Organzing and Categorizing STUFF!

[Sprouts]

Okay i was up until 2:30 am yesterday trying to tackle the clutter that has accumulated in my daycare space. I definitely was in over my head...my organizational skills on a scale of 1-10 would probably be something like a 4...maybe 5.5 when I have coffee....I have looked at Fly lady website....but was a bit overwhlemed....need something straight to the point....

so for those of you that are organzational pros...what are some of your secrets?

How do you organize and categorize your materials, toys, space, ect....

I have a closet of stuff , its somewhat categorized...but its not totally functional...
I have so many "trays" and baskets (for making montessori type displays, ect), they are all different shapes so its hard to for them nice and neet into each other....

If i could afford an organizational expert I would but they charge like $75 per hour

I know some of you rotate toys...when you put them away do you seperate by age appropriateness, or you mix the age groups in one bin ..i dunno , my mind is so cluttered....

[My3cents]

Okay i was up until 2:30 am yesterday trying to tackle the clutter that has accumulated in my daycare space. I definitely was in over my head...my organizational skills on a scale of 1-10 would probably be something like a 4...maybe 5.5 when I have coffee....I have looked at Fly lady website....but was a bit overwhlemed....need something straight to the point....

so for those of you that are organzational pros...what are some of your secrets?

How do you organize and categorize your materials, toys, space, ect....

I have a closet of stuff , its somewhat categorized...but its not totally functional...
I have so many "trays" and baskets (for making montessori type displays, ect), they are all different shapes so its hard to for them nice and neet into each other....

If i could afford an organizational expert I would but they charge like $75 per hour

I know some of you rotate toys...when you put them away do you seperate by age appropriateness, or you mix the age groups in one bin ..i dunno , my mind is so cluttered....

bump bump bump........ for those of you that are wonderful about clutter and organization please share tips and helps

I look at a toy and see what they can do with it, but reality of what should go and what should stay.

That time of the year for clean out and would love ideas too

[countrymom]

pictures, I need pictures.

then its easier for me to help you.

[snbauser]

I am also working on organizing my stuff. I have so much stuff because I love to be able to rotate toys based on interests, seasons, and themes. I get so frustrated because everytime I find a storage bin that I think is a good size to hold most of the stuff I buy a bunch and then when I need more I can't find them anymore. So nothing stacks well together. I have 2 sets of shelves in my downstairs closet that I use to store lose stuff or stuff I don't want in my garage (puzzles, rice bins, extra playdoh, my bulletin board sets, etc). then I have two sets of shelves in my garage for my bins and larger items. I try to separate and label my bins by theme and try to use the clear bins so I can see what's in each because there area always things that can be used for multiple themes. It's getting better but I still have a long way to go. I think I want to put more detailed labels on the bins so I can just read off what is in each one.

My biggest thing right now is figuring out how to organize my books. Books are a weakness of mine so I have a ton. Right now they are all ont he back side of the kids bookcase so they can't get to them. But when I want to change them out, it takes me forever to go through them. But again, so many of them can go with multiple theme's that I can't come up with a logical soring. I have pulled out all of the different holiday books and packed them with that holidays decorations or theme boxes.

[Meeko]

Organization is a very personal thing.

I used to be the most UN-organized person on the planet, but I decided to change about 20 years ago and haven't looked back. I have both these books and they became my "bibles". I have almost every book Don Aslett has written and they are life savers. Funny, easy to read and very practical. They are all on Amazon and worth every penny. Organization comes easy to me now.

[SilverSabre25]

Goodness knows I'm no organizational genius, but after years of struggling I have figured a couple things out.

Clear plastic storage boxes are your best friend!! All those trays and baskets--get a big clear storage box, label it "trays and baskets" and put them all in it. Nest them as best you can and if they don't all fit, seriously consider getting rid of some.

The smaller clear plastic shoeboxes are great for keeping some types of toys and materials, as are the next size up from the shoebox ones.

Finally, another key to organization is space. You need someplace to keep all those boxes and have them be easily accesible. I like the big heavy-duty wire/plastic shelves (think garage shelving).

You need to buy the boxes first (and some masking tape and a nice sharpie for label making!). Then lay them all out and start going through your stuff, filling the boxes as you go. Arm yourself with a bag for trash and a bag for stuff you're not keeping, too. If you run out of boxes, use trash bags or piles or paper grocery bags to keep the extra piles until you go out for more boxes. And be ruthless while filling boxes! Every single thing, evaluate whether you really need it. Then once the stuff is all boxed, you have space (the space where the stuff was) for shelves or whatever other storage method you're going to use, and you can go get that and put the boxes on.

[My3cents]

what about bulletin board sets and seasonal stuff, how do you all keep these items from getting ruined and in a a system that allows them to be assessable. How much of it do you keep and how much do you get rid of and just buy new when the holiday comes, or do you buy on sale and put away for the following year. What is the best solution for this mess. I tried a file box, most of my stuff is to big and bulky and awkward for this. I know this has been brought up before but I welcome new ideas and old. Looking for something that works.

