Friday Favorite: Homework Boxes

Happy Friday, everyone!

I hope you survived the week and that you have a restful weekend. My kids love weekends (duh) for so many reasons....they can sleep in, play with their friends, and best of all - there is no homework!!

Which brings me to my "Friday Favorite" post... I was telling a recent client about these Homework Boxes, and wanted to pass it along to all of you as well. It's such a simple concept, and great for your kids to use at home or on-the-go/in the car.

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All you need  to create a Homework Box is a simple document box, inexpensive utensil tray (Check out your local Dollar Store!), and your kids' homework supplies like pencils, paper, crayons, etc.

I would recommend creating one Homework Box per child! That way there is no fighting :) And don't forget to put a stack of notebook paper or a small notebook in the box....

either underneath the utensil tray, or right on top.

Pretty simple, right!?

Back-to-School Series: Creating a Homework Station

Today we'll be tackling the dreaded "H" word......homework!

 

Now, I know some of you mommas out there have battles over making your child actually DO their homework. Sorry, no tips on that today....I'm not a miracle worker! :) But whether your family does homework in the car, at a desk, or on the kitchen table, it's important to be organizing by having a few supplies on hand.

If you need a mobile homework station, I highly recommend a homework caddy. This can be made from a simple utensil caddy plus some soup cans or mason jars, whatever you have on hand really. And of course, you need some extra school supplies - pencils, markers, crayons, tape, glue, and scissors should cover it.

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I love the idea of a homework caddy so much that I made one for a client earlier this year! She has a cabinet in her kitchen island that is designated to homework. I grabbed this silver mesh caddy off Amazon, and voila! A caddy and a homework station.

Now whereas a homework caddy can be moved easily from room to room, so can a rolling cart! I love this IKEA hack, and how it holds not only homework supplies but crafting supplies as well.

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And if you're one of those parents who has multiple kids with multiple after-school activities, you may be doing homework in the car some days. (Been there, done that.....it's not ideal but sometimes it's necessary.) If this is the case, I suggest checking out your local Dollar Store for a utensil organizer and a document box. Once you fill it with extra school supplies, you have a homework station for your car! A clipboard or two can't hurt as well, to give your children a hard surface to write on.

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 Once your child gets older, they/you may want their homework station to be in their room. They might need more room to spread out, or just a quiet area to be able to concentrate. If that's the case, they will need a desk or tabletop surface, as well as school supplies and a comfy seat.

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I'm sure you're wondering where MY kids do their homework every day!! Well, we are lucky enough to have a sunroom in our house that was previously unused, so we turned it into a craft room. This room holds the kids' craft table (shown below), my scrapbook table, and my computer desk/office.

Each child has their own utensil cup with pencils, scissors, etc. And then 3 shared buckets for markers, crayons, and colored pencils.

 

Let me know which homework station is your favorite, and if you have one in your home!

Organizing Your Teen's Desk: 11 Must-Haves

Do you have a teenage son with an unruly desk in his bedroom? Is it being overrun by Legos, clutter, puzzles, books, papers, or even dirty laundry?!

 

If so, it's time to clean that sucker off & start fresh....clear the clutter, and implement some new storage systems that will help your son to stay organized. It's important for your son to have a designated spot for homework, and if it's organized, I bet he'll be more willing to sit there and do it :) So, without further ado, here are 11 of my "must-haves" for organizing your teenage son's desk area:

 

 

1. Charging Station. Since every teenager these days has multiple devices, it's nice to have one place to corral them (and charge them at the same time). I love how this one conceals

all the cables with an easy lift-off lid.

 

2. Shelves. It's always best to maximize vertical space if possible, and a system of shelves (or even just one shelf) is the perfect solution over your son's desk. It's the perfect place for storage boxes, books, and even knick knacks. Just make sure the shelf or shelves are deep

 enough to hold the pieces you want!

 

3. File Box. Pop some hanging folders inside, and a file box is the ideal place to store important documents, notebook paper, and extra paperwork from school.

 

4. Metal Locker Bin. Concealed storage is key when dealing with clutter, and I love how this bin resembles an old-school metal locker.

 

5. Lamp. If your son's room doesn't have the best lighting, it's important to have a lamp to provide it. You know, just in case they're up late, burning the midnight oil & doing homework :)

 

6. Magazine File. My son is only 7 but already has two magazine subscriptions! I love these magazine files as a place to store their favorite issues.

 

7. Pencil Cup. You can never have enough pencils when it comes to homework...

 

8. Wall Organizing System. Whether it be a corkboard, dry-erase calendar, chalkboard, or memo board, it is essential to have some type of wall organizing system for your son. It's a good place to pin up weekly assignments & important reminders from school, or even just favorite pictures, mementos, or awards to personalize the space.

 

9. Storage Boxes. In my opinion, storage boxes are my #1 favorite organizing product. They are great for storing extra cords or miscellaneous items not used often.

 

10. Desktop Storage. In case your son's desk does not have a drawer, I adore this option for storing extra homework supplies. (Think: markers, scissors, ruler, and colored pencils.)

 

11. Drawer Organizers. Because ideally, the desk does have a drawer or two

to store homework supplies :)

 

 

*Just in case you need a little more inspiration on organizing your son's desk area, here ya go!*

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And one more thing: I would advise having your son involved in both the de-cluttering & organizing process. Find out what his ideas are, his needs & wants, and what you can do to make it his new favorite place to be productive. Good luck!