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Homeschool Organization – 12 Unconventional Ideas for Storage

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This post may contain affiliate links. For more information, please see my full disclosure policy.

Homeschool organization is one of my favorite topics in how to homeschool.

Creating niches and discovering spaces you didn’t know you had can bring your home school area to life. 

And turning unconventional storage pieces into useful tools for those areas can be daunting.

Also because I am not sure what type of stores or resources I will be able to find in South America, I am both excited and nervous to think of ways to create a new learning space when we move.

Switching subjects on you here for a minute, I promised I would update you on our move.  The Mr. is still working on closing some business he has going on here in the states. 

Homeschool Organization – 12 Unconventional Ideas for Storage

So we still have not put our house up for sale.  It would be okay with me if we didn’t put it up for sale until March because the weather would be better. 

Either way, in the meantime I have been hoarding resources that have unconventional storage ideas.  I know my favorite stores like Target or Hobby Lobby won’t be there.

So today I have rounded up a few useful resources to help spur on the creative juices.  Savvy solutions don’t have to be costly either.

Also, though I love to mix the old and the new with unconventional storage. In homeschool, we have so many needs that we want a wide variety of items to choose from.

And storage should look cute and inviting for our learning areas with kids.

And don’t forget about lighting. Most of us prefer a lot of natural light but I love me a gorgeous lamp when I can find one.

It really counts when I can find it in one of my favorite colors. Purple goes in a school room, right?

Simple Solutions to Stop Clutter

Whether it’s ziploc bags, jars or shower caddies going from the conventional to unconventional can still be beautiful while minimizing clutter.

Check out a few unconventional homeschool storage ideas that I have flagged.

Homeschool Organization – 12 Unconventional Ideas for Storage

Looking at them keeps me excited about our move and redecorating. I hope to stay inspired and implement some of these ideas when I have no Target to run to for my latest fix. (scary)

Do you see any ideas you can implement now in your school area?

Other Homeschool Organization Tips

12 Homeschool Organization Unconventional Storage

You'll love these ideas for unconventional storage for your homeschool learning spaces.

Homeschool Organization - 12 Ideas for Unconventional Storage
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DIY Easy Duct Tape Pencil Pouch Back to School Kids Craft

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This post may contain affiliate links. For more information, please see my full disclosure policy.

This diy easy duct tape pencil pouch back to school craft is a great way to start your year. Before you jump into learning how to homeschool or a full schedule, have some fun first.

As homeschoolers sometimes we don’t really get the full traditional back to school shopping experience, so I like to work in some fun activities to freshen things up and get them excited.

Even though we school year-round we take breaks and this is the perfect activity to jump back into a new unit.

DIY Easy Duct Tape Pencil Pouch Back to School Kids Craft

It would also make a great craft to do with your co-op or just a couple friends.

Offer a few duct tapes and bag sizes. And put them on a table with an example to invite them to create.

Fill it with pencils yes but it is sturdy enough to hold scissors, pencil sharpeners, protractors, calculators and more.

Just because you are not heading off to school outside the house doesn’t mean you don’t need somewhere to gather and hold all your small supplies.

How to Use the Duct Tape Pencil Pouch

We are going to make a full sized pouch to carry our watercolor palette and brushes in our backpack for nature hikes.

Upper elementary to high school will be able to complete this project on their own. However, younger kids might need a little help with the steps.

It is very user friendly for all ages.

Let your child pick up their favorite pattern on Amazon.

I have linked several of our favorites below or you can find some at Hobby Lobby near the art supplies like canvasses and artist paints.

I have even found a good variety of solid tapes at Dollar Tree, making it a very economical craft.

You can use duct tape for a great number of projects.

For example, you can make pouches in different sizes for different uses.

DIY Easy Duct Tape Pencil Pouch Back to School Kids Craft

Besides pencils turn it into a makeup bag or for collecting specimens on a nature walk.

Cover a jar or can for a desk pencil holder, make a custom composition notebook, wrap around pens and pencils to coordinate with your pouch, or cover a plain phone case with it to jazz it up some.

