By Teri Olsen
Like most households, homeschoolers must deal with the everyday accumulation of laundry, dishes, toys, trash, and mail. In addition, we manage a multitude of school supplies, books, papers, and ongoing projects. Homeschool organization is a constant challenge, but it’s great to have an organized homeschool!
Organized supplies require less time and energy spent looking for what we need. Maintaining a well-organized homeschool also keeps us from spending extra money to buy duplicates of items that we lost, or forgot that we already have.
Teaching and studying amidst a lot of clutter day after day is distracting, discouraging, and mentally tiring. It’s actually stress-relieving to have an organized homeschool. It doesn’t have to break your budget, either. There is a multitude of inexpensive plastic organizers to choose from.
Here are some ideas for organizing and storing your homeschool supplies. These are all items that we use in our own home!
IRIS Compact Desktop 3-Drawer System
I don’t know about you but we have way too many pens, pencils, markers, and other little doodads. If you’re like me, you will want to get this 4-pack of 3-drawer organizers! The plastic drawer units are the perfect way to make the most of a cluttered space. You can stack them all together or use each one in a different place, from the school room to the bathroom. The see-through drawers are helpful for finding things easily. They slide open and closed easily, too. IRIS is a big name in office supplies so you know it will be good quality – and it’s even made in the USA!
Furrino Furniture
I love Furrino Furniture! It’s stylish, lightweight, and easy to put together. If you get pieces from the Turn-N-Tube collection, even a kid can do it. That’s how simple it is! And fun too! No special tools needed! Even though Furrino Furniture is inexpensive, it looks good and it’s sturdy. Plus it comes in a variety of finishes to suit any décor. You can get rich walnut or oak for living spaces, and pink or blue shelves for kids rooms. So many different kinds of furniture pieces to mix and match, too, from side tables and TV stands to bookcases and corner display shelves. Since this furniture is not heavy, it’s also easy to move as needed. Furrino Furniture would be great for students on a budget in dorms and apartments, in addition to setting the scene for an organized homeschool.
Slim Rolling Cart
Our house is small and I’m always looking for ways to cram more stuff in. Storage carts on wheels are easy to move around and clean under. At a width of just 5.1 inches, this slim storage cart can fit into narrow places, and with 4 plastic shelves it can actually fit a lot in a small space. It’s an ideal freestanding space saver for a variety of tight spaces in your home: kitchen, bathroom, bedroom, laundry room, classroom, office, dorm or apartment. It also comes with a hanging cup and 4 hooks for extra storage, making it prefect for organizing school supplies. This utility cart comes in the usual black or white, but I fell in love with the green color – it’s actually called “bean green” and it’s a nice soft shade of green. I bought two green ones along with a white one! They’re inexpensive but they don’t look cheap. Seriously, the green plastic carts are pretty enough to put in the living room. And if you don’t want the wheels, you can just leave them off. Then the bottom shelf will sit flat on the floor. I put the white one between the bathroom sink and the wall for holding Kleenex, toothbrushes, soap, etc. The shelves have raised sides so stuff won’t fall off. Even though I didn’t put the wheels on that one, it’s light enough that you can just pick it up and pull it out to clean behind it. And it was a snap to put together all by myself!
Minecraft Storage Cube
We bought this Minecraft storage cube thinking we were going to store our collection of vinyl records in it. The description says that it’s “approximately 13 inches” which would be the perfect size. When it arrived, we found out that the interior dimension is more like 12 inches square. It’s the thick top lid that measures almost 13 inches on the outside. So that was a bit misleading, they should have been more specific. But the cube is so cute and well-built, we decided to keep it. As soon as we opened the package, we were impressed with the good quality materials and workmanship. The soft-sided storage cube is a lot more sturdy than we thought it would be; it can double as a foot rest or a place for kids to sit. Use it for holding school supplies, small toys, books or random items. Two reinforced handles make it easy to carry. And for all its sturdiness, it actually folds flat to save space when you’re not using it. The perfect cross between home decor and pop culture collectibles, this cube is a must-have for Minecraft enthusiasts of any age! P.S. The same company makes a Minecraft wooden chest, TNT box, and crafting table. Minecraft fans will want to buy the whole set for your game room!
Large Capacity Pencil Case
If you don’t want siblings wearing down your markers or gumming up your erasers, get your own pencil case to store your things in. This soft-sided fabric pencil case has lots of pockets and it also has a designated spot for a scientific calculator. You can fit a lot of stuff in this one, and you’ll never have to go searching for your supplies since they’re all kept in one place. It could also be used as a travel case, and it has a clip for attaching to a backpack or suitcase. Plastic pencil cases always crack and break, or else they don’t stay shut, but this zippered fabric one won’t have that problem. I personally like the pretty blue color, but it also comes in black, periwinkle, and a checkered heart design.
I hope you like these ideas on how to maintain an organized homeschool! Leave a comment if you have a question about any of these products and I’ll get back with you.