[snbauser]

what about bulletin board sets and seasonal stuff, how do you all keep these items from getting ruined and in a a system that allows them to be assessable. How much of it do you keep and how much do you get rid of and just buy new when the holiday comes, or do you buy on sale and put away for the following year. What is the best solution for this mess. I tried a file box, most of my stuff is to big and bulky and awkward for this. I know this has been brought up before but I welcome new ideas and old. Looking for something that works.

This is what I have for my bulletin board sets.

http://www.shoplet.com/Trend-Save-System-Bulletin-Board-Folder/TEPT1021/spdv?ci_src=17588969&ci_sku=TEPT1021

I also use manilla folders that I taped the sides on to store the smaller pieces and just labeled the front with sharpie. I think I want to get a few more of the bulletin board folders and the storage box to put them in so that I can organize it better. right now all the parts that are too big for a manilla folder are just put in there and then I have to sort through them every time I am looking for something.

[My3cents]

This is what I have for my bulletin board sets.

http://www.shoplet.com/Trend-Save-System-Bulletin-Board-Folder/TEPT1021/spdv?ci_src=17588969&ci_sku=TEPT1021

I also use manilla folders that I taped the sides on to store the smaller pieces and just labeled the front with sharpie. I think I want to get a few more of the bulletin board folders and the storage box to put them in so that I can organize it better. right now all the parts that are too big for a manilla folder are just put in there and then I have to sort through them every time I am looking for something.

I use that same file folder type set up except mine are hanging and an ugly green- Its not working for me anymore, as most stuff is too big and sticking out. I am bumping this again for some great wonderful ideas. I also need the motivation to get moving and cut clutter.

[Sprouts]

I am also working on organizing my stuff. I have so much stuff because I love to be able to rotate toys based on interests, seasons, and themes. I get so frustrated because everytime I find a storage bin that I think is a good size to hold most of the stuff I buy a bunch and then when I need more I can't find them anymore. So nothing stacks well together. I have 2 sets of shelves in my downstairs closet that I use to store lose stuff or stuff I don't want in my garage (puzzles, rice bins, extra playdoh, my bulletin board sets, etc). then I have two sets of shelves in my garage for my bins and larger items. I try to separate and label my bins by theme and try to use the clear bins so I can see what's in each because there area always things that can be used for multiple themes. It's getting better but I still have a long way to go. I think I want to put more detailed labels on the bins so I can just read off what is in each one.

My biggest thing right now is figuring out how to organize my books. Books are a weakness of mine so I have a ton. Right now they are all ont he back side of the kids bookcase so they can't get to them. But when I want to change them out, it takes me forever to go through them. But again, so many of them can go with multiple theme's that I can't come up with a logical soring. I have pulled out all of the different holiday books and packed them with that holidays decorations or theme boxes.

I found this and just organized all of my books yesterday with these labels. I am going to micheals this week to get bins for them.

http://www.pre-kpages.com/classlibrary/

http://www.pre-kpages.com/classlibrary/

the link to the file is in the page, its a PDF..ok i found it below...but read everything on , super helpful!

http://www.pre-kpages.com/docs/book-box-labels.pdf

[snbauser]

I found this and just organized all of my books yesterday with these labels. I am going to micheals this week to get bins for them.

http://www.pre-kpages.com/classlibrary/

http://www.pre-kpages.com/classlibrary/

the link to the file is in the page, its a PDF..ok i found it below...but read everything on , super helpful!

http://www.pre-kpages.com/docs/book-box-labels.pdf

Thanks for the link. I need to add some more categories though LOL! I have soooo many books. I'm wondering if my books will fit in gallon sized ziploc bags. Then I could label each bag with the theme and make it easier to find what I am looking for. I have magazine holders that I could use to sort them too but I think I would still end up with several theme's in each one. Although that might work as long as they are labeled. Might have to try that first.

[Sprouts]

If you read more of her description , she uses those sticky color tabs to color code all of the books into their sections so the children know where to put them back. Theres only three colors but you can start mixing the colors to get different combinations.

And country I am going to be taking pics asap!!

[Sprouts]

Organization is a very personal thing.

I used to be the most UN-organized person on the planet, but I decided to change about 20 years ago and haven't looked back. I have both these books and they became my "bibles". I have almost every book Don Aslett has written and they are life savers. Funny, easy to read and very practical. They are all on Amazon and worth every penny. Organization comes easy to me now.

I just ordered one of Aslets books thanks!

[Starburst]

pictures, I need pictures.

then its easier for me to help you.

We need to know what we are working with

[snbauser]

If you read more of her description , she uses those sticky color tabs to color code all of the books into their sections so the children know where to put them back. Theres only three colors but you can start mixing the colors to get different combinations.

And country I am going to be taking pics asap!!

I read that but I don't want to have all of the books available to the kids. I have way too many of them and they would be overwhelmed with the choices. I probably have easily 200 books if not more it's my weakness. I rotate the books monthly based on the time of the year and what our themes are and there are probably 15-20 books out at any given time. So the organization is really more for my storage and ease of finding them when I am ready to change them out.