Your pouch should last you the school year with normal wear and tear but should it not last it is very economical to make a new one.

Duct Tape Options and Patterns

Here are a few of our favorites duct tape patterns. I love this wave blue.

And I also love this checkered one.

And it’s so easy to make with only 3 components.

  • duct tape
  • gallon bag slider top
  • scissors
DIY Easy Duct Tape Pencil Pouch Back to School Kids Craft

You probably have all three things in your home now.

How to Make an Easy Duct Tape Pencil Pouch

You can make your pouch the full size of the bag or adjust it to any size you like by cutting off the bottom at the measurement you prefer.

We made ours just slightly larger than half the bag.

If you want one that is not so wide you could use a quart, sandwich, or snack size bag too. Just make sure you grab the slider top.

DIY Easy Duct Tape Pencil Pouch Back to School Kids Craft

Once you have cut your bag down to size lay a piece of your patterned duct tape on the bottom so that half adheres to the very bottom.

Fold it over and press into place to seal the bottom well.

You can repeat the process if you think you need the extra strength, but it is pretty strong with just one.

DIY Easy Duct Tape Pencil Pouch Back to School Kids Craft

Next, rather than work your way up the bag you are going to want to put the next piece right up under then zipper portion of the bag.

This makes for less cutting. And depending on your pattern makes it easier to match them up.

Leave just a bit on each end to trim at the end.

DIY Easy Duct Tape Pencil Pouch Back to School Kids Craft

Work your way down the bag by adding another two rows of duct tape.

The final row will cover up the folded tape of the bottom of the bag and cover half of the center row.

Flip and repeat on the other side.

Then, trim the excess to even with the plastic bag. Try not to cut into it, just right at the edge.

To finish off and reinforce the sides, overlap the tape so that half covers each side.

DIY Easy Duct Tape Pencil Pouch Back to School Kids Craft

Trim off excess.

DIY Easy Duct Tape Pencil Pouch Back to School Kids Craft

You can go a step further by adding names or other words with stickers, mix up patterns and solids.

Hole punch the bottom and it can be added to a 3 ring binder to keep everything together.

Other Back to School Craft Fun

What do you think? Are you ready for not back to homeschool?

DIY Easy Duct Tape Pencil Pouch Back to School Kids Craft

3 Free and Amazing Amazon Rainforest Lapbooks for Kids

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This post may contain affiliate links. For more information, please see my full disclosure policy.

Today, I have three free Amazon rainforest lapbooks which go with our Amazon Rain Forest Unit Study And homeschool lapbooks make great tools for master learning about a unit study topic..

These lapbook about the Amazon Rainforest covers so many subtopics that each of your children can spend time on whatever topics interest them. Besides you can make many or one from the different minibooks.

Take your time putting together this huge lapbook because it has about 35 minibooks.

3 Free and Amazing Amazon Rainforest Lapbooks for Kids

Because lapbooks are interactive hands-on tools, you want to take several days to create it.

One tip is to create each minibook while you’re learning about the Amazon Rainforest.

In addition, I’ve created Amazon Rainforest covers that can be used on the outside of the lapbooks or your child can do his own art.

Each of my children were different. My then high school teen didn’t want much art on the outside cover.

However, my younger two kids at the time loved creating the outside of the lapbook.

How to Use the Rainforest Lapbook

Although some parents think the lapbook is a craftsy artsy project, it is far beyond that.

I think of a lapbook as a treasure trove of what interests the child. That can be used to teach your teach and to help him memorize important facts.

However, they’re are other ways to use lapbooks.

Use the lapbook to:

  • store nature things which interest your child
  • hold small paper games
  • illustrate art and drawings
  • showcase your child’s writing
  • keep math facts or rules that your want your child to know
  • contain maps of geographical areas

And because you don’t need a lot of supplies to create a beautiful lapbook each one can be unique.

3 Free and Amazing Amazon Rainforest Lapbooks for Kids

Too, the beauty of saving your lapbooks is that you can come back another year and add one more flap.

Then, add more minibooks. So, only fill the lapbook until your child’s interest has piqued.

Come back later that year or years later and add an extension of a file folder and create more minibooks.

