Do you have a homeschool cart like this:

[3 ladybugs]

http://www.amazon.com/Seville-Classics-10-Drawer-Organizer-Multi/dp/B008O0LKLG/ref=pd_bxgy_201_2?ie=UTF8&refRID=1MAE8H15PVJ5TSPA5SZZ

 

Does it work for you? Are you able to plan ahead a bit easier and have your children work more independently? 

 

Right now we have binders and I either need to build another shelf (story of a homeschooler, never enough shelving!) or get something like this. 

 

If you don't have something like this but use something else, please share what works for you. I am thinking my youngest is going to be needing more mommy time in another year or so for schooling (seriously this kid is growing up WAY too fast!). So something that could help my older son with his tasks would be nice! 

 

Thank you!

[Slache]

I have one of those. It's smaller than the description says because the bottom of the drawers are smaller than the top of the drawers. It's lightweight, flimsy, and will not hold binders. We use it for art supplies, math manipulatives, and puzzles. It's perfect for that. If you put anything heavy in them the drawers sort of fall out of place.

[3 ladybugs]

Hmm... Glad I am asking. I guess I need the heavy duty cousin. :)

[Dramorellis]

Yes we have almost exactly that cart except for ours has 2 sides with 12 drawers total. One side is for my 4th grader and the other for my 1st grader. The top box is for their morning folder and daily morning work (spelling cards review, cursive, math drills) and the rest I rotate what's in them. I fill the boxes at night or even when I'm being lazy and I know we will basically be doing the same thing, I just move the order around. I try to stagger them so when I need to do math with one, the other's box is something independent. It's tucked away in a corner so it's not intrusive and it provides a quick way to clean up and put everything away. They can go to their boxes in the morning and see what they need to accomplish for the day. I have numbers on velcro stuck to the front and they move them over as they complete each box. It works because they know what is going on that day and what they need to get done as well as keeping the momentum going when I am with someone else. They aren't waiting around for me to tell them what to do next if I am busy. They just go to the next box or if they are outpacing me I can say, "Go ahead and skip to your 4th box then until i'm available." When my daughter was younger, her side was filled with busy box type stuff, games and books. The books worked well because then making sure she got her time with me to just sit and read was worked into our day. Also paints and crafting things were all ready to go in the box so I didn't have to stop in the middle of helping my son to get her things.

[silver]

I tried using them as workboxes, but like a previous poster, I had issues with the drawers falling out if they were loaded too heavy. I use them now for loose supplies. I have a drawer with small magnet boards and the AAS letter tiles. If we need to use them, we pull the whole drawer out and bring it to the school table. We have one with c-rods and we can take the whole drawer out for doing math. I keep books on the shelf. Anything that's not in a bound book is in a clipboard case (each child has their own case and I put the printouts for the week in there). At the end of each week, I file away completed work in their binder for the year and print out the work needed for the following week.

 

For keeping my kids on task, I have a laminated schedule for both of them. On it I have everything they may ever need to do listed with a blank checkbox next to it. The list is separated into group work, work with mom, and individual work. Each morning I mark the boxes for the day's work using a wet erase marker. Once a task is done, they can erase it with a small cut up damp sponge we keep at the school table. If I'm working with one of my kids, the other child knows they can look at their schedule to figure out what they are able to do on their own. They know where to find the books or print outs they need for any assignment. I used to use a baseball card holder with printed out cards for each subject, but I like the laminated sheet better.

Edited December 16, 2015 by silver

[almondbutterandjelly]

Yes, I have one, but it's for me :)  I store pencils and notepads in it, plus books for literature and whatnot I'll be needing throughout the year. 

 

My dd has a locker.  We bought it at Sam's and then spray painted it the color of her choice (aqua and white zebra stripes).  That's where she stores her stuff.

[Ms.Ivy]

I have the cart you linked to, and I hate it.  The drawers can't hold anything heavy.  They fall out of their tracks all the time, and the frame loosens itself frequently.  If it's something you're planning on using every day, I would recommend against it.  

[MerryAtHope]

Not that one, but my kids did use a different drawer-system for workboxes. It was great for organizing their materials! (In fact, we still have all of the drawers and have repurposed the ones my dd is no longer using for other things. My son is using his boxes for college.)

 

For my materials, I use a Teacher Box for things I'll use daily (answer keys, teacher's guides), a binder for my daily schedule, recording grades, and yearly plans, and a bookshelf for all of our other books for the year (things we only use as references, books that my kids will read but haven't gotten to yet, etc...) The teacher box and binder are right where I sit to check work, and the shelf is a few feet away. 

[3 ladybugs]

http://www.ikea.com/us/en/catalog/products/40107872/#/10251045

 

Maybe this would be better?

[rwilk]

Amazon tells me I have the exact cart you listed OP.  We use it daily, and it's great for organizing things.  We keep books separate generally, and use it to store things like RightStart game materials, manipulatives for math, some workbook-y things, tactile cards, art supplies, and Logic of English game cards.  DD can take out and put things back independently, and keep all of her things organized.  

