Home schooling is messy. If you haven't discovered that little fact, you must have just started home schooling. It seems that as soon as someone begins to home school, their books start multiplying like little rabbits right on the bookshelves. Science experiments take over the kitchen. With the kids home all day, the dishes are piling up in the sink. What's a home school mom to do?
GET ORGANIZED
Now, I don't want any of you to think that I'm the queen of organization. I know what needs to be done; I don't necessarily do it. We've lived in 3 homes since we began home schooling. We started with 2 kids, had 4 more kids and 1 kid has now moved out on his own. We've tried all different methods of organization possible. We've tried different bedroom arrangements (they're all boys so we've had a lot of options), schoolroom setups, chore assignments, etc.
I want to talk about organizing the home school stuff. The ideal situation is a schoolroom within close proximity to the kitchen and laundry room. The ideal schoolroom would have:
- Built in cabinets
- A large sink
- A refrigerator (for those experiments you don't want in your kitchen fridge)
- A computer station for each child
- Bulletin board space
- A large table so everyone could spread out
- A comfy couch to cuddle up and read on.
Okay, I know that most of us don't have the ideal situation. In our present home, we don't have a schoolroom or a second living area. Our school is just as successful as it was when we had a nice schoolroom.
A home school family of any size needs enough bookshelf space to contain the books being used at the moment. This bookshelf can be any where that is convenient to get to. We have ours in the laundry room (we are blessed with a nice sized laundry room). There needs to be a place (preferably close to the bookshelf) where art supplies and science equipment that is currently being used can be stored. When the things you are currently using are kept close at hand, everything runs smoothly.
Well, what are you going to do with all that stuff you used last year? If you have kids that are coming up in the next couple of years that will use the curriculum, box it up and save it. If your younger kids won't be able to use the curriculum for 3 or more years, sell it at a used book sale. You can make a good amount (about half) of what you spent on the curriculum. This can help buy next year's stuff. If you wait too long to sell your curriculum, the resale value will not be as good. New editions will come out and everyone will want the newer stuff. By offering your used curriculum for sale, you may also be helping a home school mom who can't afford new curriculum. So, go ahead and sell it.
What about all those wonderful projects you worked hours on? If it is something really special and will fit into a file folder (that's the key — a file folder), file it away to be enjoyed later. If the project is bulky, but still precious to you, take a picture of your child next to it (or holding it) and put the picture in a safe place to be enjoyed for years to come. Don't feel obligated to keep everything. Imagine if your mother had kept everything you did as a child. What would you do with it now? Do your child (and their future family) a favor and judiciously dispose of it now.
What about all the academic work? Math papers, spelling tests etc. Throw them away. No one will ever want to see them (at least not here in Texas). My kids do their Saxon math in cheap spiral bound notebooks. They relish tossing it in the trash can when one notebook is finished. Of course, if you are keeping grades, record them first. At then end of your school year, go through all the papers that haven't already been discarded and decide what you really want to keep — keeping in mind what was discussed in the previous paragraph.
Speaking of grades, what is the best way to store them? I don't like to grade. I don't like to keep grades. But, I do know once the kids begin their high school work, grades really ought to be kept. I have my children record their grades inside their textbook (with pencil). It won't get lost unless the textbook gets lost. It's always right there when the grading is being done. After the textbook is finished, the final grade can be written down on their transcript and the record can be erased (because it was done in pencil).
In trying to stay organized the best philosophy is to keep it simple. Whether it's teaching the kids, cooking the meals, decorating the house, entertaining the friends or whatever else you do, keep it simple. The simpler things are, the more room there will be for spontaneity (sp?). There will be more time to relax and enjoy your family. That's why we're all doing this anyway isn't it?
Thanks for your homeschool 101 info, especially organizing tips! If you visit my blog, you’ll see that I’m struggling with sticking to a schedule, even after planning and strategizing! Maybe I need to be more organized and less overwhelmed. We have books galore, in no particular order, spread all through the house on various book shelves. We live in a small house, therefore finding a separate space for homeschooling is not easy and we are currently doing all of our work at the dining room table and in the kitchen. Any specific suggestions for working in very small spaces? My son is in kindergarten, and I’d like to add more “hands-on” projects, but it’s hard when you don’t have the space to spread out! Thanks for the info in your blog, I’ll be back for another visit!
Brandi