Writing Center in a Bag

I love the idea of writing centers and having writing materials accessible at all times for children. I even created a bird-themed writing center recently and saw how much my children enjoyed it. I needed however, a portable option too. Once again, my Thirty-One organizing tote came to my rescue!

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I just have my portable writing center stocked with the basics so far, but I am thrilled that I still have room to add additional supplies when needed.

We have customized our portable writing center to work with our WriteShop writing curriculum.

 

One component of the WriteShop program (which can also be purchased separately) are grammar file-folders. There are 10 different grammar files that become reference guides when completed.

Once again, I added a clear, open file box which can be purchased either on Amazon or at The Container Store.

The clear file box provided the perfect place to store our grammar file-folders, colored paper, notebook paper and other specialty papers for writing.

StoryBuilders are writing prompts that get kids writing. There are four different downloadable themes available and can be used for multiple age-levels. StoryBuilder cards provide students with the basic elements of a story—character, character trait, setting, and plot. Each element card is a different color. I placed ours in an index-card size accordion file.

 

The accordion file fits perfectly in the front pocket. Now my kids can easily find and use the StoryBuilder cards.

All the pockets are on the outside of the tote. This makes it so easy to see and locate items! One pocket holds all the Post-It notes. Since this side mesh pocket stretches, it is easy to grab these little pads of paper.

The opposite side mesh pocket holds a pencil box filled with pencils, a pair of scissors, highlighters, a dry-erase marker and a glue stick.

I even have a couple empty pockets! One will house a mini-stapler once I buy it, and the others will probably get to hold new markers. This writing center also contains a small dry-erase board, a 3-hole punch, a thesaurus, a clipboard, a writer's reference book and 2 writing journals. I still need to find our small dictionary and add it to the bag.

I am loving that this writing center is easy to store and is portable. My kids work in various places in the house, so now they can easily move their writing center and have all the materials in one place. Once the weather gets nice, they can even do their writing outside.

I think I could use a couple more of these totes! You can see how I used one to organize our reading curriculum, and I love how Jolanthe uses it as her teaching tote. There is still time to win one for yourself! Check out the Thirty-One Giveaway post for details.

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Organizing with a Bag

This year I've had a hard time keeping up with school curriculum, lesson plans, and materials for my 6 children. I love organizing things, but for some reason I could not get certain subjects and their materials under control. Then my mom got an organizing tote from Thirty-One Gifts and my organizational wheels started turning. I wanted to take it from her, but she likes to carry her water kefir back and forth to work in her tote, so I had to get my own. (There is a way for you to get your hands on one too! Read the whole post)

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Yes, I did get this bag to match my All About Reading Curriculum! ;) I decided to use my organizing tote for my 5yr.old's language arts curriculum. Everything I need to teach her is in this tote. She even knows its her tote, so when it is her turn, she'll bring it with her. Sometimes we have our lessons on the kitchen table, other times in the homeschool room and occasionally-- in the living room on the floor.

 

This is what the tote looks like when it first arrived (well, minus the pencil case I forgot to take out.) You don't have to use it for curriculum. The options are endless. I however, needed curriculum organizational help.

I purchased a clear, open top file box to slip into my 31 bag. You can find these on Amazon or at The Container Store.

The file box fit my curriculum perfectly. The problem was that it wasn't very easy to carry around and there was no room left for any pencils, pens, markers, etc.

But the file box paired with the 31 tote was a perfect match! Kind of like Oreos and milk-- a perfect combination :)

 

I love that all the pockets are on the outside! There are 3 pockets on the front, 2 on the side, and 2 on the back. So many places to tuck things in!

We've have everything we need for the lesson right at our fingertips.

My daughter's tote contains her All About Reading teacher's manual, student book, word cards, and 3 books. I also have her handwriting and another workbook she likes to use. In addition, I have file folders set up for sight-word practice. In these files are sight-word printables (a combination of You Can Read and Ready to Read) and sight-word cards. No longer do I start a lesson and have to get up and go find the other part! I love that both my boxed curriculum and my pieced-together curriculum can exist peacefully in the same tote.

Mary Beth, a Thirty-One consultant, is giving one of you a $25 gift certificate to shop in the Thirty One catalog with her! You can get your own organizing tote--or something else if you'd like! If something catches your eye in the catalog or if you have a question, feel free to contact Mary Beth directly.

