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mooreboyz
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| Posted: July 22 2010 at 10:18am | IP Logged
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I'm looking for ideas for desk top organization for the kids. They work at long tables where each one has his own spot. This year especially the older 2 have lots of books and binders. They all have several pencils/pens and notebooks and folders. I hate it when books are falling all over the place. Does anyone have a system that works for them...maybe a crate or box for books. Pics would be nice to see of your kiddos' areas.
thanks!
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Jackie
7 boys - 1, 4, 7, 10, 13, 15, 17 years
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Babs
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| Posted: July 22 2010 at 10:58am | IP Logged
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We have the Desk Apprentice.
Desk Apprentice
This has worked really well for my boys. Anything that doesn't go in their workboxes, like their clipboards, goes in here. They also keep sharpened pencils, pens, and rulers in the little corner spots. There is also a little tray that they sometimes keep holy cards, flashcards or other small things in.
God Bless,
Barb
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lapazfarm
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Babs wrote:
We have the Desk Apprentice.
Desk Apprentice
This has worked really well for my boys. Anything that doesn't go in their workboxes, like their clipboards, goes in here. They also keep sharpened pencils, pens, and rulers in the little corner spots. There is also a little tray that they sometimes keep holy cards, flashcards or other small things in.
God Bless,
Barb
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That is totally awesome! 
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Theresa
us-schooling in beautiful Fairbanks, Alaska.
LaPaz Home Learning
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mooreboyz
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Wow, that is really amazing! I would love that; but, at $40 each I just can't swing it this year. Thanks for sharing though!
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Jackie
7 boys - 1, 4, 7, 10, 13, 15, 17 years
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Lori
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I have my kiddos retrieve and return their books to the shelf throughout the day, or at least at the beginning and the end of the day(my shelves are sorted by school level for the year...so all the books they'll need are on one or two shelves) One part of the shelving is for books "in order to be read" and the other part is for more "daily" type work.
I did see these storage clipboards on line though...might help keep a little bit of clutter down, and they're very portable, too!
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Lori
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| Posted: July 22 2010 at 4:42pm | IP Logged
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And maybe these magazine file boxes would be good for books and notebooks?
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Erin
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Jackie
All my children work at the dining room table, or at desk tops (old tables) in the study. So all books are housed elsewhere in the study. The system we have been using has been working well for a few years now.
Their notebooks, personal books are housed in file folders, I've recently added labels to these.
I've just recently I've added a small bookcase to the top, this makes it much easier to store the taller books
The cupboard is an old kitchen hutch
In the left side of the cupboard I store stationary and the drawers have different subject items; maths, nature, art x2, and writing. I'm intending on adding labels here too.
Lead pencils, pens etc are stored on the top shelf of our entertainment unit next to the dining room table.
Hope this helps.
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Erin
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Mackfam
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Erin, I love seeing your cupboards.
We work at tables as well, Jackie.
I use a combination of:
** Baskets  - I love using Peterboro baskets for their sturdiness! These baskets pictured have seen CONSTANT use for 2 years now and they're still working GREAT! I always purchase from their Tent Sale, which is always going on!!! I love this Peterboro basic shopper with handles! Because the baskets I'm using are nice and deep, the back of the baskets are free. My daughter keeps her scientific calculator, color wheel, and daily journal in the back of her basket. My son keeps his flash cards, collection of bookmarks, post-its, and white-out in the back of his basket.
If Peterboro isn't an option, use your Michael's coupon for baskets, or search thrift stores.
** Bins - I have one for collecting the most frequently used supplies so that it is at hand.
** Princeton magazine file holders for storage all.over.the.room. I cannot say enough about these file holders. They're wider than your average magazine file holder, which makes them sturdier at the base. Also, because there's no bottom lip, materials slide in and out freely. They are so perfect for collections of just about anything!!!!!! I use one for collecting my 1st grader's work (not pictured)...it's nice because the Princeton file holder is big enough to contain all of his term books and it can easily be picked up and brought to the couch, kitchen table, wherever. You can see the side of one of the Princeton magazine holders in the picture below (it's red). I have several holding groupings together. They are particularly nice at the end of a shelf because they function as book ends. LOVE.LOVE.LOVE my Princeton magazine file holders! I would be embarrassed to tell you how many I've collected over the years - but they're so darn functional!
