• glue sticks
• stapler
• 3 hole punch
• reward stickers
• E-Z grader & red pen
• Dry Wipe markers, eraser & cleaner
• Sticky notes
• brads & paper clips
• tape
• hole reinforcements
• scissors
• small Bible

I also created a paper caddy with an accordion folder. In there I have all kinds of papers and handouts. It’s grab-and-go easy. These two little tools make homeschooling a little easier for us.

The premise is simple:

1. take a sheet of paper and fold in half.
2. Fill the pages with all sorts of interesting things.
3. Give it to your kids to read.

I made a little title that fit our family and set about filling it with jokes, extended family trivia, menus, weather, encouraging words and something exciting that was coming up for each of  the kids that we could all get excited about (or maybe an acknowledgement of some success).

They love to read it while they eat their breakfast. They feel grown up and they love to read about themselves and their family. It has opened up some great conversations too.

I don’t make one every day because I don’t have the time for that. I probably make one every week or so. It’s not fancy. I make one and copy it on the copier so there’s not a lot of color. It’s hand drawn with love and they never complain that it’s too homemade.

Why do it? It’s another way to connect with your kids. And my kids write for the paper too, so it strengthens their writing skills. And I can add “don’t forget” things, so they don’t get another nag session from me. They learn things about their extended family with my trivia and I feed their souls with poetry and their spirits with Scripture.

You’ll be surprised how much you cna fit into this little newspaper. If you make one, please take a picture and share the response in the comments below.

Why do I say a schedule is a tool? Because it gives you control of your time. Because it helps you. It helps you keep on task and lessens frustration. That’s one handy tool.

Why do I say it is powerful? Because it controls time. Well, your time anyway. It’s an amazing little tool with slots for all your tasks, big and small. A schedule seems to magically create time out of thin air, giving you time to create guilt free–time to think and explore and experiment.  And it can transform your day from chaos to calm and that is powerful.

Why do I say it is the most powerful? Because everything else rests on this. You don’t get enough rest without it. You don’t have all your supplies ready without it. You don’t have a clean workspace without it. You don’t have school without it.

A schedule is the single most important gift you can give your family. Maybe you call it a routine. Maybe yours is written or maybe it’s just in your head. However you do it, if you will commit to using a schedule you will see that your creative time is used more wisely, that you are more productive and less distracted when doing a creative project. Your materials and supplies will be ready. Your workspace will be ready. Your mind will be ready.

There are a thousand ways to do a schedule. Find one that worls for your family and try it out for 6 weeks and see if I’m not right. See if you aren’t more creative and less stressed.

photo courtesy the_toe_stubber

My friend Renae had a post the other day about saving art work and of course a quandary like that just gets my mind going. I have to write a post when I started a mental list of some potential ideas for you to consider. Keep in mind these are the keepers, the best stuff. You don’t have to keep it all, just keep the stuff worth saving and happily toss the rest when the kids aren’t looking.

• Laminate them. Punch holes in the corners and connect them with jump rings to make a curtain of art for a wall or a room divider or to cover a window.
• Laminate them to use as placemats.
• scan for use as a screensaver.
• Use them as wallpaper. Arrange them corner to corner like bricks and attach to the wall with sticky tack. When you want to change it up, just pull them down.
• Mount a piece on heavy cardboard with glue and cut into puzzle pieces. before you cut, make sure to scan it to make putting the puzzle back together a lot easier. Mail it to a relative or friend.
• Make a scrapbook. Google that if you need to know.
• Affix a weighted string to the ceiling and hang art on the string with clips or two magnets stuck together.
• Mail them to your relatives.
• Cut them up for collage or other projects.
• Recycle them. Use a different medium to add to it, trade pictures with siblings and add to the picture.
• Enter them in a contest.
• Use them as story book illustrations.
• Scan them and make T-shirts.
• Use them as story prompts.
• Trade art with another family. Take turns guessing the subject of the piece.
• Hold an art show. Display your art all over the house and invite friends and family. Serve simple snacks and have a short discussion on art appreciation or how to study a painting.
• Scan and print on fabric for use as pillows, quilt squares, tote bags or clothing.
• For 3-D things, take pictures of them. And for smaller things a high shelf or curio cabinet can be a nice place to showcase the best of the best.

