workbox Archives - Growing In Grace

Making Adjustments

November 14, 2012Tracy2 Comments

Adjustments are some of the perks of homeschooling, tweaking schedules and routines and curriculum to fit the unique lifestyle and learning style of your family. And we’ve definitely been taking advantage of that perk lately. I’ve made some pretty big adjustments to our routine, as well as a few minor tweaks.

My husband has Mondays off, which made it tricky to fit in family time. We had school in the mornings, had a window of time in the afternoon to do something together, and then I had a Ladies Bible study to attend in the evenings. But everything in me balked at the idea of doing school on a Saturday. Until I finally gave in and tried it. I love it!

I’ve moved our typical Monday through Friday school schedule to a Tuesday through Saturday schedule. The kids pre-approved cartoons are DVR-ed anyway, so it really makes little difference if they watch them on Saturday mornings or on Monday mornings. And though the first Saturday was a little rough, the following Monday was absolutely worth it.

Another major difference this year is how I organize the kids’ weekly assignments. I mentioned in an earlier post that I’m no longer using the hanging pockets as workbox pockets this year. For one, filling all the pockets every day was requiring too much time and effort for me. And though I had originally intended to continue filling Middlest’s pockets this year, I soon converted her to my new system as well.

This year, each child has an assignment notebook. Inside this notebook, I have 5 pocket dividers labeled for each day of the week that we do school: Tuesday (T), Wednesday (W), Thursday (R), Friday (F), and Saturday (S). I have these written in permanent marker so that it will not smudge. When I need to make changes (i.e. change Monday [M] to Saturday [S]), I simply wipe off the permanent marker with a cotton ball soaked in rubbing alcohol. At the start of each week, I fill each pocket with the worksheets, notebooking pages, copywork assigments, etc. for that day.

Even my Middlest has learned to open her notebook and begin working on those pages that she knows how to do. If they have a question about a page, they set it aside and begin work on another page. There are pages in their notebook that they have learned are “Mommy” pages, pages they only do with Mommy present. For Oldest, that’s some of his math assignment. For Middlest, it’s her handwriting and reading.

This system has worked out so well for those mornings when Littlest has us all thrown off schedule. I know, hard to believe that sweet thing could be any kind of trouble.

Homeschooling with Baby — Watch out! I’m on the move now, folks.

Bottom line, this system has been a real life-saver.

when the phone rings
when a diaper needs to be changed
when it’s time to work with my other child
when Littlest is teething
when Littlest is fussy
when Littlest won’t nap
when Littlest…you get the idea

And honestly, the kids have loved the independence about as much as I have. It’s a win-win for us. So that’s the update on our year and the adjustments we’ve made so far.

What adjustments have you already had to make for your school year?

Back-To-Homeschool: School Room 2012

September 18, 2012Tracy

Though I gave you a sneak-preview of the renovations in an earlier post, I thought I’d show you the complete 2012 school room.

That’s our new homeschool name. And I made it into a sign to go on the front of our school room door. It really has added some excitement to our little room, like we are entering a special world, kind of Narnia-ish.

Another new feature is our Map Study Center. I happened upon these cool stick-on borders, letters, and embellishments while wandering the Wal-mart aisles. I bought them with absolutely no idea how I would use them but knowing I absolutely would. As I stood staring around the room with my cute little borders in hand, this idea suddenly came to mind. With our Tapestry of Grace studies, maps are a big part of the learning. Why not feature the maps we will be studying each week? I also wanted an easy way to interchange the maps without laminating everything or risking tearing the maps when I took them down. I used adhesive velcro to adhere sheet protectors to the wall, and then slid the maps inside. I think it’s my new favorite feature, but there are other strong candidates in the running.

Once I finished with the Map Study Center, I had to think of something else for my cool letters. We added these cork boards last year, but just for fun I added the “Show and Tell.” We’ll be using these boards for special papers and projects not necessarily Tapestry related. Oldest’s hanging pockets are merely to organize his flashcards and charts. His books are getting too heavy to put into his pockets, so I’ve had to come up with a new “workbox” system. It’s still in the works, but once we fine-tune the process I’ll post with more details. Middlest will still be using her pockets as a workbox. I’ll be inserting her work to be done in the pockets and allowing her to work her way through each pocket to the end of the day.

Another exciting addition are the new desk tags. I’ve been racking my brain trying to think of a cool desk tag idea to pull in our Tapestry theme of Ancient Egypt—mummies, pyramids, the Sphinx. I finally decided on hieroglyphics! I found a website that provided a few hieroglyphics and translated the kids’ names. No up-close photos for the protection of my children, but suffice it to say that they turned out super-cool!

Learning Centers for phonics and numbers

Our felt board has remained a key part of our school room, complete with letters that my mom, grandma, and friend made for us from cardboard letters with adhesive felt. Previously, our felt board was on top of a couple of wooden TV trays. It created two problems. For one, it was at an awkward height for me and for the kids. Also, there was a lot of wasted space underneath. This year, I picked up these very handy storage crates that take care of both problems. We can sit on the floor together (which is always our favorite place to spend “together” time) and still reach the top of the board; and I can use the space underneath to store our other activities.

