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mellyrose
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| Posted: April 09 2008 at 7:58pm | IP Logged
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Mackfam wrote:
This idea is really intriguing!! What is a rain gutter shelf?? |
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Here are our rain gutter shelves
We used a left over bit to put one in our bathroom, too -- over the toilet :)
They don't hold a lot of books, but they were great for seeing the books easily. We took ours down when we re-did the rooms a couple years ago and haven't put more up. We've gone with baskets more now.
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Melanie in AZ
Colin (11/00), Nate (05/02), Lydia (04/07)
My Little Patch of Sunshine
Pictures of our Life
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Mackfam
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| Posted: April 09 2008 at 7:58pm | IP Logged
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I was thinking they were the little shelves in your first post - I never thought of an actual rain gutter!!! That is so inventive!! I am going to look into that as it would solve my problem of books everywhere in the boy's room. I can set out a theme of books on the rain gutter shelves, and keep the rest of the books on shelves downstairs (hopefully organized and not stacked - hopefully!  ) Hmmmm....might be neat in the bathroom as well. Then company would know we're bonkers - morse code, Thomas the Tank engine, Mary Fabyan Windeatt - all tucked in a rain gutter next to the commode!
I'll have to think this through, I'm already worried that the boys will use them as racetracks/underwear hangers/water holding devices for paper boats.
But, I really love the idea. Thanks for the links and the suggestion!
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Jen Mackintosh
Wife to Rob, mom to dd 19 , ds 16, ds 11, dd 8, and dd 3
Wildflowers and Marbles
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Mackfam
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| Posted: April 09 2008 at 8:03pm | IP Logged
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Melanie - we were posting at the same time. You already have the rain gutters in your bathroom then? How funny!
Thanks for posting a link to your rain gutter shelves - I was wondering about the aluminum gutters - but plastic makes more sense.
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Jen Mackintosh
Wife to Rob, mom to dd 19, ds 16, ds 11, dd 8, and dd 3
Wildflowers and Marbles
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ALmom
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| Posted: April 09 2008 at 8:37pm | IP Logged
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Well, Jennifer, you've seen our house so you know our locations of books - all over downstairs, the year starts out pretty organized and deteriorates as the year progresses. Of course, that is a good thing because when we start summer lesson planning, the books get rearranged and the children are always inticed by piles rather than beautiful displays. I've begun to use baskets to seperate out books that are easy readers, etc. I rotate the books in the baskets from shelves - one shelf has alphabet books and DR. Seuss type stuff. Then I have a history shelves and literature shelves and historical shelves. I have one for my lives of saints and try to keep series together. Science shelves, but I pulled out everything that is too simple for my 11 yo and put it on the bottom 2 shelves in the family room for my 8 and under folks. I have 2 shelves for particularly worthy picture books (one is just general - ie McCloskey, etc. and the other is religion picture books like Weight of a Mass.
Then I have a short shelf by the 11 yo desk (he tends to be the most haphazard with books) and when I plan his history and literature reading for the next year, those books are all placed on this shelf in approximate order in which they occur on the lesson plan. I promise you it doesn't stay this way - they end up in piles on his desk or floor but it is easy for me to call the child and have them do the reshelving!!! I have one other shelf shared by my other two children for the history books related to their study. Some of these books end up on their respective shelves.
The only books upstairs are books that are owned by the individual child and up to 3 books taken from the common reading area.
The other upstairs shelf is in our master bedroom closet and it holds all my textbook type stuff that is not in use this year - ie the math texts that I'm saving for when another child gets there, my dh and my college books from math and science and other books or how to teach references that I sometimes need to look at but do not need to look at on a regular basis.
All photo albums line our closet shelves.
Janet
The way we handle book
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Tina P.
