Does anyone lock up their curriculum?

[mia78]

I am thrilled that we were able to get the Calvert curriculum and those boxes of curriculum are so alluring to the girls (7 and 8) and my toddler. I plan on participating in the exchange program. I admit that my children aren't the best at keeping their books in decent condition. I'm afraid that they'll do stuff to them when we're not doing school since they are in love with reading any new things that come in the house. I was wondering if any other parents have kids like mine and lock up their books? If so, what do you use?

[Sahamamama]

Some of our resources are not exactly locked up, but I do put certain notebooks and resources on the highest bookshelves, out of reach of little hands (we have twin toddlers). I think it does make sense to preserve/reserve/conserve some resources for only (a) certain students and/or (b) certain times of day/activities. For example, my oldest daughter has art supplies, but these are not a free-for-all kind of thing around here, mostly because of the little sisters (choking hazards, and all that). As the girls get older, more will be "loosened," but for now I think it's just good common sense to keep some things out of reach. Your girls are older, but you know them well enough to know that they might commandeer your school supplies! Hide what you want to keep for school time, or it might not be there when you need it! :001_smile:

[CalicoKat]

I am thrilled that we were able to get the Calvert curriculum and those boxes of curriculum are so alluring to the girls (7 and 8) and my toddler. I plan on participating in the exchange program. I admit that my children aren't the best at keeping their books in decent condition. I'm afraid that they'll do stuff to them when we're not doing school since they are in love with reading any new things that come in the house. I was wondering if any other parents have kids like mine and lock up their books? If so, what do you use?

YUP!!!! It's behind locked doors. If I don't lock up that room with all the school stuff they get into it, play with it, and generally wreck it. There is a basket of stuff I put out for them that's OK to play with -- but heck, they're not interested in that. They much prefer to fill in the blanks in their workbooks with any old answer and to scribble numbers in their Math books. I even have one dd who circles all the words she can read in our ReadAlouds. And then she scribbles out the words she doesn't know. . . . hmmmmm, makes it rather difficult to read when it's time for the others to listen along.

 

My take is that they need to learn how to use things properly. Plus it's all so expensive that if it gets wrecked school's wrecked.

[Mommyof4ks]

Some things are put up high, but for the most part I can leave their materials out for them to use, books and such. My biggest problem there is with my DD8 reading say the whole Apologia text book in a couple of weeks leaving no new material for the rest of the year lol. All manipulatives get put away or they will disappear. They don't usually mess with them much outside of school time unless they are bored on a rain day or something.

 

You know your kids, and these materials are expensive so do what you have to in order to keep them neat.

[taraxacum5]

Totally- I lock up curriculum not in use. I actually have two metal cabinets I purchased at Office Depot and put together myself. One is for school related curriculum, the other is more for arts and craft items. I have 5 children age 10 and younger- if I don't lock up these items, they get destroyed or lost. I need to keep these items organized and available. We have many bookshelves filled with books, paper, and pencils through out the house. That is very important- so the children have access to reading and writing materials in abundance, at their leisure. The primary curriculum, however, is behind lock and key. Oh- each of the kids does have their own box of books (like textbooks) and notebooks that they use daily, and that is not locked up. This system works well for us.

[mamaof2andtwins]

I keep curriculum that is not currently in use in a special cabinet. The children don't go in there unless they need somthing.

 

Jennie

[Holly IN]

I did when the kids were younger. However I was locking them up to keep my MIL away from them. She babysat for me alot when the kids were younger. The oldest boy was very asthmatic so I had numerous dr's visits. The first time she watched my kids she got my books out and had my other kids work in them. (THEY WERE NOT CONSUMABLE!!) gggggrrrrr!!! I can't sell those books. I paid alot of money for them. So I cried...and locked everything up. Now I do not do that because the kids know which ones they can write in and what they can't write in.

 

Holly

[JudoMom]

Totally- I lock up curriculum not in use. I actually have two metal cabinets I purchased at Office Depot and put together myself. One is for school related curriculum, the other is more for arts and craft items. I have 5 children age 10 and younger- if I don't lock up these items, they get destroyed or lost. I need to keep these items organized and available. We have many bookshelves filled with books, paper, and pencils through out the house. That is very important- so the children .

 

:iagree:

 

Our school stuff is kept in a stand-alone pantry I bought from target with a child lock on the handles.

[mia78]

Thanks for the responses. CalicoKat, you described my dds to a tee! Its nice to know that my kids aren't the only ones that love to tear into stuff. I admit that I think with our other curriculum, I wasn't as stringent about keeping them in tip top shape since a lot of it was used or consumable, but now with all those shiny new books, I was getting nervous.

 

I'll check into the metal cabinet thing. I REALLY wanted us to move into a 4br so we could have a dedicated classroom, but it just didn't work out. I was wondering what alternatives there were for kids like this.

[CalicoKat]

Thanks for the responses. CalicoKat, you described my dds to a tee! Its nice to know that my kids aren't the only ones that love to tear into stuff. I admit that I think with our other curriculum, I wasn't as stringent about keeping them in tip top shape since a lot of it was used or consumable, but now with all those shiny new books, I was getting nervous.

 

I'll check into the metal cabinet thing. I REALLY wanted us to move into a 4br so we could have a dedicated classroom, but it just didn't work out. I was wondering what alternatives there were for kids like this.

That was the main motivatation for our move this summer. A dedicated classroom. It works. At least it did until they fashioned their own keys to unlock the doors. toothpicks, screw drivers, weeds, . . . .pretty much anything they can get to work. But it does slow them down. Homeschool education here includes picking locks.

[FO4UR]

I keep a locked cabinet for HS stuff. Ours is full of art stuff, math mainpulatives (b/c THOSE are fun to pick up thrown all over the house:glare:), and yes, quite a few books;)...oh, and markers of all kinds. For some reason my dc like to use the dry erase markers for decorating my kitchen cabinets and the sharpies for drawing on the dry erase board.:glare:

[chanda7]

I have to put away the read-alouds we are going to cover for school. Otherwise, DD has little interest in reading them (she knows what happens).

[Snickerdoodle]

I try to keep manipulatives put away because my children are so creative they can find a million and one uses for anything. They have plenty of toys and other junk to be creative with, you know, they don't need to use the fraction chips or the cuisinaire rods etc.

 

Back to the million and one uses, when we got the Christmas tree the other day my son's (7.5 yo) eyes lit up while sizing up the tree and he said, "OOOOOhhhhhhh, my playmobile man is going to have fun and adventures in that tree." Maybe I don't need to decorate the tree after all.