30+ Free Minibooks about the Amazon Rainforest

For example, look at the minibooks about the Amazon Rainforest to give you ideas of topics to cover.

I have put them in several groupings so you can see the minibooks. But they are in no particular order.

  • Four things needed in a rainforest.
  • Five Kingdoms of Life.
  • Five Little Monkeys story props.
  • ABC’s of the rainforest.
  • ABC Storage pockets.
  • Animal and Plant cells.

And also remember they are use to for varying levels.

  • Bird pocket.
  • Chocolate.
  • Different colored rivers of the Amazon.
  • Food of the rainforest.
  • Herbivores carnivores omnivores.
  • Jaguars.
  • Jungle art.

I have minibooks for young children to learn the ABCS of the Amazon Rainforest to learning about scientist.

  • Layers of the rainforest older.
  • Layers of the rainforest younger.
  • Layers of the rainforest 4 tab older.
  • Life cycle of kapok tree.
  • Lungs of the world.
  • Photosynthesis.
  • Photosynthesis wheel rain forest.
  • Pioneer microbiologist and father of taxonomy.

:

Also, you can pull out one topic like chocolate or the tropical fruits and focus only on that.

  • Plant label.
  • Products of the rainforest.
  • Rainforest facts.
  • Rain forest measuring.
  • Rainforest opposites.
  • Rain Force plants.
  • Rain forest in danger.
  • Rainforest vocabulary younger.
  • Reptiles insects amphibians of the amazon.
  • Save the rainforest.
  • The Amazon.
  • The canopy a beautiful roof.
  • The rainforest where is it.
  • Water cycle.
  • Why do we need plants younger.

This Amazon Rainforest is a HUGE 108 page download and enough to create more than 3 lapbooks.

Other Amazon Rainforest Resources

3 Free and Amazing Amazon Rainforest Lapbooks for Kids

You’ll love these other Amazon Rainforest unit study resources.

Whether your create one or many you have plenty of minibooks to choose from.

Rainforest Lapbooks

How to Get the Free Rain Forest Amazon Lapbook 108 Pages

Now, how to grab the free download where you can make as many as 3 lapbooks. This is a subscriber freebie.

 1) Sign up on my list.

2) Grab the freebie now.

3) Last, look for all my emails in your inbox. Glad to have you following me!

Cute Clay Pencil Earrings for Back to School Crafts For Kids

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This post may contain affiliate links. For more information, please see my full disclosure policy.

These cute clay pencil earrings for back to school crafts are plain fun. Also, look at my page The Dynamics of How to Homeschool Easily and Smarter for more fun ideas and tips.

So, don’t miss out on all the fun back to school craft ideas just because your child won’t be headed off to traditional school.

Have some hands on craft time with your kids and make a pair or several school themed earrings to wear to kick off your new year.

Cute Clay Pencil Earrings for Back to School Crafts For Kids

We school year-round but take a lot of breaks so these were great to welcome in our new unit!

Clay is great for creativity.

So, invest a little in these supplies and give your kids another creative outlet.

Also, making crafts is therapeutic and works those fine motor skill and appeals to the senses.

Additionally this is a great way to encourage your budding entrepreneurs.

A great little business idea is creating earrings for friends, family, co-op mates, and even to setup on facebook.

Clay – A Versatile Craft Material

Your child can sell handmade creations for a bit of money and learn about supply vs. demand, how to set prices for profit, the cost of supplies, and so much more.

Get creative and don’t just stop at making pencil earrings.

Use your clay to create paper, crayons, globes, beakers and more.

But they don’t have to just be for back to school craft ideas.

Add this idea to any of your unit studies.

For example, look at some of these ideas.

  • If you’re looking for an idea for a hands-on project for the Exploring Space and Astronomy Free Unit Study for Multiple Ages, then create a replica of a plant.
  • When studying China, create a map to wear on your child’s ears. How fun.
  • Are you studying about botany next? Then make some cute mushrooms or succulents.

Look at this Polymer Clay Starter kit, Oven Bake Clay, DIY Molding Clay kit.

Let’s dive into making these adorable clay back to school earrings.