Living books go in the baskets. Notebook work, math texts, and Book of Centuries go up on the shelf. Each child has a clipboard that holds their lesson plans for the week and other pertinent papers for the week (Examples...I add my son's copywork for the week to his clipboard, maps I want the children to work on for map skills, penmanship lettering guides, and last week I added a Middle Ages crossword puzzle about knights.). I print papers for the upcoming week on the Friday of the last and as I collect the old lesson plans to file away, I add fresh lesson plans and all the papers they will need for the week upcoming. Saves TONS of time and frustration for the week. EVERYTHING they need is right there on the their clipboard. Books and supplies are at the ready!
Hope this helps!
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Jen Mackintosh
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SuzanneG
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Mackfam wrote:
** Princeton magazine file holders for storage all.over.the.room. I cannot say enough about these file holders. They're wider than your average magazine file holder, which makes them sturdier at the base. Also, because there's no bottom lip, materials slide in and out freely. They are so perfect for collections of just about anything!!!!!! I use one for collecting my 1st grader's work (not pictured)...it's nice because the Princeton file holder is big enough to contain all of his term books and it can easily be picked up and brought to the couch, kitchen table, wherever. You can see the side of one of the Princeton magazine holders in the picture below (it's red). I have several holding groupings together. They are particularly nice at the end of a shelf because they function as book ends. LOVE.LOVE.LOVE my Princeton magazine file holders! I would be embarrassed to tell you how many I've collected over the years - but they're so darn functional! |
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Jen....you got a DEMCO link to work!!!!!! What did you do?
Anyway I'm adding my two cents in here about these file folders....they are AMAZING! I literally have the ALL. OVER. MY. HOUSE!!!!! As, well as using for school-stuff. They are WONDERFUL! We use the closed magazine file folders too, like Erin's.....but these are SO GREAT because there is NO FRONT and you can put ANY SIZE paper, books, etc. in there....you aren't limited to a 8" thing!!!! They are a GREAT use of space and save my bookshelves from messiness. And, each child or subject, or time of day can use these! RAVING, RAVING, RAVING!
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Suzanne in ID
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Mackfam
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| Posted: July 23 2010 at 1:11pm | IP Logged
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SuzanneG wrote:
Jen....you got a DEMCO link to work!!!!!! What did you do? |
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I didn't link to Demco.  I linked to Vernon Library Supplies. I still don't know how Erin did that on the other thread. That dastardly Demco website for not letting us link pages directly.
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Jen Mackintosh
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Donna Marie
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I saw a DIY project that took a basket and added containers on the inside for holding office supplies. Some of the containers were nothing more than cut-down paper towel tubes that were wrapped with twine and attached to the insides of the basket in different places. I can't remember where I saw that...
You could even use fancy hat-boxes and put your own compartments inside and they can be boxed and pretty up-high on the shelf when not in use and put on an old lazy susan when you want it in use on the table? lots-o-possibilities!
..you know, for all of the small stuff!
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Donna Marie from NJ
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Angel
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Hmmm. Those Princeton magazine folders come in 6 different colors so they're color-codable. That's nice. Right now each of my 3 "official" students have plastic bins in different colors (green, blue, and pink for my only girl) to hold their text/workbooks/binders. But when we move I think I'll be trying a different system. I just have to figure out how to best use our new space(s).
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Angela
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Erin
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Jen
I love the idea of wider file folders. And intrigued by the clipboard idea.
Suzanne
Trying to think why no front would be beneficial? Can you explain your ideas please? I'm sure it will be obvious once you tell me.
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Erin
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SuzanneG
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| Posted: July 23 2010 at 5:21pm | IP Logged
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Erin wrote:
| Trying to think why no front would be beneficial? Can you explain your ideas please? I'm sure it will be obvious once you tell me. |
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I use both...but for different things. The closed-fronts are for papers, cataloges, notebooks and "little stuff." They contain all things smaller than 8x11 really well. Also, things won't fall out of them if you or a child is moving them around a lot.
The open fronts are for books, clipboards, papers. They can hold HUGE books because there is only a back and a side. And, by HUGE, I don't mean phone books....I just mean wide and tall books. Things bigger than 8x11.
