Now that the holidays are over and school is back in session, I’ve been pondering ways to eliminate stress from our hectic daily routine by getting more organized. In our family, there is one area that always seem to be a particular challenge on a day to day basis: homework time. My kids tend to sit down to do their homework when I am cooking dinner, and the flurry of requests (“Mama, have you seen the pencil sharpener?” “Do we have any glue?” “Where is the [insert name of necessary supply here]?”) during that harried time always makes me want to pull my hair out! Thankfully, I recently came up with a very easy-to-execute, inexpensive solution to that challenge: I created a homework command station to live permanently on our kitchen counter to ensure that my little scholars always have all of the supplies and tools they need for homework projects at arm’s reach. This organizational project has been a huge hit!
Today, I’m sharing all of the details about our homework command center, which is an easy, inexpensive DIY project that anyone can tackle (truly!). There are limitless ways to tailor it to suit your own family’s unique needs. Read on to see how I put our homework command center together for less than $12.
For this project, you will need…
- 1 lazy Susan (I used a wooden lazy Susan purchased at Ikea for $7.99)
- Metals buckets or other suitable containers for holding supplies (I purchased my small galvanized buckets from Ikea for $.79/each)
- School supplies
Directions
- Place the containers on the lazy Susan in your desired configuration.
- Gather up all of the supplies your kids use for homework projects on a regular basis, plus essential tools. (Pencils, sharpeners, tape, markers, pens, crayons, glue and adhesive rollers all made the list for our station.)
- Distribute the supplies among the containers. Simple as that!
I opted to leave my containers unattached from the lazy Susan just in case we encounter a situation when the supplies need to be moved to a different location for a particular project. If you prefer to have the containers permanently affixed to the lazy Susan, I would recommend affixing the containers with screws, or possibly even using heavy duty Velcro or magnets to affix them while also allowing them to be removed as needed. There are lots of different options!
Even if you don’t have school-aged children, this would also be a fabulous idea to create an art command center for younger children. It’s never too early to foster a love of creating from an early age!
Looking for even more ways to stay organized in the new year? Don’t miss these other great ideas from the PS archives:
Having grown up in a home brimming with sewing notions and paintbrushes, Amy has a deep love for all things creative. On any given day, you’ll find her knee-deep in her latest creative endeavor, with projects ranging from sewing and crafts to home decor and kid-friendly ideas. Amy believes that everyone, regardless of skill level or experience, possesses the ability to create something beautiful, and Positively Splendid was born of her passion for helping others harness their innate creative potential.
Ikea to the rescue! Love how simple and effective this little DIY is, thanks for posting!