to you each one!
In His Love,
Camille