Amazon: Homeschool Must-Haves
Contains affiliate links
We’ve been a homeschool family for over 18 months now. While I am by no means an expert, I have found some amazing products that I seriously couldn’t live without while on this homeschooling journey. I love these finds so much I decided I absolutely must share with y’all.
Our school desk is a table I found in the clearance section at our local furniture store. It is perfect because it fits up to 8 people, has 3 pull-out drawers on each of the long sides of the table, and it has been super durable. Still, I didn’t want the boys to scratch the tabletop with pens and pencils, so I searched on trusty old Amazon and found these computer mats. They are basically giant mouse pads for your desk or table. Each amigo has their own. I even purchased a solid color one for myself.
This one is the one I chose for my own desk. My office has a blush pink aesthetic with natural woods. By the way, I’ve never had my own office, so when we moved into our current house, I claimed the smallest bedroom for myself.
I chose desk mats for the boys that I felt had an educational theme, so that’s where the world atlas mat came from. They’ve been super durable and practical.
One obstacle we had to overcome when deciding to homeschool was all of the technology items that needed charging. Matthew found this charging tower that has been perfect for the school table. It allows USB and normal outlet charging. Also, you can turn on each level with a button or turn them off. When the level is on the orange light is lit.
This particular tower provides 14 regular outlets and 4 USB ports. There are plenty of charging towers available online, but this one happens to work perfectly for our school desk.
With the charging tower on the school table, the cables knotting, intertwining, and cluttering everything began to drive me nuts. That’s when I decided we needed some twisty ties that were reusable. I found these magnetic ties.
While my boys love to steal these and play with them, they have been the perfect tool to keep the charging cords in order and uncluttered.
I am a planner! I always have been, always will be. So of course, I am forcing my children to be planners. I wanted a planner that would be easy to use and allow my boys to see their daily schoolwork to-do lists. It gives them the ability to work ahead if they would like to, and it also empowers them to feel in charge of their education.
I did purchase a planner with an easier layout for my 8-year-old. He has never used one before, so I wanted one that would work well for elementary school age.
I found planners that suit middle and high schoolers a little more for the twins. They are in seventh grade this year and they’ve been using planners for several years now. I wanted to have a planner for them that would have plenty of space for writing, but also more compact than the one I purchased for my 8-year-old.
Following along with the organizational theme, I wanted a bluetooth label maker. We’ve had label maker machines in the past, but they always somehow grow legs and walk away. This one just sits on my desk and any time I need a label, I just get onto the app on my phone and print one. Plus the label tape is the best I’ve ever used.
Not only is this label maker bluetooth, you can also customize the font, size, and print duplicates. I’ve been labeling EVERYTHING since this label maker came into my life.
My children constantly ask how much longer do they have to work until they can take a break. I don’t know if this is just who they are, or if it is because they attended public school where there were bells to alert the students and teachers when class was over. Either way, I grew tired of them badgering me about how much longer. So I found this digital timer that has been perfect. It is a magnetic timer that you set by turning the dial that is around the outside. It is so easy to set and clear.
I not only use this timer for school, but also for cooking, timing practicing piano, and timeouts.
Last, but very not least…are these plastic organizing dividers. Each boy does have their own drawer in the table, but the drawers are not deep and do not hold much. These dividers are perfect for the boys to keep their various composition notebooks, worksheets, comprehension novels, and planners. If they need something to help them complete an assignment, they most likely will find it in their divider. Then when they complete the assignment, they turn it into another divider and my desk remains uncluttered.
And…as you can see, I labeled each of these dividers so there is no confusion as to what goes where. At the end of the school day, their planners, notebooks, and novels they are reading must all go back in their personal divider which then helps keep the school table clear of clutter.
What are some tools that you could not live without in your school room, office, or a special place that allows you to work on your goals? Do you homeschool? Or are you conquering distance learning with your children? Hope y’all are having an amazing week. Stay safe and hug your loved ones.
You May Also Like
Homeschool 101: Educational Subscription Boxes
First Grade Check List
