More on Organization

I was asked about how I use the Ikea magazine holders for organization. So, I thought I'd add more detailed pictures to show how I use them.

The labels do not all match (which drives me a little bit crazy). The colored bee labels were from my classroom. One of these days I will get around to making new all matching labels. Basically I've organized my books in a way that makes sense to me, typically by topic. I spent way too many years in the classroom looking for a specific book and having no idea where it was, even though I knew I had it. 

 The middle shelves do not fit the magazine holders. Here I have various Bibles and random books. At the end is my bowl of rocks. Little E and Little K used to visit me everyday at work during lunch and Little E would always collect rocks for me. At some point I saw on Facebook something about treasuring the rocks and sticks and things your children give you, because it's the only gift they can give you, so I've never been able to get rid of these rocks. I plan to do something more creative and decorative with them eventually.  I also have my extra magazine holders here, because I keep changing it up. Once I feel like it's "final" I will probably put them away.

 Curriculum specific books are mostly here on the bottom.

 I'm determined to collect all the American Girl books. I also have more curriculum books here.

 Here are my Moncure letter books, a set of "Help Me Be Good" books, and my ECC books, along with some flashcards in a tub. On the next shelf is Tag books, alphabet books, community helpers, math flashcards, Handwriting Without Tears letter pieces, play-doh toys, and a boxed set of grammar books.

 On the bottom I have Bob Books, "If You.." books, and storage containers with various items. I also have my All About Spelling box here.

 On the top I have things that I don't want the kids to be able to reach, or there just wasn't room anywhere else for.

 This Chicka Chicka Boom Boom tree was another thrift store find that I LOVE! Sadly, it's missing some of the letters :(

To summarize, I organized in a way that made sense to me so I could find what I wanted easily. I also tried to make everything fit. I have de-cluttered A LOT in order to fit everything. I had 8 years and almost 2 classrooms full of stuff to go through!

Tour of Our Classroom

I thought I would give a tour of our classroom before we officially start our adventure in My Father's World Exploring Countries and Cultures and My Father's World Kindergarten. Our classroom is really my dining room which is open to the kitchen and open to the living room.

Here it is! I love my space! I believe nothing in this room, with the exception of the bookcases and table, was bought new. I love to thrift shop and find deals. Keep scrolling to see details.

 This is my Lakeshore place value pocket chart. I picked it up brand new at a thrift store. The pocket chart holder is actually a clothes drying rack, that I also picked up brand new at a thrift store ($10!).

 I also picked up this handy-dandy continent map that I again, picked up at a thrift store. We will probably use this on the floor, but I needed somewhere to keep it out of the way.

 And underneath is a regular pocket chart that Little E likes to arrange her flashcards on.

 Then we have the bookshelves! These were bought at Wal-Mart for about $25 each. My super sweet husband picked them up and put them together for me. The magazine holders are from Ikea (Wait! I bought those new!)

 Next up is my calendar. I LOVE this Lakeshore calendar, and I super love it because I got it for less than $5 at a thrift store. I printed out "Kids Around the World" calendar pieces and laminated them to go along with our ECC unit. You can print them for free here.

 This is my Ikea Trofast that I found at Kid to Kid (a children's consignment shop). It stores all of my preschool/toddler items, such as board books, puzzles, headphones, and games. On top I have a filing unit (what are those called?) and a Lakeshore storage unit, which is actually supposed to be a listening center, but I found it at a thrift store, empty, and thought it would make perfect storage. It's $70 if you buy it new, which is a little much in my opinion for storage. It holds our ECC binders, my teacher binder, laminating paper, and other misc. items.

 In the black 3 drawer storage unit I have My Father's World Kindergarten recommended books in the top drawer, and other fun picture books in the bottom 2 drawers. I do not have these on the bookshelves because I want Little E and Little K to be able to access them freely without me worrying about them getting put back in the right place. On top is a small 3 drawer storage unit which holds pencils, highlighters, etc. On the far right side there is portable filing units. I have one for MFW Kinder, one for ECC, and one that I don't have a use for yet, but I'm sure as the year goes on, I will, and if not, out it goes!

 My boards look crooked here, but they aren't. The whiteboard has a big stain on it, but it was free, so I'm not complaining. Eventually I will replace it. The bulletin board will be used to hold our memory verse for the week, and a MFW Kindergarten poster for the week that can be found on this awesome blog. The numbers flashcards in the pocket chart a few pictures up are also on this page.

 Here is my cute little math storage center. I found the Lakeshore storage unit at, you guessed it, a thrift store! The little cash register was also found at a thrift store and quickly became a favorite. All my math manipulatives are stored here so I don't need to go digging for them when needed.

Last but not least, the Ikea Mammut table and chairs that I found at Kid to Kid. The perfect spot for Little E and Little K to work and play!

Brady Bunch Homeschool-Coming in August!

We are getting set to start homeschooling in August. Can't wait!