Creative storage solutions is our next topic. Today is day 12 creative storage solutions for the 31 Day Free Boot Camp for New Homeschoolers.
I think homeschooling storage epitomizes the meaning of creative storage solutions.
Thinking outside of the box starts on your first day of homeschooling and you just keep reinventing as you go along.
I found out that I had quite a few things at my house that with a little tender loving care could be turned into storage or at least be used in our school area.
Though it’s not storage, something as simple as updating a lamp shade to bring it to your school room gives you a sense of empowerment or starting fresh.
Of course, a little orange in my house doesn’t hurt anybody either.
Take a look below at the medley of things I have collected from the around the web that could easily be used as storage.
Homeschool Storage
Do you have something like this at your home that you can remodel, repair or refinish?
Source: The Pleated Poppy
I loved how she used wood crates to create a space. A little paint and you have beautiful and unique!
Source: Hello Kiddo
How many different things can you find to make into a bookshelf?
I shared my color coordinating binders on Day 8: Organize Your Home Then School and look how this idea is implemented.
Too, I’m going to switch gears here on you.
Who is Tina Robertson
But before you can appreciate how I can help you here are are a few things about me. Sure, this free new homeschooler boot camp is all about you.
However, you need to know that I’m not new to the homeschool world.
It has been several years since I wrote this series and I want to update you on my successes. And I’ve helped HUNDREDS get on the road to homeschooling.
Too, I have 3 homeschooled grads. So I’m well past having my oldest kid being 10 years old.
But the best part is that what I have for you works.
Also, look at a few other things about me.
- I am the author of the book Homeschooling 31 Day Boot Camp for New Homeschoolers: When You Don’t Know Where to Begin
And I have a detailed self-paced online homeschool Kickstarter course. It is a detailed comprehensive course for first time homeschoolers.
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.
Your imagination is your limit when it comes to color coordinating everything.
A tool box for craft storage. I luv.
She created preschool stations with these bins. Lovely!
Homeschool Storage Ideas
Make your school room unique by creating things you need and like!
Source: Decorascao
Isn’t this beautiful and thrifty? Gorgeous.
Source: That’s My Letter
These beautiful diy chalkboard easels are so creative and useful.
Source: Homeschool Creations
Look at the way Jolanthe organizes her homeschool. She uses a system called Workboxes by Susan Patrick
I love the way she modified the system to fit her family. She uses folders and a grid instead of strips. Be sure to check out her post: Our New Workbox System ~ Workbook Weekly Grid
Look at how Kathy has set up her workboxes and she has some free printables for her system too.
And again, look how Kristen modified that same system to work for her family by using At A Glance Charts.
Source: Preschoolers and Peace.
Look too at how Kendra put her twist on this system.
Source: Squidoo Workboxes by SpellOutLoud
If you can’t get enough then go to the Squidoo Lens kept by Maureen at Spell Out Loud to see more. There are some wonderful ideas there.
Are the creative juices flowing yet? I hope you are inspired to use some of these ideas to make your learning a place that is both beautiful to learn in and a place for creative storage.
New to Homeschooling Start with the Basics
Days 1 – 7 of the 31 day Free Boot Camp for New Homeschoolers
- 1 Learn The Lingo (& free glossary)
- 2: Homeschool Roots Matter
- 3 What is NOT Homeschooling
- 4: Confronting Relatives & Naysayers
- 5: The Wheels on the Bus Go ‘Round & ‘Round
- 6: Homeschool Hangouts & Socialization Situations
- 7: Tied Up with Homeschool Testing?
How to Organize When You’re New to Homeschooling
Days 8-11 of the 31 day Free Boot Camp for New Homeschoolers
- 8: Organize Your Home – Then School
- 9: Carpe Diem: Homeschool Schedule by The Day, Month, & Year
- 10 Grocery Shopping Cooking Laundry
- 11: Swoonworthy Learning Spaces & Homeschool Rooms
I use a loose system of workboxes too. I use the Really Useful boxes as they come in different sizes and I can fit a binder for that subject plus the main workbook and other reading material.
These boxes have tops so I can stack them on top of each other and it is also useful for traveling. Pack the needed books in the box, put on the top, carry it and away we go.
