My Homeschool Command Center

A.K.A. the kitchen counter! I have been setting up this little "command center" for myself each homeschool morning, and I thought it would be fun to share. I claimed the end of our kitchen counter peninsula as my spot. It's right near the dining table where the kids do seatwork and just a few steps from the living room where most of our reading happens, plus it's in the kitchen where we usually do science experiments and messy activities. So it's a nice central location where I can keep everything I need for the day.

Here's what I keep here:

• A box of tissues - Because someone always has a cold lately!

• A glass of water - I try to fill one up each morning, otherwise I forget to drink. 

• A timer - This comes in handy if someone has a cooking project or science experiment.

• Sharpened pencils - I sharpen a bunch each evening - no more hunting for pencils!

• My cell phone - I keep the landline ringer off during school hours to minimize distractions, but I keep my cell on for my husband. 

• A big mug of tea - I like to use a travel mug so it doesn't get cold!

• My  homeschool binder -I keep a week or two of Sonlight/BookShark for each child here. 

• Our chore chart & a dry-erase marker - So I can keep track of what needs doing. 

• My planner - I often leave this open, so I have a spot to quickly jot down to-do's and notes about various things as they occur to me. 

Not shown are our language arts and math work crates, which I keep just in front of the counter. 

 I feel much more organized and professional since I started setting up my little command center each morning. Something about laying everything out helps me get my brain in gear for the day!