organizedkids

Day 12: Creative Storage Solutions for Homeschool And New Homeschooler Free Bootcamp

September 4, 2022 | 10 Comments
This post may contain affiliate links. For more information, please see my full disclosure policy.

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.

Day 12: Creative Storage Solutions for Homeschool And New Homeschooler Free Bootcamp

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?

Creative Storage Solutions for Homeschool

Source: Schoolgirl Style

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.

Source: Little Brags

A tool box for craft storage. I luv.

Source: Somewhat Simple

She created preschool stations with these bins. Lovely!

Source: Becoming Martha

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.

Weekly-Workbox-Grid-visual-organizer-for-homeschool-copy.png

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

How to Organize When You’re New to Homeschooling

Days 8-11 of the 31 day Free Boot Camp for New Homeschoolers

Save

Homeschool Room Organizing + Organizing Tools

June 1, 2022 | 4 Comments
This post may contain affiliate links. For more information, please see my full disclosure policy.

I collect my homeschool room organizing tools from all over and from some of the same places you probably have in the area you live in. Look at my page The Dynamics of How to Homeschool Easily and Smarter for more tips.

Some I order on online because I want some specialty items.

What helps me to focus on a tool and to think outside the box is to have my *needs* not a *tool* in mind.

Homeschool Room Organizing + Organizing Tools

The tool serves the need.

Have you ever come home with a bunch of pretty organizing tools and not really have a place to put them?

Though pretty, they won’t be much use if you can’t put them to work.

Determining your use, determines the homeschool tool.

Homeschool Room Organizing + Organizing Tools

Thinking outside the box too doesn’t mean you have to steer away from traditional uses for a tool either

who really wants to organize with a draining dish

This idea of a dish drainer for books is one of them that, for me, well I have a hard time being inspired to look at every day.

The idea is novel but I would have to think of a way to hide the drainer, then I may be more inspired when I look at it every day.

Organizing Your Homeschool Room

Organizing does not have to be expensive. It is one of those hobbies useful life skills that can be inexpensive. I decide how much to pay or not pay for items.

And sometimes you just need to add a pop of color to your learning area. Our learning area was the formal dining room turned learning area.

So here are 13 things that make me sing when I did a spruce up from last year.

After, I explained them here, I have a list below.

1. The lamp was on clearance from my one of my stalking trips to Target.

The stencil was a wall stencil I got online too. It is a Moroccan look. I have been looking at it for a year now to determine if I want to do my pantry in this pattern.

Trying it out on the lampshade helps me to look at it for a while longer to see if I still am in love. I am still swooning over it.

The paint is acrylic paint I already had in the house; it’s cadmium orange color. Gorgeous.

2. The orange slices, lemon slices, coral and white mustache bookends are what I spent my money on this year.

You know I told you the longer you homeschool, the less you need curriculum wise. So you get to spend your homeschool budget on other yummy things.

So I purchased all of my cool bookends on ETSY.

They seem to have a variety to choose from each year.

I am still swooning over them and have restrained myself for the time being in not putting matching book covers over all of the books.

3. The magazine bins I got from different places.

It is easy to match your decor if you don’t want to take time redoing an older magazine holder. I keep all of mine though because I do redo them as I get time.

I find a lot of them on Amazon.

4. I knew when these binders came out at Target and I was there the first day they were putting them out, that if I waited to get them they would be gone.

I knew I loved everything about these designs. So I made sure to book mark this site Green Room.

5. Use expanding jackets to hold art work or other paper crafts while your children are doing.

I found these expanding jackets to store our art projects in.

Keep the kids organized by assigning each one a color.

Besides the fact they have GORGEOUS colors, they last a long time for the price. I use them year after year.

No sense in having the paper crafts strewn everywhere.

6. Next, use items made for bathroom storage as a pencil holder and scissors stand.

I got mine online from Amazon. Instead of looking at the more expensive storage section, I browse the bathroom section. That is an example of thinking outside the box.

Homeschool Organizing Tools

The scissors holder they sell as a toothbrush holder and the cup is for a bathroom drinking cup. Who says?

Can you picture that trash basket as a beautiful way to hold maps and other artwork that is folded but needs to stand up? And that is EXACTLY how I used the beautiful trash can. It holds folded up maps.

Instead of seeing a toothbrush holder, can you see a paint brush holder or mechanical pencil holder?

If you see a soap holder, can you see it as paper clip storage?