Once again I am using Rafflecopter to organize this giveaway. If you are reading this in a reader, you will have to click over to the site to see the widget. There is only one mandatory entry, but lots of additional ways to enter too! (Please read the terms before entering)

• See my complete giveaway rules
• No purchase necessary.
• All giveaways are void where prohibited.
• Open only to U.S. Residents, age 18 and older.
• Winners are chosen randomly, by Rafflecopter.
• Unless otherwise stated, winners have 72 hours from the close of the giveaway to claim their prize. If the prize is not claimed within 72 hours, an alternate winner will be selected.

a Rafflecopter giveaway


Disclosure: I was provided Thirty-One organizing totes for review purposes only. Opinions are my own. I've owned several Thirty-One products and love them. There are also affiliate links in this post. Thank you in advance for supporting this site.

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Open-Ended Crafts

One thing I have been working on is having craft supplies accessible yet contained (so the baby can’t get them). After reading Playful Learning, I was inspired and challenged to do a better job at having art supplies accessible.

Of course since I do have young children I have to have the materials contained (i.e. not in a center), but I have found that using plastic shoe boxes with the snap-top handle that swings up and down to close (how’s that for a description!) are easy enough for my preschooler to open but hard enough for my 11 mo. to pry open.  I’ve been leaving a couple of the supply boxes on a shelf (that way not everything is accessible at the same time—I am still controlling it a bit) that my preschooler can reach. I didn’t even say anything about them and the next day I found Mr. Smiley sitting on the table.

This made me smile. Right after that my 3yr. old came along with her pair of scissors and cut it all up. Ahh, the nature of crafts in my house. It’s the process that counts—right? :)

How do you store your craft supplies? Do you have a set-up that allows open-ended craft creating? I’d love to see some ideas, as I’m still tweaking how I’d like this to work in my house.

If you are interested in learning about creating Playful Spaces in your home, you might check out Playful Learning’s e-course. I’m looking forward to gleaning lots of good ideas from the class.

Our Family Routines

Routines. You would think that once we got them down-pat we wouldn’t have to work on them again. At our house, we are always working on sticking with our routines and schedules. Our routines change with each season, with each new activity added to the schedule, and with each new child that was added to the family. What worked one month ago might not work right now. My goal is to make sure my kids are in the routine of following a routine. :) Here’s our set-up for this year:

Daily Meeting—aka Breakfast

Melt in Your Mouth Muffins

Our day starts so much better when we all eat breakfast together. Since I have a captive audience, I go over our job chart, any school-related  items not on their daily school schedule, and Bible.

This is my view at breakfast. I purposely created this “command central” wall this year. It helps me remember what’s going on, who has to do what, and what I need to do first. It might not be the prettiest kitchen decor, but I needed something that was functional. The black organizer was purchased from Hobby Lobby on clearance, the 2 clipboards I’ve had forever, and I moved one of our dry erase boards from the school room into the kitchen.

See the cute cards in the middle? I just added those today! We’ll be going over a virtue each week during breakfast. I’ll be posting more about We Choose Virtues very soon!

The Chore Chart

We’ve tried many different types of chore charts over the years. We had good success with Accountable Kids until the 4th kid entered the mix and my older kids got older. I thought I had a good web-based chore chart system, but after using it for several moths, I realized it just doesn’t work for our family. We tried chore lists where each child was responsible for a specific job, but the kids got burnt out on their jobs fast. In addition, certain kids weren’t learning how to do specific jobs because those jobs weren’t on their list. Finally I remembered a simple chore chart Smockity Frocks posted.  I was desperate for something to work this year, so I made our own circle chart version (see her post for step-by-step directions.) I figured if it worked for her big family, then maybe it would work for mine.

My outer plate is divided into 4 main sections which are sub-divided into three job segments. I color-coded the job segments- blue section, purple section, green section, and red section. I did this to make it easier to see which jobs each person had to accomplish, and I also created detailed chart (below) that listed more details about the job.

The inner plate has my name plus my three older kids’ names (Someone  moved the circle before I took this picture so everything is not lining up perfectly.) Then I added a tiny circle with my 2 preschoolers’ names. The preschoolers get two big helpers to help them. The big helpers make sure the little girls do their morning routines each day. The little girls also get to help the big helpers with some age-appropriate tasks (i.e. folding wash clothes, help with setting table etc.)

