Tote Bag Homeschooling: The Time-saving Solution for an On-the-go Family

Are you in a season of on-the-go-schooling? Are you out exploring the world more than you’re at home? I know I am! Museum visits, sports practices, dentist appointments, weekend trips, co-op classes, piano lessons and countless hours in the car blanket our week.

This constant motion means that our homeschooling has to be flexible. Sometimes reading assignments are tucked into the twenty-minutes hanging out in the waiting room or the forty-five minutes at the library between activities.

At first, I didn’t think we could fit anything meaningful into these short shifts of learning, but I knew I had to find a way!

My solution? Tote bag homeschooling!

Next to my front door, you’ll find a laundry basket filled with tote bags of various kinds. As we waltz out the door, staying on track with learning is as simple as grabbing a tote. Let my bags inspire you to build carry-alls that meet the needs of your on-the-go family! 

1. Tote Bag Homeschooling for All

If you're going to set up just one tote, this is the one. It has something for everyone—perfect for family-style learning! Here are some suggestions based on what's in my own bag:

• A card game or two

• A juicy read-aloud

• Drawing books and colored pencils

• Journals for freewriting

• Magnetic white boards 

• Magnetic letter tiles for word play

• A tablet for streaming documentaries 

2. Tote Bag Homeschooling for One

This kind of tote bag is designed for one learner and is individualized accordingly. Here is what you’d find in a few of ours.

• Learner, age 6: phonics workbook and early readers, math book, a couple of picture books, a geography sticker book, crayons and unlined paper, audiobook player with earbuds

• Learner, age 12: atlas and Markable Map, deck of cards for math games, writing journal, historical fiction book, tablet with science videos bookmarked

• Learner, age 14: laptop for online math lessons and history videos, novel, science book, word roots game, colored pencils and drawing notebook

• Mom: Instructor's Guides, a few math manipulatives, a read aloud book, a box of granola bars

3. Tote Bag Homeschooling by Topic

This tote bag is focused on one subject area and the contents will vary depending on the topic. 

• History Bag: history read-aloud, atlas, geography game, world history encyclopedia

• Science Bag: field guides, nature notebooks, colored pencils, science books, science-themed games

• Math Bag: deck of cards, snap cubes, math-themed read aloud, base-ten blocks, math notebooks, dice

• Reading Bag: early readers, letter tiles, white-boards and markers, word cards, a phonics game

• Fine Arts Bag: poetry anthology, art books, how to draw guides, markers, colored pencils, oil pastels, books about famous musicians, audio player with earbuds

4. Tote Bag Homeschooling on a Budget

This tote bag is inexpensive and versatile! It could be assembled with just a few items from the dollar store! 

• Library books

• Notebook and pencils for writing and drawing

• Dice, a deck of cards, and dominoes for math games

Homeschooling flows smoothly into the pockets of our days with grab-and-go tote bags! They don’t have to be fancy or overly involved. Build a few totes and line them up in your entryway so you'll be ready for next day of on-the-go learning. Each bag can fit your family’s needs and the contents can change as often as you’d like them to! 

With your purchase of an All-Subjects Package, you get a canvas BookShark tote!

About the Author

Angela Awald is a homeschooling mama to 6, certified teacher, writer, and doula. Her days brim full of learning, loving, and laundry (lots and lots of laundry)!! She believes that nurturing children (and ourselves) means helping them to see that all of life is about learning – from our mistakes, from each other, and from great books! Angela blogs at nurturedroots.net where she shares the ways she is nurturing her family and inspiration for nurturing your own.