As a teacher of 30 years, I think you need more shelving in the school room . If you don't want to see the books etc on the shelves, in my classroom I covered the shelves with fabric or even shower curtains to hide future units or stuff I didn't want the kids to touch . You can use velcro at the top to secure the fabrice so it is easy to get in books in and out. I also used this for games or items that went with my units. Have you though of grouping the desks in the middle together? Then you would have space around the room for shelving. The Rick Riordan novel is at a Grade 5 level so that might be great for a future read or a read aloud.
I love watching you go through your mental process. That’s what hooked me last year, was you using logic while accommodating emotions. You are a star at that! A couple of suggestions: it sounds like the kids are telling you that they like working at a table together. If that works for you, what if you lined up the desks in the middle of the school room and if you need to, you can pull them apart in many different ways, depending on what you are doing. In Feng Shui, one should not have a desk facing a wall or window. It makes a HUGE difference to be facing the door. Unconsciously, it makes people feel safer and for kids, it takes in to consideration their social nature. The second thing is...what if you put lessons into plastic bins by season (or whatever makes sense) and then you set a phone alarm (or put it on your paper calendar) to begin it at the appropriate time. That way, you can keep future lessons in an active storage state, rather than stagnant storage state. Think of a pantry. That is active storage (unless you just throw stuff in there), as is carefully curated holiday boxes. The are vibrant, not static, because they have been edited and have a specific purpose and time. ❤️
I was thinking the same about the desks. Having everything pushed up against the walls reminds me of an old decorating term, that your furniture is under arrest! I would put the the desks together two and two to form a square.
Books need to be on a shelf, the children won’t read them if they are in a box they cannot easily access. Perhaps a bookcase organised into age or categories
Hey lady - you’re doing great! Over the 10 plus years of homeschooling.... I have found that having a closet or closed cabinet for supplies/materials not currently in use is essential to keeping the visual clutter at bay.
When you homeschool, is there a distinction between for school books and for pleasure books? Like with the magic treehouse series, do they need to be in the homeschool room or could each kid have a bookcase in their room for the books they like to read outside of school time?
Good idea. This is what my son and daughter-in-law do with their five kids. They sit all around a circular table with individual desks around the periphery of the room.
You could put the tables in the center of the "classroom", so your kids would be closer and closer to you and maybe you all would use more the apropriate space to study...
Yes, or another big table, since it looks like the kids like that setting. Maybe using a book shelf and a supply closet in the same colour as the walls of the homeschooling room helps against the clutter feeling. I think that it's normal to have many books, considering the age difference and the literacy difference among your kids.
Yes! Great suggestion. I was going to suggest having a library out of site, maybe with a curtain covering it. Then a book bin per child of what they and mom chose for them for that week. Then they can have a separate library time when they select books. Reduces the visual noice and increases the attention on a more manageable selection. So impressed though with homeschooling mom's. I am a former classroom teacher.
First off take a giant deep breath and remember ALL the really hard decluttering you have powered through in the last year! Your are doing an AMAZING job! As a fellow minimal homeschooling momma I also struggle with all the things that come with homeschooling and loving books! I’ve just been taking a step back and analyze what we love and use and what I wanted us to love and use but done! Hang in there your doing such a great job! ❤️
It is just a reality that homeschooling requires a lot of stuff, especially for multiple children. I homeschooled my four. It is okay to have a lot of stuff for this endeavor! Please give yourself grace...You are doing awesome! I can't wait to see the video of your classroom!
I'd be tempted to put a round table in the middle of the school room. Keep the kids desks to the side for alone study but they can pull their chairs over for group study. It'll stop things leaking out into your dining room but there's no harm if things get left mid-activity as it won't encroach into your adult life. I'd keep all the study stuff container-ised by subject and loosely by age within the tub so when you come to draw up your next curriculum you can just pick out as needed. It almost looks like the kids find the home school room too overwhelming so they branch out to where it's calmer to enjoy their work/games. Edit: You could try putting the three desks together to save purchasing another table if you don't have something suitable already
I was also thinking a round table in the school room might be a nice addition. But only items that are currently being used can be kept on there (telling myself this more than anything because I would be tempted to make it a hot spot/dumping ground).
Why not trying the wood top, black leg table that is maybe holding man cave stuff in the basement, my motto is test it out! It is easier to steer a moving canoe! 🚣😄
I was thinking about a table in the middle too! I think your kiddos love being with each other while they’re learning, which is awesome, but it also might mean that they don’t want to work alone at their own little desks. I like the idea of them pulling their chairs up to the table in the middle of the room, and you could leave their specific curriculum on their own desks- making that their own little space where they can keep their school work when they’re not using it.
@@EricaLucasLoves Smart man. A decorating rule of thumb is no one wants to stare at a wall when at a desk. Your hubby made that clear in your bedroom a few vids back. (When there's no window and where there's room, most decorators will create enough clearance so that the chair backs against the wall and you stare into the room when sitting at the desk.)
Hey Erica, learning at the big table is probably more attractive to the kidlets because it’s very communal. With the desks the way they are currently the kids are looking at the wall rather than each other. Maybe keep a desk or two as computer stations and then get a largish round table for the middle of the room? Your supplies need a storage solution too. Maybe bookshelves or units with doors to keep the visual clutter at bay? Cheers ❤️🇦🇺❤️
Hi Erica. I really enjoy your channel. You are doing an amazing job. I saw that anxious look on your face as you looked around the basement. I have a suggestion that might help. The "zones" that you set up are becoming really full. Maybe you could pause unpacking for a while and tackle the zones. Once those areas are cleared you won't feel so overwhelmed if you see empty space. Then you can start with the zones again. Hope this helps a little. Once again, great job.
I agree with the round table to make the walls free up. If you want more storage for things that you might need to grab that are currant I would do a taller closed bookshelve or a smaller but longer verticle one (with doors either way). Then you don’t see the ”clutter” and organize it neatly inside of the bookcase. Then you can get rid of all those plastic bins or put them inside of the bookcase if they fit and are practical to you! Or put the out of season supplies in them in the basement. And maybe then you get some free walls to put some artwoork by the kids or some regular art or posters with seasonal themed pictures 😊 I would have loved that If I was a kid!
For the books: I'd get one of those shallow display bookshelves where the books fully face out - 1 shelf per kid and ONLY display the books you want them reading now. All other books to the basement and you can cycle new ones in every 2 weeks or something. WAY more stimulating for the kids to see the front covers.
Erica, I'm not sure you want advice, but the purging of BOOKS was super difficult for us too. So many sweet memories of reading them to my 5 children ❤ . What worked best for us was to let each child go through the stacks and stacks of books and they each chose their favorites. After doing this multiple times over probably the last 3 years years we are finally down to one large tote! Just remind yourself that a. You can borrow almost any title from the library b. the book doesn't define the memory c. You're an awesome and amazing parent who has accomplished the end goal of teaching your child the love of reading! d. there are new and amazing books that are constantly coming out. Make room for those new additions. e. You'll be shocked as to what books your kids want to keep! ( usually the tattered , stained, ripped pages ones) Kind of like your favorite recipe in a cook book. Ha Anyway, blessings on your endeavor of decluttering!
Nooooo beating yourself up....you need to get through the "first" round of decluttering the boxes... keep the books...then as you are doing...now look at all the school room keeps...the subjects, topics, grades and figure out that breakdown...you may find duplicate dynamics....inhale, exhale, pat yourself on the back...you continue to rock this journey!!
Books are hard! First off, I want to encourage you to keep working to find systems that work for you! Secondly, I might suggest fewer small pieces scattered about and instead have one or two big floor to ceiling type bookcases (with doors or without) to help you organize what you want to keep. I've been doing this homeschool thing a long time and what works for me is to have my books divided by subject ... on one bookshelf I have curriculum for many grades separated into a shelf of language arts, a shelf of math, a shelf of History Etc. On another bookshelf I have readers divided similarly. Now I will freely admit I have a lot of books because we have a lot of kids and I like to do literature based learning when we can and a lot of the books that we like to use can't be found at the library anymore, so I have more books than the average bear, LOL! I would estimate I have 5 full bookshelves (not all in one room) in addition to the smaller bookshelves my kids have in their rooms. I have decluttered books and curricula several times...if I like a curriculum I will save it until my last child is done with it and then I will sell it or donate it depending on how old it is. If it doesn't work for me I definitely don't save it for " just in case". We are a family of readers. We have books from when my husband and I were children that we read to our little ones and we will save them to read to grandchildren. We ask for and give books for birthdays and Christmas. We have beloved series that we read over and over both individually and as a family. Books, good books, are just difficult to part with.
