Homeschool Organization & More!

Around this time last year, we shared a post titled, New Year’s Organization. Although a lot has changed since January 2020, the ideas in that post are still applicable and are a helpful place to start for those that may be new to SLOCA and homeschooling or even for our veteran families looking to freshen up their homeschool space. So we are sharing that post with you again. Be sure to let us know in the comments any ideas or systems that you use to keep your homeschool supplies organized.

Before we get to the post, I (Sharon) wanted to share again an annual tradition that my family does. We call it the Memory Jar. It is a tall mason jar with an erasable chalk label with the year on it. (Any sort of container will do, but I like the clear jar so that we see it filling up over the year.) Near the jar, I keep a stack of post-it notes and a writing utensil. Any time during the year when something occurs that I want to be sure our family remembers, I write it down on a post-it note with the date on it, fold it up, and tuck it in the jar. (As my kids get older I hope they will choose to add events as well.) At the end of the year, our family sits together and we take turns reading the notes in the jar. They vary from things like, “Took a family trip to the snow” to “Spent Thanksgiving with Nana and Papa” to “Saw the ballet Swan Lake“.  (For 2020 it was more like, “Went on a hike”, “Ate outside at our favorite restaurant”, “Had a Zoom Easter with our family”.) It is such a precious time of reflecting and reminiscing. Our memories are sparked by events we may have forgotten and we talk about others that we really want to do again next year. Later I copy the memories into a journal where I have recorded previous years. This journal currently only has about 6 years’ worth of memories in it, but I am hoping to continue the tradition and one day we will have a mini-memoir of our family’s life.

So, did you try a Memory Jar for 2020? We did, but I will admit that about the middle of the year I ran out of steam. As we went through our memories from 2020 a few nights ago we noticed that we didn’t have anything for the months of August-November. But as we talked about the year and I went through my calendar and photos we were able to recall some of the things that we did that we wanted to remember. Now granted, 2020 was not full of major trips, visits to the theater, or anything very extravagant, but that’s okay. It was still full of a lot of precious family memories and I’m so glad I wrote a few of them down.

Want to give it a try? Even if you only add one memory per month, I promise it will be worth the effort.

And now for some organization…

By this time of the school year you probably already have your homeschool area set up and a system down, but perhaps with the start of the new year, you are looking to be more organized or better utilize the space you have.

Some of you may have a dedicated homeschool space and some of you may find yourselves saying things like, “Don’t drip peanut butter on your IEW!” while you try to use your dining room table for more than just dining. No matter where your homeschooling takes place, chances are your home days will go more smoothly if your materials are organized and accessible. When you and your kids can find what you need you don’t lose time or attention looking for materials. 

So today as we jump into a brand new year we wanted to offer you some suggestions for keeping your materials organized. There is no one way, best method, or a single product that will fix all your organizational needs. This is simply a sampling. Different families, homes, grade levels, etc. mean that no one homeschool area is going to look like another. And remember that being organized does not mean that you have to go out and buy a bunch of tubs and boxes etc. (Although, we will point you to a few handy options today). You can use items around your house or things you might find in your recycle bin.  

Let’s get organized!

Where to find containers etc…

• In the spirit of Less. But Better, start by looking around your house to see what you already have that may simply be repurposed. Take a closer look at what you are tossing in the recycle; that empty jelly jar could be your new pencil cup.
• Fred and Betty’s is always a good place to find treasures. You never know what you may find there.
• Stores like Target and Walmart have a variety of options for clear tubs, baskets, and more.
• Never underestimate what you might discover at a dollar store.
• Amazon has almost everything. Don’t forget to use the SLOCA Amazon Smile link to earn money for our school while you shop.
• Ikea (Not a quick drive, but they do have quite a selection for organizing. And they specialize in small spaces.) The Alex set of drawers in a personal favorite for keeping our homeschool materials all in one place.
• And don’t forget our SLOCA community. If you are looking for something, ask around. Our community is generous and helpful and even if they don’t have what you need I guarantee they will have more suggestions on where you can find it.

Many SLOCA families use an organizational/homeschool method called Workboxes. Each subject has its own drawer or box and everything the student will need to complete that subject’s assignment for the day is in the box. Check out this post by SLOCA parent Jenny Bischoff, written for our Wisdom Wonder Project Blog, for more information about this method along with more pictures for organizational options.

A HUGE thank you to all the SLOCA home educators who contributed photos and ideas for this post!!! 

Do you have a fantastic way to organize? Don’t keep it to yourself, share it with us in the comments.

SLO Classical Academy is not affiliated with any of the above-mentioned websites, businesses or organizations.