Re-Purposed Garage Junk & Other Cool Stuff

In an effort to utilize some great ideas I learned from a veteran home schooling Mom I recently went digging through my garage. {Think dumpster diving, but in the comfort of my own home :0) } I am oh so excited about my finds! I just had to share what is currently working for our family.

Welcome to my refurbished Garage Junk Tot/Pre-School! This bookshelf is one I bought at a yardsale for $5. I have big plans to paint it one day but for now I just took the time to wash off all the dirt and grime.

The plastic boxes and baskets are my version of trays. I found some cheery colorful fabric I had bought super cheap as a remnant and lined all of the boxes. Inside each is a different activity. When its time to change I put the contents into a ziplock bag and in my storage cabinet until its time to bring them out again.

This nifty wire rack is something Josh and I bought when we first got married. We had a tiny bathroom with absolutely no storage so this is where we kept shampoo, make-up, washrags, etc.. It has gotten a little bent out of shape over the years, (its been through no less than 7 moves!) and has been collecting dust in the garage for the past year or two. Not anymore! Kayli & Katherine each have a spot to put their completed work. Daddy gets to look through what they have done when he gets home and then I get to decide which papers get trashed and which ones get stored in a binder showcasing their work for the year. {I intend to keep a binder of each year of school to keep as a record of their education. Maybe one day they will be cute creative scrapbooks but for now they simply consist of a 3 ring binder and sheet protectors! }

I discovered a site called File Folder Fun I used some of their free resources to put together some really cute learning games. I didn’t have any file folders so I adapted by using construction paper and a presentation folder. It works for us! Mostly we are using math related ones, but they have a wide variety of games relating to all sorts of subjects in an assortment of grade levels. Kayli is working on simple math problems right now. I printed a gazillion little acorns and she uses them to help her complete her math work. Since its Thanksgiving week I’ll probably be putting up the turkey’s, acorns, and leaves this week so I better get to work finding wintery/Christmacy replacements! That or I just might make my own! Cautionary note: I did find some misspelled words/typos in some of the files at filefolderfun.com but was able to make the “folders” without having to use them.

These binders hold my girls ‘official school work.’ I buy huge workbooks when I can for the girls. I rip them all apart and try to make ‘packets’ for the girls to do each day. I try to make sure there is a balance between different subject levels and a few fun activities mixed in. Each day I put the packets in the front pocket of the folders. They also have a pocket for their necessary supplies. Sometimes they need certain color crayons, scissors, or glue. I try to make sure everything they need is there. If needed I put in construction paper, scrap paper, and lined paper. They know they need to get their packets done each day before Daddy gets home. Its teaching them at a very young age to be responsible to make sure and get their work done in a timely manner. I don’t “make” them do it first or at any certain time. I let them decide when and for how long to work at a sitting. So far its working VERY well for us.

I am keeping a book series I got a yard sale for super cheap on the bookshelf right now. {Buried in a plastic tote of books I got for $5! } Each book features one letter of the alphabet. Kayli is currently trying to learn which sound each letter makes. Step one of learning to read. These books are perfect for this because even when I can’t sit down and read to her she can flip through it and name some of the things in the book, each which start with the same letter. I looked on Amazon and was able to find the set, it looks like a better updated version of the one I found. I am including this link just in case you're interested in getting a set for your little one who is learning/ preparing to learn to read.

The chalk & white board are hanging on wire stands that funeral flowers came on. They are now very functional easels and the perfect height for little girls. They come in handy for a variety of activities.


That is just about it. This little set-up takes up just a little bit of space on one wall of the house


A special thank you goes out to Carisa. Her tot trays were definitely the inspiration of this school set-up. I love how I was able to personalize her idea to make it work for our needs of a blended area that works flexibly for use by both of my children.


So what is working for YOUR family. What are you doing to organize your school area? What is unique to your home school? Do you have any great ideas for me?