Organizing your HOD year

[Sue G in PA]

I love the ziploc bag idea! I think I will have to tweak that to use here! I think I might just do the file folder idea and use the baggies for craft items or things that do not fit in the folder. I could keep them in a basket or plastic drawer or something. Hmmm...have to do some thinking on this one. Thanks for more ideas! Let's keep this thread alive!

[gotpeace91]

Here's a link to a thread with some pictures of how I organize things.
viewtopic.php?f=6&t=4133
Except I don't use the washtubs for their books anymore.

[beverett]

Hello, these are sre such really great ideas!!!! I have a question for arstephia?? Do you put the needed items for all children into one bag or are there bags for each child labeled 1-1 etc?? LOve this idea that way if we had to leave for some reason we could take our tubs with books and a bag with needed items and head out... there is a month each year where we are doing school away from home. Oh and i would love to see more pics of peoples organization

[Sue G in PA]

Yes, def. more pics! I'll try to post some if I take any. Nearly finished organizing.

[ninipelley]

There are so many fun ideas!
I LOVE color coding my kid's stuff. We all know who is who this way. My daughter has books in her color "purple" cardboard magazine holders. Found them at TJ Maxx/$5 for set of 3.
You could purchase one of the wooden cubbies from Target/$40 to use for book, each their own spot for books. There are 9 cubbies in one of them! And they are nice looking too.
I also use colored caddies I found in the dollar aisle (LOVE THAT AISLE) for art supplies. You could fill it for the week or just put the basics in them.
I'm doing "Bigger" this yr and just got ready myself. I paper clipped the book readings together by pages per day.

[MomtoJGJE]

I want to do workboxes, but I don't know where I'd put them that the baby won;t get into them... so I just make a stack for each day for each child. Stacks are easier to move out of reach than things in different boxes. I have all of their books on high shelves in our breakfast nook ("school room") and each days work is in a stack on the table. I use sticky tabs to mark our places in each book and the TM. As we get through with one thing I move the tabs to the next day's pages and set the finished book/workbook/notebook on the counter. I also make note of art/experiment stuff to know whether or not I need to find a substitute or buy something if it's a store day.

I just don't have space to put everything in baggies although that sounds like a wonderful idea!!

[eachlee]

I have a large file box that I use to organize our year. It has hanging files in it, one for each week. I put any photocopies, craft supplies etc in the file for that week. Each of my kids has a smaller file box that has a folder for each day of the week. I take the stuff out of my file box on Sunday evening and put it into the kids boxes so that they can see what they are doing that week and they have any papers etc that they need handy. Our books have their own bookshelf in the living room. We school in our kitchen, so any organization needs to be portable so we can move it when we have guests over for lunch or supper. I do have a craft cupboard that holds all our craft stuff as well as housing our printer and it stays in the kitchen. It is a big microwave stand that has two shelves and a cupboard at the bottom.

My biggest issue is keeping things neat so that when we need something we can find it. Everything is organized at the beginning of the year but a few weeks in there seems to be craft stuff everywhere!

[my3sons]

I just remembered these past posts that may be helpful too!

How to organize home for homeschooling:
viewtopic.php?f=6&t=3118&st=0&sk=t&sd=a

Best tips for peace, sanity, or really helpful stuff!
viewtopic.php?f=6&t=4929

In Christ,
Julie

[gmhaynes]

I am currently using LHTH and BLHFHG with 3 children. I have a basket for my dd and one basket for my sons (both using LHTH). I keep all of the books that we are currently using in that basket. They can reach in and grab them pretty easily. I also plan 4 weeks at a time. So I have an accordion file and place any materials that I will need for a specific day in that specific section. For example, for unit 3 day 4, I would have all supplies for both curriculum behind the tab for that day. Unit 3, day 5 would be the tab right behind it, etc. This seems to work well for us.

Mary

[Sharon]

Well my web page expired and everything I typed went poof!

So the short of it is I bought these at Target and I put 6 hanging file folders with 6 folders in each. I copied everything that I might need and even slipped in some extra books or projects that I might want for the week. The girls bring these to the table every morning. I grade their papers as we go and I have them file their completed work in the file for that week! I love this, it is working out so great. I usually use a very large notebook with 36 dividers but this is so much better! I even have two for myself one for household things and the other for school related things like holiday projects, seasonal ideas, notes I've taken, reading list...etc..

[Marcee]

Any chance this could be a sticky??

[mom2fiveboysnc]

Sue, try this site for free Saxon and R&S schedules. It also has much more than that. HTH, Cheryl

http://corefoundations.wordpress.com/

[water2wine]

I am in the middle of completely redoing and moving our school space so I have enjoyed this thread. One thing I have found to be really helpful is using crates to organize programs, one crate for all the current reading and one for all the reading to come. I like to sew and there is a cute tutorial for covering crates in fabric. http://lauragunn.typepad.com/theundercovercrate.pdf Of course that part is not necessary unless you are me, hahahaha, then you think about it night and day until you finally do it. Seriously though crates or wire baskets really help for keeping books together. Wallmart is having a special on crates for $3 and they also have something they call a locker crate for $4 that are great for keeping their books for math, LA etc in as well. They come with two mini crates inside of them that are also really useful. I can't find links for them but they are in the store either in the back to school or the office section depending on how your wallmart organizes things.

[annaz]

I am in the middle of completely redoing and moving our school space so I have enjoyed this thread. One thing I have found to be really helpful is using crates to organize programs, one crate for all the current reading and one for all the reading to come. I like to sew and there is a cute tutorial for covering crates in fabric. http://lauragunn.typepad.com/theundercovercrate.pdf Of course that part is not necessary unless you are me, hahahaha, then you think about it night and day until you finally do it. Seriously though crates or wire baskets really help for keeping books together. Wallmart is having a special on crates for $3 and they also have something they call a locker crate for $4 that are great for keeping their books for math, LA etc in as well. They come with two mini crates inside of them that are also really useful. I can't find links for them but they are in the store either in the back to school or the office section depending on how your wallmart organizes things.

Of course we expect pictures of your school space when you are finished revamping it.

[water2wine]

Of course we expect pictures of your school space when you are finished revamping it.

I can do that. I am on a little different schedule than most of you all. We will be starting probably mid to late September and it seems it is going to take about that time to get it all done. Could be because I made a sewing room and I moved everyone of my kids to different rooms in the process along with the school room, hahaha! Never one thing at a time like normal people do for some reason with me. My poor dh.