7. The pink storage bins, I think, I got from Hobby Lobby too.

I have had them for a while upstairs in my school library. But too, don’t forget to measure your area to see how big. Here are some others I’m loving.

8. Here again, I am visiting the bathroom section of Target to find small storage bins with color.

This canister is part of their Room Essentials collection. I heart this container because it has three sections that flip out for easy access of small parts we use on our lapbooks and paper clips.

9. Use a drawer of towers.

Drawers are well not just drawers when it comes to storing heavier books and items. Iris is the brand that is I heart and that is carried by the Container Store.

It is a little more pricey but too the drawer does not fall over at the first minute my kid pulls the drawer open. The drawers are encased inside the unit making it a lot stronger than inexpensive ones that I had bought at Walmart many years ago.

I take a longer time now to fuss over which drawers I buy. They have to not only be pretty but first they have to be sturdy. Here are some others I’m eyeing.

10. The clear hanging file holder I love.

You can get it from Amazon and I love having the bin to fit on a desktop, table or any surface. It’s easy to get in and out of each file.

Desk top or table top file holders are the perfect size for holding charts and other material that you need to pick up and take some other place.

We can pick up the chart bin which has our maps and geography printables I make and take it with us to the living room or just bring it to the table.

As your children get older, you move away from all those cutesy things hanging on the wall and look for creative ways to store items that any family member can pick up and take elsewhere.

Table top bins can even be a place to keep your organizational printables for your family at one spot, like a command center. It works good for small spaces or just to keep it all organized.

11. Extra storage for crafts and supplies.

.The pink set of drawers I bought from Bed, Bath and Beyond when they had their college dorm things out. But there are others I eyeball because I’m always looking to update my look.

I wanted something that was just for my storage of files and extra supplies like staple, tape, notepads. It had just the pop of color I wanted too

12. I couldn’t resist adding in my free 7 STEP DIY Homeschool Planner.

Where do you store yours?

Mine is on an easel. If I pay money to print the pink ink then why not flaunt it and use it as part of your school decor?

If you love it, show it. I am not sure if my orange and pink crush was my inspiration for our room and planner cover or the other way around. But I love them both.

13. Then, nothing beats a small storage cabinet.

You know I told you I wasn’t going to bother hubby this year on something different for the school room. He still needs much rest.

But I found this beautiful simple storage cabinet from Bed, Bath and Beyond and I could actually put it together.

I like the fact it is versatile and the books I had to go in it measured just the right height when I found it.

Learning spaces are important because I know you spend just as much time in your area as I do in mine.

Find inspiration from the things you love and don’t settle for something like a dish drainer unless you are really taken away with the idea no matter how novel.

In my workshop I share that organizing is about the heart, not about will. You have to want something different than you have now. Mountains are moved one stone at a time.

HOMESCHOOL ORGANIZING TOOLS

Thinking outside the box too doesn’t mean you have to steer away from traditional uses for a tool either.

Moroccan Tile Handmade Charlotte Laser Stencils,

This stencil has been available off and on .

Gorgeous Book End

They seem to have a variety to choose from each year.

File Holder Organizer Box

Simple Houseware Magazine File Holder Organizer Box

Photo Credit: www.greenroomeco.com

greenroom

Greenroom has proudly established an exclusive partnership with Target
since 2005, when we became their first fashion-forward line of
recycled paper products.

6 Pocket Expanding File Organizer

Durable one-piece plastic construction and reinforced gussets help prevent edges from tearing. Bungee cord closure keeps contents secure.

(Orange+Green+Pink)

Easy to clean,perfect for kids and family use.

Plastic Bath Sets

Instead of seeing a toothbrush holder, can you see a paint brush holder or mechanical pencil holder?

If you see a soap holder, can you see it as paper clip storage?

Foldable Storage

Foldable storage cubes with PU Leather handles are made of durable canvas and waterproof PE coating linner. A sturdy metal rod frame around the top to keep the basket shape.

Rolling Cart with Drawers

3 drawers in one or more colors provide you with much more room for organizing papers, kitchen tools, toys and home office supplies. Compact size also makes it suitable for corners, which helps you save room space.

3-Tier Rolling Mobile Utility Cart

34 inches; Equiped with our utility cart has 3 tiers, 3 Cups, 4 Hooks, this utility cart will help you organize your daily things well and make your rooms look neat and elegant, allowing everything to have its own place.

Hanging File Organizer Box

Hanging File Organizer: This acrylic file folder organizer is designed for convenient storage of letter size / A4 files, folders, and papers, making it an ideal solution for both office and home organization. Please note that quick and easy assembly is required, and the package includes assembly tools.