Homeschooling with Baby

Even Littlest has his own place, with a basket to store his blanket and toys. The contents of his basket include an activity blanket, soft blocks that crinkle and rattle, and a caterpillar that comes apart (each section rattles, spins, etc.). We’ll probably rotate or add some of his other toys as the months progress, but I would so like to keep his toy selection in the school room to the quieter motor-skill variety. Right now, he’s teething and is pretty happy with anything that chews.

Another renovation that is totally mommy-related is inside my cabinet. I reorganized my not-currently-in-use curriculum to the top shelf and arranged my bottom shelf to hold the kids activities and project-related supplies. Coloring books, Crayola Wonder-markers, play-do sets, geo-shapes and other cool activities are where the kids can retrieve them either by themselves or with a little assistance.

Last but not least, I’ve added a computer-center, since computer programs (including Reflex) continue to be a regular part of our day. I’ve moved the computer to a permanent spot in the corner where it is a little less distracting to the one who’s not using it, and it keeps our little desk area from becoming too crowded. Heaven-forbid the computer sit on top of someone’s paper or name tag, if anyone knows what I mean.

That’s the new spot for our new year of adventures. We’re all pretty excited. Oldest told me the room looked “spectacular.” And as soon as all the flu germs get squelched, we’ll once more enter the magic and adventure of learning.

The Workbox System to organize preschool

August 9, 2011Tracy1 Comment

I have loved the idea of the workbox system. The method has literally transformed our homeschool. Not only do they keep me organized, but they have kept our day moving—THE key to a successful day with little ones that have zero-attention span. One fantastic thing about workboxes is the variety. From blog to blog, I see so many variations of this idea, each family finding what works for them.

The basic idea of the workbox system is to have 9-12 compartments (or however many you need) for different assignments and projects. As the child works through the assignments in a compartment, he will take off the number attached to the compartment and add it to a grid. Then, the completed assignments will be returned to the teacher. (For a video tutorial from the originator of the idea, click here.)

Though the original idea calls for actual boxes in a rolling cart, there are so many ways to incorporate the principle. The space-saver version is what we use—file folder pockets that hang from the wall using Command Hooks. You can purchase these for around $15 on Amazon.

Another idea, especially for younger children, are the toy bins or trays. A more expensive option, but they allow little ones to see what’s planned for the day. For older children, some other ideas I have seen include a file box with numbered hanging file folders. The assignment pages would actually go inside the folders, perfect if you have a lot of workbook pages or notebooking pages. Last idea, create a notebook with pockets and place assignments inside.

Our Workbox System of Choice

First, our workbox method is the space-saver version from Amazon, 12 pocket files that hang from Command hooks beside each child’s chair. I attached velcro dots to each file pocket and each laminated workbox number card. When work is completed, they turn it in to the “teacher tray” which is simply Wal-mart’s cheapest paper tray. Then the workbox number is pulled off the file and placed onto our “workstation” grid. I’ve seen many people cut these grids into strips and hang them from office rings, but the single sheet of paper works best for us. I have velcro dots attached to this as well. (And I laminate everything!)

I place scissors, glue, pencils and whatever else is required directly into the pockets. For art projects, I put the small pieces in a ziplock, and then place the ziplock and supplies into a pocket. If a project is too large for a pocket, I stick a card in the pocket for them to see me, and I’ll hand the activity to them. And that’s our system, as simply as I can state it.

Our Workbox Printables

Just search Google for “Workbox printables” or “Workbox Grids” and you’ll find a myriad of options. But some of the ones that we use and love are from two separate websites. First, our grids, number cards, and a few of our activity cards were from Robin’s Heart of Wisdom blog. I love how bright and colorful they are! And they coordinate with our bright red pockets, which of course is important. She also has a workbox weekly planner.

I’ve also used a number of printables from Erica at Confessionsofhomeschooler.com (scroll to bottom of the page for the workbox printables). And all of last year, I used her workbox planning page, modified of course, to fit our schedule. Erica’s blog is actually where I first read about workboxes, and I am forever indebted to her!

This year, I’m going to try a couple of things differently. Primarily, I’m using an editable pdf planner from Homeschool Creations, so my format is more lesson plans than necessarily workbox plans (for my son). She also has a couple of preschool planner pages, which is what I’m trying for my daughter.

I’ve actually used the preschool pages as a template for our week, more than specific plans. And the space for workbox planning, I’ve kept very general. Since her schedule is pretty routine, I figured I could just look at my template, find the activity for the specific pocket (i.e. “wipesheet”) and pull out the activity for the letter of the week that we are working on. Trying to streamline my planning, we’ll see how it goes. If all fails, I’ll go back to Erica’s method; it worked great last year.

And if you’ve made some printables or have a favorite you absolutely love, please share it with me in the comments section!