1. I can be with my kids all day. They are  awesome people.
2. It helps me grow in the fruit of the Spirit.
3. I get to stimulate my brain and learn new things all the time.
4. My kids get tailor-made education.
5. We don’t have to get out in yucky weather.
6. I can make sure they are eating well. Who are they going to trade lunches with?…
7. I can be their main spiritual influence.
8. We get to talk throughout the day. I learn things about my kids I may never know otherwise.
9. Our lives are not rushed. We don’t overfill our life with stuff on top of a school day. Our schedule is more relaxed.
10. We have flexibility for appointments, field trips, family visits and such.

What are your reasons?

Creative types are long on ideas. We have them running out our ears. If ideas were green beans we would have bushels and pecks. I know I sometimes can’t help myself. If we pass an empty storefront, my family often plays a game of “what business would do well there.” If I hear a business owner struggling, I brainstorm ways to help them out of their pickle. If I hear a homeschool mom frustrated about an area, I tend to think up a dozen ways to help her out of her situation. We love to think of how we would spend a million dollars, how much good we could do for the world.

There is nothing wrong with these activities. They are not bad, in fact, they can be brain stretching exercises that can help me think in new ways. However, if the thoughts come and come and come, then it can become a problem.

We are not to be slaves to our thoughts. In fact, we are to take every thought captive (2 Cor. 10:5). Out thoughts are to serve us. Just because an idea comes to mind does not mean it should be acted upon. Every good idea is not a God idea. And it takes listening to the still small voice of the Holy Spirit to distinguish the difference.

I used to think that if an idea popped into my head I should do it, just because it was there. This is not Christian maturity. The mature Christian seeks God’s direction–the when, the how, the if. It seeks the mind of the Lord, not their own mind (Acts 22:14). If God gives the go-ahead–if it is His will as laid out in His Word–then I am free to pursue that idea (John 8:28). Otherwise I need to wait (1 Cor. 2:16, Is. 55:9).

What do I try to do now? I write down all the ideas that come into my head. Some are for me now, some are for others who cross my path, some are for me later, some go in the circular file. If I write it down then it gives me peace and that little idea is not rolling around untethered in my head. Also started this blog as a outlet for some of the crazy ideas I get. I talk to my husband too and he helps me as another filter. He is much less emotionally attached to an idea than I am and can help me work through it or let it go. These tools help me harness my creative energy so that it is working for me, not just causing chaos and disorder in my thought life.

We must sanctify our minds and think on things that are lovely and of good report. We must treat our thought life as holy ground. Don’t let just any weed come in and ruin the garden you have made. Keep your thoughts in order and your creativity will serve you well.

This is the cutest craft closet ever and it is filled with great ideas. Click on the picture to see the slide show at Better Homes & Gardens magazine. It’s worth the time to see how they thought of creative ways to use things like luggage tags and plate racks.

I happen to love the  color scheme. Wouldn’t it be wonderful to have a space so bright and cheery to do your homeschool lessons? It would be hard to tear me away. And maybe it would help me stay caught up on my paperwork too. But the color scheme can be anything you like. If your family enjoys ocean blues or neutrals or graphic black and white, the space will still work just as well.

Have you put thought into how your homeshool space is put together? Not just the color, but the function of the space, the seating, the storage? I must admit that my homeschool space is less than inspiring but this little craft closet has awakened me to see the potential of that space. What can my homeschool space become, to facilitate learning and creativity?

If you have any storage solutions, questions, tips or even pictures of your HS space, please leave a comment.  Maybe you could post a picture of your problem and we can all offer solutions.