Day 3: Organizing for School

I found this year that going from having one child in school to having two was a really difficult step. Even though my children are only in Kindergarten and 1st grade they come home with so many papers, homework, books, and all sorts of miscellaneous stuff. So I have to be very organized or I would go crazy. So today I would like to show you a few of the things that we do around here to stay organized and keep things in order for multiple school aged children.
The first important step is to have an action plan! I created a mini chore list for both children of what is expected of them each morning. I found this really cute idea on Pinterest (of coarse)! They can flip up each item after it is accomplished, they find it fun and it helps keep them focused.
                                                                                           
The next step is to have a “Base of Operations”! This is where I keep everything in order. The best place for this is where all the coming and going traffic happens. For us that is right in the kitchen and by the mud room. I turned a small wall in my kitchen into our “Base”. On this wall we have a calendar for keeping track of family activities and birthdays. We also have a file folder hanging on the wall for each child and a few extras. Here is what this may look like:
                                                                                                                
We also keep the lunch menu and daily activity lists for each child here.
                                                          
Here are the file folder, we use these to organize book orders, library books, and any other miscellaneous papers that come home for each child. It is also where we keep all contact information for the school and teachers.
                                                                            Filing system---------------->          <--------------------Contact information
                                                                                                   This way everything is in one place!
The other organization tip that I would like to share with you has to do with the mountains of papers that they come home with each day. I put items that have to be returned to school in their file folders and all the work sheets that they come home with I take a 3 ring punch to and stick them in a 3 ring binder. This way all these papers are not floating around my kitchen and they can look back throughout the year and see what they have accomplished! I have one binder for each child, for each grade.
                                                                                                                       
I hope these tips are helpful! I would love to hear your feedback, please leave a comment below! Have a great day! Bonnie
Look for me on Facebook too! From Nature to Nurture