Homeschool Organization | Tips For End of Homeschool Year Clean Up

As summer draws near many of us are putting our homeschool calendars aside to embrace the sunshine, beaches and fun activities the warmer months bring about.  As a home educator it requires a little more thought than simply picking up your child from school on the last day of the year.  These Tips For End of Homeschool Year Clean Up will help you know what to keep and we can all use a little homeschool organization, what to toss and how to store your supplies for next year so they are easy to put back to use when Fall rolls around.  For those who do school year round some of these tips will still apply as you wind down one grade and transition into the next.

UPDATE YOUR CHILDS' PORTFOLIO:  Whether your state board of education requires a portfolio or not, it is an excellent idea to create one and keep it up to date for each of your children.  Your portfolio should at minimun include copies of all tests, midterms and reports.  It should also include an outline of what was accomplished in each subject for the year alongside your students individual grades and overall grade point average.

DISCARD EXTRA PAPERWORK OR EMPTY WORKBOOKS:  Depending on what curriculum you are using for your child, you may have leftover work books that contain little or no worksheets.  You may also have a stack of quizzes, review notes and worksheets you have created for your child.  Make sure the most important items as listed above are accounted for, but discard the rest.  Keep mid term and semester review sheets for beginning of the year review if desired.

CHECK FOR SUPPLY NEEDS:  You may not need anything now because the school year is over, but take stock of your basic supplies so when school supplies go on sale in later summer you know what you actually will need for the following year.  Make a master list of what you have on hand and what you are low on so you can fill in the gaps as needed when you find sales.

STORE GRADE SPECIFIC ITEMS TOGETHER IN CLEARLY MARKED TUBS:  Inexpensive storage tubs are a life saver when it comes to keeping your school supplies organized.  Pick up a few for $5-$10 at your local discount store and keep all grade specific items together in clearly labeled tubs.  This will make it easier to know which items you should pull out for next year, and which items should stay in storage until your younger students have completed earlier grade levels.

CREATE A MASTER LIST OF CURRICULUM ON HAND:  Sometimes you forget if you have already purchased a book or manipulative when you are looking at next years curriculum needs.  When packing up at the end of the school year, it is a perfect time to make a master list of all resources you have on hand for quick reference when you are uncertain.

Packing up your homeschool classroom doesn't have to be difficult.  These tips for end of homeshool year cleanup are easy to follow and will help you stay ahead of the game making next years beginning that much easier to navigate.