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all for God
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| Posted: Aug 03 2011 at 8:48am | IP Logged
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I'm not sure this is in the correct spot but.....
I have been trying to figure out the best way to store our daily-use school books. 
I need an area for 6+ kids to keep all of the books that we use regularly.
Ive tried open shelves, but it just looks messy,(you know how kids are with putting things away), plus the smaller kids just try to get into it.
I've tried shelves with doors, but the doors of these manufactured cabinets just can't hold up to the daily open and closing of several children who are in a hurry!! 
Also, we don't have space for each child to have a desk.
So how do you store your every-day books? What works for you?
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Bridget
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We use milk crate style bins. They live on a book shelf and each child can take his bin to his designated work spot. The bins have held up quite well over the years. (Though they are not as pretty as Jen's baskets.  )
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Bridget, happily married to Kevin, mom to 8 on earth and a small army in heaven
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jawgee
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I have a lateral file cabinet similar to this one. The bottom drawer is for the younger children's coloring books and workbooks. The top (locking) drawer has hanging folders filled with the older kids' books and papers.
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Monica
C (12/2001), N (11/2005), M (5/2008), J (8/2009) and three angels
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JodieLyn
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I tried open top baskets on shelves.. not so good.. anything and everything ends up piled in and on them.
My next trial is looking for something like these file boxes
They can still be stacked up on the shelves.. but they won't be so easy to use as a dumping ground. Will it work? Will the lids even still be around? actually I'd like ones that have a better lid than those.. so they can be set up on edge vs stacked flat so that one can be pulled out without knocking others out.
But a closed box about that size is what I'm after.
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Jodie, wife to Dave
G-18, B-17, G-15, G-14, B-13, B-11, G-9, B-7, B-5, B-4
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joann10
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The best solution I have found in our tiny house is to put each child's books in an "under the bed" storage box with a lid. We just don't have any other place to store them, and this works perfectly for us.
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all for God
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These are all very good ideas! Thanks! 
I definitely need something durable, I'm amazed at what my kids can break!!
Question: 
To jawgee ~ Can the file cabinet drawer hold a three-ring binder?
To Bridget ~ I guess a milk crate style bin can be bought big enough to hold a three-ring binder, too?
We use a lot of three-ring binders!! 
Thanks.
~Jennifer
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all for God
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JodieLyn wrote:
I tried open top baskets on shelves.. not so good.. anything and everything ends up piled in and on them.
My next trial is looking for something like these file boxes
They can still be stacked up on the shelves.. but they won't be so easy to use as a dumping ground. Will it work? Will the lids even still be around? actually I'd like ones that have a better lid than those.. so they can be set up on edge vs stacked flat so that one can be pulled out without knocking others out.
But a closed box about that size is what I'm after. |
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Nice idea, but I think I'd need something bigger(Again, lots of three-ring binders).
**I think a lid is a very good idea!! 
That would help to keep the little kiddos out! 
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all for God
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joann10 wrote:
| The best solution I have found in our tiny house is to put each child's books in an "under the bed" storage box with a lid. We just don't have any other place to store them, and this works perfectly for us. |
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Also an excellent idea!
Sadly, we had no room for dressers in the kids bedrooms so the area under the beds is full of boxes for their clothes! 
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Bridget
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all for God wrote:
To Bridget ~ I guess a milk crate style bin can be bought big enough to hold a three-ring binder, too?
We use a lot of three-ring binders!!
Thanks.
~Jennifer |
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Oh yes, we use lots of 3 ring binders too. They fit. I also use hanging files in the front of each older child's bin. There is one for each subject where they can file corrected papers.
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Bridget, happily married to Kevin, mom to 8 on earth and a small army in heaven
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rcarter
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Have you tried the plastic storage totes with lock-down handles? Here's an example. In our house, each of the kids has their own tote with all their school books in it, plus crayons, pencils, etc. I originally bought two from Staples, but they were kind of pricey, and I later found a better version at Walmart. They're Sterilite, they're cheaper, and they actually hold bigger books too. They stack nicely on a shelf, don't look messy, and they're less likely to lose half of their school stuff! And if we're going somewhere, they can just grab their whole tote and go! 
Hope this helps!
