Tips for Maximizing Your Garage Space

Writer / Claire-Anne Aikman Photography Provided

There hasn’t been a day in the last two years during which I have not answered this question: What in the world is happening in the housing market? While the local news does mirror the national news - homes can be a challenge to get for first-time buyers, it is indeed a great time to sell, and homes are going for a premium - it is important to know that home improvements are still going strong, and people are getting creative with their spaces. In a recent article I covered how home offices are being crafted out of everything from dining rooms to closets, and the transformations are making people love their homes even more.

This month, let’s see if I can help you gain some space and fall in love with that often-overlooked, catch-all space known as the garage.

Once the basics of simply cleaning it out and getting rid of things (sell it, donate it, throw it away) have been taken care of, it becomes a matter of organizing the items you want to keep so you can put the space to maximum use. The following tips are easy to implement, and can be done inexpensively as well.

•Shelf storage is great for vertical spaces and, for me, this is preferred over adding cabinets because everything remains in sight, allowing you to see your paint and car supplies easily. •Yard tool towers or tool clips are fantastic for wrangling rakes and shovels. I was crafty with an old pallet and, while the idea had merit, it just did not suit the space and I ended up with a clip system for part of our garage wall. •Your parents were onto something with pegboard, so don’t knock it until you try it. It is an effective method for organizing tools, hoses and anything that can hang from a peg. For those with a small number of tools, magnetic strips easily wrangle screwdrivers and wrenches. •Don’t forget to utilize the storage space from above. There are brackets you can buy and even make that will cradle your ladders, and shelf systems that hang from the ceiling to hold all your camping gear and holiday decorations. Some racks even allow for bicycles to hang from them. •Bins for sports balls can be easily fastened out of bungee cords and a few pieces of wood. •Hanging shoe organizers make great storage options for everything from spray paint to bubble wands and sidewalk chalk.

With a little time and a little effort, your garage space can be regained and used for hobbies, a play space on a rainy day, or simply a place to park your car.

Claire-Ann is a West Side Realtor helping people make Hendricks County their home. You can reach her at 317-345-6640 or caikman@encoresothebysrealty.com

KUMON MATH & READING CENTER OF BROWNSBURG 1430 North Green Street Bay F Brownsburg, IN 317-350-6070 kumon.com/brownsburg

Writer / Jamie Hergott Photography Provided

The Kumon Math & Reading Center of Brownsburg is finishing up its sixth year of offering students appropriately challenging material and has recently completed an expansion that doubled its physical space.

Kelley Crocket, owner and Chief Instructor at this location, is passionate about what she does. She’s a career teacher who, 10 years ago, decided she needed a change and some additional challenges. Starting a Kumon franchise turned out to be the perfect fit, as it combined the challenges of owning a business with the satisfaction of helping students learn in new ways.

“Owning a business has new challenges every single day,” Crockett says. “There are always new headaches, new joys and new things to learn.”

Crockett feels strongly about setting the record straight regarding how Kumon serves its students and families. Kumon is both a math and reading program that helps students develop the skills necessary to become self-learners. It’s designed to support students across a wide spectrum of abilities.

“One of our biggest goals is to help students work at a level that helps them build character traits such as independence, risk-taking and resilience,” Crockett adds. “We want them to learn to make connections between what they know and new material so they can enjoy learning through self-discovery. We want them to know that being brave is more important than being perfect because making mistakes is an important part of the learning process.”

Whether students are struggling in school or studying at an advanced level, Kumon challenges them in ways that meet them right where they are.

Kumon is an international program and uses essentially the same curriculum no matter where in the world it’s being taught. The key to Kumon is consistency, daily practice and building confidence through small victories. That’s accomplished by building a habit of daily study, even on weekends, learning organization and taking ownership of study as students build a history of success and grow in knowledge.

Crockett describes the curriculum as a mastery-based program. This means students master a skill before moving on to new material. Scores on daily assignments, average completion time and tests are tools for making plans to further mastery of a topic or skill. In Kumon, how a student completes work is just as important as the work itself. If there are mistakes, Crockett helps them revise. If students show the work is too easy, she moves them toward a different challenge.

“When we get into topics, we dive in deeply to improve knowledge and understanding so a student can master the concepts,” Crockett says. “With each success, students gain knowledge, confidence and motivation. They need to have a history of success so they know they can be successful in the future.”

Students attend sessions twice a week where they receive coaching on new and current material, spending approximately 25 minutes on each subject. Each assignment is given with a purpose in mind. Crockett recommends parents give Kumon a year to see overall benefits. She finds instructing Kumon to be incredibly rewarding and loves coaching students into success.

“My favorite thing is when a student discovers that they’re smarter than they ever thought they could be,” Crockett says. “Then, and only then, when you believe you can succeed wholeheartedly, are you motivated to try something new. Real growth and learning begin when students are motivated risk-takers, willing to delve into new concepts.”

For more information or a free placement test, visit them online at kumon.com/brownsburg.