Arc Desktop File Organizer

Add simple sophistication and style to your desk or office with this unique file organizer in green

2 Drawer File Cabinet

The under desk drawer cabinet with lock, equipped with two keys, can increase the security and privacy of your files.Two drawers can be locked or opened simultaneously. Fashionable exterior design can perfectly blend into your office or home .

Did you make a small organizational change that you heart this year?

I find this quote inspiring today because I think about the changes and sacrifices you make for homeschooling your family. Don’t think they go unnoticed. Especially if your kids are real young, it is hard to feel the homeschooling love.

Look at these other tips:

I hope I can impart a positive attitude and can do spirit even if just a little bit for you each day.

“When you’re happy for yourself, it fills you. When you’re happy for someone else, it pours over.”

~ Sarah Addison Allen~

Hugs and you know I love ya,

Save

10 Best Ways to Transport Homeschool Curriculum {Gift Ideas Too}

November 19, 2019 | Leave a Comment
This post may contain affiliate links. For more information, please see my full disclosure policy.

Life is busy and learning is spent more and more on the go. Too, learning should be flexible and can happen anywhere. Whether you want to change the place your kids learn like to the park or are planning a vacation, you’ll love these 10 best ways to easily transport homeschool curriculum.

ONE/ Not just any old backpack.

A backpack is a good option for each kid and each kid can keep his books and supplies separate. Besides we all love school supplies and backpacks are great ways to pack it all up and head to the park.

If you’re going on a longer trip like we did overseas we used the Coleman and Swiss Gear backpacks. They were large, sturdy, and I carried our mobile printer and big laptop in the ones we bought.

Too, if you’re going to do a lot of traveling, a sturdier backpack to hold laptops and printers is best. An inexpensive one works elsewhere and is perfect for park days.

10 Best Ways to Transport Homeschool Curriculum. When learning on the go, grab one of these nifty tools for transporting homeschool curriculum @ Tina's Dynamic Homeschool Plus.

TWO/ Reusable canvas tote/grocery bag.

You can use those plastic bags you get at the grocery store, but I love the canvas totes and some come with pockets so you can have a place to store your supplies.

Transporting Homeschool Curriculum

Put the books and supplies in the tote and we’re off to the park or beach on a pretty day to learn outside.

THREE/ Not just any old milk crates, but collapsible milk crates.

Milk crates are an inexpensive option to carry your curriculum, but when we did that we still had to find a place to put our milk crates. That meant they normally took up space on the picnic table top.

It still works, but I love the collapsible milk crates. Take out your supplies and collapse the crates to put out of your way. Nifty!!

FOUR/Clipboards with storage.

Clipboards with storage are hard to beat when you want to pick up and go for the day.

Clipboards are built in desks and make for a great tool when your kids won’t have a table or don’t want to learn at a table.

When my kids had to spend long days at the hospital with me as I took care of my sick husband, we changed out activities each day in the storage part of the clipboard.

Pick up and go and your homeschooling on the go is ready to move with you

Storing Curriculum on the Go

FIVE/Small free standing tote.

Then I love this storage tote because it’s both free standing and has handles. When you don’t need to carry a lot, it’s the perfect size.

If you need just a few pads of paper and a place to store your supplies upright, this expanding paper folio is the perfect answer.

SIX/ Nifty storage tote with a divided tray.

This next storage box is great for keeping supplies organized. It has a removable tray which is one of the best features.

You can put crafts or small supplies in the divided tray and take out the tray to use while learning on the go. I used something like this when we rented a house in the mountain for a month.

It was small enough to pack in the car, but kept small things organized for easy reach.

SEVEN/Wheeled cart.

I have owned so many of these wheeled carts through the years, I can’t even count. They have been worth every penny I spent on them.

This one we used at the park too when we wanted to stay longer.

Since it’s plastic and sturdy I didn’t mind rolling it around the park. You can easily add dividers to it.

Eight/Wheeled cart, but better for teaching a co-op.

Depending on your needs, I found that the wheeled cart with storage pockets below was better when I was teaching a co-op.

The pockets on the outside are perfect when you need to easily put your hands on your supplies. It’s the perfect desk on the go.

Portable Homeschool Curriculum

NINE/ Clear project cases.

These project cases have two advantages. They are clear and 12 x 12.

I love clear containers so we can see what is in them and then we don’t need something real big when we take a project on the go.

