How to Sneak In a Kids' Study Zone Without Creating Clutter

When living in small and/or storage less spaces, I use dressers or buffets that were given to me to hold both books and supplies. These pieces look nice In the dining or living room, have both drawers and cupboards, and keep everything needed right at hand. It is the best of form and function. Sort of like having my cake and eating it too!

Similar pieces can often be found for free or very little at yard sales, second hand sources. Mine came from friends and family who were updating their furniture and wondered if I knew anyone who would be interested in them. I was. Sometimes a little bit of cleaning and painting are needed to make them fit the room they are being used in, but that can be almost as fun and rewarding as the extra storage they provide.

Things have really changed in my lifetime. My homework was accomplished wherever I chose to park myself. Sometimes that was on the couch, sometimes at the kitchen table, sometimes on my bed, and sometimes in my favorite climbing tree in the backyard. The library was across town so I'd have to wait for my parents to get home from school (they were both teachers) or convince an older sibling to take me there when I needed more information than what I could gleam from our Encyclopedia Britannica or the more child friendly World Book Encyclopedia.

When my older kids were young, home computers were just becoming common, the internet was dial-up and we had to make sure no one needed to make a call before getting on. Our computer was in a spare room in the basement that had a lot of built-in bookcases and cabinets which we designated as the office/sewing room. The kids mainly used the computer to type up papers or to play games (anyone remember Pong or Oregon Trail?) so the kitchen table was the spot for much of their homework. As they got into junior high, they had more books and separate notebooks for each class, so the table would be a lot more cluttered come dinnertime. We got small desks that were set up in their bedrooms so they'd at least have a spot to put their things when it was time to set the table. They started using those more as they needed less help from Mom.

We moved into our current home in 2000 when technology was rapidly changing. The internet had so much more to offer, including things we didn't want our children exposed to, so we wanted the computer to be more accessible and in a more public place. We were fortunate to be able to design our home ourselves so included dedicated office space on the main level near the main living space. And since the kids were so used to working at the kitchen table, I took advantage of a small conference table my husband's company was getting rid of and put it in the office across from the desk so they didn't have to clear their things when they were in the middle of a project when dinnertime came. Small file boxes used to store their things fit under the table and were easy to transport. They still had their desks in their rooms and were used to using them so that's where they'd go when they didn't need to use the computer or needed to concentrate more than an active home environment would allow.

They're now all grown, married, and a couple of them are in the middle of the whole schooling thing with their own children. They have plans that are similar to what they grew up with and it seems to be working well for them, even though being thrust suddenly into full time at home learning was a bit stressful. One family has a tablet provided by the school for each student. Those are set up by the school to only access approved websites, but they're still mostly kept in public areas and are necessarily put in specific spots to recharge so they don't get mixed up. That family is large enough they have 2 small tables designated for the kids' schoolwork, each in separate areas but close to the kitchen and family room so easy to supervise and close enough for kids to ask for help when needed. When school isn't in session, the tables double as a spot for Lego building or for a jigsaw puzzle that can be left out and worked on all summer or Christmas break.

For 2 weeks I observed my 5yr daughter. Previously I had sat her down at her new school desk/table to practice writing or do workbook pages with marginal success. Conclusion: similar to some commenters, she doesn't like to stay in one place. Pre-K had "stations" and she made one for herself by taking half the small kitchen table for legos. Also I noticed she carries whatever she is doing to where I am working (kitchen, computer...).
I squeezed a card table into the computer/sewing room for another kinesthetic learning station. I can sew while she builds. Curriculum requirements include making geometric shapes from blocks and to sort items.

So here is learning station #3, not staged, sorta clean after sewing 60+ masks in 3 sizes for family and church.

The bathroom scale lives in here b/c neither bathroom has space for it.