This last week I spent some time prepping for a new homeschool year. Technically, we homeschool year-round, but we took July off so we could visit family and take it easy for a few weeks before starting school up again. Having a small break was helpful because it gave me time to start reorganizing for the new homeschool year. Here are a few idea for how to reorganize your school materials and get your head on straight.
New Baskets
Our old baskets were starting to break, so I invested in new ones for our homeschool shelf. The reason why I like the baskets is because they look nice,. They also make it easy to pick up and bring outside. Currently, it’s way too hot to do school outside. However, in a few months after it cools, it will become part of our day. This year I added in a pencil box to the basket. That way no one has to go running back inside to find a pencil or a glue stick. Although, this is all theoretical. Things do have a way of not being in their designated place).
Not only do I use baskets for individual children, but I also use some for storing handwriting paper, tracing paper, watercolor paper, etc… Another basket stores cookie sheets for phonics, book stands, white boards, and clipboards. Lastly, one basket holds read alouds like poetry books, our current chapter book I am reading aloud, and picture books in Spanish.
All the things we need for a typical homeschool day are right there on the shelf. I store other curricula, picture books, chapter books, and extra school items in various places around the house. Craft supplies like markers, colored pencils, and things like that are stored in a hutch in the kitchen close by.
Checklist
My two boys each have a check sheet with subjects they need to complete each day. I like it because we helps us know what we need to do, and it signals when we are done. I subscribe to the Treehouse Schoolhouse emails where Lindsay shared this template. So far it looks a lot nicer than the one I used last year.
Penny Jar System
I am not a crazy reward chart person, but I do think acknowledging the good and helpful things kids do in a tangible is encouraging for them. I use the penny jar system that I learned about in M is for Mama. When my kids do a good job in a subject, help without being asked, or say a kind word to a sibling, I place a penny in their jar. At the end of the day, they can trade their pennies in for playing a low-stimulating game on the ipad, like Stack the States. Usually, they get about 8 pennies or so. We did this last year with the kids. I am going to use it even more during the school day.
All of this helps with keeping my kids feeling good about themselves as they do their schoolwork. It’s low-key and easy to keep in place. What I like is that it’s a not a green light, yellow light, or red light scenario. I used that type of behavior tracking when I was a teacher, but now I look back on it and wonder why I thought that was a good idea.
Compliment Jar
In addition to the reward system, we also do a “compliment jar.” I set out strips of paper, a pen, and a jar. During the week, my husband and I write down positive things we have seen the children do. My goal is to get the kids build each other up and write compliments too. We read them all out loud once a week. It makes the kids happy to hear the things we noticed about them, which encourages them to do those same behaviors again (most of the time).
Maybe a reward system doesn’t fall under the category of reorganizing for a new homeschool year, but in my mind it does because it’s rethinking and changing things for the up coming year.
School Supplies
Part of organizing school things is purchasing new school items or replacing old items. Things that I replaced were:
- Plastic paper sleeves
- Pencils
- Erasers
- Dry erase markers
- Markers
- Rulers (we lost all of ours!)
- Folders
- Pencil cases for co-op classes
- Handwriting paper
- Tracing paper
Book Basket
This technically isn’t something new, but rather something I love. I have a basket on our homeschool shelf where I display the picture books we are reading for nature study and geography. When I put a new stack of books out, the kids are immediately drawn to the books. Soon they start looking through them. Friends who visit sometimes stop and look at the books too! The reason why I do this is because 1) who doesn’t want picture books on display? 2) it reminds us of what we are learning about.
Prayer
Every day I pray in the morning, but this school year, I am devoting more time to praying for my kids’ schooling, their character growth, their faith, and my ability to homeschool them well. Any homeschool mom out there knows what a sacrifice it is to homeschool. This aspect of my life shouldn’t be neglected in my prayer life.
Beauty
This word beauty is tossed around by Charlotte Mason homeschoolers. To people who don’t homeschool, it may seem strange to be talking about beauty and education, but they do go together. When I was reorganizing for new homeschool year, I wanted the shelf to be organized and beautiful. To some that’s a minor a detail, but when a room looks nice and is clean, then it feels welcoming. You want to stay in that room. The reason for the baskets and the books on display is also to create a room where our school things are stored in beautiful fashion. I say this in comparison to a classroom with brightly colored plastic bins and cheesy motivational posters left and right. It’s not wrong to decorate like that, but it isn’t homey or comforting.
Final Thoughts
I love organizing. Luckily, with four little kids, I get to organize a lot, right? Sometimes the small changes, like a checklist or a low-key reward system, makes all the difference. I hope you enjoyed reading my ideas for reorganizing for a new homeschool year
Carly from DesertHomeschoolDays.com
