Family, Faith, and Fridays: 34 Weeks of Clean 2019! 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!

You can also use this week to catch up, just saying! ;) Scrapbooks, anyone?

For background in case you are new here- we have been homeschooling our four kiddos for the past 21 years. The two oldest have since graduated from college and the next is a senior in college. I am down to two boys in case you are counting. 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. 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 all this have to do with cleaning and organizing?

Have you SEEN the curriculum that is involved with homeschooling? Not to mention the supplies!

Each shelf holds two grades. "Extras" we have are currently on the floor in front.

Yes, I have always had a tote for every year, and then one for foreign languages and art. In our new home I have an extra closet so I have ditched the totes and put it all on shelves. Makes it easier to get to for sure! There also used to be a rolling cart full of manipulatives, flash cards, and games, but I have since taken that down to one small basket. I know, can you believe it?! Since I am schooling our last and my daughters have assured me they will buy their own stuff eventually to school future grandchildren, I am not hanging on to tons of curriculum!

This year's reading and some "extra" history curriculum.

Then there is this-

Supplies we use daily.

Yes, my school room is also my dining room and we keep current curriculum in the hutch drawers. Don't judge. It's just what works best for us at this stage in our life with one child schooling.

Now, keep in mind, I have homeschooled four kids, have done so for 21 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 school room- just the dining room. With no school room, I keep a bookshelf in the boys loft with all of our other educational books- ranging from readalouds to history and science reference books. They are easily accessed and Colby can often be found sitting in front of it looking through them. It's his own private little library.

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, as I assume many of you are doing as well. 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

Baseboards

Furniture

Ceiling Fans

Rugs/floors

Vacuum

Now's your chance to try out a fresh furniture arrangement and maybe some new decorations! I have seen some of your schoolrooms- wow! Beautiful!

Have your kids write their goals for the school year on poster paper and hang it up for a visual reminder.

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.

These are currently our supplies other than what is in Colby's drawer. Seriously, I was so done with stuff I got rid of most of it. You can only use but so much stuff and I do not want to collect just for the sake of having it! I bought a total of TWO notebooks this year (cost me .99), and one pack of pencils. No joke! It was freeing. My best advice- if you really do not meed anything, STAY AWAY FROM THE SALES AND TARGET AND WALMART for a few weeks.

I am not even kidding guys...it will suck you in and the excitement (or frenzy) will take over and you will come out with stuff you DO NOT need.

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!

If you have already begun teaching, happy 2019-2020 School Year! May it be the BEST one yet!

Blessings,

Intro Week
Week 1- Holiday Decorations
Week 2-The Pantry
Week 3-Kitchen Cabinets and Drawers