Jeeves Posted May 25, 2012 Share Posted May 25, 2012 I am an organizational dunce. I would love to be more "together", (and I'm working at it!), but it doesn't come naturally. Anyway, I've seen some blog posts (in my endless search to find "the solution") and some posts on here about packing up the curriculum and even the books for a year and putting them away until you're back on that cycle. I have a hard time thinking about packing up books--what if we want to read them?!?--and I like to keep things out so I can remember what I have, BUT I'm also out of book shelf space. What do you all do? Do you pack up stuff until you need it again? If you do, what do you all pack up? If you don't, where do you store it when you run out of bookshelves? Thanks for any suggestions! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
redsquirrel Posted May 25, 2012 Share Posted May 25, 2012 I do! I have space for one large bookcase of school only materials. One shelf is for son the elder, one shelf is for son the younger, the bottom shelf is for general reference and overflow. The top of the bookcase has three dishpans filled with math manipulatives, and other things that won't really fit on a bookshelf. I have large bins in the basement, one for each year of the history cycle. I keep all history and science materials in those bins. When a school year ends I pack up (and WEED OUT) what was used. I unpack what I will be using in the year to come. If I pick up something during the year that will be used 'later' I put it in the bin. If the bin gets too stuffed to close, then I must weed things out. I just don't have the room for too much extra. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dinsfamily Posted May 25, 2012 Share Posted May 25, 2012 I don't. I am able to keep my SL cores (5 of them so far), Noeo science books (two levels) and other school books on two large bookshelves in our school nook. My boys re-read books constantly so I would have a hard time putting them away. I have room for about 3 more cores before I need to figure out where to put more books and convince Dh that living in a library is a good thing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kathryn Posted May 25, 2012 Share Posted May 25, 2012 I pack up curriculum but not living books. I store it at the top of the younger one's closet since it's waiting for him. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Narrow Gate Academy Posted May 25, 2012 Share Posted May 25, 2012 I am an organizational dunce. I would love to be more "together", (and I'm working at it!), but it doesn't come naturally. Anyway, I've seen some blog posts (in my endless search to find "the solution") and some posts on here about packing up the curriculum and even the books for a year and putting them away until you're back on that cycle. I have a hard time thinking about packing up books--what if we want to read them?!?--and I like to keep things out so I can remember what I have, BUT I'm also out of book shelf space. What do you all do? Do you pack up stuff until you need it again? If you do, what do you all pack up? I have some shelves in a cabinet down in the basement to store items. All the curriculum is down there as well as history related books. I keep the history books and now the Omnibus books on the lower shelves. The girls know that they are free to borrow any of these to read as long as they return them to the basement when they finish. HTH Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EMS83 Posted May 25, 2012 Share Posted May 25, 2012 We have 0 storage space. No attic storage, no garage, no shed. I logged all the books we own and went through and put away anything I wouldn't use this year in boxes under our bed, but my kids can't read on their own yet. I'm honestly at a loss. My friend's mom has a neat system in her garage, though. She got 18 gallon storage bins (w/lids) and stacked them 5 wide and 3 high (maybe 4 high, but I'm being safe) and put a thick wooden board between each layer, so when you put it all together it looks like a grid and she numbered the boxes and had a clipboard that listed what was in each box. With the boards in place, she can just slide each one in and out and it won't disturb the others. I would love this system but there's nowhere to put it and I don't have the cash for 15 18-gallon bins. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
melmichigan Posted May 25, 2012 Share Posted May 25, 2012 This year I added 4 more floor to ceiling book shelves to help deal with this problem. I do not pack up any of the living books especially the science, and all the SL Cores and TOG books. My kids reread things over the summer. I do pack up curriculum we are not using (texts, teacher's manuals, extra practice, etc.) and those go on the book shelves in my room. We used to have totes that went under the beds in the kids rooms before we put the last addition on the house. :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MinivanMom Posted May 25, 2012 Share Posted May 25, 2012 I pack up curriculum, but not books. My kids like to reread them and it doesn't make sense to have living books packed away in the attic. We just keep buying more bookshelves. