I’ve got so many posts I’ve been wanting to write, but something about the start of a new year and organizing…  I’ve learned when the motivation to get organizing hits, you just better go with it!

One of my latest spots that needed organizing was our book center.

The sling back bookcase was great when the kids were toddlers because it let them see the covers of their favorite books, all at their eye level.  (And it wasn’t as tempting to climb as a traditional book case.)  But, our book collection has far outgrown its cloth pockets.

Both Peanut and Monkey have a crate of books in their room, there were books on the closet shelves that I rotated in periodically, and then there was a stack of books in MY closet, just because I’d run out of room.

We needed a change.

And then I remembered the little bookcase I had in my classroom years ago, the one covered with all those boxes full of memories and lesson plans.  It was just the perfect size!

Once I brought it upstairs and started shelving the numerous books, I realized something.  Picture books come in a variety of sizes!  It would be so much easier if they were all one standard height!

After several adjustments to the shelves, I came up with a solution.

At the very top of our bookcase I decided to place books I want to showcase each month.  I’m thinking they will mostly be seasonal, for instance, Valentine’s Day books in February.  And I know our Dr. Seuss collection will be gracing that top shelf come March!

All the larger books are on the bottom shelf, the taller ones rest so their spines face upwards.  (And, yes, I tried to put all the ones from the same author — like our Dr. Seuss collection — all together.)

The paperback books went in a couple magazine holders I had picked up from the dollar section of my beloved Target store.  One magazine holder has the shorter, more square books; the other holder has the “standard” sized paperbacks.

All of the animal books (we have quite a few) went into a clear plastic shoe box.

When I arranged the books I even found a place (finally) to put the Leapfrog Reader books.  For years now they have sat on the end table in the living room.  They finally have found a home with the rest of the books!  (Yeah!!  Definitely time for a happy dance over here!)

Both my readers have been enjoying looking through their books in their collection this week.  And I’m enjoying having the space back in my closet!

I did keep a crate of books in each of their rooms.  Most of the car and truck ones are in Monkey’s room, while Peanut has all the Fancy Nancy and princess books in her room.  I think it’s important that they each have books that are just their books, which they can enjoy during quiet time in their rooms.

One area of the house organized!

How are the children’s books organized at your house?  Are they all in one spot, or do you have them in multiple areas?

The post How to Organize Children’s Books first appeared on There's Just One Mommy.

With summer in full swing, I was looking for some good preschooler summer books to share with the kids.  I felt like I hit the jackpot when I came across Bats at the Beach.

First, it’s about bats — which earns me bonus points with my son.

Second, it is a really cute book!  As the sun goes down, the bats prepare for their trip to the beach.  The night is full of playing in the sand, roasting marshmallows (bat-style), and singing campfire songs, all written in a lovely rhyming scheme.

The kids both loved the book immediately.  And I couldn’t wait to have a little fun with a few Bats at the Beach book activities.

I drew some simple pictures to represent 5 different parts of the story.  Then I had them put the pictures in the order that they happened in the book. 

Next, we dished out some bugs for our bat picnic.

They had fun rolling the die to see how many bugs to dish up.  I added the tongs to make it a little more interesting and to help work those hand muscles to help with writing skills down the line.

My daughter asked if we could make bat masks… Time to get crafting!

Looking for other activities for bat books?  Check out the fun we had with Stellaluna!

The post Bats at the Beach — Book Activities first appeared on There's Just One Mommy.