On the kitchen door I wrote out the job expectations for each chore. This picture shows what the “green” person is in charge of for the week. I have each color’s job listed on cards so that my kids have no excuse for not knowing what I expect. This also helps break up the job into manageable steps for the week.

I color-coded my kids this year, so each child has a specific color book pocket. The white index cards are “infraction cards” aka “home blessing” cards aka extra jobs. The kids have figured out various ways of earning these :) The stop-light color sticks are for my little girls. We are working on a few specific things with them so if they are on task, the green stick stays in front. If they get a warning, the yellow is in front, and if are warned again, the red stick is in front, which means there will be some sort of consequence. Right now loosing iPad time is a good incentive. The purple sticks are reward sticks. I place them in the pocket and they can be redeemed for extra privileges.

We’ve been using this chore-chart system for 3-weeks now and it is working great. The kids like that they only have to endure their jobs for a week and then they get switched. It is easy to keep track of who has to do what, and each child can easily see what is expected of them.

Do you have a family chore chart? What have you found  works best for you?

Part 1: Do Toddlers and Well-Ordered Days Mix?

Do Toddlers and Well-Ordered Days Mix?

Having toddlers and well-ordered days might seem at times like mixing oil and water -- an impossible task. Oh sometimes if you stir hard enough it appears like the oil is mixing in with the water, but when you stop, the oil naturally separates to the top. Having toddlers can be that way too.  Little children can create chaos on top of a well-intentioned, well-ordered day. But does it have to be such a struggle? Is it really an impossible feat?

I can't remember a time in my married life when I haven't had young children. I have my older set, 13yr. old daughter, 11 yr. old son, and 9 year old daughter. Then I have my younger set, 4.5 yr. old daughter, 3 year old daughter and 10mo. old daughter (yes, that’s not a current picture—I’m working on that—lol.) I’ve learned a few things over the years and have come to appreciate and love being a mom of toddlers.

Being a mom of a toddler means we must...

"Absorb the chaos, create calm, and provide hope"
 Dr. Eugene B. Habecker @ Christian Leadership Alliance

I first heard this quote from a Christian referee. He talked about how his job in the middle of  possible volatile sport interactions was not to join the chaos, but to dissipate it, make peace with both sides, and provide a resolution. I think this quote is a good job- description for mothers of young children too.

Absorb the chaos.

 
I’ve been told many times, “Oh, you must have your hands full,” or “Just wait until the terrible 2’s hit.” In our society, toddlers are expected to be chaos-makers. They are known to mess up our routine, our idea of a clean house, our quiet-time. I believe though, when God spoke the world into being, He took chaos and created order. Since  little children are created in His image, I know the “chaos” label is not an inherent character quality.

As moms, when our young child has a melt-down, creates huge messes – create chaos – we must absorb it, not join in or make it worse. How could we make the situation worse? Well, if you are like me, when my child decides to explore her surroundings, practice opening and closing lids and then dumps a whole container of flour all over herself and the floor, my natural tendency is to speak harshly and be highly annoyed. This  doesn’t make the situation calm when I react like that. It usually makes it worse. I’ve found that I cannot absorb chaos in my own strength. I’m constantly asking God for help---that He’d help me see the root cause of what’s going on with my child and how to best help him/her. I’m learning with His help to react calmly and even treasure some of these memorable challenges. I try to identify (if possible) the reason for the chaos:

1. Was the chaos caused by lack of sleep?
2. Was the chaos caused by what was eaten? (i.e. too much sugar, allergic reaction)
3. Was the chaos a cry for attention?
4. Was the chaos just their way of trying to be independent?
5. Was the chaos deliberate – an act of disobedience?
6. Was the chaos a way to cope with feelings of being overwhelmed or afraid?
7. Was the chaos because I neglected to do what needed to be done that day? (i.e. stick to the schedule, get off the computer, play with my child etc.)

When I have an idea why my child might have acted/reacted the way they did, I can work on ways to help both of us have better success at a well-ordered day. Of course, there are still those times where I say to myself, “What were you thinking!”  :)

Create calm.

