Warning this post is not suitable for perfect homemakers with perfect kids. The images you are about to see may be disturbing to most moms.
Welcome to our unfinished basement. Our basement that has been once, twice... now three times organized and has taken on different purposes (see post here). Our basement that used to be a home to some of our friends (see post here ) as they were saving money for an apartment. With them lived two cats... cats that later I discovered I am BIG time allergic to. Leaving me unable to venture down into my basement the whole nine months of my pregnancy for possibility of a horrible Asthma attack. After our friends moved out I decided to turn the basement into a playroom. Brilliant idea... except all this happened days after finding out I was expecting and then realizing I could not go down there. So as I said, I had not been down there in a long while but, obviously someone was going down into the basement... because this is NOT how I left it.
I put my mom detective skills to use and I found those responsible for this messy situation.
Their sentence... two days of clean up and a lecture first from mom and then from dad. They said they were really sorry for what they had done. Even the part when they ripped apart a Styrofoam cooler into tiny, tiny little pieces. You can see evidence of that in photo one and two.
I love plastic bis! I have toys sorted by kind or by what is fun to pair together in play. I came up with this system many years ago and it works really well. It helps a child play with a toy the way intended as well as keep them from getting overwhelmed by so many toys all at once. Also trading out the bins is like Christmas all over again. I used Word and printed out labels using different fonts. I then used packing tape to attach the labels I made with printer paper. The tape completely covers the paper keeping it protected.
I now store the bins behind a gate to remind the kids of our house rule. One toy out at a time. To get a new bin of toys everything must be cleaned up first.
A tidy play space helps encourage imagination! Not to mention keeps a child out of trouble with the authorities!
The bedroom we had our classroom in is now being transformed into just that, a bedroom. My next best location, the family room. I had my reservations with having a classroom in the main part of the house, but with a baby on the way, it seems to be the best place for it. School can keep going on even while baby has a need for me to attend to. Here is the beginning of our new classroom as we know it. I still have a few details to attend to, but for now it is working out just great.
It is so wonderful having a chalk board!
The kids love drawing on it! I love that they also use it to practice what they learned that day in school. From math problems to handwriting, a chalk board is a great tool!I placed a stool at the chalkboard for the extra "short" students in our family.
Another great tool is the framed burlap board (pictured to the right of the chalk board) to display flannel board pieces.
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Underneath my apple cabinet (pictured there next to the large computer cabinet) I have a Finished Work Box. My kids love getting to stamp their pages for a job well done before placing their completed work in the box.
Here is a look inside my classroom closet. On the wall I used picture hanging wire to display art work. The pages are hung using clothespins.
The closet not only stores all my supplies, it serves as a learning center as well.
The Dry Erase board is a tool I use. From a list of the day's plans, the weeks Bible verse, vocabulary words, to quick thoughts... I love it! Anything I write on the chalk board most likely will be colored over or erased by one of my sweet darlings. This Dry Erase board is safe from little hands!
To save on space, I store my books in plastic bins. I select books each week and place them in a separate basket for easy access for my kids.
The basket is also easy for the kids to place books back where they belong.
Another very loved tool in our classroom is our easel! I placed a child size chair in front of it and my kids love standing or sitting while they draw. Whether we are doing school or the kids are just enjoying the classroom, having a place where learning and creativity never ends is fabulous!
Family room meet classroom is working out MARVELOUS! I truly think this is our best location yet!
Here is a closet that finally was refreshed with a coat of paint. Such a simple thing but it really made a big difference. .
This is the closet in the kids bathroom. A bathroom used by four soon to be five kids! I knew I had to come up with some sort of order for whose towel is whose, without spending a ton in monogramming. I just needed to be creative with what I already had.
So I reduced the amount of towels for the kiddos to two or three towels a person. I assigned a different towel color to each child. Then I made hanging color coded labels for easy reference of whose towel is whose. Easy even for daddy to keep things running smooth.
For now, again using what I already had available, I put labels on bins for simple easy, no excuse here is where "this" item goes organization. I even started a bin for the new baby to hold all those little things baby needs, like nail clippers, lotion etc. Eventually I will replace the bins with something a little more attractive, but for now it gets the job done.
I have found a start toward better organization is better than waiting until things are exactly, perfectly how I picture and hope them to be.
Once again using Word I made a double sided tag and then sealed it with contact paper. Using ribbon I already had and hooks I had from a picture hanging kit, I hung the tags. I drilled small holes into the shelf and then twisted the hook into place.
My girls just love getting into all their hair bows to do their dolls hair. The result has been missing bows and a drawer destroyed of any organization by little hands. I chose to hang their bows inside the closet. I used a mug hook left over from our Personalized Chore Charts (click here). I drilled a small hole into the wall, stuck the mug hook through the top of a ribbon and then twisted the hook into the wall.
So far my system is working great! No more wondering who forgot to hang up their towel and finger pointing from one child to another of who to culprit was.
