How do you organize your supplies?

[Samiam]

How do you organize your supplies, meaning crayons, paints, markers, colored pencils, etc. The stuff that you use on a regular basis (not so much the "extra supplies, ie the hundreds of glue sticks that we all collect)?

 

I've used various systems over the years, but not in love what I am doing now, and looking for a change as add a few things to our homeschool room.

 

I've used this round, cubby thing (think like the Desk Apprentice thing, but MUCH smaller). It had different cubbies, and I'd put colors in one, markers in another, a few glue sticks in another, etc. This worked fine when I only had one child doing desk work, and we used a large table. It sat in the middle of the table, and everything was right there.

 

Now I've got three children doing desk work. Each child has their own desk, so there's not really a shared space. Each child does have a pencil cup attached to the wall at their desk, but it can't hold EVERYTHING.

 

Last year, I just had small plastic bins that held all of one thing. One held all crayons, one held all markers, etc. When we needed them, the bin came out to the desk. Problem was that meant everyone who need something congregrated to one desk and then a ruckus would eventually happen.

 

This year, I bought DS9 and DS6 their own markers which is what they used the most. They had pencil boxes that they kept theirs in and the pencil boxes stayed on a storage shelf, and those boxes would come out if needed. DS13 still used the community supply,*cuz he just didn't need them that much, nor did he care to have his own. The rest of the supplies mostly stayed in the bins until we needed them.

 

Just not feeling that system. I think I do want everyone to have their own supplies for the most part, but wondering the best way to store/organize it.

 

As a side note, I am re-doing a part of our schoolroom. Moving the desks around a bit, and adding a few Ikea Expedit systems. I have a Target knock-off of the Expedit on our "library area" that I am not in love with, and will probably move that to the toy room. We use two rooms for school...the classroom with desks, and the library where supplies/books are kept. (It's really just the formal dining and formal living rooms, that we don't use for that purpose). My point is that I'll have plenty of shelf space. After 3 years of using the workbox system I think I am moving on from that too. So I have 2 workbox carts that are not going to be used (the third's already been moved to another part of the house). I could possibly use those carts for supplies.

 

Anyhoo, how do you STORE your most often used supplies so they are accessible, yet easily put away at the end of the day?

 

Here's a few pictures of our schooling area to give you an idea of what my space is, if you want to give feedback or suggestions for me. Note: If you see the classroom picture with the desk, I am planning on moving one desk over the the wall with the window (see where those two workbox carts on on the bottom left of the pic?) since my oldest is likely not going to be homeschooling in the fall. His desk will still be there, just over on that corner. Then I'll spread the other two desk farther apart, one in each corner of the wall they are on now. And then put an Expedit shelving in the middle of them. That will keep books, etc. Possibly get rid of the cubby that is currently on the wall above each desk now, since the Expedit can store that stuff. Still contemplating what I am going to do in here.

Edited April 19, 2012 by Samiam

[April Walker]

The top two drawers are for these types of supplies. It works well here.

[Hunter]

The Organized Homeschooler helped me with the big picture. Then I had to get down to the nitty gritty, but this came first.

 

If you google "organized homeschooler" and hit images, you'd be surprised what comes up.

[Ecclecticmum]

Ours is more like what you used to have (since we have younger DCs)

 

i.e.:

- Supplies other than "everyday" stuff is stored in the library. Filing Cabinet has labelled drawers for supplies needed for hist/science etc, so they each have their own drawer. I cleared off our center bookshelf and this is going to hold extras/enrichment activities/books/toys etc, each shelf has labelled subjects. We also have an at cabinet where we store all of our paper supplies. Forgot to mention top filing cabinet holds art supplies and craft tools (paintbrushes, sponges, paint etc)

- Supplies needed for that week is stored in the teachers closet in the "schoolroom" aka dining room. This has mummy tools (laminator, punch etc), archive boxes holding supplies for the weeks crafts for all subjects, a tub with current weeks library books, math mainpulatives tubs, and a whole bunch of other more everyday tubs. Up on the higher shelves everything is congregated into baskets for what they are (crayons, pencils etc)

- My Teachers desk - holds my binders, current books, and all the other assorted stuff that somehow makes its way there.

 

I had an idea the other day for something. As we use it as a dining room, all evidence of work must be easily removed and contained (less DH spill ketchup on it :lol: )

 

So for when they are older my thought immediately went to this:

 

Pencil case, and all other assorted bits into a chair bag that hangs over the back of the chair i.e. something like this: http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_XUyWl4_vCbw/S7ZydqaSwzI/AAAAAAAAAGM/bg6BVbkLkOU/s1600/DSC07342.JPG

 

I have seen ones made out of jeans which would be pretty cool ,as the fabric is sturdy and it has extra pockets. Now where the "head" of the chair is, I would have a little slit in the middle.

 

I would then have hooks on the inside of my teachers closet. At the end of the day, they can clear and pop all their stuff into the chair bag, I just lift the bag off the chair, put a hanger inside so the neck of the hanger comes through the slit, and hang it on the hooks inside my cabinet., close cupboard door and voila, evidence concealed :lol:

 

I haven't really thought it through, it was just one of the misc ideas that lightbulbed into my head, but its a place for them to store it when they are not currently using it, but still easily accessible for them, doesn't take up any space for storage, and means they always know whats theirs.

[ezrabean2005]

Our system has to be portable since we never know where we are going to do schoolwork each day (cafe 1, cafe 2, or at home). We use a large gallon ziplock for pencils, my date stamp, markers, a ruler, extra pencil lead and erasers, and a pad of post its. Large supplies go in our school bag separately, but these are not used everyday.

 

When it wears out (usually after a couple months) and has scotch tape lining both side seams, we put it in a new ziplock bag. :)