I am not a very strict scheduler. You might say that I tend to go with the flow of the rhythm of our day more often than following the clock. One way to help create calm for my toddlers is to establish daily routines. Young children like to know what to expect. Least you think I’m some sort of super mom, I’ll let you in on a secret--- I struggle with keeping schedules. I’m a mom of young kids which requires me to be flexible.  I finally embraced the fact that for me, time schedules don’t work at this stage of my life. Instead, I focus on developing routines—which in return end up functioning like a general schedule.  Click to see my family’s chore chart and routine, but here’s the basic flow to the first part of my toddlers’ day:

1. Wake up.
- Get dressed.
- Make bed.

2. All eat breakfast together.
- Family Bible time.

3. Help with morning chores.

4. Do some educational activities w/ Mom

5. Free-play (Specific choices of activities and toys are available. This is not a free-for-all.)

6. Lunch

When we follow our routines, my toddlers are more likely to have a good day. When I find that I’m lax on implementing them, I’ve increased the likelihood of chaos occurring.

Provide hope.

My kids are a blessing. I want my young children to know they are not a hindrance, a pain, or something to deal with until they get older. They have value now. How I relate to them is going to have an effect on how they view their Heavenly Father. I want to take this precious time in their life when they have such a love of learning to instill the reason of  hope in their lives--- Jesus. So what I’ve learned is that a well-ordered day with a toddler is possible, but it usually has little to do with my toddler and everything to do with me.

 
Check out what these other fabulous bloggers have to say about Well-Ordered Days:

Jimmie's Collage- Meal Planning for Well Ordered Days
Raising Arrows- How You Spend Your Time Matters
Somewhat Crunchy- Chores 'Round Here - The Teen Schedule
A Slob Comes Clean- Creating a Schedule for the New Normal
Finding Joy- The Flexible Schedule. It's Possible.
Spell Outloud- Do Toddlers and Well-Ordered Days Mix?
Weird, Unsocialized Homeschoolers- Scheduling Time with Your Husband
Many Little Blessings- Finding time for Creative Endeavors
Catholic Icing- Creating A Schedule Your Family Can Thrive On!
Get Along Home- How I Stopped Dithering and Learned to Love the Schedule

If you have a scheduling post feel free to link up!

About Playful Learning

As I have been contemplating what our homeschool should look this year, I’ve been thinking about how to include more playful learning experiences and spaces in our day. The person who introduced me to this concept was Mariah Bruehl of Playful Learning. She recently  published Playful Learning: Developing Your Child’s Sense of Joy and Wonder and was kind enough to answer a couple of questions about Playful Learning. This is part 1 of 2 --- be sure to check back tomorrow for a giveaway tied in with Playful Learning. :)

1. What is Playful Learning?

Playful Learning is the magic that takes place when we meld a child's natural curiosity about the world with thoughtfully prepared environments and experiences. Through guided experiences that are introduced as children's interests arise, parents and teachers can help to nurture the natural sense of joy and wonder that comes from having good questions and learning how to effectively seek out and find the answers. When this takes place, we no longer need to delineate between work and play. To children the work feels like play and to parents and teachers they can witness firsthand that a child's play leads to valuable work and learning.

2. Describe "thoughtful spaces" for children to a parent or teacher who is interested in implementing them.

I think it is inspiring to look at the spaces we create for the children in our lives with a fresh perspective. When designing a space for children, it is helpful to think about the characteristics that you as an adult would like. Often grown-ups create spaces for children with pre-conceived ideas of what children like, rather than considering basic elements of a useful and practical space.

Here are some important things to keep in mind when designing spaces that inspire playful learning:

·     Can your child access the materials she needs independently? Are they organized in baskets/ bins that are clearly labeled so that your child knows how and where to put things away when she is finished?

·     Are the materials high quality and presented in an attractive manner that “invites” your child to use them?

·     Do the materials, toys, and games that you have out represent a balance between your child’s and your own preferences. Do they represent what you value and encourage your child to engage in activities that you feel good about?

·     What is your child currently interested in? If your child no longer uses his dinosaurs, but has been talking a lot about birds, make sure that his play space reflects his current passions. Rotating toys is a great way to keep your child interested in his play space activities and ultimately prolongs the life of his playthings. It never ceases to amaze me how excited the girls get about a toy that comes back into rotation. The nostalgia they feel towards a toy they have not seen in awhile is almost better than if it was a brand new toy.

