Desks and Storing Supplies

[MamaPam]

We are thinking about a desk as a possible Christmas present. While I'm sure it will be loved and used, I am not sure it is worth the space it will take up. I think the appeal of the desk would be their own place to work and to keep their own papers, crayons, pencils etc. I could accomplish this by some other means though. Maybe some type of caddy or box that can be taken to the table with them. Does your child use a desk or do they work at the kitchen table, or other places? Do you allow each child their own supplies or is everything shared? How do you organize and store this kind of stuff?

[MaWhit]

We have desks that never get used. We store stuff in bookshelves and work at the table, couch, on the floor, i the car, at the park, etc.

[onlyzombiecat]

We have a small table where dd likes to work on stuff. Sometimes she does crafts elsewhere. We keep a small bucket with crayons and pencils on the table. In that same room we have a shelf unit that holds books and paper. Dd's glue, markers and other craft supplies are in a box similar to a tool box. It fits on the shelf and can be carried around.

I keep extra supplies stored away until we need them.

[MyBaby'sSmile]

I recently converted an unused 5 drawer dresser into a homeschool storage area. It works great for manipulatives and art materials as well as for scribblers etc. I have a toddler so having drawers that are too heavy for him to open is wonderful!

[GranolaMoon]

We have it all spread out. The most used for schoolish intents books live on my computer desk when not in use. They have a drawer in the kitchen that contains most of their pencils, crayons, colored pencils, stencils, brushes, etc.. The linen closet is only half linens, the rest of it is board games, puzzles, etc.. Personal notebooks and such are kept in their own bedrooms.

[gaudynight]

We do most of our work at the kitchen table. DD1 has her own box, which she decorated, for notebooks, workbooks, pencils, current reading books etc. It was mostly to keep her things safe from DD2, but we've found it really convenient because we can just take the whole box if we're going to Grandma's or a friend's or something. Everything's in the same place so nothing gets lost or left behind. This may change in the future, when there's too much to fit in one box, but by then I think we'll have more shared things.

[aishy]

My oldest has had a desk in his room for years now, but for hs stuff we have one central place in the kitchen (a cabinet we got from big lots) and everyone shares the supplies. We do work either at the table, or in the living room on the coffee table, tv trays, or just on the floor. My oldest two each have a clipboard and they like to hang out on the sofa if they are doing a worksheet or something.

[moominmamma]

We had desks for a while but they never got used. The kids just ended up on the living room floor or at the kitchen table. Eventually we dismantled them and we now use the same space for storage. All 'supplies' are shared here, though each of my kids have their own books and such.

Miranda

[Fieryfly]

We "rescued" an old school desk this past summer, and my 8yo really enjoys it. She probably ends up doing half of her deskwork there, and the other half of the time everywhere else. We have found it a very convienent place to store her current work and books inside there(its a flip top desk w/attached chair) and we don't have to dig it out from under anything anymore. Not sure how long it will last as we've only had it for about 3 months now.