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Anastasia
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| Posted: Aug 31 2009 at 1:51pm | IP Logged
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Hi, I'm new to the forum, and enjoying it very much!
But I could use some advice on how to set things up. I'll be homeschooling one 1st grader and one preschool this year, but I don't really have much space. Right now, things are kind of scattered between my son's room, the family room, and a storage closet! All music stuff is on top of the piano. Are there any organizational whizzes out there?
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allegiance_mom
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| Posted: Aug 31 2009 at 7:14pm | IP Logged
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It varies so much depending on the space you have available.
We do our seat work on the dining room table. We also eat there, so it has to be all put away for meals. We have books all over the house. Really. Every room and every hallway. The bathrooms and basement are the only places book-free. We also have three bookcases in our dining room. DH has had to get used to eating in a "library."
Years ago I had a larger house with a dedicated "school room." Most of our materials were there or in the adjoining family room.
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Mom to two boys, 14 and 8, and one pre-born babe in Heaven (Jan 2010)
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Mackfam
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| Posted: Aug 31 2009 at 7:32pm | IP Logged
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I'll brainstorm with you, Anastasia! I really enjoy organizing spaces!
For a 1st grader and preschooler you don't really need to have a bunch of stuff out. The limitations and natural strengths of your spaces helps dictate how you might set things up.
Here's what would be important to me for those ages...
** arts and crafts center
** nature study center
** picture book basket
** special basket for the 1st grader's work
When I say "center" I'm not implying gigantic spaces!!! One shelf of a bookcase would be plenty probably. Another shelf for holding a picture book basket and the 1st grader's work means that you could do this on 3 shelves total of a regular bookcase!
But...these are the things that are important to me. Tell me...what kind of things do you do with your littles on a regular basis? Every day things. Then, where do you tend to do those things...like, if you're enjoying several picture books each morning in the family room, I'd probably set up my picture book baskets near the couch. If they enjoy a fun art time before lunch, I'd probably set up a simple, but lovely art center near the kitchen table.
I personally really enjoy (and use ALOT) those closet organizer pieces you can get from Target, Walmart, and Lowe's for setting out activities. Closetmaid is one brand, I believe. They're inexpensive and great for organizing spaces! I use shoe organizers EVERYWHERE! You can start with a few, address a few problem zones, organize them and display materials and because they're all modular, you can go back when budget allows and build onto your system.
I use this organizer and sets of these organizers stacked together.
Hope this helps a little! We can brainstorm some specific areas together if you like! Let me know some questions and I'll see if we can come up with ideas.
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Wife to Rob, mom to dd 19 , ds 16, ds 11, dd 8, and dd 3
Wildflowers and Marbles
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Anastasia
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| Posted: Aug 31 2009 at 7:40pm | IP Logged
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Those are good ideas; I like the one about "centers" for each subject especially. At the moment, it's just schoolbooks all mixed up in several different spots. And I'm glad I'm not the only one with books in every corner of the house!
The 1st grader loves art, but all the materials are sort of stuffed in a drawer. But now I'm thinking maybe a clear box where he can get his materials without the 2yr old spilling them everywhere. And he's very into math, but the little cuisinaire rods end up EVERYWHERE!
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mrsgranola
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| Posted: Aug 31 2009 at 7:42pm | IP Logged
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allegiance_mom wrote:
| Every room and every hallway. The bathrooms and basement are the only places book-free. |
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 We've been known to have several books in the master bathroom. 
That's the best way I've found over the years to get my dh to read something he normally wouldn't. The first one I left for him like that was "The Family Bed", 15 years ago when our oldest was a babe...
JoAnna
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Kathryn
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| Posted: Aug 31 2009 at 9:31pm | IP Logged
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I also bought some of these today at Target. It says sold out on-line but I bought one size for $5.50 each and one size for $12.99. This is kind of how I'm keeping my manipulatives for various subjects. What I love too is there are various colors, they're sturdy and easy to cart from room to room and hold waaay more than I thought they would.
http://www.target.com/Fabric-Storage-Bin-Khaki-Large/dp/B001 5E4HCW/sr=1-9/qid=1251772090/ref=sr_1_9/192-6451740-3099314? ie=UTF8&search-alias=tgt-index&frombrowse=0&pricerange=&rh=k %3Afabric%20bin&page=3
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4Real Forums : Living Learning
Topic: Basic set-up for schoolwork