This is great for carrying a lapbook or notebook that is work in progress. It stores all the small pieces.

TEN/ The deluxe of them all.

This last rolled storage tote has to be the most deluxe of all portable storage with tons of pockets to organize all your homeschool curriculum.

Don’t forget to grab all the fun ways to organize school supplies on the go. I’m eyeing this nifty pencil storage for older kids. I love the fact that it’s not baby-ish.

Homeschool Learning on the Go Tools

These chair back pockets are great to take on the go and fill with your supplies.

I love them for vacation. It gives us a place to store our art supplies and few books. Fold and go and then store when you get to your “home for a week or month”.

Last, but certainly not least you can never have enough dry erase reusable pockets.

You can use them for activity pages, but also there is no limit to how you can use them. They store paint brushes, wipes, erasers and writing supplies.

Learning outside four walls is the best way to learn and our homeschool curriculum is important. Packing it for a short move or longer move requires the right portable storage tool.

You won’t have a problem finding the perfect fit with this round up of fun ways. You’ll also love these other tips.

Hugs and love ya,

10 Adorable and Lovely Ideas for Your Homeschool Walls

June 24, 2019 | Leave a Comment
This post may contain affiliate links. For more information, please see my full disclosure policy.

I’m not saying you can’t homeschool without these 10 completely adorable and lovely things for your homeschool walls, but you may be missing out.

Besides being beautiful, they’re timeless. I wished I would have invested in more timeless pieces for my homeschool area instead of so many new and modern pieces.

Homeschool Room Favorites

Don’t get me wrong, I love the new and modern, but some of these things just scream childhood celebrations and homeschool memories. Too, learning is timeless; some things never go out of style.

I love, love all of these posters. You can get them either already framed or not.

I prefer the ones not framed because I don’t want the bottom with the text cut off.

10 Adorable and Lovely Ideas for Your Homeschool Walls

It seems like the frame can cut off some of the text. Adding them to a frame you buy when you have the posters in hand is better.

This is the Mineralogie poster and the Dandelion chart poster.

Also, look at the beautiful Mushrooms poster and Ocean Life Illustration poster.

Look at this awesome way to teach U.S. geography with this vintage USA Map poster and teach about Butterflies with this chart from times past.

Homeschool Wall Ideas

I love this perpetual calendar which I just purchased as MunchKing begins his preschool journey.

As he grows, this calendar will still be usable and never turns baby-ish. I wished I had bought something like this when my kids were young. I would have kept it longer. What a timeless and beautiful piece to use for years to come!

Perpetual wooden calendar which is perfect for homeschool! — {pic. attribution: © MirusToys. *Please pin from original sources.}*

Here are a few more timeless items to make your homeschool walls lovely. Look at this Plumes Feather Illustration and Color Wheel.

And this last thing I love is this huge calendar for the wall which everyone can see.

When homeschool life is busy, putting up a visual and beautiful reminder of your homeschool routine reduces stress.

*{pic. attribution: © ShopSimplyPerfect. Please pin from original sources.}*

Which ones do you like the best?

10 Adorable and Lovely Ideas for Your Homeschool Walls. Don't get me wrong, I love the new and modern, but some of these things just scream childhood celebrations and homeschool memories. Too, learning is timeless; some things never go out of style.

Add one or two of these beautiful pieces to make your homeschool walls lovely because learning is classic. Your kids will never outgrow these one of a kind pieces!

Hugs and love ya,

5 Homeschool Things to Toss By the End of Summer

August 4, 2016 | 19 Comments
This post may contain affiliate links. For more information, please see my full disclosure policy.

If I lived in the perfect world of just organization, I would ideally label one box give away, another box labeled to keep and another one to throw away or recycle. But I don’t live in that world because I need to homeschool too.

Homeschool organization is quite different than having all day long to organize, which of course I would love but it won’t happen as long as I homeschool.

Why Homeschooling Simply is of Lasting Value?

Because my time is limited, tossing has always been my go to option. Unless something will bless a homeschool family right away and in a large way, clutter multiplies if you don’t get rid of it soon.

Too, because we are sharing living and learning spaces, a lot of the things I do at the end of summer spills over into my home organizing.

I find that back to school or the beginning of a school year, after I have chosen my curriculum is a great time to take a peek at my home to see what I need to toss.

Look at 5 homeschool things to toss by the end of summer…

ONE. Toss old food, containers and items from your pantry. Mark containers clearly.

