violamama Posted October 23, 2014 Share Posted October 23, 2014 I have an almost 9 year old and it has dawned on me lately that he needs more responsibility and more control over his day. For both our sakes, I need to back off some of the thousands of reminders I give him. I also need a quick visual reference of what's left to do. I briefly tried workboxes but it wasn't a good fit and felt like even more work for me (though I may have been doing it wrong). My idea is a simple list with a check box next to each topic. At the end I was thinking of putting a box for tidying up and putting away school materials. Do you guys put other chores on the same sheet as school assignments? Would some of you share with me what has worked for you when you had kids this age? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EndOfOrdinary Posted October 23, 2014 Share Posted October 23, 2014 Here is the weekly list that I originally made for my nine year old. He switched over to a monthly list, but still comes back to this one regularly to make sure he is pacing well. We use OneNote which has a link list of the various history videos mentioned and the SeTerra games. Spanish videos and Latin videos are Salsa! and Latin Tutor from YouTube. Chem ones are Georgia Public Broadcasting and Nottingham University Elements. These are things we openly have established so it is very explicit what a section of Latin means or a section of math. At first I found myself over explaining, then under explaining, and now the process has been streamlined so it is all very fluid. I think that was the most important part for us - streamlining so expectations were understood with shared vocabulary. No chores are listed as my son likes to keep them separate. He does not have to do chores during our school day, but frequently helps me with little things like hanging the laundry, straightening up, making a fire. His chores are isolated to the afternoon when school is over. The list lives in a sheet protector in his portfolio. Using a visa vi marker (overhead marker) he checks things off after he does them or makes tally marks if they are daily, three times a week, whatever. Each Sunday, the sheet is wiped clean. All the books are on his bookshelf, and other media is all listed and linked in OneNote. http://1drv.ms/1zlzo0x Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Monica_in_Switzerland Posted October 23, 2014 Share Posted October 23, 2014 Good post! What a good idea to use OneNote, EndofOrdinary! I'm listening as my son is approaching this age as well. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EndOfOrdinary Posted October 23, 2014 Share Posted October 23, 2014 He has his own folder in my notebook. I can update it whenever and he doesn't really know enough of the program to do much other than get to his links. I do not have to worry about anything getting screwy. It also doubles as a digital portfolio. OneNote totally changed the way we do school and gave him amazing independence. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PeterPan Posted October 23, 2014 Share Posted October 23, 2014 Yes, absolutely put chores on there! Anything that needs some structure to develop routine and habit, put on there. Vitamins, feeding the animals, brushing teeth, unloading the dishwasher, anything. But anything you put on there YOU have to walk through with him and do with him, so plan to make it happen. A list does not make things happen. You STILL have to, especially at the beginning, do it with him. So build the list, then you set aside all your plans and you DO the list with him the entire day. Rinse, repeat. Rinse, repeat. I did this with my 15 yo this year, so it's not necessarily a step they outgrow. ;) After a few days, the things that he can do without you, you get started with him and then just walk away saying ok, I'll be back in 5 when you've done that. Rinse, repeat. Many kids with ADHD and EF and structure issues are going to need help to plan out steps. It's not just enough for them to know yeah, I want a drink or yeah I want to brush my teeth. Sometimes they need help to get from point A to point B. I've actually had to go to my hollering son and say you want this, what are the steps? So don't be afraid of that. The goal is to do it with them so you know they can do the checklist with you there, then back off a teeny bit to more of you checking what they've done. Those checkpoints start to spread apart as they grow. At age 8? Yeah, you're going to pretty much checkpoint every 15 minutes, lol. At least in our house that's what it meant. But now I checkpoint twice a day with my dd (lunch and 3pm). But at that age? LOTS of checkpoints, LOTS of Mom following through. You know, I'm really torn. It's time for me to ramp up serious structure with ds, and I haven't decided what I'll do. It's on the docket. He's 6, and with him I could go pocket chart on the wall, poster with grids for stickers, printed paper in a notebook, or something on technology. With dd I use OneNote, and yes it has REVOLUTIONIZED things, love, love, love, love. Did I mention the swooning? :001_wub: It's only more comical when you know we're totally mac in our house. To swoon over something microsoft is really saying something. :D Anyways, lol. Um, I used paper with dd for years. I used it because she didn't have her own computer or tablet to make using OneNote easy. If you're using OneNote and wanting to sync across computers (his and yours) obviously that works best if you both have computers and he's used to using his and uses it a lot as part of his school routine, meaning it's right there in his face, kwim? And it has to be connected to the internet, either by ethernet or wifi, for it to sync. We don't do wifi, so OneNote only worked for us once we got dd her own imac and office. If you have wifi, that's easy. Dangers of OneNote? Those files sync, so if your boy does like my boy and thinks it's funny to DELETE the files for the things he doesn't want to do for the day, well you MIGHT get really upset. :eek: OneNote for mac saves only to the cloud (OneDrive, free), so there's no way for you to physically back it up either. I'm just saying my ds HAS deleted my checklists for his work in Wunderlist. Don't underestimate them, lol. Maturity helps that, I'm sure. If I could suggest, I think at this age it's convenient to connect your *reward* structure with your accountability structure. So maybe that gives you some ideas? He's still young enough, he might enjoy stickers. He might enjoy physical cards he can earn with completing things and physically trade in to you (the "bank") for pennies for the school store or whatever. Adding: You *can* duplicate your notebook, pages or what have you in OneNote and then have that under a separate name that he doesn't necessarily access. But I'm not sure if you could lock that down with a password? I'm just saying my ds has deleted stuff and in our house it would be a potential problem. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PeterPan Posted October 23, 2014 Share Posted October 23, 2014 Ahh, so EoO is using a physical checklist for her ds *and* OneNote. That makes sense. That's a great combination. For my dd15, OneNote drives everything and that works fabulously. I'm thinking I might go physical with ds. He's so kinesthetic, he'll respond well to that. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kirstenhill Posted October 23, 2014 Share Posted October 23, 2014 I started making a daily checklist in a planner for DD when she was in 3rd grade. She prefers a handwritten list as opposed to a typed chart, so I just buy a 8.5x11 spiral bound daily student planner at Target each year. It takes a couple minutes each day to write in all her independent assignments, as well as chores/responsibilities. She just makes a check or crosses out each item as she finishes. Simple and effective. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cosmos Posted October 23, 2014 Share Posted October 23, 2014 Dangers of OneNote? Those files sync, so if your boy does like my boy and thinks it's funny to DELETE the files for the things he doesn't want to do for the day, well you MIGHT get really upset. :eek: OneNote for mac saves only to the cloud (OneDrive, free), so there's no way for you to physically back it up either. I'm just saying my ds HAS deleted my checklists for his work in Wunderlist. Don't underestimate them, lol. Maturity helps that, I'm sure. I have been wondering about this too. I've gotten hooked on OneNote this year, and it's really helped being able to share it so that ds can access it from a different computer. He's said numerous times how fantastic it is using OneNote to organize things this year. BUT, I realized the same thing you did, that it isn't being saved locally and thus not backed up at home. ARGH! It worries me because I've put a lot of work into the notebooks I've created and in most cases it's the only place I have the information. A wily kid deleting them isn't an issue here. I'm just worried about the lack of back-up. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PeterPan Posted October 23, 2014 Share Posted October 23, 2014 Cosmos, I'm assuming Microsoft backs up their OneDrive service. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PeterPan Posted October 23, 2014 Share Posted October 23, 2014 I started making a daily checklist in a planner for DD when she was in 3rd grade. She prefers a handwritten list as opposed to a typed chart, so I just buy a 8.5x11 spiral bound daily student planner at Target each year. It takes a couple minutes each day to write in all her independent assignments, as well as chores/responsibilities. She just makes a check or crosses out each item as she finishes. Simple and effective. If you ever ache to go digital or sync across devices, there is an app called Cross It Off where you can do that virtually. :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Farrar Posted October 23, 2014 Share Posted October 23, 2014 Not only do I put chores on there, I put "brush your teeth" on there. ;) I have tried a million things, but in the end, I keep coming back to writing it on the whiteboard every morning and they erase as they finish. I need ours to be more customizable that way. Also, I put a special dot next to the totally independent tasks to help them know. For example, I expect to have to sit next to ds for his mire challenging math, but not his review math page. I obviously need to be there for dictation or spelling lesson, but if you come whine to me about how to practice piano or take out the recycle, I'm going to be ticked. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jaybee Posted October 23, 2014 Share Posted October 23, 2014 Our chore chart for the week is on the fridge. It is separate from school things. I think that I may have had check lists in the past for normal daily "brush your teeth" type things--can't really remember--maybe posted in the bathroom or something. But for school, each of my boys has a planner where I write in the assignments for the day (a week at a time). Each one has a highlighter, and when he has finished an assignment, he highlights it. The highlighter makes it easy to see what is done and what is left to do. It is a low-tech, easy maintenance system. I prefer the hard copy planner over one kept on the computer, because sometimes the computer is being used, and I'd rather only have to deal with the information once, rather than enter it into a system later. Maybe I'm old-fashioned that way, but it works for us. ;) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tranquility7 Posted October 23, 2014 Share Posted October 23, 2014 DS8 and DD4 each get a printed Independent Work list and Chore list each week. I have attached DS8's for this week. His Independent Work list is printed out of Homeschool Tracker Plus, and the Chore list is just a Word doc. DS8 has been getting such lists for a couple of years now. DD4 has just started getting one since she wants to be grown up like DS :-) I love the lists since it gives them work to do when I am busy doing something else, and even on weeks when we aren't "doing school" - meaning, I'm not actually teaching them new material - I know that they are still getting review in math, geography, foreign language, etc. IndWork.pdf Chore Chart - C for wtm.pdf Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rmtzc2009 Posted October 23, 2014 Share Posted October 23, 2014 I've tried workboxes, assignment notebooks, daily assignment cards & all of them have proved difficult here. What I always come back to that works well for us is using a dry erase marker and writing the assignments & chores on the large glass doors in our kitchen. At the top of the window will list morning duties: brush teeth, make bed, pick up room, unload dishwasher. Then I list out assignments. My kids are free to do assignments in the order they pick but it all has to get done. My boys 9 & 11 love it! Friday's are our heavier cleaning day & their more detailed chores are listed as well. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