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| Posted: April 11 2008 at 7:25pm | IP Logged
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CathinCoffeland wrote:
Nancy...I have books everywhere including the bathroom and laundryroom :)
We have shelves in every room (not a shelf in the bathroom but they still manage to stack up in a basket there :)
-Maggie |
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This cracks me up! Our school books (meaning that they can be categorized into science, history, math, etc.) tend to be grouped in our schoolroom. Other books fit better in kids' rooms. But, mysteriously, books land on the bathroom counter all the time! And look! Magic Cabin starts their reading-in-the-bathroom habits early!
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Tina, wife to one and mom to 9 + 3 in heaven
Mary's Muse
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ALmom
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| Posted: April 14 2008 at 5:33pm | IP Logged
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Ok, I have to ask you guys who have books in the bathroom - how do you do it? I'd love to have books in the bathroom as that is some of the most wasted space in our house. In our smaller house our bathroom linen closets served as shelves but you guys are talking about something different and I cannot imagine it. But to have them out in baskets or on the counter - in our house those books would never be the same. I cannot even keep the walls and floors clean.
Janet
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Kimberely
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| Posted: April 15 2008 at 9:22am | IP Logged
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HI, I'm new here but I thought I'd comment on this. We have a 2 story house. On our upstairs landing we have a large "dead" area that over looks downstairs.I have 3 big bookcases there. I keep all the homeschool books on 1 bookcase. One bookcase is my books. the other bookcase is the kid's reference books,dictionary,encylcopedia,nature and animal books etc. Each child (3) has a bookcase in their room for their personal books. Also, in our sunroom I keep the toddler's board books in the toy basket. The library books stay on the dining room sideboard! If they are moved the offender loses library privledges....a fate worse than death in my house lol So that's my system!
Kim Salvato
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Erin
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| Posted: April 15 2008 at 5:16pm | IP Logged
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My situation is not ideal (it used to be  ) but as we live in a small house (one third the size of what we used too)our main bookcases are in the girls bedroom.
Picture large bookcases lining the walls and you have their room, oh yeah and a double bunk bed.
In the boys' room is another bookcase and a small bookcase with the saints books in it next to the dining room table.
The boys books are books that I'm hoping will interest them and their favourites.
The girls' cases include, picture books, easy readers, my older girl's books, and books that we use for school.
Their room takes quite a bit of work to keep tidy as books are constantly coming on and off.
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Erin
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Mackfam
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| Posted: April 16 2008 at 9:34pm | IP Logged
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Kimberely wrote:
| On our upstairs landing we have a large "dead" area that over looks downstairs.I have 3 big bookcases there. |
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Kimberly -
I do exactly the same thing! We keep all of our living books for history up there. In fact, I have room for one more bookshelf on the landing - I hope to have one up there by the end of the summer...hope to anyway!
Janet -
The bathroom thing is tricky with boys, and you have a few.  As you already know - you cannot possibly store a book on the floor...or near the sink...or anywhere within...um...spray range of the toilet. I keep a very limited number in a basket on top of the commode tank. The vinyl rain gutter shelf is very appealing to me because it is afixed to the wall (and can't fall into the toilet - ask me how I know about that) and can be hung high enough (I was thinking on the wall above the toilet) to avoid spray. So...I guess the bottom line is...go high on the walls.
I'm in love with the rain gutter idea!
I did find a really neat moveable bookcase that I'm thinking of saving for. It's pricey, but would solve some of my issues. I have little wall space in the learning room, but would like to display some of my picture books face forward, especially the Mosaic and FIAR titles we would be using for that month. This bookcase can be rolled anywhere I need it to go, and I was thinking it would also make a good room divider or a visual barrier between my two older children's desks. I'm still thinking though - it's pricey.
I love hearing how all of you are keeping your books.
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Jen Mackintosh
Wife to Rob, mom to dd 19, ds 16, ds 11, dd 8, and dd 3
Wildflowers and Marbles
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Kathryn
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I was reading thru old posts and ran across this one that intrigued me as I sorted and piled and stacked and tried to figure out HOW to organize my kid's books! So, imagine my surprise to find this great post already.