·     Is it a calming environment that allows one to focus on the task at hand without distracting colors, decorations, or objects?

·     Are you seeing things from your child’s perspective? Literally put yourself in your child’s shoes to determine the right height for displaying and storing materials as well as hanging art.

·      Is this a space that makes you want to make art, explore science, write stories, and so on? If so, would you have everything you need to do what you want to do? What else could you add to enrich and deepen your experience?

3. Why do you believe it is important for parents to create these thoughtful spaces in their homes/classrooms? 

A well-prepared environment can result in many hours of self-guided, independent, creative, and productive time for your children. Although it takes some thought and preparation, the results can be life changing for both you and your child.

Stay Tuned for Part 2 and an awesome giveaway !

A Work in Progress: Homeschool Room Organization

Doesn’t this homeschool room look so neat and organized? Yes, it looked this clean for about 2 hours –lol! Last year I had a problem figuring out how to organize our homeschool room. I wrote several posts about how overwhelming it was to figure out how to incorporate everything I needed and make the room function. The photo above was the end result. For the most part it worked well this past year!

This is still one of my favorite organizing tools from last year. It is a magnetic knife holder from IKEA. I would put all the sharper scissors toward the top and the kid scissors at the bottom. All my kids (for the most part) put scissors away! Yeah!

I tell you, I love my Expedit bookshelf from IKEA! Seriously, this wall unit holds so much! On some of the shelves I added the white split-lid boxes from Target to hold craft supplies. On top I purchased bins from Sterilite. I made tags and used a dry-erase marker to write what was in the bins. This worked so well---in fact, I have another Expedit bookshelf on my wish-list.

In-Progress Part:

If you would peek behind that blue couch right now, you’d find this mess. Yep. A mess. Each basket/bag has either curriculum to be planned for this year, curriculum to be put away from last year and other odds and ends. I really have no clue where to put this all—hence my wishing for another Expedit unit. :)

I had high hopes of using this bookshelf for my toddler/preschooler. We hardly used it at all because the floor-length curtain behind it in the picture were usually covering it up. I have moved this unit out in the hall and am reworking the toddler/preschool area. I’m not sure exactly what I’m doing yet.

I turned one of the walls in the hallway into a giant chalkboard. The girls love it (quote from Sally Clarkson.) I’ll post more of my hallway-turned preschool/toddler area once it is finished.

I have quite a bit of work on my hands trying to turn my chaos into completed projects—but it’s not nearly as bad as last year. :)  My biggest problem is where to store works in progress. For instance, where do I put things I’ve printed out but need to be laminated and cut? Or where do I put curriculum that I’m in the process of planning? Right now I have them stored in bags or crates but have no shelf space. I could use some ideas in this area.

You Might Also Like:

My Craft Stash Organization
Preschool Planning: The Art of Winging- It

Education Cube Organization

Since becoming a member of Education Cubes and getting my blocks, I have been busy printing out inserts!  Of course, after printing several sets, I ran into the problem of what to do with them while using a different set.  Here’s my solution:

I had an old zip-cd case holder that I wasn’t using anymore. It stores the inserts nicely and the case fits perfectly on my shelf.  I can easily flip through the pages to see what I have. Works for me! :)

Right now Jenn is offering a special members price of $10 (normal price is $12.) This is a one-time fee and gives you access to everything she creates for the cubes! If you want to try to win a membership, head on over to Confessions of a Homeschooler

Related Post:
Education Cubes: Color Match Game

Homeschool Room is Finally Finished!

Just a few months ago I had this big mess on my hands with no plan. It was discouraging. I had to merge everything from my office and homeschooling supplies all into one room. I didn't know how it was going to get done. (See Homeschoolers with Messy Rooms Unite)

After praying for a plan, browsing the internet looking at other homeschool rooms, things started to fall into place. (Progress with the Homeschool Room)

And here's the final version! Now that the space is functional, all I have to do is finish getting the lesson plans ready. My younger girls have already started to do Tot School and some Preschool stuff. They are loving having their own area!

 You can see more pictures by clicking above.

For more homeschool room inspiration check out the blog hop at Mama to 3 Blessings.