I’m going to be honest with you right from the get go…I almost didn’t write this post.
The thought of writing about how we organize our homeschool was almost laughable to me because it is so no-frills and just plain ordinary that I thought, Who would ever be interested in our utterly no-nonsense organization plan? But then I realized that I surely can’t be the only homeschool parent who truly needs something that is easy, affordable, and not time-consuming.
I love reading about and watching tutorials about fancy homeschool organization techniques, but they just wouldn’t work for me. I’ve got 11 kids, and, frankly, I’ve learned to forego the “pretty” portion of where we put all of our homeschool “stuff” and have settled for just being satisfied with knowing exactly where everything is when I need it.
On top of that, we don’t have a school room. All of our homeschool supplies are kept in the dining room, so as tempting as the work box system and other nifty ideas sound, I simply don’t have the room for it.
So right now you’re probably wondering how I do keep things in place since I’ve already addressed how I don’t. Without further ado, here are:
My 5 Non-Nonsense Organization Tips for a No-Nonsense Homeschool
- Bins, crates, and totes.
I have what used to be considered an “art table” in our dining room that is now just referred to as the “supply table” because it holds the vast majority of our homeschool supplies. Remember- I’m not concerned with eye-catching decor. I just need to keep things neat and in a place where they can always be found. The best solution I’ve come up with is crates and dollar store bins.
I have one crate for the library books, one for extra supplies and our planners, a bin for my youngest group of kids, and a crate for my middle group of kids.
Since we only use textbooks for language arts and math and unit studies for the rest, the amount of folders and notebooks my kids have is minimal. The bin for my younger kids holds their folders for our unit study activity sheets, notebooks for phonics and math, their devotional, and whatever the current read-aloud is.
The crate my middle kids use holds their folders for grammar and copywork, their spelling and math notebooks, their science and read-aloud notebooking binders, their devotional, whatever read-aloud we’re using, and their books for silent reading.
That’s it.
2. A bookshelf for textbooks.
Since our school room is also our dining room, we’ve got to take up as little space as possible. We have several designated shelves which are specifically for our homeschooling textbooks. The kids know where to find them and know to always put them back in the same spot.
3. Pencil pouches.
Missing pencils and crayons are the bane of my existence. This year we’ve started using zipper pencil pouches from the dollar store that come with holes so they can be put right in the front of their binder. Each child also keeps scissors, colored pencils, markers, and a glue stick in the pouch, as well. It is so wonderful not having to spend ten minutes searching for those supplies everyday!
4. Backpacks.
Who ever said homeschooled kids have no need for backpacks?
My three high school age students prefer to do most of their work upstairs where it’s quiet (can’t say I blame them…), so they keep all of their supplies and books in their own backpacks. Every night they bring their backpack downstairs for me to go over their work, and every morning everything is back in place for them to simply take them back upstairs!
5. No-nonsense, no-frill planners.
I know, I know. There are probably people going into shock right now at this suggestion. Yes, planners are pretty. Yes, spreadsheets are extremely organized and well-thought out, but honestly, we simply don’t need things like that for our homeschool to function well.
I write down- yes, write down- their assignments for the week in an average planner from Staples or even a .17 spiral notebook from Wal-Mart. This is another area where unit studies have been immensely beneficial because I use the same planner for six of my kids! I jot down a brief note of what their unit study activities are that day, and in the planner, I write the number the activity’s been assigned in their Konos curriculum so that I can take a quick peek at what, specifically, they’ll be doing. I don’t even write page numbers for math and language arts because I know that it will always be either the next page or the next chapter.
Like I said, simple.
So there you have it. My no-nonsense approach to organization for a no-nonsense homeschool. Don’t feel guilty or inadequate if you just don’t have the time, money, or space for an elaborate homeschool set-up. What matters most is finding something that is manageable for you.
This post is part of the 10 Days of Homeschool Organization Ideas series. Why don’t you head on over and see how others keep order in their homeschool?
Simplicity at its finest. I’m impressed. 😊
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Thank you. It’s so simple that I really debated about whether or not I should even write about it!
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I love that they still use backpacks! And I love how simple it all is – why make it more complicated than it needs to be? I’m glad you wrote the post – I think there are probably a lot of other homeschoolers out there wondering if they’re doing it “right” because they have a simple system, too, and not some elaborate “school room!”
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Yeah, I had to give up elaborate a long time ago in lieu of easy and workable. 🙂
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If a system isn’t simple and easy to use, I won’t stick with it. I love those crates for so many different things!
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They are very handy, aren’t they?
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perfect… doesn’t have to be fancy or elaborate to work! it just has to be functional. 🙂
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Yes, that’s exactly the word I like to use- functional.
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I love organization! #momsterslink
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I do, too- but it’s very hard to do it with 12 people in the house!
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But you keep trying and that’s what is important!
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I do try. 🙂
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The workboxes saved us. And bookshelves. We have foldable desk which are great when the kids use them. And after work is done, they have to put all their stuff on the bookshelves and clean up the living or dinning room where they were working. Took us forever to get this system, but for now, it’s working.
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I think workboxes are a great idea if you have the room for them. Isn’t it awesome when you finally find something that works?
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Simple, easy workable! Sounds perfect! I love the pencil cases in the binders!
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One thing I would recommend with the pencil cases, though, is to use a sheet protector on the page that’s right next to the pouch because they do tend to get wrinkled!
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Pretty is nice but at the end of the day you just need something that is functional. I do not have a homeschool room either. We do school all over the house but keep all our supplies in the kitchen/dinning room. I turned a china cabinet into a school shelf. Works for us. I LOVE the backpack idea!
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I would love to find a nice china cabinet for that!
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I love those pencil pouches with the binder holes! I find my tolerance for clutter gets less every year, so I’m always on the lookout for stuff like that. #FridayFrivolity
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Sounds like an easy to use system – the only kind! Thanks for sharing at Funtastic Friday.
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Thank you for hosting!
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I love simplicity! Your planner reminds me of mine lol
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Simplicity is the only thing that works for me!
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Even though we don’t homeschool in my house I still love to do crafts and projects with my kids. I have bins of supplies that originally my husband insisted be stored in our closet but I found it so annoying that every time I wanted to do something I had to carry everything out of the closet into the dining room. So I cleared out a cabinet in the dining room for just the bins of supplies so they are readily available when we want to get busy being creative. I am still working on convincing him that we need one of those craft cabinets that have been all over the internet that open up into lots of compartments but then just looks like a huge cabinet when all closed up. Thanks for linking up with #momsterslink and hope to see you again tomorrow!
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I would love one of those, but I’d never have the room.
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the do the next thing approach works really well.
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Oh my goodness! I implemented the backpack tip at the end of last school year. It was the BEST ever! My daughter could take her books to different rooms in the house and work where she was comfortable (and where it was quiet).
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Doesn’t it work well?
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Thank you!! I’m glad I came across this in one of the most chaotic times in my life. I feel like a failure everyday trying to keep my house organized and homeschool all set n pre-planned like those Pinterest mommas. This is real life. Plain simple and no-nonsense 🙂 thanks for the reminder!!
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Yep, I’m as real as they get- the good, the bad, and the ugly. 🙂
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