Nicole M Posted August 5, 2008 Share Posted August 5, 2008 What is the appeal here? Is there something wrong with me? Am I missing a critical homeschool mommy component? I simply don't understand. Do you kids have huge homes, big desks, where you can anchor that thing? Does it really help you stay organized? See, now, looking at pictures, I see mess. What do you keep in those things, girls? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Snickerdoodle Posted August 5, 2008 Share Posted August 5, 2008 I think they look nice but for me it would turn into a dust trap full of broken pens and twisted paperclips. We just use a shoebox. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Meliss Posted August 5, 2008 Share Posted August 5, 2008 Last year, my desk apprentice sat on my kitchen floor near a wall, close to the table. I kept binders in the middle section and workbooks/manuals in the outer pockets. I did not keep any pencils etc. in it due to the toddler. It was handy for our family! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nicole M Posted August 5, 2008 Author Share Posted August 5, 2008 We just use a shoebox. Oh, my goodness! I actually DID laugh out loud! I just use... a desk. In fact, get this: last week I spent a ridiculous number of hours cleaning out my desk, the desk I bought in 1986, used, for a whopping $20 and hadn't cleaned out since. I had stationery in there that my grandmother had given me in middle school - which, I know for a fact, was before some of y'all were born. I found love letters. I found "lost" immunization records. But now that all the junk is out of there, I can use the desk, and it has, you know, drawers, and doesn't seem to need an apprentice. :D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nicole M Posted August 5, 2008 Author Share Posted August 5, 2008 Last year, my desk apprentice sat on my kitchen floor near a wall, close to the table. I kept binders in the middle section and workbooks/manuals in the outer pockets. I did not keep any pencils etc. in it due to the toddler. It was handy for our family! Binders! Our binders seem to travel around a lot, and they don't sit nicely on a bookshelf, which aggravates me. Hmm. Now that's a reasonable use for that thing.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pink Fairy Posted August 5, 2008 Share Posted August 5, 2008 I just bought one last week. :001_smile: Will it become a repository for broken crayons and old worksheets? I don't know yet. But it IS big--VERY big, so I wouldn't be surprised if things get lost in there. I looked it over carefully before I decided to buy, so I knew in advance that it was huge. Fortunately, our schoolroom table (really four desks pushed together to form a giant workspace) accommodates the size just fine. School doesn't start for us until September, but this is what I have in it now: 4 clipboards (the kind that have a storage area) 4 dry erase boards pencils Math Shark game The large center section is still empty, but I plan on using it for some of my teacher's manuals. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pensguys Posted August 5, 2008 Share Posted August 5, 2008 You aren't alone. I don't see the appeal either. My kids each have pencil boxes for their small supplies that stay on our school shelves (or in my younger ds desk). If they need a binder that goes with whatever subject they are working on, they just get up and get it (the shelf is in our kitchen and older ds works there). If they need a workbook, it is either in younger ds' desk or on the shelf (for older ds). Maybe the fact that we're in two rooms that are real close to each other facilitates things for me so I don't need one? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LisaNY Posted August 5, 2008 Share Posted August 5, 2008 I use mine all the time. It is my right-hand helper. :001_smile: Pens, pencils, scissors, are at my disposal at all times. I use the outside compartments for my calendar, address/phone & lists (which I keep in page protectors), catalogs, envelopes, and more. The middle file section I use for current projects, pending projects, homeschool info, etc. The sliding compartment on top stores my paper clips and jump drives, which I use daily. I like it because it keeps the piles off my desk and it organizes the things I utilize every day in one convenient location. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thundersweet Posted August 5, 2008 Share Posted August 5, 2008 I would NEVER be able to use something like this. My kids would have it empty before the day was out. :lol: Of course, they are young, always finding use for my stuff. Sandy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PeterPan Posted August 5, 2008 Share Posted August 5, 2008 Well I got a desk apprentice for my desk (house, not school stuff), and it is great IF everything you are trying to store fits in it. Somehow my life overfilled it. But I think that's because we were working on building the house (2 boxes of catalogs, files and important papers) and because I have history planning junk everywhere. I would say if you DON'T have any filing drawers, it's a great investment. It gives you some filing space, some vertical storage, just a bit of everything. I guess it could work in the school room, but you'd need one per kid. Did you know you can just go to Staples and open the box and see one? They have a knock off version now I think also. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kailuamom Posted August 5, 2008 Share Posted August 5, 2008 What is the appeal here? Is there something wrong with me? Am I missing a critical homeschool mommy component? I simply don't understand. Do you kids have huge homes, big desks, where you can anchor that thing? Does it really help you stay organized? See, now, looking at pictures, I see mess. What do you keep in those things, girls? LOL I got freaked out that I was missing something. I was so intrigued that I even signed up for the Teacher Rewards at Staples. Then I went and looked at it at Staples today and realized...man! That is huge! lol Don't get me wrong, I could SERIOUSLY use the organization. And it looks really nice. I just don't have the space for it right now. And it is pricey at nearly $40. But, I, too, felt I was missing something by not having it. I will learn to live with my multitude of cans/pencil cases/rubbermaids. :001_smile: And yearn for the day I could be so organized. lol Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Parrothead Posted August 5, 2008 Share Posted August 5, 2008 I've got small plastic baskets. The DA looks like it would be difficult to keep up with for me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Melissa in SC Posted August 6, 2008 Share Posted August 6, 2008 I use it for all the curr. books we are using presently or even just for the week. NO crayons, markers, pencils etc. Just workbooks/curriculum (see siggy for what I use). My planners in binders wont fit in it b/c of the way I use it though. I LOVE IT! I am teaching 3 kids this yr so it has helped even more than in past yrs. It keeps everything organized and actually saves space in my opinion. