• 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.

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.

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.