I was about to suggest this idea. My shelves include: biographical, poetry, nature/science, historical fiction, math/numbers, fiction (alphabetical by author, series together), etc.
Have you considered moving that dining table in the basement up to the school room instead of the desks? Maybe desks are your fantasy homeschooling, since you have an excess table downstairs you might be able to test a different setup. Just an idea 💡😊
Have you ever read the book Decluttering at the Speed of Life? Your games shelf made think of two concepts that Dana White talks about in that book (and her blog and podcast) - "containers as limits" and "clutter thresholds." She would describe that bookcase as the "container" for your games, and the limit to how many games you can keep would be determined by how many can *practically* be stored there. Not how many you can technically fit by turning them a certain way and stacking them in a particular order... But how many can fit when your kids put them on there without any rhyme or reason. Because right now, it looks like the amount of games you have is above your kids' clutter threshold (the amount of something that they can have AND keep under control). I know that your family loves games and uses them all the time, so if there really aren't any that you're ready to let go of permanently, maybe this would be a situation where you store some of them elsewhere in your home (like a closet or basement) and rotate them out occasionally? Or even do swaps - if they want a game that isn't out right now, they need to choose one to put away in order to make space for it. Or maybe you'll decide that having all of the games out really is a priority for your family, so you need to have a larger container for them, such as a taller bookcase or a buffet-type cabinet. Either way, I hope you are able to find a solution that works well for you all!
Yes. I think rotating them is a burden in and of itself that can makes us feel guilty if we don't rotate them "enough." I really think a wall of bookcases, some of them closed, would be helfpful in this schoolroom. Also a table in the middle to work at and maybe comfy reading nooks in the corners. This is how I have my homeschool room set up, lol!
Many teachers store their items seasonally or by Unit. With your seasonal books, create learning kits in 2.5 gallon Zipper seal bag. Each bag to contain the lesson materials (book(s), printables, manipulatives, etc that it’s specific to that lesson. On a sheet of paper, label the Subject, lesson, season, bag contents, and other items needed to complete the lesson. “File” the kits in a labeled tub with lid. Create a copy of the information sheet, note where the kit is stored, and keep in your lesson planner, a binder, or the text book you are using. This will make lesson planning and prep easier. You can also make a note in the text book/teachers guide of the kit. As your family outgrows the kit, then you can pass it on.
I would recommend going to some thrift stores to maybe find a piece of furniture that would be good for storage but still be attractive. For your storage bins, maybe have the kids draw a picture representing what is in each one and then taping it to the front. That way they are involved in helping keep the classroom functioning.
You’re doing amazing. I’m a teacher and just one year group have so many books and resources they need, let alone 3! All teachers buy things they think will be great and never get used. Keep going, you know what to do now and you’re doing it xx
Book junkies unite!! You are not the only one who anquishes over giving away books. I have done it now over ten years in layers. I haven't homeschooled now for five years. I think I got rid of the very last of our hs curriculum last spring. 😊 You are doing GREAT!!
Hi Erica! I love these videos when you unpack and declutter so much! This is what those of us who hold on to to many things need to see. It always inspires me to go through another box or two in our basement! I am so glad you are taking everything out of the school room and putting it back. Cant wait to see the results! I have a feeling that your homeschool room keeps bleeding into your dining room because the dining room is so nice and inviting. Maybe the homeschool room could use some cozying up, like curtains and plants and a comfy reading nook? Could you move some of those book cases and make a reading corner? Could you put the monthly bins that aren’t in use in the basement? I loved it when you made over your living room at you last house with cozy minimalism in mind. Would love to see you make the homeschooling space the place you and the kids want to be in and learn in each day!
Former homeschooling mom here- I have a library - 24 bookcases- 40+years of collecting. As I read, I remove or keep. Now grandkids are using it too. You are doing great! If I know that I will reuse a book with a younger sibling, I keep. A few reference books are useful. Duplicate information is unnecessary (especially dry facts books). Story books teaching history or geography or biography are great. Great stories for Storytime are great to keep (you read them out loud, a chapter or two a day). A large cabinet with doors is especially useful for supplies, other than books, with baskets with items stored from younger (bottom) to oldest (higher up) to teacher supplies ln the top shelves. The schoolroom and dining room have too many small containers, that is why it looks visually cluttered, so if those things are put inside one cabinet, that might really help. The idea of putting the desks together or placing a table in the middle of the schoolroom should also help. You can also use rugs to define areas withing the schoolroom, if you want to make it more cozy. Have you thought of using ikea kallax 1x4 under the windows? They could be a "window seat" with storage underneath, and provide a more streamlined look. You have been on such an amazing journey already! You've got this !
Such beautiful books!! They need to be on that bookcase at the height that the kids can reach easily. No point having the bookcase empty, it’s calling out to be filled with such wonderful books as you have in your boxes. Enjoy them!
You could do zones in the school room. The room is big enough to divide it with furniture like a shelf or small cube system. You could do a reading nook, a playing and crafting zone, a study zone and so on. Btw, you decluttered like a ninja. Way to go! I find it sooo hard to get rid of books, too, and the world each one incorporates. But only when used, can their worlds unfold. Great job!
Even though you started to feel anxiety, you handled it so expertly. You have learnt so much so far. You were able to allow yourself to digest your feelings, identify the specific issue and then make a plan. Bravo! That is truly a life skill.
Great job pushing through the anxiety in the beginning. You’ve come so far in your minimalish journey. You inspire me and I am so grateful you started your own channel!
I get the same homeschool mess pile-ups! For me the only thing that works is to put away everything subject by subject. If I wait till the end of the day, then I'm waiting till the end of the week, and then pretty soon it is the end of the month before stuff gets put away. A wall of bookcases and a table in the middle would be a lovely solution for your homeschool room. It would be a lot less visual clutter.
You’re doing great! As a fellow homeschool mom, we have very little books in our schoolroom. We go to the library every week to get out necessary books (supplemental, reference, read aloud, fun, etc).
You are doing a great job with all the things on your plate so pat yourself on the back! As a former homeschool mom (they’re grown) I had the same love of all books that could potentially be useful in teaching my children 😊. When you go through things, books/other resources, don’t just decide to keep them and set them aside. You will forget what you have. Make a list or even better, a spreadsheet with your books, what subject, grade or season you see them being good for and their location. When planning out the quarter or semester, check your list for good “add on” books, crafts, etc., that you already have. As someone who homeschooled for a long time, I can guarantee you that there is no perfect system AND you will end up with resources that just never get used!
I never apologize for keeping books! I value them, as you clearly do as well considering how much you read! I love that minimalism doesn’t mean only having a magic number of items, but means keeping things that you need and value. I grew up as a missionary kid in Mexico, so we basically could only have whatever belongings fit in 1 van. My parents always prioritized bringing their book collection first
As someone who started where you are and has finally let go of a lot, it will happen. Just don't give up! You are doing great! I've done a new sweep each year and gotten rid of a little more each time. It's a process, not a one-and-done thing. If you get rid of boxes, you took a step forward. Proud of you, whether you know me or not. I'm watching and cheering you on!
We homeschooled our 3 children years ago. They are now in their late 30's and early 40's. Our house was 875 sq ft. At that time money and space were both tight so I bought basic curriculum and used the library for supplemental material. We lived in a rural area so had library cards for 3 libraries in a 20 mile radius. Every 2-3 weeks we made a trip to the libraries which the kids loved doing as they could pick out the books that interested them, this often sparked an area of interest for study. I kept a library book basket the size of a laundry basket and the kids knew to keep the books there. The other thing we did was to have a toy library. The personal favorite toys they kept in their room, limit of 3 things or group of things. The others they checked out on a week basis. It kept mess to a minimum and helped them learn limits and how to control their space. There is so much available for home schooling today that it can be overwhelming to know what to choose. My oldest daughter is homeschooling her boys and has faced this. They are 15 and 17 now. Hope this helps.
What I have been doing about "future" books for my kids is keeping a list of the ones I think they will enjoy and then when the time is right we find them at the library. If they love the series enough that they want to reread them then we can buy them.
Maybe there is a reason why you and kids prefer to study by the kitchen table. Could it be that the kids' desks are facing the wall? Would it work better to have a big round table in the middle of the classroom where all of you could sit together, like you do when you all gather around the kitchen table. And I don't think you need to force yourself to give up the books, you have come so far already with you decluttering process, so I'm sure you know when you are ready to give up the books you will not use (like you did with the books you decided to give away this time).