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Suzanne in ID
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SuzanneG
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We love having the baskets with swing handles so that my girls can move around the house with them. They "live" on a bench, but they can be found throughout the house at any given time. Sometimes the work table, sometimes in front of the couch or in the bedroom. We don't usually work in one spot, so this is important to us.
These are the Peterboro ones...which are my sturdiest ones, but I do have a couple others that we use....just have to be careful with the weight.
We attached a sturdy little cardstock-pouch on the side with a big binder clip, so that their pencils, and scissors, rulers, etc. can be contained.
They keep anything that is theirs in here. Notebooks, clipboard, books, etc.
The big one on the left is the basket for current-family-books/supplies or books that the two oldest are sharing. I'm usually the only one that moves this one around. I'm going to have to find another spot for it, as I have another basket to add for dd#3 this year!
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Suzanne in ID
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SuzanneG
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Erin wrote:
| Trying to think why no front would be beneficial? Can you explain your ideas please? |
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Ohhhhhh.....and 3-ring-binders go in there too! I just made a "human body" Princeton file....with.....
1. Print outs in a folder
2. 3-ring-binder with various things
3. DVD
4. Card Game
5. 4 oversized books
All contained in there. It can be moved around and placed anywhere and it's only taking up a mere 8" x 4" of space!!!!!
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Suzanne in ID
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Angel
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| Posted: July 24 2010 at 9:26am | IP Logged
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I have some of those baskets, too, Suzanne. I like them pretty well, but I think I put too many books in mine. Also -- if you have boys -- you should be aware that if you put them on the floor, boys will kick, trip, and/or stand on them, and then they will break.
Ask me how I know. 
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Angela
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MicheleQ
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I spent all day yesterday cleaning out and organizing my books (still not done) and trying to come up with some new organizational ideas so I was thrilled to see this thread.
I love the way the baskets look but I have found we need something studier so we're going to do wood crates this year (this design but my son is making them for me). With lids they are stackable and the hand holes are good for carrying.
Suzanne I love the idea of setting them on a bench --that's just the kind of thing I was looking for!
Anther thing I have done (which I don't have any pictures of at the moment --I'll try and do that soon) is to take a tri-fold display board, cut it in half and cover it with fabric or paper (or leave white and they can decorate it) and let them use it when they need some private space (basically it's their own little "cubicle"). Half size means they can work without being so distracted by what's going on around them but you can still see what's going on so they don't goof off --not that they would do that.  Also the half size won't tip over as easily and you can get two out of one board. This is a really fun idea (that I think I came up with because I never saw it online anywhere) that you can do a lot with. I use fabric to cover ours and we can easily attach things like calendar pages, holy cards etc. large clips work great too and at the end of the day they fold up and store nicely. Those large metal binder clips will keep them closed in storage too.
Mind you, I don't let my kids use these ALL the time but when they need some of their own space and can't find a place alone it's great!
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Michele Quigley
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JennGM
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Good to know, Angela! Sorry for the loss. That would make me , too. My sons don't walk around things on the floor. I guess their feet senses need stimulating, too. 
Jen, what kind of Peterboro baskets are the ones on the table? The ones with a lower front? I couldn't find them on the site, but a name would help.
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Jennifer G. Miller
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JennGM
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MicheleQ wrote:
Anther thing I have done (which I don't have any pictures of at the moment --I'll try and do that soon) is to take a tri-fold display board, cut it in half and cover it with fabric or paper (or leave white and they can decorate it) and let them use it when they need some private space (basically it's their own little "cubicle"). Half size means they can work without being so distracted by what's going on around them but you can still see what's going on so they don't goof off --not that they would do that. Also the half size won't tip over as easily and you can get two out of one broad. This is a really fun idea (that I think I came up with because I never saw it online anywhere) that you can do a lot with. I use fabric to cover ours and we can easily attach things like calendar pages, holy cards etc. large clips work great too and at the end of the day they fold up and store nicely. Those large metal binder clips will keep them closed in storage too.
Mind you, I don't let my kids use these ALL the time but when they need some of their own space and can't find a place alone it's great! |
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That is a great idea! I remember how as children we always set up cereal boxes around our place so we could have some "privacy". 
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Jennifer G. Miller
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4Real Forums : Planning and Ordering our Days
Topic: desk organization
