Family of 6 Lives in a School Bus With Dog
You’ve Got to See the Inside of This Family’s Tiny School Bus Home — It Fits 6 Plus a Goldendoodle!
In 2015, Robin Schannep and her husband decided to sell most of their belongings and move their family of five and 65-pound Goldendoodle into a school bus full-time — six month later, they became a family of six. Now three years into living tiny and mobile, Robin says that for her family, this has been one of the best decisions they've ever made because of the way it's forced them all to think about simplicity, how they live their lives, and what they're intentional about; and not to mention, it's made them all extremely close.
However, living in such close quarters definitely takes some work for all involved, especially for her four kids, who range in age from 2 to 8. But Robin's biggest parenting tip for small space living is a pretty universal one: "Have lots of grace for everyone," she told POPSUGAR. "Just moving around a small space can be really difficult, and someone will inevitably be in your way when moving around, so extra grace is required as well as kind speech. Alone time is also hard because there is not place we can go to really get away."
"Living in a small space just requires a different set of considerations for others that I think are really good to have in general."
Robin, who chronicles her family's life on Instagram under the handle @ContentedNomads, says that her and her husband have done their best to teach their kids to give each other space when it's needed and have incorporated a few rules into their life that make this possible. "The kids aren't allowed in each other's beds unless they have been invited by the child who the bed belongs to. When we remodeled, we put sliding doors on the bunks, and the kids love them! It gives them a sense of privacy," Robin said. "Because there is not room to organically have alone time, we need to be more vocal in asking for it. Because my kids are together all day, everyday, having a quiet time every day is a great way for my more introverted kiddos to have some time to rest. Living in a small space just requires a different set of considerations for others that I think are really good to have in general."
Robin says there are so many things to love about skoolie life, from how easy the bus cleans up to the type of schooling environment it fosters for her homschooled kids. Learn more about the Schanneps, and see inside their tiny home (plus a few prerenovation pictures) ahead!
All the Schanneps in mom and dad's room, aka the back of the bus.
Meet the family's 65-pound Goldendoodle.
The family has as few belongings as possible to keep their space neat and clean.
Conscious consumerism has been good for the family.
Robin homeschools her three older kids . . .
. . . which has been the partial cause to the one item the family hoards: books!
Here's a look at the bus's kitchen.
Here's the kitchen again, complete with a new fridge.
The back of the bus, and more books.
A look to the front of the bus.
Looking at the kids' sleeping spaces from the kitchen.
A peek at the bathroom.
The back of the bus, and a toddler peeping through the window!
The back of the bus with its doors open.
Traveling and living tiny has brought Robin and her husband even closer together.
Everything in the kitchen has its place.
A look out the bus in a particularly gorgeous setting.
A peek at the kids' bed setups.
A view of the front of the bus from the outside.
The bus's entryway, taken from the couch.
Playtime for the kids.
A look at the bus mid-remodel:
