Current & Reformed Workboxers

[kbpaulie]

Curious, I almost jumped on the workbox bandwagon earlier this school year. We're really struggling w/ our schedule. Wondering what changes you've mae to your workboxes and if you've kept workboxing up.

 

Also, help me understand how this really helps you and doesn't just add hours to your day.

 

I have ds 7 & 4.

 

Thanks -

KB

[blessed2fosteradopt]

I love how workboxes have worked for my ds11. He is ADHD and knowing exactly what he needs and having it where it needs to be for him really helps the day run smoother. I probably do more than I should for him but it is working.

 

I have a box for each subject and I have labeled the front. I have numbers on each box that he removes and places on a laminated chart as he finishes what was in each box. In addition to the boxes, he has an assignment sheet that I have in a page protector that outlines what he needs to do for each subject daily. He uses a dry erase pen as he completes each item. For instance, for reading today he completed CLE reading self test and read The Secret Garden for 30 minutes. We also read MCT Grammar Town together. All the materials necessary to complete these tasks were placed in his box. He placed his completed work in my inbox and I either will return it to his "to be filed" box on the side of his desk or return it to his inbox for corrections. For English, I placed his R&S book and the accompanying worksheet in his box which I copied for him - we do the R&S orally.

 

I usually try to plan for the week on Sunday nights (do all my daily sheets). I place all of them in the page protector and he just pulls the one that corresponds to the day he is on and does his work.

 

That's about it. We love it and although it is probably not how the original system was written, it works beautifully for us.

 

Blessings,

 

Lisa

[Amber in AUS]

Yes, we are still workboxing. We have never followed the book, we do our own thing. I make sure everything is loaded in the boxes which doesn't change much week to week and all the extras (science experiment stuff) is all together in a box nearby. Everything is on hand right there ready to go. We work through our boxes daily and then we are done. They are working great for us :)

[rookie]

We started workboxes in September and love them. Each dc has their books/assignments in a tote box - they get through the box, they are done for the day. No looking for anything. Oh, and we keep a pencil box in each workbox. The pencil box has a snap lid (do it does not open) and has lots of sharpened pencils, erasers, etc. so we are not looking for any of that either.

[Peela]

I am a workbox newbie. I suddenly got inspired a couple of weeks ago, and I am currently setting up our system for our new year starting Feb 1st. I am excited. I am like a kid with my new laminator :) I never had one before.

I have teens. It's mainly for the younger- 14yo ds who has a terrible time reading instructions, staying on track, staying focused, being organised, understanding sequencing. I have high hopes this will help a lot.

I am also hoping it will mean we get to all the miscellanous resources I have around the place.

I am hoping it is a good way to break the day into segments, including things like art and exercise and more hands on things, which I have been too slack about.

 

 

I havent started yet so I am no use to you whatsoever except in my high hopes and enthusiasm :)

 

If it's anything to go by...I put a laminated chore chart with velcro cards on it, on the fridge door. I put the chores of the day for each kid- these are TEENS mind you- on the top of the chart, and when they finish, they take it off and put it on the bottom half of the chart. I was really expecting a lot of complaints that it was too babyish.

Who knew what a hit that would be? They love it! They love the velcro effect! The visual of seeing what chores are still left to do is AMAZING. I can tell when they have done their chores without asking because the cards will still be there. I can just say "chores not done" instead of finding out at the end of the day that the rabbit has no water.

 

When I finally decided on a system of workboxes, after a lot of searching...it was a multicoloured set of drawers like you might see in an elementary classroom. 10 drawers. At that stage my dd15 was not on board. When she saw the picture of the coloured drawers- her eyes lit up and she asked a few more questions and decided she wanted in too!

Did I mention these are TEENAGERs? :)

 

Well, we will see how it goes in practice.

[mrs.m]

I do our "workboxes" very similar to Peela's chore chart. The kids have a keyring with 4 strips. Each strip has three activities. I laminated the activities and write the assignment page numbers onto the activity card. They have a place on the wall to stick their finished activity cards. I agree about the velcro effect. LOL! They love that!

 

DS wants to know how much is left for the day and this system tells him. DD wants to work on her own at her own pace on assignments that is appropriate for. I put their assignments in order so that I work with DS first and then DD.

 

I hope that wasn't too confusing. LOL!

