Elizabeth Donna Marie Theresa and the 4Real Ladies  have been sharing hands-on learning ideas lately which got me thinking. Homeschools rich in manipulatives are soon challenged by what to do with them all, especially if there are tiny people to watch out for.  Traditional Montessori environments call for open, uncluttered displays of the manipulatives. This works well if you have a LOT less books and furniture than most of us have. It can be done however!  This site http://www.berteig.org/melanie/Haifa/Homeschool/montessori.html  shows a smallish home set up with traditional Montessori principles.  If you are just starting out (with kids, with *stuff*, with furniture) you might want a goal room like this to work towards.

If displaying ALL your manipulatives at once is not practical, and it was not for us all the years we lived in military housing, you may elect to rotate smaller displays while storing the rest. Boxing and bagging are your best bets.  We love heavy duty zipper top Ziplock bags for storing just about anything. There are now two gallon sized bags perfect for oversized puzzles. I have typed out basic directions for use and taped them to the bag so if an older sibling wants to help they can easily see what to do.  The bags are see-through so there is still the element of self selection possible.

Bags can be stored several ways. You can put a small square of clear tape on the top corner and hole punch. Then several good sized bags can be strung on a large ring. Small bags can fit onto key rings. You can also hang the bags from multi-rack slacks hangers and store them easily in a closet.

Don’t forget other kinds of bags. Hanging shoe bags have unlimited uses! This site http://www.geocities.com/helenasplayhouse/PicturesNewChildCare.html has pics of of a home daycare provider’s setup.  She has labeled the pockets and hung them strategically throughout the house.  Just think!  You could store art supplies, flash cards, child sized table settings, fabric match games, color box cards, craft stick games, Cuisenaire rods, magnifying glass….  While your mind is full of closet organizer-turned-homeschool-organizer options consider hanging sweater bags as well. You can stack puzzles and games in those very nicely.

Natural Structure recommends these screw top plastic containers for small items.  By the time their hands are large enough to open the tops they are generally responsible enough not to eat (or lose) the contents.

There is no end to box options. We like the clear cheap Ziplock containers.  Sterilite boxes are sturdier. Both stack well.

You don’t need to purchase new containers by any means. Look at what you are throwing out. Plastic baby wipe boxes are favorites of mine.  They stack also and have attached lids.  Empty oatmeal containers are good for storing large materials like braiding and lacing boards.  Neither the wipes nor the oatmeal boxes  are see through however so labeling is more important. 

What else?  CD cases are very nice for holding the Montessori cards which are readily available from the Montessori Materials groups. They are the perfect size and you can store them vertically in a CD rack.

The playschool6 yahoo group has photo files of members’ environments.  These are great to give you ideas for how to house materials. Surfing for home daycare center images is also helpful.  These people generally have lots of stuff to store with the added pressure of home inspections.  As a result they have become savvy about storing their materials.  Whatever you decide to do commit to not bringing anything into the house without an appropriate storage  container.  You will save yourself lots of grief and lost pieces later.