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cookfamily6 Posted May 25, 2012 Share Posted May 25, 2012 We pretty much do the same as the others...I pack up TE and things that won't be used, but I keep all of the living books out. My kids love to read. Of course if something doesn't work for us or if my youngest is done with it, I sell off what I know we will never use again :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pen Posted May 25, 2012 Share Posted May 25, 2012 We have a very small house, so adding more shelves isn't an option. I'm an organization dunce too, but am working to change this. I've been packing up what curriculum materials will not be used this summer, leaving only what is intended to be used available. It makes it less overwhelming. Reading books (are those Living Books?) are mostly still out, though I held things up and said, "Do you think you will want ____, this summer?" If yes it stayed out, if no it went into a cardboard book box which I tried to more or less label with what is in them, and to put things we might need this summer or early next year toward the tops. The cardboard boxes are nearish my feet where I am working at the computer. It is tight, but better than crammed book shelves where what is needed cannot be found and what is used cannot easily be put back. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jeeves Posted May 26, 2012 Author Share Posted May 26, 2012 Thanks for some of the ideas! I'm hoping my husband can put some more bookshelves around the top of the office--we'll see! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jennifer in FL Posted May 26, 2012 Share Posted May 26, 2012 I put our stuff in Rubbermaid totes in the attic. I label the outside: US History Resources, Science, Ancients, Medieval and then stuff like spelling workbooks, reading, grammar, math etc. in another one. I also keep my cedar chest full of stuff I "might" want for the coming year. Another thing to consider is taking one bin of living books off your shelf, every 6 months, storing it, and then bringing it out again, and storing a different batch of living books. Sort of a rotation. It keeps kids more engaged when something is gone and then comes back. I do that with seasonal and holiday books. I used to do that with books, puzzles, and games when I taught kindergarten and I use the same strategy now. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MissKNG Posted May 26, 2012 Share Posted May 26, 2012 Our reading books are always available year round. I do put our current curriculum on the shelf and just have our summer stuff out. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Parrothead Posted May 26, 2012 Share Posted May 26, 2012 I pack up whatever I can. That generally means I toss stuff in a box and ship it to the attic. I realized today that we will be moving again so I ought to go through the "packed up" stuff and properly pack it up to be moved. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
boscopup Posted May 26, 2012 Share Posted May 26, 2012 I have one of those cardboard file boxes (I think they're called "banker's boxes"?) that I put textbooks/workbooks we're not using that can be used for future kidlets. I leave living books out. Right now, our box of books is in my sewing room, on the floor. Oh, I had to make another one for texts we are going to use for next year. My house has been in chaos due to renovations, so I had no place to put them on the shelves. Now that the school year is over, I can change stuff out. The box of next year's stuff went on top of one of my book cases. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mommyfaithe Posted May 26, 2012 Share Posted May 26, 2012 Every time I pack it away...I end up needing something. So, this year....I emptied my linen closet and rearranged.....and my curriculum materialsnare going in there. I had dh remove the sheetrock from ournknee wall andninstall shelved between the joists....whoala...built in book shelves!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AHASRADA Posted May 26, 2012 Share Posted May 26, 2012 Our spines (history, science) stay out on the shelves, along with other reference books and "just for fun" readers, art books and supplies, etc. Materials related to a specific historical time period (spines and historical fiction) go back to the basement in their own box when we're done with them. All leveled curriculum (math, English, etc.) are also packed away, usually to be sold. Completed workbooks have representative samples removed and saved in a portfolio of the year's work, also stored in the basement. I really enjoy clearing off the kids' "work shelves" and restocking them with brand new curricula for the new year! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paisley Hedgehog Posted May 26, 2012 Share Posted May 26, 2012 . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nestof3 Posted May 26, 2012 Share Posted May 26, 2012 I have a bookshelf in our office just for current texts and binders. When we finish the current texts, place next-year's on the shelf. The other bookshelves in our house hold read-alouds and other curricula. I don't need to hold on for younger ones anymore, though, so I have been able to get rid of some bookshelves. I do have some specifically-high school texts and the older Saxon stuff in my old closet at my mom's house down the street as I don't have room for it here. :glare: Oh, and I spend most my summer planning for the upcoming school year, so I like having everything near my desk. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.