Have you thought about a capsule curriculum? Like a capsule wardrobe that you rotate with seasons, perhaps a similar concept would work with your homeschool resources? Allocate a space in your basement, 1-2 bins for each season/term and write in your planner for when you want to swap out resources. You can also use that time to reevaluate what is useful and what you can donate to other homeschool families. I have watched so many of your videos over the past 16 months. You have come so far in your minimalish journey 😊 Cannot wait to see how you tackle the homeschool room!
I work with older children, but with different level, and all Additional Support Needs. I would put the desks, including your desk, into the centre of the room. Make a rectangle, then they can come to you. Use the rug and bookshelves in a ‘reading’ corner, one shelf for each child. Everyday school work for each child in a different shelf, or individual box. Books for the future, new terms, seasonal, etc, put in your stationary cupboard. I would also have an inventory of some kind, stop you buying doubles. List of books for each term, on your phone, sorted as needed. PS, I really enjoy your blogs, work is the only place I am organised, my home is a riot. But I’m working on it, trying ...
Erica, I just want to encourage and applaud you👏🏼👏🏼 you have come so far and your not giving up even when you hit a hard box. Books are very hard to declutter, don’t be hard on yourself, and high five ✋🏼 on the single tasking!!! I’m 42, I can only focus on one thing or I lose it, happy declutter 😊
I don’t go to target anymore either! I haven’t heard any youtubers address that! Thank you for saying that!! Give yourself a little bit of a break! Schools have full libraries in their building s and each grade level has multiple teachers with classrooms full of resources for their students! I believe your classroom with three grade levels in it is going to need some stuff! Love your channel!
I like shelving units that have doors across the bottom shelves. What’s “active” goes on the open shelves and what’s inactive goes behind closed doors until it becomes active again. Kind of out of sight, but not totally out of mind... The same can be done with baskets on the lower shelves.
So much space in the middle of the school room! Maybe worktop in the middle, more storage around the perimeter along the walls? It’s not clutter to keep what you actually use and make a home for.
I totally get it about the books. About 8 years ago I added a slew of shelves to an underused room to make a home library. I spent years, and quite a bit of money, collecting books to fill said shelves. I am now in the process of decluttering my library and find that I have little use for nearly 70% of the books I acquired. I was buying books to merely fill the space with little thought to whether or not I would actually read them. When I realized that I was becoming a hoarder of books, four different versions of the LotR trilogies and several duplicates of the exact same history books, I knew it was time to let go. But letting go of the books has been much harder than getting rid of clothes, dishes or knick knacks. Congratulations on keeping at it! At the end of the day, it's the journey where we learn the most.
Just a thought, I not sure how well it will work but what if you put the kids school desk together in the middle of the school room and then you can be together as your all work and free up your dining table. Much luck to you. I love following your journey. ❤️
Just some suggestions, I noted a couple of things I would change. Move the desks to the centre of the room. At my kids school, all the desks are placed in groups. No one likes to look at a wall, even adults, so it's not surprising your kids prefer the dining table. It will also make it easier for them to help each other and for you to help them. Get some closed storage! What I think you need here is acceptance. You need supplies for schooling. It takes up room. It looks visually awful. So closed in storage is the only option I see. This is for the kids, not for you. Kids are messy. I wouldn't bother with any fancy organizing. Just practical and accessible. Thank you for sharing. I relate so much to your struggles and your videos really help me in my own decluttering journey.
Thank you again, Erica! Watching your process is so useful to those of us still struggling with the clutter in our homes. I really struggle with deciding what to keep and what to remove, and I know a large part of that is because I have nowhere to put the "keep" stuff because my storage is full of other things, so it becomes a visual mish-mash that causes me stress. It is so reassuring to see you work through your decisions and emotions, and discover the root cause of any anxiety or indecision you have. Thank you for sharing your journey with us, and keep going because you are doing a great job! Xxxx
We are cheering you on here! You can do this! I think you should sit down and think about how a usual schoolday takes place. Like, how are you working? Where are you working? What are you using? What often, what only few times? Then evaluate the room and try to figure out how you can make it functional for what you need right now. I have no experience in homeschooling. But if you and the kids prefer to sit at one table, then put the desks together or look if you have a big one somewhere you can use (gardentable, just to try it). Maybe you need one shelf for the material for each kid per week, per day or what unit makes sense. Put the upcoming stuff in some kind of a library bookcase. Can be a closed one if you do not want to look at it. I learned that needs change. What was perfect yesterday might not function anymore tomorrow. Especially with smaller kids, their needs change rapidly as they grow. And yours might too. Figuring out what works the best for each of you might take some time but you can do it ☺️
I know this is not a minimalist comment, but, as a fellow homeschooler (I do not aim for minimalism, though), I highly encourage you to keep a large selection of beautiful, living books in the home. Especially if you want your kids to be life-long readers. I have gathered most of our books into a home library (adjacent to our homeschool room) and my kids LOVE it. They all love pulling books off of the shelves and discovering a new favorite. My teenager who enjoys reading The Lord of the Rings still also likes to pull picture books off of the shelves to read. My other two, 11 and 9, have started devouring books since I created the home library. A year ago my 11 year old said that she didn't really like reading and by the end of the year she was voluntarily reading The Hobbit. There were several things I did to encourage her in her relationship with books, but creating our home library was one of the significant factors. The kids do also have bookshelves in their rooms for their current favorite books, too. I vote for keeping the books. 😊
Cheering you on, Erica! You're making great progress. Books are tough, but you're doing great. Thoughtful decisions can be exhausting. You are a champ! I totally understand the anxiety you're describing. For me, it feels like I'm an imposter as a minimalist because I'm keeping "too much". You're journey is going at just the right pace. You're being thoughtful and decisive. And.. you can always re-assess next season. You don't have to make it *perfect*
You say you have a tough time getting rid of books, but you did a great job being thoughtful about the ones that no longer served your family. Those books will go on to bless another family who will be thrilled to receive them. Also, if your kids are not interested in a book, then you should pass them along (even if you LOVE the book!) Great job on this video ❤️
You should consider making yourself a teacher's "store" in the bsmt, keep current curriculum in school room, have the 'store' sorted and labeled, and when needed you go shop in bsmt and restock the previous curriculum. You have stuff for 3 levels, GIVE YOURSELF THE GRACE YOU DESERVE! Life's a journey, if you're still moving, you're all good 😉, with much admiration for your strength, introspection, and willingness to take on not only a huge mind shift, but the following physical demands it requires.
So many thoughts and ideas come to mind. Books and games on the shelves. Art supplies together on one space. Items sorted by subject. Each child gets a bin with their own personalized school curriculum. You can then keep your own “teacher related” items together divided by child. For any subject that you share with all of them at the same time those items can be also kept together. Get back to having them use their own desk, even if it is only for an hour a day. It gives them their time for quiet study and one-on-one attention from you, which I am sure they love in spite of it being related to school work.
I recommend on investing in some tall bookcases. If you see what you have you will be more likely to use it. I’ve been homeschooling for 8 years. When my books and curriculum were in bins I forgot about them and then we never used them. This makes you feel like you missed out on some incredible learning opportunities. So many books so little time...I understand your pain lol. You are doing so great though, you got this Erica! 👍🏻
Don't beat yourself up. That first sort is where your mind is at at that time. It's a process. One step at a time. You are motivating me to look at each room again. I went through last year and now again this year. Last week I cleaned out all the kitchen drawers and got rid 4 big garbage bags of clothes. It feels great!!
I think macro organising aka bed books (kept next to the kids beds) school books (school room) parents books (study) and putting them on their own shelf or space in the house AND THEN when they are in there homes micro organising aka spring books geography books picture books etc. Would help you get through the rut. As much as its fun to do the micro organising and looking through them at the time it tends to draw out the process ans interrupt the decision making and enter emotional type territory and then you have multiple stacks of books and get overwhelmed. If you want to although you dont need to! then set an alarm/calender date reminder in 3 months to go through the books again and if they havent been read or at least considered then remove them from the active and loved books section/home and put them in quarantine for another 3 months and then do a declutter of them all again.
Your school room looks amazing! The bones are there, just put all the books in one spot, games back in their house, school work in each year/child!! You just want a few minutes after each lesson putting things in their 'home'
You need another table in the school room for the kids to sit and and then they can leave unfinshed projects that they are coming back to without having the clear the table for dinner. This will help to keep the school stuff in your room Also, consider having a storage unit/closet in your school room to store school items you don't need out on a daily basis. This worked for me in my home as the visual clutter stresses me out and have a cabinet with doors kept the visual clutter down.
It does work that way doesn’t it - waves of declutting, organising and creating spaces - seeing what works - then loop back around. I absolutely am so grateful you share your journey - because these little moments when you parse out what’s happening and where the roadblocks are - I find them so valuable. I can feel the anxiety then the breakthrough and then excitement at having a plan of action. You are a wonderful source of ongoing insight and inspiration. Also - that dress is gorgeous!