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kalanamak Posted August 6, 2008 Share Posted August 6, 2008 I use it for all the curr. books we are using presently or even just for the week. I love mine. One side has my math books, the opposite has Phonics Pathways and Wise Guide. I have a zippered pencil bag with the SWR phonics cards tucked in there, too. In the center are my teachers guides (Miquon, Singapore), a couple of lap-sized white boards, and extra paper. I'm thinking of a hanging file for "need to get in a notebook but not right now stuff". I also have my thin binder with my attendance sheets, yearly, monthly and sometimes weekly goals in it. In the tray across the top is an eraser and a pencil sharpener and a deck of homemade numbers facts cards for playing go fish. On the other (thinner) sides I have my bio and hx spines along with thin spirals I've taken notes in. The pencil holders -- I have one with a magnifying glass, a small ruler, paper bookmarks, and a scissors in it. Another has a set of colored pencils including extra reds. A third has my pens, the fourth has my pointer and a highlighter or two. If I had a room for schooling, this would not be necessary. I'd have a shelf with books with plenty of uprights so that books were not constantly slumping over when I pulled the odd one out. I'd have a desk with a few drawers, etc. but since I'm just using a corner of the dining room for a tiny bookshelf, this DA and an oldfashioned 1st grade desk, the DA is part of my mental health. Since I have this on a low counter, kiddo can go get books without pulling other things off of a shelf. I also note that whenever I have people over, their eyes just light up. What is THAT? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rafiki Posted August 6, 2008 Share Posted August 6, 2008 . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rhonda in TX Posted August 6, 2008 Share Posted August 6, 2008 It holds all of their binders, books, and workbooks. The corner "pockets" hold pencils, ruler, colored pencils, scissors, etc. In the middle section I have larger books and 12 hanging file folders for the first 12 weeks of school. Those contain anything that doesn't fit in a binder - timeline figures, memory work pages, etc. I love that we can keep everything in one place. We work at the kitchen table and it makes it easy to clear the table at night. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HappyGrace Posted August 6, 2008 Share Posted August 6, 2008 Our school desk is a table and doesn't have drawers, so this keeps the tabletop from becoming cluttered, and I don't have to get up for my teacher's guides for corrections. My Desk Apprentice is one of my fave gifts from dh; even better than jewelry! In fact, he loves to give me jewelry, and I would always rather have something like this-LOL! (Although I do appreciate the jewelry, don't get me wrong....) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alaska Mom Posted August 6, 2008 Share Posted August 6, 2008 I never heard of a D.A. before! After looking it on-line.........that'd be a "clutter catcher" in my house, most likely would end up in my next garage sale. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SheilaZ Posted August 6, 2008 Share Posted August 6, 2008 I had one. I used in for my TM. That's all that would fit in it. I guess I have too much stuff. Now I have my own short bookcase and the boys have thier own cabinet. DH took my Desk Apprentice and uses it as a mobile office. Most of the time it is in his car. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nicole M Posted August 6, 2008 Author Share Posted August 6, 2008 Okay, now I'm starting to get it. Thank you. My house is so small, I don't have designated school space, and we do much of our work in the dining room. So I prefer to use furniture for storage, so that we don't feel like we're eating in a school room. To be blunt, the DA just isn't pretty enough for me. :D It took me years and years, but I finally figured out that really, the only thing that helps me to stay organized is to get rid of everything I don't use and to be realistic about what I will use. Another reason I can't get excited about the DA is that I know I would think that the tool itself would get me organized, but the truth is, keeping good habits is the only "thing" that helps me to truly stay organized, kwim? I'm only speaking for me. I'm glad to know that this DA works for other folks, and that there is nothing wrong with me that I can't imagine it in my house. You people have no idea what kind of influence you have on me. I totally want to be like you big girl homeschool mommies. Oh, the peer pressure! Thank you for giving me permission to not get one. Now the Circa binder? Check. I'm all over that. Mike's? Check. Bamboo cutting board because abbeyej has one? Check, again! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JeannineW Posted August 6, 2008 Share Posted August 6, 2008 the Teacher Rewards at Staples. Really??? How do I sign up? I'm going there tomorrow to pick up my newly coil bound WWE. I can't wait. Where is the Desk Apprentice? I couldn't find it. Is it with all the other desk organizers? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Maverick Posted August 6, 2008 Share Posted August 6, 2008 Circa binder--yikes! I just checked that out. This is what I've been missing by hanging out on the high school board. :001_smile: I'm definitely going to have to add that to my wish list. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nicole M Posted August 6, 2008 Author Share Posted August 6, 2008 Circa binder--yikes! I just checked that out. This is what I've been missing by hanging out on the high school board. :001_smile: I'm definitely going to have to add that to my wish list. No kidding! If you check the thread where Karenciavo announced that she'd posted about this do-hickey on her blog, at the end of that thread, someone posted a link to a knock-off. I couldn't tell whether it was less expensive, the same item, or what, because I didn't investigate fully (I'd already made my impulse purchase at Levenger, so I really did. not. want. to. know. -- that it was cheaper). But there might still be time for you to save yourself. Oops, I mean, save money. :001_smile: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HappyGrace Posted August 6, 2008 Share Posted August 6, 2008 I had thankfully missed any prior mention of this until now! What a COOL notebook alternative! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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