Starting back in September, both Ethan and Ainsley have been in school which means, book bags, folders, calendars, and important papers. It took me a few months to figure out a good system, but I finally set up an area to corral it all!
This area is right by our back door and it is the perfect spot for all of their school gear.
At the very top is what we call “Pom Pom Land”. Basically, it is our disciplinary/reward system. The rules are posted (we have left #5 open until we come up with another rule:). Each kid has a clear jar labeled with their names. Next to that is the large jar filled with colored pom poms. Do something good? Get a pom pom in your jar. Do something wrong? Pom poms get removed from your jar. Fill your jar and you get some candy or another treat! Easy!
Does it always work? Of course not, but it sure does help!
Below “Pom Pom Land” is where we have put all their school stuff.
I found two clear hanging folders at Staples and then I put dry erase labels on the fronts. Each kid gets their own folder (yes, Ethan’s says “Number King” because he insists that we call him that, lol) The folders are great for storing library books that need to be returned, flash cards, and anything else from school that needs to be kept readily available.
Below the folders are two cork board tiles, which I believe I purchased from Target. Again, each kid has their own cork board and these are used to keep the weekly/monthly calendars, permission slips, or Scholastic Book orders. Basically, anything that needs to be taken care of soon gets pinned up here.
Finally, below the cork boards is a hook rack we installed to hang their book bags up. Each kid knows to hang their bags up here when we return from school.
There you have it! Easy organization to keep school papers at bay.
(luckily we only have 2 kids or this entire system would have to be put elsewhere, hahah!)
I will be returning later this week to share tips on organizing toys. I get asked all the time how we keep our toys organized and I finally got around to taking pictures!!!
Hayley
Hayley Crouse is a wife, mother and multifaceted designer. Her love of sewing, crafting, cooking and interior design infuses her daily life and naturally spills over into her online presence. She pushes the envelope of her creativity and hopes that others will be inspired to do the same. She currently authors the Welcome to the Mouse House Blog, is the pattern designer behind Mouse House Creations and is a collaborative designer with Willow & Co. Patterns.
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Any tips for what to do with the bundles of artwork and such that come home????
Heather, I have been using an iPhone all called ArtKive. I then pick a different family member each week to send out the artwork, and school work to, saving only a few really sentimental pieces. I have received really positive feedback from the family and many have written back via regular mail. It’s a fun project too.
Great system. I’m still trying to figure our one that works in our house and I only have 1 in school. 🙂