Functional, organized, stylish storage for homeschool supplies?

[akwifeandmomma]

We'll be schooling all over the house, but I expect our (ever increasing!) supplies will all continue to live where they have been, in our dining room, open to the living room and kitchen. So far, I have a leaning ladder shelf like this and a storage bench like this.

With lined wicker baskets to toss everything into. But it gets SO messy.

Got any great storage/organization ideas or inspiration for me?

[CariOfOz]

Honestly?? I took over the linen closet LOL. We live in a smallish house, and not a huge amount of storage so I decluttered the piles of sheets (that we don't even have beds to FIT) doona covers and miscellany that we had.. and ended up with two nice deep shelves for our school supplies! I have a lot of stuff in boxes & bins in there so I've come up with a plan to get an over the door shoe hanger and label the pockets to get the smallish things up off the shelves & more efficiently stored. A pocket for glue sticks, one for moms stapler/hole punch, paint brushes, paints, pens etc etc.. you get the idea Also want to get a couple of stationary drawer to go on the shelves for sorting our papers & craft bits. Something like that might be an option if you have a spare closet door to appropriate

I LOVE your ladder shelves btw!

[LilyGrace]

I should take a pic of our main schooling area now. Well, here's one before we put stuff in it. There's a long dresser on the one side that is used to store math manipulatives, science, and history stuff on one side, and the other is all used for art writing supplies. The drawers make it easy to keep things organized (with small baskets inside) and tidy. On top of the dresser are paper trays, bottles of paints and glues, and other various artsy things that tend to get tipped over.
Notebooks go in the desk, schoolbooks on the bookshelves.

Since your supplies live in the dining room, a buffet might work for you. It would look like part of the room but offer tons of storage. Neat trays on top for works in progress might be an option, too.

[amey]

Ours is in several different places. I claimed a double kitchen cabinet once I cleaned out the plasticware (and found it needed A LOT less room). This way each kid has a side. They have their "active" materials in that cabinet in a plastic bin from target. The active materials are whatever they're currently using (math book, phonics book, etc). They each keep a couple pencils in their own bins too, and we have a pencil box in that cabinet.

We have one of those 5x5 IKEA bookshelf/cubby things and I have some inactive HS stuff in one of the high cubbies (the rest of the space is used for the boys' toys in the playroom). This includes some books they've finished and some that are yet to come.

We have art supplies in a separate art cabinet in the play room. They have the 2 lower shelves, I have the two upper shelves.

I'm a crappy housekeeper, but the bins for their school stuff has been really handy - they take out the bin in the morning and put it all away when they're done, and whatever they're not actually using can sit on the floor while they're at the table.

I need to get one or two more for the car to corral all the books they're forever bringing into the car and leaving all over the floor.

[akwifeandmomma]

Annnnd, you get a cookie if you post pics!

[frogguruami]

Here is a recent blog post I did on the organization fit I had! LOL

These are the cardboard magazine boxes from IKEA. They come in other patterns as well. I used them for coloring books, lapbooks, and one for each subject.

[MyLittleWonders]

AM - I love the magazine boxes - I have thought about doing that but have not yet taken the plunge. You stuff looks so nice and neat though with them.

Off to find my camera and take a couple pics. Our stuff lives in the dining room/kitchen (they open into one another with only a tiny "pony" wall separating them). When we designed the kitchen, I purposely made sure I had a homeschooling cupboard/drawer, and we ended up using part of our IKEA shelving (we have two of these shelving units) as an open-air buffet in the dining room. (Each unit came with four shelves; we took one shelf off the one in the dining room and added it to the one in the living room, so the living room shelving is taller for our books, and the one in the dining room now sits under the window at the same height as a buffet/sideboard). We also have two of the small two-drawer boxes at the top of the picture on this page stacked on to each other next to the shelving in the dining room - originally they were on the shelves at our old house where we had more bookcase room, but when we moved, I ended up putting them next to the shelves. They hold paper for the kids - plain, lined, colored, and printed coloring pages from the 'net.

Here is the partial IKEA shelving unit in the dining room - I used an old picture because it looks organized in it
Here is the last kitchen cabinet next to the dining room - it houses most of our art/craft supplies. I thought of housing science stuff, but with the baby still a toddler, I think that stuff is best up high.
Here is the drawer above that cabinet with our crayons, pencils, chalk, tape and other supplies.

We also keep things in the linen closet - pattern blocks, threading beads, puzzles, and such. We have less storage here than our old house and even though we got to design this house to suit our needs, we could only work so much magic. I'm really grateful I was able to get that extra cabinet for school stuff in the kitchen.

[AnnR33]

I like the magazine holders to organize books by subject. Each child has his/her own for their daily books. Each is labeled with the subject.

We also have a 3 shallow drawer rubbermaid unit that is perfect for paper-one drawer is colored paper, 1 is for white, 1 is for specialty paper like watercolor or tracing paper. It sits on a counter top so it's easily accessible. On top of this is the same shallow drawer style but in a much smaller unit-all stickers go in here.

I have the pencil boxes for small things like counters, stamps, paper punches, beads, etc.

I also love the pegboard! I have different types of organizer things and can hang scissors, glue, ribbon, buttons, etc that I don't want little hands to get. You wouldn't have to have a large one-it could go on the inside of a closet door or a wide hallway.

I don't have yet but considering one of these:
http://www.staples.com/office/suppli...&ci_sku=597003

[mommy68]

We have our's scattered about, mostly.

For crafts I keep them in a utility cabinet in the den mostly but also in a plastic bin w/3 drawers and wheels that stays in the guest bedroom.