Erica, you're doing amazing. Don't feel bad about keeping the things you need (and love! Books make you so happy!). I feel like you just need, like you said, to find it all a good home. I honestly think you may need some more storage in your school room. I highly recommend bookshelves where the books face out (you can just put the ikea photo shelves up on the walls as a cheap hack!). I would also do "zones" in the school room... A library area for books and games, a common area/table (where all kids work together), and some sort of closed storage for items you are not currently using but will rotate out. Perhaps a rug in the library zone if your kids like to play or read on the floor. I hope that gives you some ideas, not that I'm an expert but I just love organizing! Not going to lie, I'm totally looking forward to your reorganization video, they are my fave 😂.
@@capercat9785 right, but having less stuff just for the sake of having less stuff doesn't make sense if that stuff will be useful in the future. Not just an imaginary useful in the future but books and curriculum that she knows she will use could easily be stored in the basement.
Sometimes things don’t have a place because you haven’t created a place for them. You need a taller bookshelf or another bookshelf! If you are worried that your kids can’t reach tall shelves, put the materials you are not using now on high shelves. It also seems like a lot of books you are getting rid of are ones that you can use in a couple years. Perhaps a bin to pull out when kids hit third grade? And books (and worksheets or other stuff) for curriculum units are easy to find if you put them in paper magazine holders that you can label. I know these sound like anti-minimalist comments but I am a retired teacher and when I was teaching I had at least a hundred boxes and more than 6000 books and I could find things if people asked to borrow them because everything was organized and labeled.
I loved having learning books in my own room as a child. These strongly supported formal education and helped me to develop my own intellectual life. Interestingly, many of these books in my room were not related to my formal grade level. .
You're so lucky to have a home schoolroom. I think I would be changing the layout of the room so the children and you are not facing the wall; the room has so much potential. you should not be so tough on yourself when it comes to decluttering, the job is hard especially books but if you give them to a library I am sure you can borrow them later.
I agree with some of the comments I read saying to set up a big table in the center of the home school room! Your kids love to learn close to one another and that’s great ❤️ use that to your advantage and then set up some curriculum unit storage along the walls maybe?
Erica, pleas give yourself the grace to be able to tackle this. I am an early childhood educator and i know clutter. Its hard to make the space you need to use clutter free and stll have the resources you need. You are dealing with items for three grades. What if you made a library area/zone downstairs, and simply brought the items for the current projects and books you refernce into the homeschool area. That way you dont see all three grades and a years worth of in the area youre working in and surround yourself with everything. You will know where it is in your library out of site.
Great suggestion! This is what my mom did for all five of us. :) Dad turned one quarter of their master bedroom into a library and added a door. Then applicable books were moved to the schoolroom. Fond memories. :)
Maybe a tall bookshelf to organize your school stuff off the floor and pull all the desks to middle of room to form a table to work in there so school wont have to be moved off dinning table multiple times a day. -Norma
The best thing I did when I homeschooled was buy those little colored circle stickers at Walmart and give each unit study a color, write the unit study on the sticker, place it on the edge of the book, and cover it with clear packing tape. It really helped me to keep things organized and easy to find when I needed it.
I thought you said how much you like the natural light in the dining room....that seems to be a cheerful room....so how about a complete change of rooms? The current dining room as the homeschool room,the current homeschool room as your living room,your current living room as the dining room? I know that sounds like a huge amount of furniture moving but the dining room would be full view to kitchen, homeschool room away from dining area and view of living space which might be more calming. Also keep the kids individual desks but maybe a round table in the middle of the room for group work. I think a large cabinet with doors to store school supplies would help you organize your supplies and reduce the visual clutter...best of luck finding a solution for the best use of your rooms
Try desks in the middle in a triangle. Your children are then both alone on own desk and sociable together in the middle. One bookcase/storage furniture per age group/grade so each child also has their own bookshelf. They can then be responsible for keeping it tidy. Keep your dining room free of school stuff so that it’s a calm place for fun meal discussions.
I totally understand the struggle to Go rid Off Books... You are an Inspiration and really doing a great Job confronting your anxiety and keep through it step by step. If you are stuck step back a little and then coming out with New power to keep through.
How do you find books when you go to the library? If you categorize your books the same way, albeit on a much smaller scale, it won't feel so overwhelming. Also, if Cas from Clutterbug says that most kids are butterflies (general categories that are either easily seen or very well labeled), so consider that when organize your books. I have a feeling you personally feel better with everything closed away, so you may want to create a library corner nook where the backs of the bookshelves face the room (nice and clean), but walk around the corner and a reading adventure awaits!
You’re doing awesome! As a librarian I know the pain of weeding and the what-ifs. I always think if I am keeping things the students will never check out they won’t be able to find what they would read.
When i taught, i always grouped my teaching material by season and subject. So Spring subject would be placed in a bin, etc. Then i would pull bin for that month and all materials would be there and i woull fill my shelves on rotation.
I think if you put the children’s desks together in the school room, they would use them instead of using the dining table. So school items would no get moved into your dining room x
The struggle is real. Thank you for sharing. It is helpful to see how walked yourself through the process and figured out why you were getting stressed and what the next step will be.
Okay so I just started watching your channel over the past 6ish months. Just seeing the difference a year makes, wow! Your school room is now a completely different room and the amount of progress everywhere else in your house is incredible. I hope you’re proud of yourself!
In your old house you were blessed with built in bookcases with doors on the lower part for thing you don't want out in sight, like games, reference items, and future season work. Perhaps buying a shelf with lower doors would help, or as others suggested, keeping future things on a dedicated basement bookshelf.
Dear Erica, just a thought. The gathering around the dining room table you said was a theme reacquiring in your house (in re to school work). This seems to be unconsciously done. How about putting all the desks together in the school room to form one big table. So your children can work together, but still each has his/her own desk. And if the visuals of your school books etc are disturbing you. How about putting some curtains up on the cabinets. Low expense and it does the job of making it calmer on the eye. You then could just have the books out that are current and the kids. Easier to put all way and not so overwhelming. I also wanted to say thank you for taking us along. You are addressing a lot of the same things I struggle with in the process of becoming minimalist. It helps a lot knowing one is not alone.
You are doing fabulously, don't quit as you have come so far. I love watching your progress and it one of the channels that inspire me. You will love be the outcome once it is finished, do what you can, when you can and the rest will fall into place. Xxx
Youre doing great Erica! How about a inexpensive(ish) storage cabinet either in your school room or corner of basement. Maybe with 5 or 6 shelves that you could organize books and supplies by the week or month that you'll use them, or by subject. Makes you keep only what can fit in the container and no visual clutter. Home depot has some for around $120, with doors
Erica, I love that you show us your thought process at that moment that you are decluttering. This is very helpful and will help me with my monthly decluttering tasks. Our home is organized, still, we have the things that we use seldom or not at all. The goal for my hubby and me is, since we are over and nearly 60, to have less and less. Which we believe is necessary for senior years. Or one will reach (maybe) a higher age with so much stuff and yet is too old to do anything about it. 😊
I am a librarian and I knew I had my "decluttering muscles" built up when I was finally able to start letting go of books. My hardest category. Great work.
Love your channel! My suggestion would be to put a centre table then divide the room into four zone’s this way you could keep your books in a season zone! The kids could participate by doing art work for the zones! I think you need all of your books so display them and enjoy them!
As a teacher of 30 years, I think you need more shelving in the school room . If you don't want to see the books etc on the shelves, in my classroom I covered the shelves with fabric or even shower curtains to hide future units or stuff I didn't want the kids to touch . You can use velcro at the top to secure the fabrice so it is easy to get in books in and out. I also used this for games or items that went with my units. Have you though of grouping the desks in the middle together? Then you would have space around the room for shelving. The Rick Riordan novel is at a Grade 5 level so that might be great for a future read or a read aloud.
I love watching you go through your mental process. That’s what hooked me last year, was you using logic while accommodating emotions. You are a star at that! A couple of suggestions: it sounds like the kids are telling you that they like working at a table together. If that works for you, what if you lined up the desks in the middle of the school room and if you need to, you can pull them apart in many different ways, depending on what you are doing. In Feng Shui, one should not have a desk facing a wall or window. It makes a HUGE difference to be facing the door. Unconsciously, it makes people feel safer and for kids, it takes in to consideration their social nature.
