Supply Organization : Home-Centered Learning

From paints, pastels, and pom poms to glitter, googly eyes, and glue - supply management in any home, especially one that homeschools, can definitely be hard. Now, how we all organize is going to look vastly different depending on layout and space available, but here are a few tips I’ve found helpful for us over the years.

Keep supplies on hand. It will take quite a bit of your time to open a curriculum, see you need something for a project that day and then haul everyone to the store. Instead, create a central location for supplies and stock up. This is my recommended supply list. You can get these items off Amazon or write some ideas down and head to the dollar store or Wal-Mart.
Review supplies you need for a project a week or two in advance (or some people may like to do a month). Then just add needed items to your weekly or bi-weekly shopping lists.
Keep like things together and have a “home” for everything. This makes for easy inventory checks. It can also help you and your children keep it clean and organized.
Store supplies in small containers. Bins, cups, or baskets also work versus large deep bins you or your children have to dig through to find something.
Clear containers work best for pre-readers and makes it easy to see what you need. We used these cheap 6 quart bins for smaller items like craft sticks, sensory tools, stamps and 12 quart ones for larger items like paints, sensory bin fillers, science tools, and pipe cleaners. (We got our 12 qt ones at Costco, but they’re no longer available so I linked a similar one that would work well.)
Small containers can also be used as quick activities for young children. This is helpful when working with older children and little hands need something to do. Think a box of play-doh and some play-doh tools or dot markers and paper. Sometimes I grab just a few items out of random boxes - like some popsicle sticks, feathers, small tissue papers and a glue stick and see what they create. Grab a few tablespoons of Instasnow, a small bin and some measuring cups and they’ll love it. All of these things take less than a few minutes to get out and set up for younger kids.
Labeling will help items get back in the right homes. We like to use chalk-board markers because they’re easy to wipe clean with a little windex as things evolve. I use 5mm for larger bins and 2-3mm for small bins.
Use the same size bins and labeling. If you like a space to look organized and tidy, this can really tie a space together.
Organizing doesn’t need to be expensive. You can get great storage bins and boxes at the dollar store or Wal-Mart. We organized our supply area for under $50.
Be mindful of what you’re bringing into your home. Are these items you’ll use one time? If not, do you have room to store extras? Where?
Storage location matters. With young children, most people won’t want to use paints, clay, or really messy items over carpet. Having a sink nearby is also really helpful. This isn’t possible in every home, but you may want to try to store arts and craft items near the area you’ll be working in. Will you be working in a kitchen? A dedicated school room? Craft room or office?
Utilize art trays. When working with young kids, gather the items they need on a small tray that’s easy for them to work on. This will help keep things simple for you and them to help clean up.
Worried about storage space? Think outside the box. You may need to shift some things around in your home or buy additional storage space. Many people use rolling carts, open shelving, bookshelves, or storage cubes.
Take supplies out of the boxes they come in. You’ll save on space, it looks better, and they’re usually easier to manage long-term.
Have a “loose ends” day. Use up items you haven’t used in a while and then don’t be afraid to donate or toss the rest. I like to declutter 1-2x a year. If you haven’t used an item in a year, you probably won’t be using it anytime soon so it’s okay to let it go.

What works best for us is to store our items in our laundry room, which is right off our kitchen. I have 3 cupboards we use - one above our dryer and the ones above and below our counter space. We do all of our projects and crafts on our kitchen island because it’s big and easy to clean…so I just grab a bin and take it right into the kitchen which makes for easy prep and clean up.

I walked into my laundry room and snapped some pictures exactly how it looked - I didn’t rearrange anything - just so you can see how we maintain it. If you love to organize, I hope this helps give you some inspiration!