5 Household Items I Use Everyday, But Not How You'd Expect...

#1 Sheet Protectors

Those cheap, plastic sleeves you put in binders have more uses than you might expect! We use this simple office supply everyday with our lessons and turn these inexpensive pieces of plastic into a reusable, erasable surface. Make any piece of paper into a dry erase board! You can put worksheets, curriculum workbook pages, or other activities that you want to reuse and make an easy, inexpensive, wipeable surface for dry erase markers.

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#2 Chip Clips

Chip clips are for more than snack time! Chip clips that have magnets and holes at the top work as an excellent storage solution. Clip important papers and hang them on a magnetic board or clip a storage bag with supplies and hang it on a hook. This helps use the vertical space in your home to free up some room on shelves and in drawers!

#3 Freezer Bags

Freezer bags are a fantastic supply to have in your homeschool arsenal. Freezer bags are for more than storing your leftovers. Fill them with crayons, craft supplies, or to help organize your desk drawers. They also double as a craft or science supply. Use them for collecting and analyzing leaves under a microscope or for making a stained glass art project. Hang them using chip clips on a wall or on the side of a shelf and you have an inexpensive storage solution!

#4 Clear Packaging Tape

Wide packaging tape is another great alternative to making any surface a wipeable, dry erase board. Tape it across a poster board and hang it on a wall, tape it on a desk and make a dry erase space right where your child sits, or tape it on worksheets to make them reusable. Packaging tape is also thick and works great as a laminator alternative for small papers, game cards, or flashcards you make and want to preserve.

#5 Styrofoam

Do pencils rolling off the table drive you nuts? Floral styrofoam blocks make a creative solution for storing supplies! You can stick pencils, scissors, rulers, dry erase markers, glue sticks, and more in them and they stay put! You can also insert dollar store dry erase paddles in them to hold them upright. These inexpensive blocks have endless uses and can help to keep your workspace neat and organized. We use a 8x8 block that the kids decorated in a Minecraft theme to hold our everyday supplies and it keeps them accessible.

Now it's your turn!

What unique, creative solutions have you used with materials and supplies? Leave your answers in the comments!