How I Organize Our Homeschool Stuff
Organizing our homeschool stuff has been a bit tricky. We don’t have tons of space and I don’t have a dedicated homeschool area where we “do school”. I’m an advocate of alternative seating. So sitting where you can work comfortably. Right now I’m on the couch with the computer plopped on top of a pillow. Sometimes I sit at the dining table. Other times I am in my bed with my heat pad where it is warm and cozy. If I like to work in different spots, wouldn’t kids?
When I was teaching I won a grant where I was able to purchase all kinds of different seating. Some kids sat in camping chairs, others cushions on the floor. Some stood at their desks while others used lap tables and sat wherever. It was difficult to manage at times, but kids learned in a space where they were comfortable and could move around.
In my home, I don’t want a dedicated space just for homeschool. Some people do. You do you boo. No judgement. But since we don’t have a homeschool room (nor do I want one), I’ve had to think of different ways to store our items. Minimizing materials is key to making it easier. I don’t have a bagillion math materials. We have unifix cubes (which shows you I’m “old” because I think people call them math link cubes now) and I recently purchased place value discs (which I had no idea was a thing). I store these items in our tv console.
I use the far right three drawers to keep what we have. The first drawer has some “junk drawer” items like staples, paper clips, thumb tacks, coin rolls, screw driver, measuring tape, sticky notes, flash lights, and paper maché.
The second drawer has a basket of unifix cubes, pencil boxes, and bob books.
The last drawer has office-y items like a pencil sharpener, envelopes, hole puncher, and a container of dice (Why do you have a box full of dice? Because it was left in my classroom from the previous teacher and I thought it was gold to have a box of dice 😁🤷🏻♀️). I don’t use these that often so they get tucked away.
I use our bookshelves to store all the instructional manuals. I’ve only used The Good and the Beautiful for PreK, then All About Reading/Spelling and Singapore Math. I’ve done so much research, watched reviews, and was very clear on exactly what I wanted in a curriculum. If you’re interested in how to choose a kindergarten curriculum you can click here to read the post.
I chose tried and true companies that used methods of teaching I agreed with as well as those with minimal “extras” (workbooks, manipulatives etc.). I have yet to go back to the drawing board and pick something else. Therefore, I don’t have tons of manuals. 😁
Everything is easily accessible. I mostly pull things on and off the shelves. The girls grab their pencil boxes. It’s no biggie, really. Although I’m sure it is nice to have a dedicated homeschool room, my eyes get huge when I see how much stuff they have in them. I’ve been able to get the same message across with less things and I rarely wish I had XY or Z to make it “easier”.
The point is, you can totes use your space to get creative and store your homeschooling stuff in a beautiful way. This is how I do it in my house with its unique quirks. Maybe it will get your creative juices flowing on how you can organize your homeschooling materials! My advice to get started and make it easier? Have less stuff.
What does your homeschool space look like? How do you organize your homeschool things? Share your organizing deets in the comments!
xo L.