violamama Posted October 23, 2014 Author Share Posted October 23, 2014 This is all really helpful! I'm going to go with simple physical lists to start but I can hear a digital version calling my name. I've just started exploring EverNote (mac's OneNote?) and need to keep working on that. Maybe I'll try printing from it so the format becomes familiar. So far we haven't used the computers much for school things except math games, but I can see it coming. Thank you thank you!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EndOfOrdinary Posted October 23, 2014 Share Posted October 23, 2014 OhElizabeth - We started with the physical list, then went to doing a whole monthly list on OneNote. Now he sort of uses both. OneNote is still there, but at the front of his big black portfolio is the list. When he is having motivation or pacing issues he goes back to the weekly physical list. I don't monitor him. I just notice that both get used. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PeterPan Posted October 23, 2014 Share Posted October 23, 2014 This is all really helpful! I'm going to go with simple physical lists to start but I can hear a digital version calling my name. I've just started exploring EverNote (mac's OneNote?) and need to keep working on that. Maybe I'll try printing from it so the format becomes familiar. So far we haven't used the computers much for school things except math games, but I can see it coming. Thank you thank you!! Evernote is a bit different. It also syncs across devices and has open pages, yes, but it doesn't have the folders and tabs and pages within those (I don't think? haven't looked in ages!) like OneNote. There *is* a OneNote for mac. Go to the mac app store and you'll find it. It's new, within the last 6 months or so, which is why there's all the hubub. I'm on mac and I'm using it. :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FriedClams Posted October 24, 2014 Share Posted October 24, 2014 This is a part about how I used to do schedules: http://friedclamsandsweettea.wordpress.com/2013/09/18/18-september-2013-1517/ We use Sonlight now so I use their schedule and add my extras. I find the highlighter is huge so the visual impact is greater. Posting the list somewhere obvious helps too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
amyc78 Posted October 24, 2014 Share Posted October 24, 2014 We use printed checklists but I will say having EVERYTHING on one list was overwhelming to my kids. So we have a Morning Checklist (eat Bfast, brush teeth, make beds, daily chore, quiet time with God, etc) that has to be done before school starts. Then my oldest (DS8) has a school checklist that I write out on an index card for him and star what he'll need my help with. Then he has an Afternoon Checklist (straighten school room, play outside, feed pets, read) that has to be checked off before he can have any screen time. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
violamama Posted October 24, 2014 Author Share Posted October 24, 2014 We had the most productive homeschool day in our history today. The boys were actually excited about it. Exhausted, but excited. On to the next 9 years of tweaking it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mystie Posted October 24, 2014 Share Posted October 24, 2014 I start giving my kids a checklist when they're 8. Well, my 6yo really wanted one this year, so she has one, but I don't expect her to use it herself and she doesn't have independent work. Here's my post about our kids' checklists with pictures: http://www.simplyconvivial.com/2014/independent-work-checklist They're paper and they keep them on clipboards. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PeachyDoodle Posted October 24, 2014 Share Posted October 24, 2014 Dd9 gets a checklist every week of things she is expected to do independently, broken down by day. She also has a master weekly schedule, so she knows when she is to be working independently (and on what subject) and when she is to be working with me. Our day is never NOT interrupted (we go to the gym, take ds3 back and forth to preschool, and I freelance, for starters) so each day is different, although I try to keep our weeks as consistent as possible. I use OneNote for planning but dd gets a physical printout to keep on her clipboard for the week. She likes to check off what she's completed. I do include her major chores -- one each day, like changing her bed, emptying the trash, cleaning the bathroom counters/sinks, etc. -- because they were getting "forgotten." I don't include things like brushing her teeth or making her bed because those are part of her routine now and we don't have a problem getting them done. I've also been known to include other reminders as needed; last year it was "Read ALL instructions carefully and WEAR YOUR GLASSES!!" because those things kept getting overlooked. ;) When she is older and has her own computer, I would like to switch to a virtual system like others have mentioned. Right now, the simple checklist works just fine for us. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
violamama Posted October 27, 2014 Author Share Posted October 27, 2014 I made our charts and laminated them with icons for each subject because they like pictures. I plan to have them use dry or wet erase markers on them. I'll add special subjects with wet erase as needed. I put this: Piano or Cello Chores (they ask me for their "special chore" each day) Bible Math Grammar Writing Spelling CC Memory Work Chinese Swim Team Reading Time (minimum 30 minutes, older gets handed a book and younger either sits and looks at books or reads early-readers to me) Just posting in case anybody else is looking for this kind of topic. The whole thing (not counting swim team) takes a bit over 3 hours. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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