I ordered this bookcase from Target last week. It's def. for a toddler and small but the price is great! It fits right next to our tv unit and she's "read" more books this week than the whole past month b/c the books are no longer "out of sight, out of mind".
Kidcraft Sling Bookshelf
Can someone help me figure out how to add a link? I looked at the Help section and didn't see how. ?!
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Kathryn in TX
(dd 16, ds 15, dd 8, dd 5)
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Mackfam
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Kathryn wrote:
I was reading thru old posts and ran across this one that intrigued me as I sorted and piled and stacked and tried to figure out HOW to organize my kid's books! So, imagine my surprise to find this great post already.
I ordered this bookcase from Target last week. It's def. for a toddler and small but the price is great! It fits right next to our tv unit and she's "read" more books this week than the whole past month b/c the books are no longer "out of sight, out of mind".
Kidcraft Sling Bookshelf
Can someone help me figure out how to add a link? I looked at the Help section and didn't see how. ?! |
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I'm glad you found this thread, Kathryn!!!
I fixed your link....and wanted to say that that is a great book display and I spent a long time looking around for one of these and can say that it is also a great price!!!! I think you'll love it! Thanks for adding it to this thread!
********How to add a Link***********
Look in the little box where you would normally enter a reply. There are several helpful buttons here. Do you see the one that has a chain link over a globe - that's the button you'll need to push to add a link. Click it.
It asks you for the "the on screen display text for the Hyperlink"...this means what do you want it to say when someone reads your link....I could have entered shelf, or display shelf...I chose to use the description on the Target page so I entered "Kidcraft Sling Bookshelf". Now, click ok. You aren't quite done...one more step!
The little window now wants the web address for your link - it says "Enter the URL address to create Hyperlink to". Copy the address for the web page exactly as you see it and enter it in this section. Click ok.
You've made a link!
A couple of tips -
** links are always added to the very end of the body of text....so if you've been typing away and you suddenly remember you want to add a link, you can do that, but your link is going to show up at the very end of your typing, not necessarily where you placed your cursor to make that link. You'll just need to make the link and then copy and paste it where you want it.
** you cannot just copy a web address and drop it in the body of text at 4Real and have it be an active or hot link. The code for our forums **automatically** inserts a space at random in the code disabling it. If you want to insert a link somewhere, you'll have to use the little link button! And, surely you must know how much we all LOVE LINKS!!! 
Happy linking everyone!
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Jen Mackintosh
Wife to Rob, mom to dd 19, ds 16, ds 11, dd 8, and dd 3
Wildflowers and Marbles
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hylabrook1
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| Posted: Aug 07 2009 at 12:27pm | IP Logged
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Jennifer -
In my case, you would do better to ask, "Where do you NOT keep your books?" (not meaning to be flippant; the question just made me laugh --- a lot).
Peace,
Nancy
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Stephanie_Q
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An appropriate quote (attributed to Cicero) that you all may appreciate:
"A room without books is like a body without a soul."
In the downstairs bathroom / laundry room we have something likethis magazine rack.
Cookbooks, of course, in the kitchen/pantry.
Books dh and I are referring to (like Storey's Guide to Raising Poultry) + a Children's Picture Bible on the dining room buffet.
Library books stay in the living room + we have a barrister bookcase full of nice books.
Music and song books in the "piano room" + built in-shelves that house our "religious" books next to the family altar.
Picture books (most of our books) and school books on bookcases in the schoolroom - this is where all the Golden books, Dr. Seuss and other such books live when they're not out and about...
Bedtime books on the boys dresser.
Whatever the girls are reading on their dresser.
Whatever I am reading in the AM or before bed in my nightstand.
Marriage and parenting books on a shelf in our attic retreat.
I guess I have one room without books - our upstairs bathroom...I've been waiting to put up shelves over the toilet.
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Stephaniedh 6.01
dd 6.02, dd 8.03, ds 3.05, ds 12.06 at Catholic school.
dd 12.09 at home.
Baby boy due 10.13
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4Real Forums : Language Arts Come Alive
Topic: Where do you keep your books?
