The Organized Homeschool
By Jessica Harvey
As you walk into my living room, some of the first things you'll see are two large US and world maps, a handwriting border, and two bookcases and a basket of books. You won't be seeing my living room on the cover of this month's Better Homes and Gardens magazine; however, you will see two children who absolutely love to learn. My days are often made up of a cycle of cleaning up, messing up, cleaning up ... well, you get the point. It's not unusual to find science experiments stored on top of my refrigerator or binders and books strewn across the living room floor. The challenge, though, is trying to figure out how to create an atmosphere of learning while keeping our home welcoming to ourselves and others. So how do I do it? Well, I've come up with a few simple guidelines that I believe can be adapted to any family and their needs.
Get Real. One of the biggest things that impacted me was talking to my husband and finding out what he honestly expects from me and what he wants our home to be. Without going into specifics, I found that some of the things I thought he wanted were actually unimportant and I received some honest input that made me realize that my expectations were sometimes too high. After getting a realistic "snapshot" of the way you want your home to work, the next thing is to decide what you need and where you need it. As I mentioned before, our living room features two large maps. This is not my dream living room dιcor. It's not beautiful, but it is functional. Our living room is our read-aloud area and often where my youngest child and I do school. If we're reading a book and want to discuss the setting, it makes no sense to get up and go to a completely different area of the house to point out the location on a map. With our map right there, we are able to look at it without interrupting the discussion. Take a moment to dissect your day. Where do you do school the majority of the time? Are you finding yourself constantly bringing things from one room to another? In the same way that you wouldn't store your coffee filters in the bathroom, you shouldn't be storing your school supplies in places hard to access or easy to forget. Make a list of work areas and the activities occurring in each so that you can work toward better organizing and utilizing of your supplies. Out with the old. Homeschoolers in general tend to be a frugal bunch and often fall into a rut of saving everything "just in case." However, we sometimes lose track of exactly what we have. In order to fully utilize the supplies you have and replenish ones you don't have, you need to take a full inventory. While determining what you do have, also make decisions about what you don't need. If you haven't used it, if you're not going to use it, or if you could easily replace it, get rid of it. Just because a product was a good deal or received great reviews doesn't mean it's right for your family. Many homeschool groups host curriculum sales, where you can earn some extra money by getting rid of the curriculum you no longer need. Also, consider donating to a lending library or your local library. You can use their storage while still having access when and if you need to use the books later on. When it comes to school supplies, go through and discard broken items and honestly evaluate your supply inventory. While it's important to have craft supplies available to encourage creativity, you also need to be honest with what is a realistic amount and what is excessive. This is understandably the hardest step, but I promise you will be amazed at how much better you will feel, and often how excited you'll be to discover hidden jewels that you had forgotten about. A place for everything. Benjamin Franklin knew what he was talking about when he stated, "a place for everything, and everything in its place." If we don't know where things need to go, then how can we expect our children to know where things go? Once again, this means something different for each family. This is the time to reflect on the REALISTIC expectations you have and what will work best for your family. Refer to your list of work areas and their usage. Whenever possible, I try to keep supplies in the room where they will be used to simplify cleanup time. A rule I have always tried to adhere to is that things should be as easy, if not easier, to put away than they are to take out. Also, don't expect your children, especially young ones, to remember where things go. Instead, use age-appropriate labels to make cleanup a cinch. Another benefit to labels is that they are a great refresher for me when it comes to getting things back in order when I've let things go. The start of the new school year is the perfect time to start out with a clean slate and start to build better habits. There is no perfect organization system or product for your family. Rather, you need to discover what will work perfectly for your family. Be realistic, determine your needs, and take simple actions to create a home that is a sanctuary of learning and togetherness. For organizational inspiration, visit the following sites: TheHomeCast. com
(Episode 1: Interview with Ramona Creel, professional organizer and roundtable discussion on organizing your homeschool):
www.thehomecast.com/2006/01/24/the-premiere-of-thehomecast-podcast/
Jessica Harvey is her husband's help-meet and homeschooling mom of their two children. She enjoys cooking, crafts, photography, and writing at TheHomeCast.com.
Lisa Metzger, wife to Mark (a financial advisor)
2nd Generation Homeschool Mom to:
Annalise (14 - adopted from Kazakhstan at 10), Kaitlyn (6 1/2), Ethan (5 1/2) and Julia Claire (10 months) &
MORE TO COME (God-Willing)!
Homeschooling is not just about teaching our children
how to read and write, but teaching them about the
love of God, His purpose for their life, and how they
can know an awesome God personally." -- Dennis S.
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