The second thing is...what if you put lessons into plastic bins by season (or whatever makes sense) and then you set a phone alarm (or put it on your paper calendar) to begin it at the appropriate time. That way, you can keep future lessons in an active storage state, rather than stagnant storage state. Think of a pantry. That is active storage (unless you just throw stuff in there), as is carefully curated holiday boxes. The are vibrant, not static, because they have been edited and have a specific purpose and time. ❤️
I was thinking the same about the desks. Having everything pushed up against the walls reminds me of an old decorating term, that your furniture is under arrest! I would put the the desks together two and two to form a square.
You need some closed storage so all the supplies aren’t making school room look cluttered
Books need to be on a shelf, the children won’t read them if they are in a box they cannot easily access. Perhaps a bookcase organised into age or categories
That's a fab idea!
Hey lady - you’re doing great! Over the 10 plus years of homeschooling.... I have found that having a closet or closed cabinet for supplies/materials not currently in use is essential to keeping the visual clutter at bay.
When you homeschool, is there a distinction between for school books and for pleasure books? Like with the magic treehouse series, do they need to be in the homeschool room or could each kid have a bookcase in their room for the books they like to read outside of school time?
Maybe you need a community table in the middle of your school room, to help you stay out of the dining room.
Love this idea!
I wanted to say this too
Me too. It seems to be the pull, the large COMMUNITY table. I'd get a table for the center of the school room. Maybe not as big.
Good idea. This is what my son and daughter-in-law do with their five kids. They sit all around a circular table with individual desks around the periphery of the room.
Agree! This is a great idea.
You could put the tables in the center of the "classroom", so your kids would be closer and closer to you and maybe you all would use more the apropriate space to study...
Yes, or another big table, since it looks like the kids like that setting. Maybe using a book shelf and a supply closet in the same colour as the walls of the homeschooling room helps against the clutter feeling. I think that it's normal to have many books, considering the age difference and the literacy difference among your kids.
Yes! Great suggestion. I was going to suggest having a library out of site, maybe with a curtain covering it. Then a book bin per child of what they and mom chose for them for that week. Then they can have a separate library time when they select books. Reduces the visual noice and increases the attention on a more manageable selection. So impressed though with homeschooling mom's. I am a former classroom teacher.
You need a nice big plain cupboard or two. Hide what's not being used.
Yes!
First off take a giant deep breath and remember ALL the really hard decluttering you have powered through in the last year! Your are doing an AMAZING job! As a fellow minimal homeschooling momma I also struggle with all the things that come with homeschooling and loving books! I’ve just been taking a step back and analyze what we love and use and what I wanted us to love and use but done! Hang in there your doing such a great job! ❤️
It is just a reality that homeschooling requires a lot of stuff, especially for multiple children. I homeschooled my four. It is okay to have a lot of stuff for this endeavor! Please give yourself grace...You are doing awesome! I can't wait to see the video of your classroom!
I'd be tempted to put a round table in the middle of the school room. Keep the kids desks to the side for alone study but they can pull their chairs over for group study. It'll stop things leaking out into your dining room but there's no harm if things get left mid-activity as it won't encroach into your adult life. I'd keep all the study stuff container-ised by subject and loosely by age within the tub so when you come to draw up your next curriculum you can just pick out as needed. It almost looks like the kids find the home school room too overwhelming so they branch out to where it's calmer to enjoy their work/games.
Edit: You could try putting the three desks together to save purchasing another table if you don't have something suitable already
I was also thinking a round table in the school room might be a nice addition. But only items that are currently being used can be kept on there (telling myself this more than anything because I would be tempted to make it a hot spot/dumping ground).
My husband made that suggestion too!!
Why not trying the wood top, black leg table that is maybe holding man cave stuff in the basement, my motto is test it out! It is easier to steer a moving canoe! 🚣😄
I was thinking about a table in the middle too! I think your kiddos love being with each other while they’re learning, which is awesome, but it also might mean that they don’t want to work alone at their own little desks. I like the idea of them pulling their chairs up to the table in the middle of the room, and you could leave their specific curriculum on their own desks- making that their own little space where they can keep their school work when they’re not using it.
@@EricaLucasLoves Smart man. A decorating rule of thumb is no one wants to stare at a wall when at a desk. Your hubby made that clear in your bedroom a few vids back. (When there's no window and where there's room, most decorators will create enough clearance so that the chair backs against the wall and you stare into the room when sitting at the desk.)
Hey Erica, learning at the big table is probably more attractive to the kidlets because it’s very communal. With the desks the way they are currently the kids are looking at the wall rather than each other. Maybe keep a desk or two as computer stations and then get a largish round table for the middle of the room? Your supplies need a storage solution too. Maybe bookshelves or units with doors to keep the visual clutter at bay? Cheers ❤️🇦🇺❤️
You could also slide their desks into the middle facing eachother
Hi Erica. I really enjoy your channel. You are doing an amazing job. I saw that anxious look on your face as you looked around the basement. I have a suggestion that might help. The "zones" that you set up are becoming really full. Maybe you could pause unpacking for a while and tackle the zones. Once those areas are cleared you won't feel so overwhelmed if you see empty space. Then you can start with the zones again. Hope this helps a little. Once again, great job.
I agree with the round table to make the walls free up. If you want more storage for things that you might need to grab that are currant I would do a taller closed bookshelve or a smaller but longer verticle one (with doors either way). Then you don’t see the ”clutter” and organize it neatly inside of the bookcase. Then you can get rid of all those plastic bins or put them inside of the bookcase if they fit and are practical to you! Or put the out of season supplies in them in the basement. And maybe then you get some free walls to put some artwoork by the kids or some regular art or posters with seasonal themed pictures 😊 I would have loved that If I was a kid!
It is a calmer classroom just to have the materials in current use visible. Retired teacher here.
For the books: I'd get one of those shallow display bookshelves where the books fully face out - 1 shelf per kid and ONLY display the books you want them reading now. All other books to the basement and you can cycle new ones in every 2 weeks or something. WAY more stimulating for the kids to see the front covers.
Your doing a great job. Don’t give up! A small bookcase in the kids learning room is all you need and you can swap out by season
You have built so much confidence in your decluttering decisions you don’t have to be scared of closed storage anymore!
This is why we keep watching you Erica - you show the process and articulate really well what you are thinking. God bless you!
Erica, I'm not sure you want advice, but the purging of BOOKS was super difficult for us too. So many sweet memories of reading them to my 5 children ❤ . What worked best for us was to let each child go through the stacks and stacks of books and they each chose their favorites. After doing this multiple times over probably the last 3 years years we are finally down to one large tote! Just remind yourself that a. You can borrow almost any title from the library
b. the book doesn't define the memory
c. You're an awesome and amazing parent who has accomplished the end goal of teaching your child the love of reading!
d. there are new and amazing books that are constantly coming out. Make room for those new additions.
e. You'll be shocked as to what books your kids want to keep! ( usually the tattered , stained, ripped pages ones) Kind of like your favorite recipe in a cook book. Ha
Anyway, blessings on your endeavor of decluttering!
Nooooo beating yourself up....you need to get through the "first" round of decluttering the boxes... keep the books...then as you are doing...now look at all the school room keeps...the subjects, topics, grades and figure out that breakdown...you may find duplicate dynamics....inhale, exhale, pat yourself on the back...you continue to rock this journey!!
Books are hard! First off, I want to encourage you to keep working to find systems that work for you! Secondly, I might suggest fewer small pieces scattered about and instead have one or two big floor to ceiling type bookcases (with doors or without) to help you organize what you want to keep. I've been doing this homeschool thing a long time and what works for me is to have my books divided by subject ... on one bookshelf I have curriculum for many grades separated into a shelf of language arts, a shelf of math, a shelf of History Etc. On another bookshelf I have readers divided similarly. Now I will freely admit I have a lot of books because we have a lot of kids and I like to do literature based learning when we can and a lot of the books that we like to use can't be found at the library anymore, so I have more books than the average bear, LOL! I would estimate I have 5 full bookshelves (not all in one room) in addition to the smaller bookshelves my kids have in their rooms. I have decluttered books and curricula several times...if I like a curriculum I will save it until my last child is done with it and then I will sell it or donate it depending on how old it is. If it doesn't work for me I definitely don't save it for " just in case".
We are a family of readers. We have books from when my husband and I were children that we read to our little ones and we will save them to read to grandchildren. We ask for and give books for birthdays and Christmas. We have beloved series that we read over and over both individually and as a family. Books, good books, are just difficult to part with.
I was about to suggest this idea. My shelves include: biographical, poetry, nature/science, historical fiction, math/numbers, fiction (alphabetical by author, series together), etc.
Have you considered moving that dining table in the basement up to the school room instead of the desks? Maybe desks are your fantasy homeschooling, since you have an excess table downstairs you might be able to test a different setup. Just an idea 💡😊
Books are a blessing. Don't feel bad about keeping them. Bookcases are your answer. You have come so far. We are cheering your on!
