How do you organize your books?

[Kristen]

I just got my box with Bigger and a few LHFHG items yesterday! So excited to get things organized. I'm wondering about how others organize their books, specifically where do you store them and how do you get them out and back there every day? Sounds like a weird question, I know but here's what I find for myself....
I've done HOD before, but my two oldest were in one guide. This year I'll have my DD6 continuing LHFHG where we left off last year and DS8 (soon to be 9) starting Bigger. I found in the past that I would store the books in a bookshelf and when it's time to start, the kids would be at the kitchen table and I'd be running back and forth to the bookshelf to retrieve all the items, then put them back. I felt like a chicken with my head cut off. I also tried storing all their current books and supplies in a small, plastic bin for each of them that they can retrieve and bring to the table. Then I'm telling them which items to take out and put back. I always feel a little frazzled, there's always something to jump up for. Maybe it's just me. I'd like them to start getting more independent in taking care of their books, instead of me running back and forth. I know part of it is that I struggle with staying neat and organized so I try to keep up with it as we go. I'm also planning on putting together a bin of sorts for me, with the guides, pens, pencils, highlighter, etc. Maybe I should set up desks for them and keep all their things in their desk and I sit next to them? I do have a small school room, but my oldest is usually at the computer in there, although I just realized he won't be doing as much computer work, so the desk idea could work...I do like to do read-alouds on the couch too...Ugh!
What do you ladies do? Any suggestions?

[faroutback]

Oh, this is not a strange question at all. I have had the same thing about jumping up to get things and sometimes it seemed a big interruption to the flow of learning and teaching. So I began to look at what we were jumping up for and the supplies, like plain paper, linedpaper, colored pencils, scissors, answer books, etc. So I put a stash of paper in a folder and kept with my "books". Then we would get out the books we would need for the first half of the day and stack them all near the table, a separate basket would work well for each, I would read off for my youngest which books he would need as he was at shelf gathering them. By the end of the year he was checking the guide before gathering. While dc were getting their books I would gather mine, guides, answer books, paper folder and copies they would need for the day. We had one container for scissors, pencils and colored pencils that was easy to grab and put on the table. Last year, we had an empty crate sitting around while rearranging and older ds starting putting his books in this in the chair beside him to carry back to the shelf. This helped contain things and ended up encouraging him to flow from one independent subject to the next. As time progressed he began to just kind of put in his work, too, instead of putting it in the binders. Mess, mess. So this year we are trying the crate with hanging files, one per subject to hold the book, paper and copies he will need for that particular subject. Now he can "drop" his work in the crate and it still be organized (which is not as important to him yet compared to ease of use). We keep the books that will not be used until later on a shelf nearby so when they are needed I will not have to go hunt them. We made a small crate shelf near our table for younger ds' books and supplies he will be using first and those for later on the other shelf. The crate shelf also has room for our reference books ( dictionary, atlas, science, bibles (other translations) and wildlife guides), my books and a spot for tape, that pencil/scissor container, a binder hole punch(which we kept jumping up for) and the music player. Sorry to be so long winded, I get excited about organizing.

Also, I believe my3sons has some good posts on organizing the books including binders, shelf and basket ideas. I think they are posted on the particular guide forums. So you could check there. Have a blessed school year.

[faroutback]

One more thing, younger ds said to mention the crate seat. Those plastic crates have a lip around the top inside edge just enough to hold up a board. So after cutting a board to fit the opening, we covered it with padding on one side and wrapped fabric around to the bottom of the board and stapled it in place. Then fit the board in the opening and you have a storage seat. This could be used for books or toys and so on. You may be able to find better directions from a web search.

[Kristen]

Thanks faroutback for your reply! Oh, the binder hole punch....Yes! Always jumping up for that. I'm going to re-read your post and also check out the previous posts and folders for Bigger. I'm leaning toward using a bin for each with current work that we'll just bring to the table. I'll try to have all the notebooks and paper, etc. all set up as much as possible. I'm still working on reading with my DD6 so that will take a chunk of time where DS8 can work independently.
That's a neat idea about the padded seat on the crate! I'll have to look into that....
Thanks again and have a blessed year also!

[StephanieU]

Our organization is constantly changing it seems. Our school books have moved through three different places that I can think of. This year (right now) there are on a bookshelf similar to the Ikea Expedit with the almost 12x12 cubbies. On the top left cubby, I have my oldest's current Preparing things. On the top right, I put the current Beyond and LHTH things. Then, below those I have ClosetMaid fabric bins with the rest of the books for the year. There is room next to that to put a magazine organizer with the Preparing and DiTHOR guides (they didn't fit on the shelf above with all of the books and her binder) on the left and educational coloring books on the right. On the top of the bookshelves we have the basic school supplies (pencils, crayons, markers, paper in a bin, math manipulatives, etc).

Hopefully this will keep everything out of reach of the baby! If not, I will move things around again

[MomtoJGJE]

I have shelves where I keep all the books currently being used (as in, I get out roughly 6-8 units at a time of books... I keep the others in a storage box for books from guides we are using at the time. I have another storage container for guides/books not being used in the current year)

They each have a binder, and in the pockets of the binder I have white paper that I have already hole punched (just a stack of it... I have to get a new stack a couple of times a year, but that's not as hard as remembering to do it daily, or doing it after the fact), loose leaf paper, and science experiment pages that I've already hole punched. CTC and up already has the student notebooking pages in the binder.

As for gathering books daily, we generally do school very near that shelf for my younger ones (the ones not really able to read well). My middle ones (7-9 or so) bring me their guide and I tell them which books to gather. My older ones (CTC and up) pretty much do whatever they need to do to get everything done. My oldest would always gather every book she needed for the day, along with her binder, and take it up to the little kids' room. She wouldn't emerge until she was done. DD2 prefers to do one box at a time. She will put away what she's finished with and get the next book needed. She does her work all over the house and doesn't want to carry everything around with her.

I have magazine boxes that are supposed to help them keep up with pencils, etc. So far it hasn't worked and we've had them for about five years It seems that our most consistent way of everyone having all the pencils/crayons/scissors/erasers/whatever they need is to have everything dumped in one big bucket. We've done that since January and about 4 out of 5 days each one will have everything they need. Which is more than the maybe one day a week before.

The biggest thing that has helped though is having all the different types of paper they'll need already hole punched and in their binder.