Tips & Ideas to cut out the Mess and Organize Your Homeschool using Dry Erase Markers -6 Easy Ways to Organize Your Homeschool with Dry Erase Markers - Pool Noodles & Pixie Dust

6 Easy Ways to Organize Your Homeschool with Dry Erase Markers

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Dry erase markers are a great tool for homeschoolers.

I started using dry erase markers as a way to create less paper mess in our homeschool. It saves me time, money, sanity, and space. It is a fantastic organizational tool. And, is especially helpful when you are roadschooling and need to keep clutter to a minimum. For more ideas on cutting out All. The. Paper., check out 12 Ways to Use Less Paper in Your Homeschool.

We have found so many fun and easy ways to incorporate this great resource into our days.

You probably already have multiple places to use dry erase markers in your home. Here are some ideas for you to try in your homeschool.

 

Tips & Ideas to cut out the Mess and Organize Your Homeschool using Dry Erase Markers -6 Easy Ways to Organize Your Homeschool with Dry Erase Markers - Pool Noodles & Pixie Dust

1. Hang a Dry erase board 

A hanging dry erase board is great for bigger things like mapping, brainstorming, and lessons.

When brainstorming your thoughts can go all over the place. A dry-erase board allows for that without any waste.

We used it when talking about the relationships in the book Flora & Ulysses.

It is also great for impromptu examples. I don’t know how many times I’ve been teaching a lesson and need space to write something out and “show” an example. Sometimes a white sheet of paper just doesn’t do it. And, once I’m done that sheet of paper is wasted, so a dry erase board is perfect. Easily cleaned and used again.

 

2. Try Personal Dry Erase Boards

When I can fit the information, I do my lesson examples and explaining on a personal dry erase board. Then, I wipe the board and hand it to my son.  It’s just as easy as paper, but we don’t have to recycle it or file it somewhere when we’re done working.

Also, its smaller size allows us to sit together anywhere while we work. Love, love, love snuggling up and couchschooling;) We’ve been using these magnetic markers and these smaller magnetic markers that are great for small hands.  them.

 

3. Put Worksheets in Dry Erase Pockets

The traditional worksheet is one of those things I, and my son, in particular, tend to avoid. Using dry erase pockets is a way to make a worksheet into a center or activity that can be completed over and over again.

This year, we’ve started using 3-ring binders to hold practice worksheets and games in clear page protector sheets so we can complete them with dry erase markers over and over again. It turns a boring worksheet into a fun center to practice spelling or math skills. My son really enjoys the markers and doesn’t see it as work, as he does with the traditional pencil and paper model.

And, I don’t have to reprint a worksheet to review the material again because we marked up the first one. We can reuse the same sheet until we’ve mastered the skills and then we still have it for review later on.

 

4. Use a photo album.

My daughter practices writing her alphabet in a mini-photo book.  Photo albums are a great place to use dry erase. They already have the clear pages you need without the assembly process.  And you can find these very affordably priced. I wrote out the alphabet on plain printer paper and put each letter on its own page in the pockets for my daughter to trace. It would also work great for sight words, numbers, maps, math facts… or anything else you can think of.

 

5. Use the Fridge

We even use the fridge as a dry erase board.

My son loves this one. He thinks he’s getting away with something;) And, that’s great because then he doesn’t mind practicing spelling words. There’s something so liberating about standing to do your schoolwork. We keep the dry erase markers in a magnetic holder on the fridge. Storing them on the fridge keeps them all in one place so we don’t ever have to go looking for them when we need them.

For a fun writing activity, spell words in alphabet magnets and have your young children copy them in dry erase.

 

6. Mirrors, Windows or the Glass Shower Door

Any smooth, non-porous surface works well with dry erase. Just check a small area first, so you don’t end up with a permanent art installation. If I haven’t used a surface before I put down a test mark and then test to see that it comes off easily. I’m okay with having to use cleaner and paper towel. And, sometimes that works better to get the boards or surfaces completely cleaned off.

I don’t like using regular cleaners on the boards that my kiddos are touching daily and cleaning themselves (hopefully;). So, I use my favorite non-toxic grapefruit cleaner.

And, best of all when we’re done we just wipe off whatever surface we’re working on and move onto something else without any paper needing to go somewhere in my house.

 

 

Recordkeeping

So, what do you do if you need more of a record of what your kids are producing each day?

What we’ve been trying is taking photos.

Of course, I take pictures of my kid’s projects all the time. But, I’ve started photographing some of our plain practice work and written pages so that I have a record.

My son has been doing short writing assignments on dry erase boards. Snapping a photo is the perfect way of capturing and recording it.

I think of it, in the same way I think of things we create, like LEGO structures or a loaf of bread. I want to capture them in a photo before we take it apart or eat it, in the case of baked goods.

File away any work you need to save on your phones or laptops.  Once you have the photo you can use it to create a digital scrapbook or school record. This gives you a record of schoolwork and progress without having to store all the paper or possibly lose it altogether.

Just be careful not to take too many photos or you’ll be in the same boat trying to sort through and file away all those pics.

 

Do you use dry erase in your homeschool?  I’d love to hear about it in the comments!

 

Heidi

6 Ways to Organize your Homeschool with Dry Erase Markers.

Posted in Homeschool and tagged , .

Hi, I'm Heidi a Jesus-loving homeschool Mama traveling the country with my full time RVing family. I'm passionate about simplifying your homeschool or classroom days by providing quality resources and support.