This is a very pic-heavy post, but if you are like me and organization pictures are your jam, welcome and enjoy! Today I'm addressing another common question, and one of the main things I put a lot of thought into when we were considering homeschooling - "How the heck do I set this up and keep it organized and flowing smoothly!?"
Current Room (more info below about what is pictured): each girl has their own side of the room, Lulu on the left and Buggy on the right. The shelves next to each desk holds their supplies, current work bins, books we are or will use for each, and their miscellaneous items/toys that make them happy during the school day. The middle area is random stuff - office supplies, cleaning wipes, crafting things, markers, my little stash of Jolly Ranchers, etc...
This front room is in the shape of a large rectangle, and has been wonderful during the years. This space was originally a playroom when the girls were little:
We were homeschooling when I created the playroom, so we did our schooling in the dining area:
But then, as I often do, I decided to mix things up, and that's when we moved our school room into the playroom:
(SO FREAKIN TINY OMGEEEE. ^^ Buggy about 5 years ago...)
We had a couple other variations that I posted about here at the time, and then took a break from homeschooling. This room just became a craft/fun room, but now we are back! So here, again, is our current setup:
Desks - they are super budget-friendly and from IKEA. (Didn't get a picture of this before school today - obviously it's post-school video-game playing time up in here!) In some of the pictures above, you can see I originally had these 2 desks bracketed together to make one big square where we sat and did all our work together. It was cozy and wonderful, and perfect for a 2nd grader and preschooler. Now that we are middle school and 3rd grade, everyone wants their space. Plus, if the girls shared a big desk, I'm pretty sure most of the school day would be spent fighting about whose side is better or who has more room or who is looking at whom with a "creepy cringey face", etc. You get the picture. 😂
Shelves - those are... just shelves I ordered online maybe? They used to be black before I sanded, primed, and painted those suckers. I think Amazon? I don't know. If you are starting out and don't have shelves yet, I would totally do some Kallax from IKEA. 😍 These would be great for homeschooling organization.
The girls just go to the drawer for their subject and pull out what needs to be done. Super basic, super easy. I add in any worksheets or extra materials they need for that day. There are many ways to do this system. You can see in some of my pics above other ways we have done this, with baskets and shelves for 2nd grade, and for preschool we did open trays with the materials laying on each tray. The point is to have the papers and materials ready for each subject so your child (or you!) can easily grab what you need and get it done.
Miscellaneous Storage: Just random crates and bins holding manipulatives, extra supplies, and papers. Nothing too exciting. But there are some pictures of it. You're welcome.
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So there you go - many pictures and links to info about homeschool organization!! I'm sure this will change again; but right now it's working very well for us. As I touch on different subjects, I will get more into what binders and bins I have for each, and how I keep it all organized.
OK time to go inhale carbs and watch election results, who's with me!?? 😵