Have you ever read the book Decluttering at the Speed of Life? Your games shelf made think of two concepts that Dana White talks about in that book (and her blog and podcast) - "containers as limits" and "clutter thresholds." She would describe that bookcase as the "container" for your games, and the limit to how many games you can keep would be determined by how many can *practically* be stored there. Not how many you can technically fit by turning them a certain way and stacking them in a particular order... But how many can fit when your kids put them on there without any rhyme or reason. Because right now, it looks like the amount of games you have is above your kids' clutter threshold (the amount of something that they can have AND keep under control).
I know that your family loves games and uses them all the time, so if there really aren't any that you're ready to let go of permanently, maybe this would be a situation where you store some of them elsewhere in your home (like a closet or basement) and rotate them out occasionally? Or even do swaps - if they want a game that isn't out right now, they need to choose one to put away in order to make space for it.
Or maybe you'll decide that having all of the games out really is a priority for your family, so you need to have a larger container for them, such as a taller bookcase or a buffet-type cabinet. Either way, I hope you are able to find a solution that works well for you all!
Yes. I think rotating them is a burden in and of itself that can makes us feel guilty if we don't rotate them "enough." I really think a wall of bookcases, some of them closed, would be helfpful in this schoolroom. Also a table in the middle to work at and maybe comfy reading nooks in the corners. This is how I have my homeschool room set up, lol!
Many teachers store their items seasonally or by Unit. With your seasonal books, create learning kits in 2.5 gallon Zipper seal bag. Each bag to contain the lesson materials (book(s), printables, manipulatives, etc that it’s specific to that lesson. On a sheet of paper, label the Subject, lesson, season, bag contents, and other items needed to complete the lesson. “File” the kits in a labeled tub with lid. Create a copy of the information sheet, note where the kit is stored, and keep in your lesson planner, a binder, or the text book you are using. This will make lesson planning and prep easier. You can also make a note in the text book/teachers guide of the kit. As your family outgrows the kit, then you can pass it on.
This sounds amazing!
I would recommend going to some thrift stores to maybe find a piece of furniture that would be good for storage but still be attractive. For your storage bins, maybe have the kids draw a picture representing what is in each one and then taping it to the front. That way they are involved in helping keep the classroom functioning.
You’re doing amazing. I’m a teacher and just one year group have so many books and resources they need, let alone 3! All teachers buy things they think will be great and never get used. Keep going, you know what to do now and you’re doing it xx
Book junkies unite!! You are not the only one who anquishes over giving away books. I have done it now over ten years in layers. I haven't homeschooled now for five years. I think I got rid of the very last of our hs curriculum last spring. 😊 You are doing GREAT!!
Hi Erica! I love these videos when you unpack and declutter so much! This is what those of us who hold on to to many things need to see. It always inspires me to go through another box or two in our basement! I am so glad you are taking everything out of the school room and putting it back. Cant wait to see the results! I have a feeling that your homeschool room keeps bleeding into your dining room because the dining room is so nice and inviting. Maybe the homeschool room could use some cozying up, like curtains and plants and a comfy reading nook? Could you move some of those book cases and make a reading corner? Could you put the monthly bins that aren’t in use in the basement? I loved it when you made over your living room at you last house with cozy minimalism in mind. Would love to see you make the homeschooling space the place you and the kids want to be in and learn in each day!
Former homeschooling mom here- I have a library - 24 bookcases- 40+years of collecting. As I read, I remove or keep. Now grandkids are using it too. You are doing great! If I know that I will reuse a book with a younger sibling, I keep. A few reference books are useful. Duplicate information is unnecessary (especially dry facts books). Story books teaching history or geography or biography are great. Great stories for Storytime are great to keep (you read them out loud, a chapter or two a day). A large cabinet with doors is especially useful for supplies, other than books, with baskets with items stored from younger (bottom) to oldest (higher up) to teacher supplies ln the top shelves. The schoolroom and dining room have too many small containers, that is why it looks visually cluttered, so if those things are put inside one cabinet, that might really help. The idea of putting the desks together or placing a table in the middle of the schoolroom should also help. You can also use rugs to define areas withing the schoolroom, if you want to make it more cozy. Have you thought of using ikea kallax 1x4 under the windows? They could be a "window seat" with storage underneath, and provide a more streamlined look. You have been on such an amazing journey already! You've got this !
Such beautiful books!! They need to be on that bookcase at the height that the kids can reach easily. No point having the bookcase empty, it’s calling out to be filled with such wonderful books as you have in your boxes. Enjoy them!
You could do zones in the school room. The room is big enough to divide it with furniture like a shelf or small cube system. You could do a reading nook, a playing and crafting zone, a study zone and so on.
Btw, you decluttered like a ninja. Way to go! I find it sooo hard to get rid of books, too, and the world each one incorporates. But only when used, can their worlds unfold. Great job!
Even though you started to feel anxiety, you handled it so expertly. You have learnt so much so far. You were able to allow yourself to digest your feelings, identify the specific issue and then make a plan. Bravo! That is truly a life skill.
Great job pushing through the anxiety in the beginning. You’ve come so far in your minimalish journey. You inspire me and I am so grateful you started your own channel!
You are doing so great. Remember, decluttering is done by layers. You are just moving through a new layer.
Donate the books to your local library! You can always check them out if you want them again ☺️
I get the same homeschool mess pile-ups! For me the only thing that works is to put away everything subject by subject. If I wait till the end of the day, then I'm waiting till the end of the week, and then pretty soon it is the end of the month before stuff gets put away.
A wall of bookcases and a table in the middle would be a lovely solution for your homeschool room. It would be a lot less visual clutter.
I'm excited to see that next video!
Perhaps put a work table in the middle of the school room and move all school stuff from dining room back to school room?
You’re doing great! As a fellow homeschool mom, we have very little books in our schoolroom. We go to the library every week to get out necessary books (supplemental, reference, read aloud, fun, etc).
You are doing a great job with all the things on your plate so pat yourself on the back! As a former homeschool mom (they’re grown) I had the same love of all books that could potentially be useful in teaching my children 😊. When you go through things, books/other resources, don’t just decide to keep them and set them aside. You will forget what you have. Make a list or even better, a spreadsheet with your books, what subject, grade or season you see them being good for and their location. When planning out the quarter or semester, check your list for good “add on” books, crafts, etc., that you already have. As someone who homeschooled for a long time, I can guarantee you that there is no perfect system AND you will end up with resources that just never get used!
I never apologize for keeping books! I value them, as you clearly do as well considering how much you read! I love that minimalism doesn’t mean only having a magic number of items, but means keeping things that you need and value. I grew up as a missionary kid in Mexico, so we basically could only have whatever belongings fit in 1 van. My parents always prioritized bringing their book collection first
As someone who started where you are and has finally let go of a lot, it will happen. Just don't give up! You are doing great! I've done a new sweep each year and gotten rid of a little more each time. It's a process, not a one-and-done thing. If you get rid of boxes, you took a step forward. Proud of you, whether you know me or not. I'm watching and cheering you on!
We homeschooled our 3 children years ago. They are now in their late 30's and early 40's. Our house was 875 sq ft. At that time money and space were both tight so I bought basic curriculum and used the library for supplemental material. We lived in a rural area so had library cards for 3 libraries in a 20 mile radius. Every 2-3 weeks we made a trip to the libraries which the kids loved doing as they could pick out the books that interested them, this often sparked an area of interest for study. I kept a library book basket the size of a laundry basket and the kids knew to keep the books there. The other thing we did was to have a toy library. The personal favorite toys they kept in their room, limit of 3 things or group of things. The others they checked out on a week basis. It kept mess to a minimum and helped them learn limits and how to control their space. There is so much available for home schooling today that it can be overwhelming to know what to choose. My oldest daughter is homeschooling her boys and has faced this. They are 15 and 17 now. Hope this helps.
What I have been doing about "future" books for my kids is keeping a list of the ones I think they will enjoy and then when the time is right we find them at the library. If they love the series enough that they want to reread them then we can buy them.
It’s hard! But as a homeschooler, it makes sense to have excellent things you love in your library.
Maybe there is a reason why you and kids prefer to study by the kitchen table. Could it be that the kids' desks are facing the wall? Would it work better to have a big round table in the middle of the classroom where all of you could sit together, like you do when you all gather around the kitchen table. And I don't think you need to force yourself to give up the books, you have come so far already with you decluttering process, so I'm sure you know when you are ready to give up the books you will not use (like you did with the books you decided to give away this time).
