When I first started using the Mother Goose Time curriculum, I spent time researching different methods to organize the contents. I was duly impressed by the many systems fellow bloggers had created. I especially admired Jenny’s, from the blog A Beautiful Inheritance, rainbow colored shelving system. Ultimately, I did not trust my kids enough to leave the materials assessable and largely kept the contents in the school bus box in a hutch used for storage. Everything is so well labeled and packaged, this method works. Nevertheless, it has some limitations. I observed a lot of growth in my children, thanks to a combination of time and Mother Goose Time, and wanted to find a more effective way to organize everything.
Last week, my husband and I randomly stopped at Sam’s club. We were short on time and decided to divide and conquer. I was surprised when he returned shortly with a large box–the rainbow shelves Jenny had shown me 6 months earlier! Instant mobile Mother Goose Time station!!
Although I anticipate some evolution as we continue to use them, they are currently organized in the following manner:
- Teacher materials
- Manipulatives
- Monthly supplies (found in daily lessons that will be reused, such as the safari memory cards mentioned in a previous post, I can read books, etc)
- Experience God materials
- Week 1 lessons
- Week 2 lessons
- Week 3 lessons
- Workbooks
- Son’s projects
- Daughter’s projects
Inevitably, there are excellent lessons in the teacher’s guide that for whatever reason we fail to cover. I always intend on “catching up” but probably have less than a 50% success rate. Now, I place the daily topic poster back into the drawer with the lessons and I remember to add in those missed lessons when we have spare time.
Another benefit is the mobility of the cart. I established the playroom based on the diagram in the teacher’s guide. Yet, the kitchen table is often more conducive to our work than the playroom. With this station, I can easily move the cart wherever we need.
Stay tuned next week for a playroom makeover!
Finding Peace in the Mayhem 