Fall is always the busiest time of year for us! We've had quite the exciting past couple of months, including some travel... which is always enjoyable but does make it challenging to get a good rhythm or routine going. We keep trying, and I know that after Christmas we'll have months with not much going on. I plan to write a couple of posts about our vacation(s), some challenges we've had and what has been working for us to overcome them, thoughts on scaffolding a child with learning challenges, and hopefully a bigger post about organization and some pictures of our "learning" spaces.
Today I just wanted to share the latest in my ever-changing (and improving!) homeschool/art closet organization. I had started the year with two crates, one for each girl. I quickly realized that one of the downsides of that approach was that things lay flat, instead of upright as I had intended. So I kept losing things. One thing I have learned is that if it is not accessible, it (book, activity, game, whatever) will NOT get used. So enter Plan B. I bought 2 packs of cheap Magazine files from Ikea this past weekend, and then sorted/labeled our materials in them. I have them on the shelf in our closet that is next to the table where we do our schoolwork. I put the most regularly used in the middle, and the least used or referenced only by me to the sides. Behind the files (deep shelf!) I have tucked things I need accessible but not on hand always, like an art smock, extra notebooks, etc.
Here's the big view of the two main shelves... on the bottom we keep shoes, then the bottom shelf has our "messy" art supplies of tempera and watercolor paints, markers, glue, paintbrushes and a good old "junk drawer" where we keep miscellaneous items that the girls like to use to create.
The art shelf definitely gets messy and needs a lot of attention. But that means that we use everything, so that's good, right? :)
Here is the left side of our curriculum/books shelf... mostly what I use with Charlotte. In the middle we have the most important of ALL, our beloved Ambleside Readings and the checklist binder that I use. Then math, All About Spelling, and some random items that I grouped together that I don't use quite as often. Oh, the pink box is for All About Spelling (holds cards) and you can't really see it, but two jars are hiding in the wings- our Narration Jars, which I must confess we haven't used since we made them, but I hope to start using soon!
Charlotte's math box includes Singapore Math and Life of Fred: Apples. I recently caught on that handing her the workbook itself to do overwhelms her, but if I copy a page from the workbook and give it to her, that works better. So I need to add a file to store copies of math pages that I can pull out, and maybe some lesson plans. I feel like I'm moving toward using Singapore as a resource and bringing in more living math and games to supplement.
And here is Gwendolyn's side, though some of the handwriting stuff is for Charlotte as well.
We use (and love!) the All About Reading Level 1 program with Gwendolyn... she is still a "pre-reader" at 5.5, working on letter recognition for lower case letters now, and letter sounds. Her progress in reading really shows me every child is different- her sister was reading some by the same age, but I don't even plan to start an official reading curriculum for Gwen until she's 6. She LOVES the puppet, which is called "Ziggy" in the curriculum, but she renamed her "Skylight" and it is a GIRL Zebra, obviously. I have quite a lot of "math" resources for Gwendolyn, most of which I just pull out when she's needing something to occupy her while I'm working with her sister. She loves mazes, so we have a big book of mazes. Also a friend gave me Year 1 of MEP, which has been a good resource. Finally, we have our collection of handwriting and drawing resources. I have several volumes of Draw Write Now, which we all enjoy (even me!), Gwen's Handwriting without Tears workbooks, and a cursive book for Charlotte... I do not require that for her, but it is available if she becomes interested. And last but not least, my Five in a Row manuals. I also stash trays with "in progress" projects on top of the file holders, since I don't have a good place to keep them otherwise.
My challenge with this closet is always, always, always just maintaining it so it stays in good shape. I've accepted that once or twice a month I have to spend 20 or 30 minutes tidying it up, because it is heavily used. I wish it was a better, more beautiful space, but at least I can close the door!
I'm considering adding an over-the-door hanger for shoes to have the pockets to put things in, like scissors, glue sticks, stickers, extra supplies, etc. Just need to remember to shop for that!