Have you thought about a capsule curriculum? Like a capsule wardrobe that you rotate with seasons, perhaps a similar concept would work with your homeschool resources? Allocate a space in your basement, 1-2 bins for each season/term and write in your planner for when you want to swap out resources. You can also use that time to reevaluate what is useful and what you can donate to other homeschool families.
I have watched so many of your videos over the past 16 months. You have come so far in your minimalish journey 😊 Cannot wait to see how you tackle the homeschool room!
I work with older children, but with different level, and all Additional Support Needs.
I would put the desks, including your desk, into the centre of the room. Make a rectangle, then they can come to you.
Use the rug and bookshelves in a ‘reading’ corner, one shelf for each child. Everyday school work for each child in a different shelf, or individual box. Books for the future, new terms, seasonal, etc, put in your stationary cupboard.
I would also have an inventory of some kind, stop you buying doubles. List of books for each term, on your phone, sorted as needed. PS, I really enjoy your blogs, work is the only place I am organised, my home is a riot.
But I’m working on it, trying ...
Erica, I just want to encourage and applaud you👏🏼👏🏼 you have come so far and your not giving up even when you hit a hard box. Books are very hard to declutter, don’t be hard on yourself, and high five ✋🏼 on the single tasking!!! I’m 42, I can only focus on one thing or I lose it, happy declutter 😊
I don’t go to target anymore either! I haven’t heard any youtubers address that! Thank you for saying that!!
Give yourself a little bit of a break! Schools have full libraries in their building s and each grade level has multiple teachers with classrooms full of resources for their students! I believe your classroom with three grade levels in it is going to need some stuff! Love your channel!
I like shelving units that have doors across the bottom shelves. What’s “active” goes on the open shelves and what’s inactive goes behind closed doors until it becomes active again. Kind of out of sight, but not totally out of mind... The same can be done with baskets on the lower shelves.
So much space in the middle of the school room! Maybe worktop in the middle, more storage around the perimeter along the walls? It’s not clutter to keep what you actually use and make a home for.
I totally get it about the books. About 8 years ago I added a slew of shelves to an underused room to make a home library. I spent years, and quite a bit of money, collecting books to fill said shelves. I am now in the process of decluttering my library and find that I have little use for nearly 70% of the books I acquired. I was buying books to merely fill the space with little thought to whether or not I would actually read them. When I realized that I was becoming a hoarder of books, four different versions of the LotR trilogies and several duplicates of the exact same history books, I knew it was time to let go. But letting go of the books has been much harder than getting rid of clothes, dishes or knick knacks. Congratulations on keeping at it! At the end of the day, it's the journey where we learn the most.
Just a thought, I not sure how well it will work but what if you put the kids school desk together in the middle of the school room and then you can be together as your all work and free up your dining table. Much luck to you. I love following your journey. ❤️
Just some suggestions, I noted a couple of things I would change.
Move the desks to the centre of the room. At my kids school, all the desks are placed in groups. No one likes to look at a wall, even adults, so it's not surprising your kids prefer the dining table. It will also make it easier for them to help each other and for you to help them.
Get some closed storage! What I think you need here is acceptance. You need supplies for schooling. It takes up room. It looks visually awful. So closed in storage is the only option I see. This is for the kids, not for you. Kids are messy. I wouldn't bother with any fancy organizing. Just practical and accessible.
Thank you for sharing. I relate so much to your struggles and your videos really help me in my own decluttering journey.
Thank you again, Erica! Watching your process is so useful to those of us still struggling with the clutter in our homes. I really struggle with deciding what to keep and what to remove, and I know a large part of that is because I have nowhere to put the "keep" stuff because my storage is full of other things, so it becomes a visual mish-mash that causes me stress. It is so reassuring to see you work through your decisions and emotions, and discover the root cause of any anxiety or indecision you have. Thank you for sharing your journey with us, and keep going because you are doing a great job! Xxxx
We are cheering you on here! You can do this! I think you should sit down and think about how a usual schoolday takes place. Like, how are you working? Where are you working? What are you using? What often, what only few times? Then evaluate the room and try to figure out how you can make it functional for what you need right now. I have no experience in homeschooling. But if you and the kids prefer to sit at one table, then put the desks together or look if you have a big one somewhere you can use (gardentable, just to try it). Maybe you need one shelf for the material for each kid per week, per day or what unit makes sense. Put the upcoming stuff in some kind of a library bookcase. Can be a closed one if you do not want to look at it. I learned that needs change. What was perfect yesterday might not function anymore tomorrow. Especially with smaller kids, their needs change rapidly as they grow. And yours might too. Figuring out what works the best for each of you might take some time but you can do it ☺️
I know this is not a minimalist comment, but, as a fellow homeschooler (I do not aim for minimalism, though), I highly encourage you to keep a large selection of beautiful, living books in the home. Especially if you want your kids to be life-long readers. I have gathered most of our books into a home library (adjacent to our homeschool room) and my kids LOVE it. They all love pulling books off of the shelves and discovering a new favorite. My teenager who enjoys reading The Lord of the Rings still also likes to pull picture books off of the shelves to read. My other two, 11 and 9, have started devouring books since I created the home library. A year ago my 11 year old said that she didn't really like reading and by the end of the year she was voluntarily reading The Hobbit. There were several things I did to encourage her in her relationship with books, but creating our home library was one of the significant factors.
The kids do also have bookshelves in their rooms for their current favorite books, too.
I vote for keeping the books. 😊
Cheering you on, Erica! You're making great progress. Books are tough, but you're doing great. Thoughtful decisions can be exhausting. You are a champ!
I totally understand the anxiety you're describing. For me, it feels like I'm an imposter as a minimalist because I'm keeping "too much". You're journey is going at just the right pace. You're being thoughtful and decisive. And.. you can always re-assess next season. You don't have to make it *perfect*
You say you have a tough time getting rid of books, but you did a great job being thoughtful about the ones that no longer served your family. Those books will go on to bless another family who will be thrilled to receive them. Also, if your kids are not interested in a book, then you should pass them along (even if you LOVE the book!) Great job on this video ❤️
You should consider making yourself a teacher's "store" in the bsmt, keep current curriculum in school room, have the 'store' sorted and labeled, and when needed you go shop in bsmt and restock the previous curriculum. You have stuff for 3 levels, GIVE YOURSELF THE GRACE YOU DESERVE! Life's a journey, if you're still moving, you're all good 😉, with much admiration for your strength, introspection, and willingness to take on not only a huge mind shift, but the following physical demands it requires.
So many thoughts and ideas come to mind. Books and games on the shelves. Art supplies together on one space. Items sorted by subject. Each child gets a bin with their own personalized school curriculum. You can then keep your own “teacher related” items together divided by child. For any subject that you share with all of them at the same time those items can be also kept together. Get back to having them use their own desk, even if it is only for an hour a day. It gives them their time for quiet study and one-on-one attention from you, which I am sure they love in spite of it being related to school work.
I recommend on investing in some tall bookcases. If you see what you have you will be more likely to use it. I’ve been homeschooling for 8 years. When my books and curriculum were in bins I forgot about them and then we never used them. This makes you feel like you missed out on some incredible learning opportunities. So many books so little time...I understand your pain lol. You are doing so great though, you got this Erica! 👍🏻
Don't beat yourself up. That first sort is where your mind is at at that time. It's a process. One step at a time. You are motivating me to look at each room again. I went through last year and now again this year. Last week I cleaned out all the kitchen drawers and got rid 4 big garbage bags of clothes. It feels great!!
I think macro organising aka bed books (kept next to the kids beds) school books (school room) parents books (study) and putting them on their own shelf or space in the house AND THEN when they are in there homes micro organising aka spring books geography books picture books etc.
Would help you get through the rut.
As much as its fun to do the micro organising and looking through them at the time it tends to draw out the process ans interrupt the decision making and enter emotional type territory and then you have multiple stacks of books and get overwhelmed. If you want to although you dont need to! then set an alarm/calender date reminder in 3 months to go through the books again and if they havent been read or at least considered then remove them from the active and loved books section/home and put them in quarantine for another 3 months and then do a declutter of them all again.
Yes this is such a good strategy! I’ve started to do this same system for our books!
Your school room looks amazing! The bones are there, just put all the books in one spot, games back in their house, school work in each year/child!! You just want a few minutes after each lesson putting things in their 'home'
You need another table in the school room for the kids to sit and and then they can leave unfinshed projects that they are coming back to without having the clear the table for dinner. This will help to keep the school stuff in your room Also, consider having a storage unit/closet in your school room to store school items you don't need out on a daily basis. This worked for me in my home as the visual clutter stresses me out and have a cabinet with doors kept the visual clutter down.
