Where Do I Put All My Homeschool Stuff?: Tip 1: Start with What you Have

What's this strange thing? Hmmm. Oh, of course - a spool cabinet. Once used to store different types of spools of thread in a general store, it also served as the checkout desk at several stores in southern Indiana near the turn of the last century. (The top opens up to hold receipts, a few of which came with the cabinet.)

But in our house this piece of furniture has a different purpose: toddler toy storage. During all those years we had little ones, I used these drawers for toys that were to be played with only during school time. Today, I still keep toddler toys here for visiting grandchildren and other small people.

Tip #1: Use What You Have

When considering where to store your homeschool materials, rather than first heading off to the nearest Stuff Mart to pickup more storage containers, spend time thoughtfully walking around your house. Probably you don't have any spare spool cabinets sitting around waiting to be turned into toddler school toy storage. But I'll bet you do have several other things which might be repurposed for your needs.

Our last house was about half the size of our present one, and when we left we had five children living in three bedrooms. (One was a former laundry room - so it was minuscule.) Where could I keep our growing body of educational materials? Ah ha! We had a weirdly deep closet off the living/dining area. It was perfect to hold educational games, science kits, and other cool things people seemed to be giving us so frequently.

Every home has unique places and items. Sometimes it just takes a fresh look to get a new idea about how to use what you already have!