Cute Clay Pencil Earrings for Back to School Crafts For Kids

This list is easy but too some of it you may not have around the house.

Easy DIY Fun Earrings Supplies

Once you get all your supplies gathered remember you can make several pairs.

Cute Clay Pencil Earrings for Back to School Crafts For Kids

First, preheat your oven to 200 degrees Fahrenheit.

How to Make Back to School Pencil Earrings

Then, pinch off a piece of yellow clay and roll it through your clay roller a few times on the second to last thickness setting.

We really just eyeballed the amount.

There wasn’t enough the first time,vso we just pinched off a bit more and added it before we went through again.

You can also use a simple roller. But we love our clay machine and use it every time we create with clay to get uniform thickness. 

I set most of my earrings at the thicker of the two settings on our clay roller.

Cute Clay Pencil Earrings for Back to School Crafts For Kids

Use a small wooden craft stick as a template to get straight sides and an even width for your two pencils,

Cut on either side with a thin sharp knife and repeat for the next one.

Remember though that they don’t have to be perfect, they are kid and handmade after all.

Cute Clay Pencil Earrings for Back to School Crafts For Kids

Cut the top and bottom at the same time to get your desired length.

Repeat with a small amount of pink after rolling it flat. Use the craft stick vertically and horizontally to cut two squares for the erasers.

Cute Clay Pencil Earrings for Back to School Crafts For Kids

Again, use some tan to make the wood of your pencil and repeat with the sides. Cut the length off at the same time so they are uniform.

Then, cut a point on your pencil tips.

Cute Clay Pencil Earrings for Back to School Crafts For Kids

Get a bit of texture by using the sharp end of the skewer to draw up the top of the tan and create the shaved section of the pencil.

Add a tiny piece of black clay to the bottom as a pencil led, shape a point with your fingers.

Connect your 3 pieces, pressing them gently together.

Wet your finger and smooth the joints together.

More Back to School Craft Ideas

We ran each of our entire put together pieces through the roller one more time to help the colors cling to each other.

Draw a few lines in the yellow to create some pencil detail.

Take the flat end of your skewer and pierce a whole through the eraser close to the top.

But leave enough room that it doesn’t break because its too thin.

Cute Clay Pencil Earrings for Back to School Crafts For Kids

Carefully pick up the clay pieces and transfer to a baking sheet.

A think scraper or even a knife make it easy to slide up and transfer.

We use our little toaster oven for crafts like this rather than heat up the big oven.

Cute Clay Pencil Earrings for Back to School Crafts For Kids

Bake at 200℉ for 20 minutes. Check and make sure that they are hard and no more moisture remains in the clay.

Bake for 5 more minutes if needed to bake completely through. Allow to cool fully before removing.

Use a needle nose plier to open a jump ring and thread it through the hole you made on the eraser.

Place a French hook earring loop through the jump ring as well and close completely the jump ring with needle nose pliers.

Cute Clay Pencil Earrings for Back to School Crafts For Kids

 Be sure that the hook faces away from the front of the pencil earrings

Cute Clay Pencil Earrings for Back to School Crafts For Kids

If you prefer you can skip creating a hole in the earrings and use e6000 glue to affix a standard post earring to the back instead.

If you’re like us you want dangly earrings so we went with fish hooks.

What do you think, are you ready for back to school and look cool?

Cute Clay Pencil Earrings for Back to School Crafts For Kids

Day 3 What is NOT Homeschooling and New Homeschooler Free Bootcamp

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This post may contain affiliate links. For more information, please see my full disclosure policy.

Today is day 3: What is NOT homeschooling in the free 31 Day Free Boot Camp for New Homeschoolers.

New homeschoolers tend to have a picture in their mind of what homeschooling is and normally it looks a lot like public school.

I have found through the years that sometimes it is easier to explain what homeschooling is by telling you what it is NOT.

Day 3 What is NOT Homeschooling and New Homeschooler Free Bootcamp

Begin with these three quick mindset shifts.

3 Ways to Know What is NOT Homeschooling

1. Homeschooling is NOT school at home.

If the public school system is not working now, why repeat it? You don’t have to have a chalkboard, dry erase board or even a school room.