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JodieLyn
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well I was really thinking something with an attached lid so that the lid wouldn't be only "sorta" tossed on top or what have you.. like these I just found
Large Snap Case 17x13x6 inches
We don't use many 3 ring binders.. but even those can fit a good number with the 6 inches of depth.
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Jodie, wife to Dave
G-18, B-17, G-15, G-14, B-13, B-11, G-9, B-7, B-5, B-4
All men who have turned out worth anything have had the chief hand in their own education.
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jawgee
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all for God wrote:
To jawgee ~ Can the file cabinet drawer hold a three-ring binder? |
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Yes! Last year I did CHC with my 5YO. I have a three-ring binder in there that contains the CHC lesson plans. The binders are not in a hanging file folder - they are just put in there (bound-side up) in between the file folders.
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Monica
C (12/2001), N (11/2005), M (5/2008), J (8/2009) and three angels
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all for God
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These are some wonderful ideas!!
Almost too many to choose from!
(That's NOT a complaint!) 
I'll give it some thought and try a few things to see what works for us!
Thanks so much!! 
~Jennifer
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Mackfam
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I like baskets that sit out either on the child's work table, or sit on the shelf and can then be picked up and moved to wherever the child will be working. I have a preferred basket that has a lower front and higher back which I love, but I can't link it because it is currently out of stock.  My next favorite and frequently used basket for books is this square basket with handles. The Peterboro baskets are very durable (ours have been in active use for a few years now) and the handles make it great for transporting to work table or work area (even children with dedicated work spaces will want to relocate at times in order to find a quieter spot).
In addition to the baskets we make use of, I find a liberal sprinkling of these extra-wide-super-duper-plastic-magazine-file-holders work great in learning spaces! They're fantastic book ends, and hold 3 ring binders wonderfully! Ours can often be found corralling books, papers, folders of writing paper, journals, nature sketch pad....etc.! I must have 10 - 15 of them by now and I am always, ALWAYS finding a new use for them! There is always at least one on each child's desk for holding frequently used materials.
Good luck finding the most creative and useable tool to meet your family's needs, Jennifer!!! And -- WELCOME!!!
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jawgee
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I saw one of these at church tonight and immediately thought of this thread. Another option, maybe.
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Monica
C (12/2001), N (11/2005), M (5/2008), J (8/2009) and three angels
The Catholic Cup on Facebook
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all for God
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jawgee wrote:
| I saw one of these at church tonight and immediately thought of this thread. Another option, maybe. |
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I found one of those handy file boxes for very cheap!
I bought some for my younger kids. I think I'll need something bigger for the older kids, but I'll wait to see these first before I decide. (I'm a "preferred customer" and get free shipping, so no double charge )
Thanks jawgee and everyone!! You have all been very helpful!
God Bless.
~Jennifer
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all for God
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Thanks for this idea, too!
I think I can find a good use for these!
God Bless.
~Jennifer
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Mimip
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Jennifer,
These are the ones we use. Multi purpose binsThey don't have lids but for us that is perfect. Highly recommended and they have lasted forever.
WE use the smaller ones for sorting paperback children's books that get used a lot more than a simple magazine holder. The bigger ones are used to store the kids books and my curriculum.
I believe they go on sale often so just keep checking back but the $6.99 x-large one is a great value for your buck!
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Mimi
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Mackfam
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Mimip wrote:
Jennifer,
These are the ones we use. Multi purpose binsThey don't have lids but for us that is perfect. Highly recommended and they have lasted forever. |
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I'm not even in the market for additional storage items, but these look fantastic, Mimi!! Love the handles for little hands to pick up and move--slide on and off a shelf, and I really appreciate the relatively smooth sides so books and materials can be placed in with ease rather than getting hung up on the sides. That extra large looks so USEFUL, but I can see the other sizes working well in so many different ways, too! I'm so glad you shared what works for you! I was re-ordering our science lab and science shelves yesterday, and I'm starting to think of these translucent bins as being very helpful for ordering some of my materials! Thank you for sharing!!!!!
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Jen Mackintosh
Wife to Rob, mom to dd 19, ds 16, ds 11, dd 8, and dd 3
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jawgee
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containerstore.com is a dangerous, dangerous place for me to browse.
I LOVE the look of those Multi-Purpose bins!
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Monica
C (12/2001), N (11/2005), M (5/2008), J (8/2009) and three angels
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4Real Forums : Planning and Ordering our Days
Topic: School Book Storage?
