Homeschool Organization
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I hate clutter.
But really, who loves it anyway?
Lately I’ve seen so many people talking about minimalism. There are blogs and books and I’m sure plenty of YouTube videos telling you to go through your home and throw out or donate everything you haven’t used in 30 days.
I wish my kids were minimalists in their bedrooms.
But throwing things out isn’t always an option. What if you don’t have a lot to begin with? Or what if you just don’t want to throw it out?
Where do you keep your homeschool supplies?
If you use an online curriculum, you may not have a bunch of textbooks laying around, but I’m sure you’ve got some reading books, notebooks, supplies, paperwork, etc. Maybe you’re always on the hunt for cool books and interesting texts and end up with a full bookshelf. Even if you don’t use all of those books and they are just there to hold the bookshelf in place.
If you have younger students you also have manipulatives to store somewhere.
So what can you do with all of this stuff without your home looking like you’re on the verge of a garage sale?
Hide it.
Yes, hide it, but do it in clever ways so that you aren’t really hiding it.
- Use space that you don’t ever think about
- Furniture that pulls double duty.
- Go to the closets.
- Hide things in plain sight.
1. Look at that space right there above your door. Any door. Maybe in the kids’ rooms, your bedroom, dining room or even inside your closets. Put a bookshelf up there that’ll hold some books. If books aren’t what you’re trying to hide, put up a shelf wide enough to hold a few baskets or those little storage cubes. It’s like working décor.
2. Grab a few colorful storage ottomans for your kids bedrooms. These work great to store books and school supplies in. I could see them working as toy storage or even a bedside table too, for devices and remotes.
3. Put a few hanging closet organizers in your closets that have pockets big enough for papers and books. These are great for papers and separate subjects. Or get the kind that has shelves. They can’t hold a ton of books since they are meant for clothing, but they can hold papers and supplies. This one even has some pockets on the side for smaller things.
4. Get yourself some glass jars or cheap, simple candle holders at a craft store. Decorate them with paint, glitter, washi tape or even ribbons and fabric. Place them on a shelf, desk or table like décor or a centerpiece. Store things like pencils, markers, colors, paper clips and small supplies in them.
Then again, you can also clean your house and throw out the unused or unwanted stuff. Which is a good idea if you really don’t use something anymore.
The bookshelf I use for our homeschool supplies has nine cubby holes. I store books and DVDs on some of them. On the others, I have cubes that hold our supplies. Once we run out of space, I remove the books we don’t use anymore and put them in the sale box. So far so good, but I may order a few of those ottoman stools pretty soon….
How do you organize your homeschool? I’d love to see pictures or hear your ideas.
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