• 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.

1. Flash cards. That’s a no-brainer, right?
2. Matching games.
3. Making puzzles.
4. Making 3-D objects.
5. writing out lesson plans.
6. collecting ideas for a paper or a book. they can be shuffled in any order until you are happy
7. Phonics: putting parts of words on cards to match up together.
8. Mental math. Put answers on cards and scatter on the floor. Read problem aloud and when they solve it they pounce on the right answer.
9. Life size board game. Put directions on index cards and create a path through the house. Use big dice and the kids become the playing pieces, following the directions on the cards.
10. For preschoolers: pictures on the cards help them communicate their feelings. They can point to the face that matches how they feel.
11. Use them like soccer warnings. They get cards as discipline. Green, then yellow, then red. You can assign discipline as your family sees necessary.
12. Create a flip book.
13. Write chores to check off.
14. Cut a slit in the end and wind stray ribbon on it. The slit holds the end of the ribbon.
15. Keep a grocery list in your pocket.
16. Lay several out and draw a road on them. Now your boy has a portable road he can assemble anywhere he goes.
17. Make bookmarks for a friend.
18. Recipes. Put one on the quick bread you give to a friend.
19. punch holes and they become lace up cards.
20. Keep a card file organized by month. Use it for birthdays, seasonal chores and other monthly duties.
21. Use them as little canvases for mini fridge art.
22. Make a countdown calendar. Number and decorate the cards and put them in order. Fold one card to make an easel and lean the cards on it. Each day the kids can move the card to the back and see how many days are left.
23. Make a speech. Practice it and then give the speech in front of friends and family.
24. Write or draw your clothes on the cards–Bottoms, tops. Mix and match to create new fashions from your same old clothes.
25. Write your memory work on the cards so you can put them in your pocket for memory work on the fly.

What’s your idea?

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.

A collection is important, at least for the moment. Kids have a strong connection to certain collections of things. They can evoke emotion even years later. Encourage your child to collect something that speaks to them. And if you really want to connect with your child, get excited about their collection too. Ask questions, help with research, offer to help. It’s an informal way to connect with your child, especially boys, who can shy away from “sit and talk” conversations. They are also easy choices when Gramma calls to ask what your kid wants for a birthday gift.

What do you do when your child’s collection has outgrown the shoebox? Give up a shelf in your home for more public display. This can validate your child’s passions and let them know you value what’s important to them. You can also clear space in their room for display. If their collection is going to be more long term (or valuable), like baseball cards or stamps, it pays to learn how to best store and display a collection like that.

Collections for younger kids can be a no-brainer for school activities. Counting, sorting, categorizing, maintaining and pricing can all be sneaky ways your kids can learn without it seeming like another school lesson. You can have them write about their collections, learn where their collections are produced or used, do art projects about them and older kids can do research papers on themes and objects. Teach them to save their money to add to their collection or to buy a container for it. Use collections as object lessons. And who knows but that their interest will turn into a lifelong passion or even a career.

When the excitement has passed and they have moved on to the next collection, don’t just toss it. Make a memory of it. Take photos and/or video of them with their possessions. Have them write how they feel about it. If you can, store away their favorite few items from the collection and start a new collection of all their collections. They will thank you when  they are grown and can look back on a box full of wonderful memories.

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.