It does work that way doesn’t it - waves of declutting, organising and creating spaces - seeing what works - then loop back around. I absolutely am so grateful you share your journey - because these little moments when you parse out what’s happening and where the roadblocks are - I find them so valuable. I can feel the anxiety then the breakthrough and then excitement at having a plan of action. You are a wonderful source of ongoing insight and inspiration. Also - that dress is gorgeous!
Erica, you're doing amazing. Don't feel bad about keeping the things you need (and love! Books make you so happy!). I feel like you just need, like you said, to find it all a good home. I honestly think you may need some more storage in your school room. I highly recommend bookshelves where the books face out (you can just put the ikea photo shelves up on the walls as a cheap hack!). I would also do "zones" in the school room... A library area for books and games, a common area/table (where all kids work together), and some sort of closed storage for items you are not currently using but will rotate out. Perhaps a rug in the library zone if your kids like to play or read on the floor. I hope that gives you some ideas, not that I'm an expert but I just love organizing! Not going to lie, I'm totally looking forward to your reorganization video, they are my fave 😂.
Just put up a bookshelf in your storage room and put all the books in it which you don`t need in your school room now, but will need in the future.
I was going to say the same thing!!
Giving it away if it's for a future year doesn't make sense on a budget.
She’s trying to have less stuff.
@@capercat9785 right, but having less stuff just for the sake of having less stuff doesn't make sense if that stuff will be useful in the future. Not just an imaginary useful in the future but books and curriculum that she knows she will use could easily be stored in the basement.
Sometimes things don’t have a place because you haven’t created a place for them. You need a taller bookshelf or another bookshelf! If you are worried that your kids can’t reach tall shelves, put the materials you are not using now on high shelves. It also seems like a lot of books you are getting rid of are ones that you can use in a couple years. Perhaps a bin to pull out when kids hit third grade? And books (and worksheets or other stuff) for curriculum units are easy to find if you put them in paper magazine holders that you can label. I know these sound like anti-minimalist comments but I am a retired teacher and when I was teaching I had at least a hundred boxes and more than 6000 books and I could find things if people asked to borrow them because everything was organized and labeled.
I loved having learning books in my own room as a child. These strongly supported formal education and helped me to develop my own intellectual life. Interestingly, many of these books in my room were not related to my formal grade level.
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You're so lucky to have a home schoolroom. I think I would be changing the layout of the room so the children and you are not facing the wall; the room has so much potential. you should not be so tough on yourself when it comes to decluttering, the job is hard especially books but if you give them to a library I am sure you can borrow them later.
I agree with some of the comments I read saying to set up a big table in the center of the home school room! Your kids love to learn close to one another and that’s great ❤️ use that to your advantage and then set up some curriculum unit storage along the walls maybe?
Erica, pleas give yourself the grace to be able to tackle this. I am an early childhood educator and i know clutter. Its hard to make the space you need to use clutter free and stll have the resources you need. You are dealing with items for three grades. What if you made a library area/zone downstairs, and simply brought the items for the current projects and books you refernce into the homeschool area. That way you dont see all three grades and a years worth of in the area youre working in and surround yourself with everything.
You will know where it is in your library out of site.
I agree with this! Keep items in the homeschool room you are currently using this week.
Keep items in the basement you are not needing a currently.
Love this idea! I put all of my seasonal picture books in labeled plastic bins and I just rotate them in and out of the attic.
Great suggestion! This is what my mom did for all five of us. :) Dad turned one quarter of their master bedroom into a library and added a door. Then applicable books were moved to the schoolroom. Fond memories. :)
Maybe a tall bookshelf to organize your school stuff off the floor and pull all the desks to middle of room to form a table to work in there so school wont have to be moved off dinning table multiple times a day. -Norma
The best thing I did when I homeschooled was buy those little colored circle stickers at Walmart and give each unit study a color, write the unit study on the sticker, place it on the edge of the book, and cover it with clear packing tape. It really helped me to keep things organized and easy to find when I needed it.
Thank you so much for sharing the inner dialogue as you declutter. It really does help so much more than you know.
I thought you said how much you like the natural light in the dining room....that seems to be a cheerful room....so how about a complete change of rooms? The current dining room as the homeschool room,the current homeschool room as your living room,your current living room as the dining room? I know that sounds like a huge amount of furniture moving but the dining room would be full view to kitchen, homeschool room away from dining area and view of living space which might be more calming. Also keep the kids individual desks but maybe a round table in the middle of the room for group work. I think a large cabinet with doors to store school supplies would help you organize your supplies and reduce the visual clutter...best of luck finding a solution for the best use of your rooms
Try desks in the middle in a triangle. Your children are then both alone on own desk and sociable together in the middle. One bookcase/storage furniture per age group/grade so each child also has their own bookshelf. They can then be responsible for keeping it tidy.
Keep your dining room free of school stuff so that it’s a calm place for fun meal discussions.
I totally understand the struggle to Go rid Off Books... You are an Inspiration and really doing a great Job confronting your anxiety and keep through it step by step. If you are stuck step back a little and then coming out with New power to keep through.
How do you find books when you go to the library? If you categorize your books the same way, albeit on a much smaller scale, it won't feel so overwhelming. Also, if Cas from Clutterbug says that most kids are butterflies (general categories that are either easily seen or very well labeled), so consider that when organize your books. I have a feeling you personally feel better with everything closed away, so you may want to create a library corner nook where the backs of the bookshelves face the room (nice and clean), but walk around the corner and a reading adventure awaits!
You’re doing awesome! As a librarian I know the pain of weeding and the what-ifs. I always think if I am keeping things the students will never check out they won’t be able to find what they would read.
When i taught, i always grouped my teaching material by season and subject. So Spring subject would be placed in a bin, etc. Then i would pull bin for that month and all materials would be there and i woull fill my shelves on rotation.
I think if you put the children’s desks together in the school room, they would use them instead of using the dining table.
So school items would no get moved into your dining room x
The struggle is real. Thank you for sharing. It is helpful to see how walked yourself through the process and figured out why you were getting stressed and what the next step will be.
Okay so I just started watching your channel over the past 6ish months. Just seeing the difference a year makes, wow! Your school room is now a completely different room and the amount of progress everywhere else in your house is incredible. I hope you’re proud of yourself!
In your old house you were blessed with built in bookcases with doors on the lower part for thing you don't want out in sight, like games, reference items, and future season work. Perhaps buying a shelf with lower doors would help, or as others suggested, keeping future things on a dedicated basement bookshelf.
Id take one them clear bins and put all spring ans spring books into it and label it seasonal learning
Enjoy having a thoughtfully curated library! 😁❤️
Dear Erica, just a thought. The gathering around the dining room table you said was a theme reacquiring in your house (in re to school work). This seems to be unconsciously done. How about putting all the desks together in the school room to form one big table. So your children can work together, but still each has his/her own desk. And if the visuals of your school books etc are disturbing you. How about putting some curtains up on the cabinets. Low expense and it does the job of making it calmer on the eye. You then could just have the books out that are current and the kids. Easier to put all way and not so overwhelming. I also wanted to say thank you for taking us along. You are addressing a lot of the same things I struggle with in the process of becoming minimalist. It helps a lot knowing one is not alone.
You are doing fabulously, don't quit as you have come so far. I love watching your progress and it one of the channels that inspire me. You will love be the outcome once it is finished, do what you can, when you can and the rest will fall into place. Xxx
Great! I have paper clutter!! I will be watching next video for sure! I really enjoy your videos!
That box of books is literally my Amazon wish list 😩 seeing you part with them because you don’t truly reference them makes me rethink some of them.
Youre doing great Erica! How about a inexpensive(ish) storage cabinet either in your school room or corner of basement. Maybe with 5 or 6 shelves that you could organize books and supplies by the week or month that you'll use them, or by subject. Makes you keep only what can fit in the container and no visual clutter. Home depot has some for around $120, with doors
Erica, I love that you show us your thought process at that moment that you are decluttering. This is very helpful and will help me with my monthly decluttering tasks. Our home is organized, still, we have the things that we use seldom or not at all. The goal for my hubby and me is, since we are over and nearly 60, to have less and less. Which we believe is necessary for senior years. Or one will reach (maybe) a higher age with so much stuff and yet is too old to do anything about it. 😊
I am a librarian and I knew I had my "decluttering muscles" built up when I was finally able to start letting go of books. My hardest category. Great work.
Love your channel! My suggestion would be to put a centre table then divide the room into four zone’s this way you could keep your books in a season zone! The kids could participate by doing art work for the zones! I think you need all of your books so display them and enjoy them!