Welcome to Cottonwood Academy!

After reading many homeschooling blogs, I realized I was one of the few homeschooling Moms, that didn't have a name for our homeschool. I tried to get inspiration and found that my neighbors named their's after the street they reside on, others, family names, funny names, and then someone wrote about a tree in your yard, that you like...

I have a great and wonderful tree that stretches over my back garden...a big, beautiful, Cottonwood tree!

So Cottonwood Academy was born!!

That meant I now had a great excuse to redo, reorganize, and refresh our school room.

I decided to take everything out except the big pieces and move the room around. I also wanted to lighten the room. It was still our old game room to me, that was Texas Ranch themed. I wanted it to feel like an old schoolhouse. Simplified, comfortable, and very efficient. I had a lot of work to do!

BEFORE:

After pictures below.....

The boys loved it, but, I realized quickly, there were things I would do differently this next year, than I did in our first year. During last year, I realized during our studies, that I forgot about literature we had that corresponded with our social studies/history, awesome science references and tools, etc. etc. simply because they weren't with our everyday materials.

It wasn't that the room was disorganized, it just wasn't organized by subject. I needed bookcases...many, many bookcases. I also needed a few more magazine organizers, paper organizers and boxes to organize flash cards, art supplies, etc.

Then, there were the "wants"! I wanted slipcovers for the dark furniture and to protect them too. I had a bunch of drop cloth left and decided to ask my amazingly talented friend, who did my outdoor cushions, to help me with this project too. Luckily, she agreed!

I became a slipcover addict! I slipcovered the bench, antique twin chairs, and arm chairs. I also had the arm chairs embroidered with an "H", for our last name, and make me two pillows with "Cottonwood Academy" on them. I was so excited to see it all come together.

Ok, ok....here are the pictures!

I put back up the cute roof that had fallen off years ago. I reattached it and REALLY secured it! Then, I painted the trim around the windows and door, to give that old fashioned schoolhouse feel. I painted over an old sign, and painted Cottonwood Academy Est. 2012. I also hung up an old bell, that I already had, above the sign to really give the schoolhouse look. Notice my dried cotton stalks, I just had to, they were so neat and it is "Cotton"wood Academy....

I took out the antique oriental rug and folded it in half and put it in the "schoolhouse". I also used a medallion I bought many years ago at Hobby Lobby, glued wooden letters I had painted white, to the medallion for a school emblem. I don't know why, but it is one of my favorite things in the room.

On the big desk/work table, I put up the Cursive Alphabet, trying to encourage them to continue writing in cursive, since school teaches it, but allows printing after. They REALLY needed the practice. So this helps as a silent reminder...

{I know... Most people type anyway...but to me, cursive writing should still be taught and used!}

I also put a desk lamp, pencil holder, and mini globe.

 

 

I took down the old dark green drapes and faux leather cornice piece. Then, I used an old board, leftover shelf brackets, leftover closet dowels, an old white sheet with no matching pieces, and made a shelf and window treatments. I ripped out pages of a water damaged book, twine, and leftover grey blue paint and made a fun bunting for over the window treatment with our new school-name initials. I displayed my antique school books, flags, and two of my favorite presidents framed prints.

The new desk under the window? This was born from, " I need another good sized desk and it should fit under the window.",....conversation with myself!

It's our bedroom armoire shelf that was under a bed, because the armoire houses a t.v.., and two matching side tables. Voila!...a desk is born! I was so excited it was the perfect fit under the window. And a random white chair I had, and a garage sale lamp = a perfect addition.

Our Cottonwood Academy pillows~

We decided our little Westie Darby was going to be our mascot. So when we found this Westie at Home Goods, it was a must have addition.

My new chairs! Well, they feel like new. I love how they turned out!

Thank you Angel for our slipcovers and pillows. You helped make our schoolroom so comfortable and pretty!

Our "new to us" bookcases. My amazing neighbor Daniela let me have first pick of all of her bookcases and organization supplies she was letting go of. I grabbed these two bookcases and one more for our art supplies. I also snagged these great clear plastic magazine organizers too, that I put blue construction paper in and made labels for from the graphic fairy laurel wreath. I added our school name and subject label. I framed all the U.S. documents and hung them up all over the room too.

The left bookshelf is Math and Science, and the right is Social Studies and History, as well as a few reference materials too.

 

I love our shell whale! He reminds me of our family history of whaling captains in the 1800's.

 

Inside the schoolhouse...

Ahhhhhhhhhhh! Finally all organized! The left middle shelf is all art paper, supplies and art books. The right middle shelf is notebook paper, graph paper, etc., flash cards, and school subject teaching tools.

All books organized by series and themes. Classics, mystery, etc.

I kept their prized fossil display on my old play cupboard. It actually works perfectly for fossil displays. But, I also left the tiny rocker by the fire. What you don't see very well in this picture, is two large pillows for relaxing while reading.

This is the opposite wall of the faux fireplace in the "schoolhouse". I use this for additional reference material and of course more books. But, even though the picture is not high quality....I wanted to show that I made more of the labels and put them on those cardboard magazine organizers from Ikea. It makes them look a tad better and I can easily reference everything, now that it is all organized and categorized.

Display of literature with a few items that might go with the theme of the book. This is the fun stuff, I love doing!

 

This is our art supply station. A lot of times, the boys needed easier access to these supplies, because they needed them in other subjects besides art.

I got this shelf below, for $2.00 at a garage sale this last April for my laundry room. Well, it wasn't the right size. So I hung onto it just in case I found a spot for it, and I did!! A perfect place for their art creations.

I had to hang up my Vincent Van Gogh quote and the picture I love of my Grandpa in the front row of his one room schoolhouse in Minnesota. I also added a couple art books. The one behind the landscapes book, was stuck in some art supplies of my Grandma's. She painted beautiful landscapes in oil. I hope the boys enjoy using her inspirations for their own art inspirations.

One more look.....

 

The map is actually attached to a pull UP old home movie screen. I have the world map attached too and I can flip them. I was so happy I had a proper way to display them. Behind the map easel, is the easel with the dry erase board. Really the only...and best spot for all in the room to see what we are doing on the board.

 

My "teacher armoire" redone. I took our metal Texas flag, turned it around and put it on the back wall of the armoire. Then, I added a much needed paper sorter, a GIANT apple for the teacher, my Laura Ingals Wilder letter and picture display, framed teacher poem, and the new awesome organizer I got out of my neighbor cleaning out her organization supplies...woohoo!

Next to it, on the wall you'll see their clipboards hung up for easy access and fun activities placed in the wall organizer. These are for when the boys finish their work, but we still have school left to do, and one sibling is not quite ready....this is their Mad Libs, and other creative fun busy work.

So......pheeeew! That's it!! That's what I've been working on. I hope you like it as much as we do. Maybe a few ideas to help organize your own school room too. This is a learning process for sure. Somehow I know it will change again; but, as I see it, it sure functions well and makes us happy.

I hope all of you are having a great summer. Even though I've been busy, it sure is nice to have time to relax when I want to!

Look for more pictures of the playroom and girls rooms from the other job I was doing. I go this week to finish it up. We still have a carpenter coming out for a couple things...but for the rest...it will be complete! I will post those next week.

I have to thank all the wonderful moms, family, and friends that helped support me and our new homeschooling adventure. We also didn't make this leap alone and without wonderful homeschooling moms to support and inspire us. So, a huge thank you to you ALL!

We can't wait to start the 2013-2014 School Year.

Until then, Happy Decorating!

 

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