Some families prefer a schoolroom, others don’t and still others just don’t have the space for one. A school room or lack of it does not make a true homeschooler.

A school room is fine if you want one, though set it up to suit YOU. When I started formally homeschooling my sons were 5 years old and 3 years old and newborn. A schoolroom was a place I could organize all of our school items.

I did not hail to the way of thinking that just because we did some of our academics in our schoolroom that my children would grow up thinking that learning only took place in the schoolroom.

I brought in a couch to my school room to be comfortable on while I nursed my newborn and a changing table to my school area so that I wouldn’t have to leave my oldest as he was learning to read.

Don't set up your school like public school.

At that particular time in my journey, my schoolroom was a huge life saver in helping me to control chaos when I had little help from my young children.

Training was in progress to help them to begin a day, have good study habits and help with chores around the house. My schoolroom gave me a sense of control that was needed at that time when I could control very little else going on with children that young.

Include an area for fun hands-on homeschooling.

The thinking that learning just took place in schoolroom was balanced with the fact that the other part of our day was spent lounging around the house reading, playing games, and doing science and history. My children showed me that they will learn because of the loving environment their father and I created instead of doing school in one area or another.

Other families prefer to have their items all over the house. Each family is different and needs to determine how and where to school. From personal experience, if you have ANY area you can possible use, try to start with organization now by keeping a good amount of your school items in one area.

2. Dumbed down academics is not homeschooling either but you do want proof of homeschool success.

Do not try to win debates by explaining your choice to those that criticize it. Present some facts to the naysayers and grab some for yourself too.

Grab some facts from the National Home Education Research Institute. What is NHERI?

From their site: NHERI conducts and collects research about homeschooling (home-based education, home schooling), and publishes the research journal called the Home School Researcher

. The institute has hundreds of research works documented and catalogued on home schooling, many of which were done by NHERI. Simply put, NHERI specializes in homeschool research.

Click here for the research.

Reading together.

{loving, learning, fostering sibling togetherness – what more could I ask for?}

3. Homeschooling does not mean we have follow grade levels.

There is not a bigger mistake than taking your kids out of the grade level they were in and putting them in the next grade level in homeschool.

As homeschoolers we don’t follow grade levels. We find the true level of each child and make the curriculum match the child.

In addition, we match each subject to our kids’ strength and weaknesses.

New Homeschooler

So, what is homeschooling and the homeschooling lifestyle?

Day to day meaningful conversations become a normal part of teaching your children. I

t is about getting to know your son or daughter that you thought you knew so well before.

Allowing your children to hear your expressions each day of your love for learning. Homeschooling becomes more about parenting while learning takes place.

Day 3 What is NOT Homeschooling and New Homeschooler Free Bootcamp

Also, letting go of burdensome homework and allowing more time for free play and a simple childhood become the norm.

Eventually the line between living and learning becomes blurred.

This is a good thing and you are no longer living for your curricula, but making curricula serve your lifestyle. It is about playing together, working together, worshipping together and learning together.

Define your mission and your goals because they are your foot holds to guide you through your journey.

Homeschool Mission Statement
Homeschool Mission Statement

 

 Go here to Step 5a. Choose Unique forms JUST for You!
Not a kazillion other people download my forms for a Homeschool Mission Statement and jot down your goals.

Appreciating that homeschooling is not a mere academic choice but a lifestyle change will help you to seize ALL that homeschooling offers.

New to Homeschool

Also, look at a few other things about me.

And I have a detailed self-paced online homeschool Kickstarter course. It is a detailed comprehensive course for first time homeschoolers.

Day 3 What is NOT Homeschooling and New Homeschooler Free Bootcamp

That is enough about me.

This new homeschoolers free boot camp is about you. I’ve not only been helping new homeschoolers in person, but here at my site for years.

Day 3 What is NOT Homeschooling and New Homeschooler Free Bootcamp

Other New Homeschooler Resources:

What is NOT Homeschooling! 31 Days of New Bee Homeschooler Blog Boot Camp