School Cubbies

Since it has been several months since a reader requested an explanation of our school cubbies, I figured it was time to post it, since we are starting school tomorrow.

The Framework- I purchased these unfinished wooden “shelves” at A.C. Moore about a year ago. I either waited until they were on sale or used a coupon to keep the cost around $20 each. Because I have six kids I decided to buy four of the shelves. They come in various heights, but I thought this was best for our family. I stained all but one of the shelves (ran out of time). This was kind of a pain, but they handle a great bit of wear and tear with a coat of the stain/varnish combo.

What they hold- All of our school books and papers for entire year. Almost every cubby is labeled so putting things away is easier. Each child has their own cubby to store school work and books.

In the beginning of the year we have several shelves labeled “future books.” These are books that we will be using this year, but not right now. As the time passes we will turn our “future book” shelves into “completed work” shelves.

There are some books that more than one child uses for school – These books are put in cubbies, labeled “resources”. Common books on these shelves are science, history and bible.

All of our blank paper is kept in one spot- There is one cubby that only stores paper. We have blank paper, printer paper, card stock, lined paper, handwriting paper, and stationary. I also have a large folder of scrap paper. This paper comes from old worksheets and other printed items that we don’t need anymore. There is a limit on how much paper they can use in a day, but that is for another post.

The bins on top of the cubbies hold more resources- One bin is filled with flash cards (all kinds) and the other bin holds math manipulatives. This makes finding small items a snap. The large bin in the middle is “Mom’s bin.” It is one of the few things that didn’t get organized this summer so I am not quite sure what is in it, but usually it holds rulers, sharp objects, stickers, and other items I don’t want my little ones to find.

Purchasing these divided cubbies was one of the best things I have done to organize our homeschool. The kids are responsible for keeping their cubbies organized. Since setting these up we have lost fewer papers, spent less time looking for books, and when evaluation time rolls around finding our completed work is a snap. School cubbies work for us, what works for you? Visit Rocks in My Dryer for more WFMW.