I don’t know about you, but there is nothing more annoying that sitting down for a great math lesson only to find that your child didn’t bother to get a pencil out. Or perhaps you are more bothered by the world’s greatest homeschool mystery- “where are all of the scissors?”
Well, we have solved this problem in our home. Several months ago, I bought the Bygel rack from Ikea. Throw in 4 cups and the project was a whopping $7. Affordable, right? It might have been worth $70 for all of the headaches that it has saved me. Now the lesson begins as soon as we sit down and our time is spent reading great books instead of searching for long-lost scissors.
Aside from the pencils, crayons and scissors that we use everyday, there is always a need for storage. I have repurposed some plastic bins into a nearby closet. I love the location. This is a coat closet and can still accomodate the coats. The bottom of the closet used to collect piles of things. Now, it is extremely useful and organized!
These bins hold school supplies like extra glue, index cards, pencils, crayons, folders, etc. They hold mom’s office supplies: rubber bands, staples, hole punches, etc. They also hold special occasion supplies like paints, stamps and stencils.
I love having a community space for pencils, crayons, and glue. However, there are some things that need their own space. Each student has one shelf of their own for personal things. First on the shelf is their notebook. Next to that is a box that holds needed workbooks such as Awana, Bible Study, copywork journals, math CD’s etc. Finally, a fabric bin holds books that I have selected for that child to read in the near future (purchased at Target).
Do you have a favorite way to organize all of those school things? I’d love to hear about it.
Kim Sorgius
Kim is just a girl, crazy in love with Jesus. She's a single mother of 4, a passionate homeschooler and life-long student. After teaching 8 years in public school, she traded her M.A. in Early Childhood for sippy cups and homeschool co-ops. Kim is the owner and editor of The Homeschool Village and Not Consumed where she encourages others to rest victoriously in the hands of God, rather than allowing life's difficult circumstances to consume.
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This is GREAT. It’s the pencil sharpeners, not the scissors, that run off missing at this house. Drives me CRAZY.
I like how you used the ikea rack! The cups are from ikea too? I just said last night…I want book shelves on every wall of every room! Not that I really want that, but I just want more places to have things lined up neatly…not that it would end up being neat, but you get the sentiment =) Thanks for sharing your tips with us today at Trivium Tuesdays!
Yes the cups are sold with the rack at Ikea!
At our house there are never pencils, even though I buy enough to outfit an army!! I also have the elusive pencil sharpener. Grandpa found us an old-fashinoned one that we are going to bolt to the wall. Hoping that will solve the problem!