The Learning Center

So today has been a fun day of cleaning and organizing the learning space in preparation for the start of school. Hubby already got Ethan's computer station set up and now I need to de-clutter our Learning Center/Cabinet.

• Here is what it looked like BEFORE:    

AFTER:There is still a lot going on in there, but it is definitely more functional now. I added the cubbyholes for each day of the week and then made the binders more accessible. Before, it would cause an avalanche just to pull them out of the cupboard. Now everything has a place. I would eventually like to get another stack-able crate but I made it a point to only use what I already had on-hand to prevent me from heading to Target to spend more money.

And the best thing about the learning center is that I can close the doors!

Money Saving Tip ALERT:

Speaking of learning, I want to showcase one of my favorite ways to save a little bit of money on materials and workbooks. At the Dollar Tree there are usually a variety of topical (alphabet, shapes, phonics, numbers etc) children's workbooks available. Rather then just going through those page by page and discarding them after they are written in, I place each page in protective plastic and the boys can write on it with dry erase markers and then we can erase and reuse the page over and over again.

Ideally, you should erase the same day otherwise the ink sets up and is harder to erase. If that happens, spritz it with a bit of vinegar (which truly is a miracle product) and it wipes right off. It is also a great way to track their progress. I have noticed how Ethan is advancing through the pages that originally were very difficult for him. Of course, JoJo just loves to scribble in them like big brother and I don't have to worry about the waste! Although I do have to keep an eye on him, as last time he decided that the chair and wall needed a bit of decorating LOL.
I give this an A for ingenuity and an A+ for cost savings!