Back to (Home) School 2011 – Week 3, School Rooms

If you’re panicking because your school room/area/stuff is SOOO NOT READY for this post, well stop!

Mine isn’t either!! *mini freak-out* And when you add to that the fact that I’m currently without camera.. that means I won’t be having any pictures either. Ahem.

But it’s okay, it’s all good, I promise! If you’re also like me and still have at least  a month before the start of school, there’s plenty of time. If you don’t have that much time (well there’s always weekends after school starts, right?) Or maybe, have a teacher workday and get the kids to pitch in. Or better yet — have grandma watch them and work by yourself! That sounds like a plan. =)

In the meantime, for all of you “on the ball” folks, and the ones already underway using the school room for the new school year, now’s the time to link up your post and share what you love most about your school room, or area, or corner, or whatever you have. For the rest of us,.. well, share what ya got. ; )

Last year we actually HAD a school room. We moved everything out to the separate home office and took up residence in two corners of Hubby’s office room. I have to be honest. That was pretty cool. After our Christmas break, we moved into the living room, which is actually kinda new for us because before we were TECHNICALLY in the dining room. I’ve arranged our pink file crates that are stackable into a sort of square bookcase – one for each of us and holding all of our things. I’d love to take a picture of that for you, but that will just have to wait. On top of the pink ‘bookcase’ I have a square fabric “basket” and my new rotating file organizer and with the American Flag topping it all off we have a nice little school center going on. Our ‘center’ is next to the little desk, where I’ll be setting up a desktop for school and above that is the cork board and dry erase board. So everything is pretty central and close to everything else. It’s nice. Most of the school work is done on the couch and this arrangement has worked pretty well for us for the second half of the last school year.

Having said all that, I have a PRETTY BIG To Do list for all the school stuff before the year starts. And since it’s not picture ready and I couldn’t take a picture of it even if I wanted to, I’m just going to share my School Area To Do List instead. How’s that sound?

The Great Big List of Things To Do For The School Area Before School Starts In September

1. Clear, purge, file the remaining items on the pink ‘bookcase.’ – done!
2. Finish setting up the rotating organizer (mostly it just needs 36 labeled manila folders for each of the 36 school weeks.) – done!
3. As new books come in, make any necessary copies, file them away in the rotating organizer on top for the appropriate week and file the book in the appropriate pink shelf.
4. Create, prepare, set up any 3 ring binders or folders needed for the upcoming school year.
5. Paint the trim of the cork board black, move it over, add framed pics of the kids, the “house rules” etc, make a ‘collage’ wall for the school area. (I know, totally ‘necessary,’ but it’s on my list.) – done!
6. Set up the new desktop, install educational games. – done!
7. Prepare the science experiment box. (A file box with 9X11 envelopes for each experiment with directions and included necessary items except for large items such as mixing bowls and funnels.) done!
8. Print online e-freebies we’re going to be using, create and print 36 weekly writing assigment forms, history notebooking pages, and anything else we’ll be using during the year to file in the rotating organizer.
9. Inventory and stock up any school supplies we’re low on (utilizing these really great back to school sales!) – done!
10. Print new “workbox” labels for our tweaked backwards “workbox” system (that really needs its own post, coming soon to a blog near you.) – done!

How’s THAT for a doozy of a To Do list?! I’m prioritizing and just chugging away at what I can. And whatever gets done, gets done. And whatever doesn’t, will get done later. 😉

So about you? Is your school room/area ready? Are you already using it? What’s your favorite part or what you’re looking forward to most. Or maybe you’re like me and you’re still knee deep in projects and prep. What changes do you hope to make to your school area this year, or what’s on your own To Do list?? Go ahead, share!