Roadschooling is an amazing thing. It gives families a chance to bond while learning fascinating things in incredible places. Of course, to jump into road schooling, you’re going to want the right tools. Enter: the RV classroom.
No, I’m not saying you need to have an entire room in your RV that is just for road schooling. In fact, the magic of road schooling is that it can happen pretty much anywhere. That said, it is nice to have a dedicated space that you use for schooling. This can help kids focus when intense focus is necessary and will also ensure the whole family gets to learn in comfort.
Here are my top tips for setting up an RV classroom.
Finding a Space
First, you will need to find a space for your RV classroom. How you go about this will of course depend on your RV. That said, I do have a few ideas to offer.
Use a Bottom Bunk Area
I’ve seen countless families pull a mattress out of an extra bottom bunk and use the bottom bunk space as a learning space. The area is a bit on the short side, but a rug and some pillows will make it a cozy nook for young students looking for a place to hide away and do some math or reading.
Remove Furniture
Some families will remove pieces of furniture to make room for their RV classroom. If you have two couches, consider removing one and putting desks in its place. If you don’t use the upholstered chair, that could be a good spot for a desk as well. Look around, find furniture you can live without, remove it, and put a desk in this place.
Head Outside
The outdoors can also be a great place to set up an RV classroom. This doesn’t have to mean sitting outside at a picnic table all the time (although it could). Instead, consider setting up a Clam tent and putting together a classroom inside of it.
The tent is nice because it offers shade and shelter from wind and light rain. It also helps kids stay focused when there is a lot going on in the campground, at least compared to having them sit at that uncovered campsite table.
Make Use Of the Table
If all else fails, you can always make use of the table in your RV. This isn’t ideal if you want a spot that is dedicated purely to roadschooling, but as long as you’re willing to remove distractions, it does get the job done in a pinch.
Getting Set Up
The next step? Setting up your space. There are several options you can try, and what you choose to go with depends on your space and what you want it to do for you. Below are a few ideas to get you started.
TV Trays and Folding Chairs
In our old RV, we had TV trays and IKEA folding chairs (with cushions) for the kids. This was an amazing solution because it gave them a nice surface to work at, but could also be folded and put away when we needed extra floor space. I also appreciated that I could use the TV trays as extra prep space when cooking.
Custom Foldaway Desks
I’ve seen a few different custom foldaway desks in various friends’ RVs. These are awesome because they can fold away behind a cabinet door, onto a wall, or even under the bed, and be pulled out only when needed. Maybe your RV has a spot to put a foldaway desk!
Lap Desks
If your kids prefer to sit on the floor, on a couch, or on their beds while working, you could consider investing in lap desks. These are nice because they are small and easy to store, and there are some versions that even provide little cubbies for storing supplies.
Rolling Storage Carts
I love, love, love these storage carts. Our friends have one and I fully intend to buy one myself. They are ideal for storing books, paper, craft supplies, and more. A cart like this can store neatly against a wall and can be rolled anywhere it is needed.
Cabinet Shelving
Storing your school supplies in an RV cabinet is also totally effective. In fact, it might be the best option because it keeps everything up and out of the way when it isn’t in use. That said, if you want to keep things neat and organized, I highly recommend buying some cabinet shelving to help.
Spill-Proof Bookshelves
Currently, my kids have shelves like these in their beds to hold all of their books. I appreciate them because they are on the smaller side, meaning they fit well in a lot of different spaces in an RV and would be great for an RV classroom. To keep books from spilling out on moving days, you can secure the shelf to the wall and use small tension rods across the fronts of the shelves.
As you can see, there are a lot of routes you can take when creating an RV classroom. Choose the options that work best for your family and space, and remember that you can always change things up should your roadschool style morph. Happy learning!
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About the author: Chelsea Gonzales
Chelsea has the amazing opportunity to take part in full-time RV living and traveling with her tiny tribe. She homeschools her five-year-old son as they travel, and takes full advantage of their unique situation by using the entire world as her son’s classroom. A group of total Disney fanatics, Chelsea and her family often find themselves in the Orlando area in order to visit the Disney parks, but they have also visited over 25 of the 50 states with plans to see many more along the way. No matter where her travels take her, Chelsea enjoys riding bikes, gazing at beautiful sunsets, finding new coffee shops, Irish dancing, and sitting around a campfire with her family.
You can join her adventures through her blog, Wonder Wherever We Wander.
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