When I need to make room for food that my family will eat because their likes and dislikes have changed, I find that cleaning out my pantry for the new homeschool year gets me ready.

It’s hard to cook well when there is a mess to begin with. Take time to toss what you won’t eat this next year or take it to the food pantry for others to be blessed by.

Then, get rid of containers that make it hard to see what you have on hand when ready to cook. I love see through containers and I mark them clearly (no corny pun intended) so I know what I’m grabbing when time is rushed.

TWO. Toss recipes that you do not use.

You know I have mentioned before that though many apps exists for recipes, I like to put my recipes in a 5 inch binder.

I don’t like my hands touching my devices while I’m cooking. And with page protectors I can turn the pages easily in my binders and wipe them off to sanitize them.

It’s the way I roll and so I always try to go back through my 365 recipes for the year and toss ones that just don’t make top marks with my family.

THREE. Art projects. Do you have some of these lying around the house?

Perish the thought that I don’t keep every crafty piece of art that my sons have done, but I don’t. I would be living under a suffocating pile of heap-o-junk.

A long while back I had to have a reckoning with Tina Day. I was in homeschooling for the long run, which meant I had to make some hard and fast decisions about art projects to keep and which ones to not keep.

I do cherish each one and take several pictures of each project.

How to be Happily Homeschool With What You Have and not With What You Don’t Have

And though I do love free cloud storage, I prefer to use a huge external hard drive because I don’t want to rely on free cloud storage that may come or go.

I use the Toshiba 1TB portable external hard drive because it has tons of storage (1TB) is slim and I can travel with it. I take lots of pictures of our projects through the years and store them on the hard drive.

FOUR. Sorry, but I don’t pass on nasty broken crayons or map colors to the younger siblings.

Unless I have a preschooler in the house, which chunky crayons are for, each kid gets brand new crayons or map colored pencils.

Even younger kids are smart enough to know that they are getting second hand crayons and they don’t want those old nasty things.

I guess you could have a party with the crayons and melt them all to make an art piece but then you’re back to needing to store that project.

FIVE. Toss or tear down old science projects. Recycle if you can.

I say toss loosely here because sometimes we can use the same parts over when we have built something previously.

We have loved every contraption and gadget we have made through the year but the end of the summer is a great time to part with them and make room for new creations.

We break them down and keep only the parts that look like we may be able to use again.

Those are just a few of the things that I am happily sorting through.

What about you? What do you toss or recycle by the end of summer?

Also, look at my article, How Can I Achieve Simple Homeschooling and Get Organized – Rev Up for the New Homeschool Year.

Hugs and love ya,

Don’t forget to follow BOTH of my Pinterest accounts for more AWESOME pins.

Visit Tina Robertson’s profile on Pinterest.

Visit Tinas Dynamic Homeschool ‘s profile on Pinterest.

organizedkids

Homeschool Storage

Who is Tina Robertson

Homeschool Storage Ideas

New to Homeschooling Start with the Basics

Days 1 – 7 of the 31 day Free Boot Camp for New Homeschoolers

How to Organize When You’re New to Homeschooling

Days 8-11 of the 31 day Free Boot Camp for New Homeschoolers

Homeschool Room Organizing + Organizing Tools

Organizing Your Homeschool Room

1. The lamp was on clearance from my one of my stalking trips to Target.

2. The orange slices, lemon slices, coral and white mustache bookends are what I spent my money on this year.

3. The magazine bins I got from different places.

4. I knew when these binders came out at Target and I was there the first day they were putting them out, that if I waited to get them they would be gone.

5. Use expanding jackets to hold art work or other paper crafts while your children are doing.

6. Next, use items made for bathroom storage as a pencil holder and scissors stand.

Homeschool Organizing Tools

7. The pink storage bins, I think, I got from Hobby Lobby too.

8. Here again, I am visiting the bathroom section of Target to find small storage bins with color.

9. Use a drawer of towers.

10. The clear hanging file holder I love.

11. Extra storage for crafts and supplies.

12. I couldn’t resist adding in my free 7 STEP DIY Homeschool Planner.

13. Then, nothing beats a small storage cabinet.

Transporting Homeschool Curriculum

Storing Curriculum on the Go

Portable Homeschool Curriculum

Homeschool Learning on the Go Tools

Homeschool Room Favorites

Homeschool Wall Ideas

Why Homeschooling Simply is of Lasting Value?

How to be Happily Homeschool With What You Have and not With What You Don’t Have

Footer

Categories

Archives