Home School Organization : Myth or Reality?

by Lisa Rae Preston

If I had a nickel for every time I've mumbled, "Now where did I put that?" -- I could be home schooling on a beach in Hawaii.

Organization and "space control" challenge the best of us. It's difficult enough for me to keep all my projects organized, much less assist little ones in the process!

One helpful reminder -- we're not re-creating a miniature public school classroom. It's unnecessary for a home school to include a separate room with desks, a blackboard and alphabet pictures on the wall.

Think of how you learn most effectively. It's probably not in one spot all day. You may find a new cookbook in the kitchen, thumb through it in the living room, and place it on the bedside table to read before going to sleep. Since learning takes place everywhere, let's make it an integral part of our living space.

That doesn't mean spread out all over the house, though, and never picked up! You may have a bookcase of history books in one room and science books in another part of the house. I recommend each child have a plastic container that can slide under the bed for "out of sight" storage.

Different methods work for different folks. Do what fits for your family. Here are additional organization ideas that you may find helpful.

Organizing Your Home School Space

1) A sturdy 4 drawer fining cabinet is perfect for home and school organization. Lesson plans, children's notebooks and portfolios, awesome work, etc. can be stored and retrieved later with relative ease.

2) I find it helpful to use an unusual color for my plan sheet. Most stores have rainbow and neon colored paper. The brightness of the paper makes it much easier to find when misplaced. (Which for me is often!)

3) Add 10-15 extra minutes for a task/activity when you are planning. Then when little things pop up - like the dog throwing up on the living room rug -- you won't be thrown far off schedule.

4) Try to sort your mail every day. Catalogs and letters can take up tons of precious horizontal space. Perhaps you'll want a basket for items you want to get back to later.

5) Clear plastic, hang-over-the-door shoe bags make great holders for craft and home school supplies.

6) Keep a central desk caddy for the stapler, tape, scissors, and stray pencils and pens.

7) Hooks are easily purchased just about anywhere, and they're great to hang clipboards on!

8) Plastic wall pockets can serve the same purpose.

9) Every morning build in "cleaning time" for the whole family. This home school subject is taught daily to keep Mom happy and less stressed!

10) Take one day per week and use it as your home school planning time. Fridays are nice. Yep -- one whole day. Your children can work on reading, crafts, play or individual projects. This day is necessary for sanity, so please set it aside religiously!

11) Communicate and model your expectations for a certain task. Tell your child, show your child, and have him repeat it back to you. The few seconds this takes can save lots of frustration and "having to do it all over again".

Of course, if real learning is occurring, life won't stay perfectly organized all the time. But organization does equal sanity sometimes, and any idea for keeping school organized is worth a second look!

Lisa Preston taught public school for 17 years before becoming a Homeschool Evangelist! Pick up her free book Why You Should Homeschool Your Child: A Public Schoolteacher's Confession at http://www.homeschoolhelper.com.

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