 

We haven't had a problem with it falling apart.  I think the drawers are supposed to hold 10 lbs or so, and as long as we keep it reasonable, it works great for us.

[LMD]

Yes, mine only has 5 drawers. Each school child has one drawer, I fill it each evening with the books/papers they'll need for the next day. We also have a basket on top with their spiral notebooks (daily list) and current assigned novels.

It works well but they do get full and messy!

 

Eta. I use the bottom drawer as my teacher drawer, where I keep teacher's editions, flashcards etc. We currently have an extra drawer which is generally used for either art or science stuff, depending on what I have planned. It can also be for extra puzzles/activities for my k'er.

Edited December 17, 2015 by LMD

[HS Mom in NC]

No.  I use the 36 week file folder system and did for each kid back when I was homeschooling 3. There are lots of old threads on how people organize their year.

[FO4UR]

I have that cart, and I use it for my toddler.  It holds puzzles & educational toys & coloring books & busy activities.

 

 

I bought mine form Aldi.  It's fairly sturdy, but I don't think I'd use them for workboxes for the big kids.  They keep a big binder with divider tabs, and they each have their own desk space with their things there.

[ForeverFamily]

No, I have one of these for each of my kids...

 

http://www.staples.com/Staples-6-Drawer-Mobile-Organizer-116862-/product_809574

 

They have been pretty durable. I don't do a true workbox system, but I store each subject in different drawers so all their books are easy to find and have a home to go back to.

 

ETA: Not sure if the drawers are large enough to hold binders, but the have held our books just fine.

Edited December 17, 2015 by ForeverFamily

[laughing lioness]

No- we have a library cart that we built from the Ana White site. super love it.

[Slache]

It holds puzzles & educational toys & coloring books & busy activities.

Reported.

[Holly]

We have a large plastic storage rack (like you'd use for storage in the garage).  I have several plastic dish tubs (from the household section at Walmart).  Each tub holds one subject for our kids: history/geography, LA, science, Bible, fine arts, etc.  We can just grab the tub and go.  I also keep frequently used supplies in the tubs (pens in LA, color pencils in science, a Bible for each child in the Bible tub, etc.).   I keep many of our math manipulatives or frequently used educational games on the top shelf.  Last year, each child had their own tub since we worked more one-on-one, but this year I've gone back to working by subject, so we've rearranged the set-up to reflect those changes.  A few year ago we had those inexpensive, nylon storage baskets holding materials on a bookcase, which I admit looked much nicer, but the tubs hold more (and we are no longer HSing in the dining room, so I care more about functionality than it looking pretty).   :lol:    

Edited December 17, 2015 by Holly

[Jess4879]

We have so many heavy, thick books that we ended up going with crates instead.  Each kiddo has their own crate and then we have a "group" crate.  They take up floor space, but I have them pushed against the wall and it's not bad at all.  I always intended to build a cute little cushion topper for them so we can use them as seats, but I've never quite gotten around to it. 

 

We also have a checklist for things the kids are expected to do solo each day.  This is something new we started this year and so far it's been working well. 

[school17777]

Yes, I used it for middle daughter. She used one subject per drawer. It was helpful keeping her organized.

 

If you have a bit more money to spend, I recommend getting a storage system from Ikea because they are sturdier and you could still do color coding with the drawers:

 

http://www.ikea.com/us/en/catalog/categories/series/19027/

[Dmmetler]

I have larger plastic drawers, one for each subject. They're not wheeled, but work well for keeping all the stuff together. We didn't buy them, though-DH's company was changing buildings, and they weren't going to have a dedicated Tech support staff on site any more, so they didn't need them for parts. So DD's Latin drawer is also labeled "metric screws".

[RKWAcademy]

I have a similar one from Michael's.  I like it for my purposes but it wouldn't be sturdy enough for very heavy items.  The drawers tend to get out of their track on occasion.  However, it's the best I've found for us.  It's narrow and small enough to fit where I need it and it holds two first graders worth of work.  All other non-everyday stuff and manipulatives go in an Alex 6 drawer unit from IKEA.  It, too, can have problems with too much weight, but it holds much more than the little plastic cart.  And it's more attractive.

 

The reason I added the little cart was because, at one time, I had the IKEA drawers behind me and it was hurting my (surgically fused) neck to turn around so far.  I was able to pull the cart closer so I only turn 90 degrees (basically).  So, I would not have bought the little cart for any other reason. 

[mmasc]

I have those exact ones, I believe. I bought mine at Sam's Club about 3 years ago. I bought 3, which is one for each child. I intended to use them with the 'work box' method. It did not really work out that way for us. We do still use them to hold various things, though. Like others have said, a check list works well for moving us through our subjects. The carts only help for storage. I also agree with PPs that they do not hold binders well. I like them for art supplies, notebooks, writing utensils, and other stuff. :)