We have books everywhere, on book shelves, in stackable crates (love those) and on tables in the den.

Games are in the den mostly but some are in our master bedroom closet because it has a lot of shelf space.

We don't have a garage or a basement so things have to stay inside the home.

Homeschool mags and other mags are kept in those cardboard magazine holders (those are great).

I keep art stuff and each year's papers in folders inside a rubbermaid tub for each child in their individual closets.

We are organized even though it doesn't sound like it. I know where things are if I need to go to them. And all school books are kept in the same areas for each child, whether it be in their own rooms or the den.

[mary3mama]

Thanks so much for this thread, ladies!

This is my challenge right now. We just moved in to a smallish apt and I have no space, really.

On top of that, there is the 20 month old, so I have to be cautious about what is left in her reach.

It's such a challenge to have supplies where the boys can access them, the baby can't and we don't have to see a huge cluttery mess all the time. I wish I had a storage closet for it all.

Guess I need to go looking at the IKEA catalog again and see if there's something there that will help. There's a store in Baltimore...not too far from DC.

[marilynmama]

Originally Posted by AnnR33

I don't have yet but considering one of these:
http://www.staples.com/office/suppli...&ci_sku=597003

I just went and bought this yesterday actually at my local Staples and so far I really like it! We are very simple hs'ers and this holds almost everything we need and sits on our dinner room table (which we never eat at...lol). So thanks for posting this!

[mangopassion]

Originally Posted by marilynmama

I just went and bought this yesterday actually at my local Staples and so far I really like it! We are very simple hs'ers and this holds almost everything we need and sits on our dinner room table (which we never eat at...lol). So thanks for posting this!

I went to my Staples to check this out and I was literally

I had no idea, by looking at the pictures online, that it is that big! It's awesome and I hope to get it someday (when I have that kind of room).

I have all of our stuff in little Sterlite clear boxes... each box holds something different. So far a have a box for:

crayons
colored pencils
markers
wooden things (popsicle sticks, wooden spools, doll pins, etc)
ribbons, twines, and thread
foamie shapes
pom-poms
chenille stems
tape
paint


I need a couple more for:
glue/gluesticks
stamps and ink


I have two Sterlite 3 large-ish drawer thingies for my papers... each drawer holds:
cardstock
cardstock/paper that has been cut into already/scraps
stickers
smaller papers that is especially used for bookmarks, cards, etc


We also have two Sterlite 3 small drawer thingies for various items that hold:
googly eyes
die-cuts
marbles
buttons
beads


Our bead collections are in those little plastic divider thingies.. we have 3 of them and they are nicely stacked with all of the other containers.

All of our flashcards and BrainQuests are in a basket on a the shelf. There is another basket with our container of pattern blocks, pattern cards, math bingo games, and our math tile game.

We have all of our puzzles and kiddie board games piled on top of one of the shelves... (I need more! )

The rest is books!

I'll go take pics!

[mangopassion]

Our bookshelves

The bottom part of the larger bookshelf... paper organization

Most of our craft supplies in their little containers

Our messy classroom

One of our art caddies I love this thing! I also have one for my scraproom/craft room. It holds A LOT!

The kids' computer

Another view of our messy classroom

[Copper]

Wow Mangopassion!

Your bookshelf organization give me something to strive toward!!!

I had never thought of the paper organization ideas! For some reason something tells me that if I had our paper more neatly organized dd would be more apt to help herself rather than ask me or tell me she can't find it when it is across the room but in a pile.

Great ideas!

I also like the over the door shoe/art organization.

[Momma Aimee]

:

[mangopassion]

Originally Posted by Copper

Wow Mangopassion!

Your bookshelf organization give me something to strive toward!!!

I had never thought of the paper organization ideas! For some reason something tells me that if I had our paper more neatly organized dd would be more apt to help herself rather than ask me or tell me she can't find it when it is across the room but in a pile.

Great ideas!

Oooh! Thank you so much!

I think I'm so organized with my kiddos paper because I am a paper crafter. I cannot stand it when paper is unorganized! My scrapbook / craftroom has so many different categories for paper.

[Momma Aimee]

Originally Posted by CariOfOz

Honestly?? I took over the linen closet LOL. We live in a smallish house, and not a huge amount of storage so I decluttered the piles of sheets (that we don't even have beds to FIT) doona covers and miscellany that we had.. and ended up with two nice deep shelves for our school supplies! I have a lot of stuff in boxes & bins in there so I've come up with a plan to get an over the door shoe hanger and label the pockets to get the smallish things up off the shelves & more efficiently stored. A pocket for glue sticks, one for moms stapler/hole punch, paint brushes, paints, pens etc etc.. you get the idea Also want to get a couple of stationary drawer to go on the shelves for sorting our papers & craft bits. Something like that might be an option if you have a spare closet door to appropriate

I LOVE your ladder shelves btw!

that is awsome -- i am stealling the over the door show holder idea -- our school area, what is just office now, is our open loft over the living room. it connects to the upstiars hallway and the hall lennin clset is right ere. perfect. not sure how much shelf space i can steal -- but i can totally put up an shoel holder for little stuff.

Aimee

[Momma Aimee]

Originally Posted by mangopassion

Our bookshelves

The bottom part of the larger bookshelf... paper organization

Most of our craft supplies in their little containers

Our messy classroom

One of our art caddies I love this thing! I also have one for my scraproom/craft room. It holds A LOT!

The kids' computer

Another view of our messy classroom

YOU need to sell yourself as a room planner person -- I'd pay you big bucks.

A