I tried using the velcro dots and numbers but that did not work for us. Instead I use a weekly planning sheet that has the assignments on it and as each subject is finished, each box is crossed off. I have a girl so I print off the weekly assignment sheet in different colors each week. Sometimes bright, sometimes light, but she enjoys having the different colors, so why not? At the end of each week I put the assignment sheet in one of my folders as a way of record keeping. I can put 2-3 years in one folder and on the folder tab I put which years are stored in that folder. Hold them together with pretty colored binder clips.
abrianna recently posted…Tuesday Muse
Abrianna,
Sounds very organized and beautiful too :o) I love the idea they can travel with you and how you adjusted the system to fit you. That really is what homeschooling is about – sharing ideas and tweaking it a bit to suit your family.
Loved your comment..
I am not a new bee to homeschooling by any means, nor new to the entire education spectrum – but I am always looking for new ways to organize, be it my planning, my lessons and units, or our tiny little school room/guest room. We live in a house with just slightly over 900 sq feet and currently, our classroom is an 8×10 “closet” (well, it is the spare bedroom but very small as are most of the bedrooms in this house)
Your link to “becoming Martha” reminded me of our own whiteboard within our classroom. I wanted a place where I could write notes for The Boy that could remain up for a day or two as visual clues for other subject areas and was not happy with the price of larger whiteboards that were still only about a quarter of the size that I wanted. One day I was telling my husband about my frustrations and he just smiled and disappeared outside.
When he returned, he had a whiteboard built for me and it was exactly what I wanted. It was 4×7 feet and had a nice frame that he had painted neatly and done perfect joints. It was durable enough that it would not fall apart after one use – but light enough that I could move it easily if I decided to change the room around. He had included an area on the side about 2 feet wide that he had converted to a bulletin board (cork board glued onto the 1/4″ backing board he had used) and had even thought to include hooks at the back joined by a wire for ease of hanging (no more trying to hang something on a tiny hook when you can’t see!)
What did he use?
Well, my husband is a plumber by trade and profession. When he looked at the small white board hanging in the kitchen where I write down phone calls for him, he knew a shower/tub surround piece would be the perfect solution. He glued that tub surround sheet onto 1/4″ osb and added the cork board to the side and framed it all to give it a finished appearance. On the cork board I’ve attached a couple “cups” that hold dry erase markers and the cleaning brush and cloth along with the spray cleaner. I have occasionally needed a “heavy duty” cleaning solution (such as for cleaning off dark blues and reds that have been on the board for too long) – and discovered that cheap old nail polish remover works better than any other expensive cleaner out there.
It has been three years since he built this for me and come fall, we will be using it yet again.
We are currently in the middle of renovating our classroom – updating it from primary school colours to a style more suited for my “eleventeen” year old son (soon to be 12 and “too grown up for teddy bears reading books” – how on earth do they grow so fast???) and I will change the colours of the frame. When the room is complete, I hope I remember to include a link for you. (Eventually, we will be moving our classroom into the basement where there is a much larger area – but due to floodin issues and plenty of rain in Alberta and Saskatchewan this year, we’ve had to put those plans on hold until we have the damp basement issues taken care of. Next year maybe – fingers crossed! I would love to have room for everything in one area and utilizing my grandfather’s easy chair for reading times!)
Love your ideas! I taught public school before having my son and taking time off, then deciding I wanted to homeschool – and I have found your planning pages very helpful for planning for this coming school year. I know I will keep coming back to read what you have to say!
Hi Audrey,
I soooo enjoyed reading your comment this morning. I love hearing how other people utilize things around the house, including hubby..lol lol…The board sounds so unique. I would love for you to share pictures.
I had a lot of my new bees in my workshops who were public school teachers. I always had so much fun with them because we could exchange ideas. Most of them were trying to move away from “the box” and “standards”. They all tried to create something different at home that is more unique to them. That sounds just like what you have done.
Your schoolroom in the basement is such a nice niche to have! Oh yes, share a link if you can remember. :o) I would love to see it, chair and all.
Glad you love the lesson planning pages and thanks for being here.
Hugs, have a great day…
I love all these wonderful ideas and was feeling a bit inadequate and slack. Then I spied on Schoolgirl Style’s photo that one of her stunning baskets reads PENICLS! I thought I only did things like that; feeling so much better now might even try one of these ideas not. 😉
Lisa recently posted…It’s all about Agent Smelly
Hi Lisa,
LOL..you’re too funny! I love Schoolgirl’s stuff. It always makes me think of getting my schoolroom ready for a PARTYYYY..lol lol
Hopefully, we can all stay inspired and keep the enthusiasm as the school year starts. Thanks for sharing!