Organizing Our Homeschool Supplies

After homeschooling for over 20 years, I have accumulated quite a few homeschooling books and supplies! Even though I only have one child left at home, these supplies take up a fair amount of space. Here are a few of the ways I’ve found to corral and organize books, curricula, art supplies, etc.

 

We’re fortunate to have a study/schoolroom where we keep most of our books and supplies. Emily usually prefers to actually work at the kitchen table where she has more room to spread out, but at least we have a space to keep items that are not in use. This is what our study holds.

First, something every homeschooler needs—bookshelves! I keep our books organized by subject. American history books are all on one shelf and world history are on another, lined up in chronological order. Another shelf holds assorted science books, world culture and geography books. I also have several shelves for picture books, Spanish books and curriculum, and Five in a Row books. (I collected most of the required books over the years and even though Emily has outgrown them, they will be kept for grandchildren.)

Textbooks that we have finished are given away or sold or are kept out of the way on a shelf in my bedroom closet.

Messier items like workbooks and binders are kept inside a cabinet.

Most of what Emily uses day to day is kept on this 10-drawer cart. We used to use this cart for our workbox system. Now we use it to separate subjects. Every subject has a drawer and the books for that subject are kept in the drawer.

Bulkier items like binders and larger textbooks live on top of the cart in this magazine organizer.

 

Although I also have file drawers that I keep worksheets and other papers in, I keep an easily accessible file box on a shelf.

Homemade and other compact games are kept in another box on a shelf and in an accordian file.

Art supplies like colored pencils and glue are kept at hand on a shelf right over Emily’s desk.

I love keeping flashcards on rings. These rings can easily be hung on a bulletin board.

Teacher’s guides, planners, and a basket with permanent markers reside on a shelf above my desk.

Years ago, when I was homeschooling my three older children, this kitchen buffet/hutch was where we kept our day to day supplies. Each child had a lower cabinet.

Now, those cabinets hold art supplies (clay, paints, pastels, art paper), science equipment, and all the supplies for our chemistry lab. Along with my cookbooks, the upper cabinets house art books, assorted books that don’t have a home elsewhere, and pens and pencils.  There is some degree of reason to the items kept here, since we use the kitchen for messier activities like art and science experiments.

I love to find new and better ways to corral my stuff, so organization projects happen frequently around here!