34 Weeks of Clean! Week 28- The School Room

Welcome back to 34 Weeks of Clean!  This week is for all you homeschoolers out there.  If you are not a homeschooler, I invite you to stick around anyway- you can always just laugh at the mania. Trust me, there is plenty of it!

For background in case you are new here- we have been homeschooling our four kiddos for the past 17 years.  I began teaching my oldest when she turned four, giving myself some breathing room in case it did not go well.  I decided if it was a failure of a year, I could still put her right into public kindergarten and not bat an eye.  Well, the year was not one of our best but we decided to stick it out and have not looked back once.  Well, we did question our sanity a time or two, and I have threatened to send them to the worst public school I could find, but that was mainly in our first few years.  I have since asked for forgiveness. ;)

So, what does this all have to do with cleaning and organizing?

Have you SEEN the curriculum that is involved with homeschooling?  No to mention the supplies!

Yes, that is a tote for every year, one for foreign languages and art and then a rolling cart full of manipulatives, flash cards, and games.

Then there is this mess-

Before

Yes, those are two more cabinets stuffed with "extras," review products we have used, reference books, and various supplies.  All of our science supplies are stacked at the top.

Now, keep in mind, I school four kids, have done so for 17 years, and own a lot of curriculum.  Ok, probably too much!  Also, keep in mind that I am not currently operating out of a dedicated homeschool room- just a dining room table and one small cabinet I keep close by with our current books on it.  Since I do not have tons of extra space to display all the wonderful books, I finally gave in, divided them into grades, and gave them each a tote.  This was done over a period of time, hence the non-matching crates. Each crate was then labeled and put in the basement.

But I knew there was still work to be done.  As always, at the end of the year things begin to collect in stacks and don't make it to their intended spots.  New curriculum also comes in and I need to weed out old things that are not being used.  I am schooling my last child in 3rd grade this year so I am trying to pare down each year he finishes and only keep what I know my girls would really want to use.  I also am blessed to get new things occasionally and am able to move out some older things that way.  I will be doing three weeks of school posts in August, one of which will include used curriculum for sale!  Be on the look out!

We are currently operating on a summer school schedule, but it is just a matter of time before we get back to full time schooling.  In preparation, here we go!

This week's assignment is to clean up and clear out the school room!

That is going to look differently for many of us but here are some things to think about-

• If you have a dedicated school room, now is a good time to do a deep clean.  Pull as much as you can out and CLEAN!

               Windows, blinds and curtains

               Furniture

               Ceiling Fans

               Rugs

               Vacuum

• Now's your chance to try out a fresh furniture arrangement and maybe some new decorations!  Have your kids write their goals for the school year on poster paper and hang it up for a visual reminder. Print out Kemi's cute artwork and add it to your door or wall!

• Regardless of where you school- go through the books!  If you are going to use it, put it back on the shelf.  If not, sell it, donate it, or trash it.  Do not hang on to things you do not need!

• Go through all of the random papers!  If you like to keep children's work, I would encourage you to limit to it one file per child.  If there are things you just can't move out, take a picture of it first and then toss it.  I promise you, you are more sentimental than most of your kids and they will not miss it.  A few prized things from each grade are enough!

• Keep extra school supplies in one place.  This will help you know what you already have when the back-to-school sales start soon.  Yes, it is great to pick up supplies at rock bottom prices, but no, no one needs 100 spiral notebooks.  

After

You can do this.  Trust me, when the start of your school year rolls around you will be glad that this task is already done!

Kemi from Homemaking Organized is back this week with several great FREE printables for you! One is a cute sign for your school room and a few to help you with your school planning!  Be sure to leave her a thank you! ;)

How'd you do with your clothes storage last week?  Come on - show us how you did!  We would love to celebrate your progress.  Don't forget, for every link or picture left on our Family, Faith and Fridays Facebook page, your name gets put into the drawing for our 34 Weeks of Clean Prize Basket!

An InLinkz Link-up

See you back next week for a new assignment and next month on the 3rd, 17th, and 31st for our back to school series!

Week 27- Clothes Storage

Week 29- The Office (Paperwork and Bills)


Linking up with friends-

Blessings,