 

I didn't jump into the workboxes because of the cost and I wasn't convinced the system would work. This does work for us. Materials are kept in a file box for DD and in a desk for DS. They are right at hand. I'm going to start boxing for history and science because I always seem to have a pile of books to work from!

[Kirch]

Curious, I almost jumped on the workbox bandwagon earlier this school year. We're really struggling w/ our schedule. Wondering what changes you've mae to your workboxes and if you've kept workboxing up.

 

Also, help me understand how this really helps you and doesn't just add hours to your day.

 

I have ds 7 & 4.

 

Thanks -

KB

 

I have a 5yo and a 3 yo, and we've been using workboxes for a while. 5yo ds has 12 boxes, but we don't always get through the "extras," and we don't always go in the order I have them (like if he needs to do something on his own while I work with his brother, I'll have him skip to an independent box). 3yo has 6 boxes (preschool stuff) and joins in on some of his big brother's stuff if he's interested. Both of them like the process of emptying boxes and moving numbers to their schedule strips.

 

Planning for workboxes doesn't take me any longer--I'm doing the same planning, just putting all the stuff into boxes (i.e., I plan a math lesson, then put all the stuff we need to do it in the box) when I'm done. That might take a little longer, but it cuts down on gathering stuff when we're ready to work, so it evens out. I'm not super-organized by nature, so it helps to have a system so that I know right where everything is when I need it--if I can't find something, it's in the evening when I'm planning, not during school while my kids are getting antsy waiting for me. I'm also better about getting to "extras"--music, art, fun educational activities, etc. because I have it planned and ready to go. And if we don't get to it, it's still in a box ready to go the next day.

 

Workboxes have also helped me be more intentional about doing stuff with my 3yo. I'm much more likely to actually use some of the great ideas I come across online!

 

HTH--I'd be glad to answer any other questions. :001_smile:

[Samiam]

We've been doing WB since August. I LOVE it!

 

In reality, I believe less of my time is wasted in planning. I have always used Sunday night as my planning time. It's about 1-2 hours on Sunday nights, where I put in our weekly plans into HomeSchool Tracker software. In the past, I was printing out a weekly schedule for DS11 (well, younger then) and posting it on the wall. Subjects were labeled what was to be done with me, and what he was to do on his own. He worked the schedule well. Workboxes have not changed his day too much except for a few things: 1. I remember to add in fun things for him. He has a pretty intense schedule, but with workboxes, I might add in "take dog out side and play ball for 10 minutes" or "do Wii Sports for 15 minutes

....just some things here and there to add in a change in his daily routine. 2. WB's did HELP me keep on track with him. Because I try to arrange my schedule to keep DS11 and DS6 movign right along, I put all of DS11's "together" work in his first workboxes so he and I can work together first, before DS6 evens comes into to start. 3. I do think it helps keep DS11 moving, since he can see when he is getting close to the end of his school day by just glancing at the workboxes.

 

WB"s have really helped with DS6. He's my one that is not easy to get started, let alone keep on track. But every day his day starts by him looking to see how many boxes he has to do. So I think that visual of seeing the boxes is a motivator for him, since unlike DS11, a chart on the wall won't mean anything to him. Plus, again, it helps me incorporate the little extra fun things that I would probably end up forgetting without the WB's to fill. Also, WB's help me break up certain lessons, something I probably wouldn't have thought of until I read the book. For example, our reading program has a daily lesson, a workbook page, flashcards and a reader. Me, I would sat him down and plowed through this stuff in one sitting. But now, I put the lesson in one box...then something different, a box or two later, the workbook, a box or two later, the flashcards, and then towards the end, the reader. So it kind of gives his brain a break from overload on this difficult subject for him.

 

So anyhoo, after Sunday evenings spent planning, each night it's about 30 minutes. But the next morning, we are ready to go with no messing around. I love that my mornings, which tend to be rough for me, are pretty organized and pick-up and go.

 

I did change a few things about the system from the book. I have the boxes, and just velcro numbers on the boxes and a chart with the same numbers on the wall. Once they complete a box, they move the number to the wall chart. No other schedule strips.

[Rhonda in TX]

I tweaked it a bit, but I've stuck pretty close to the original design. I did make a big change this week, printing off a sheet of assignments rather than putting in the box itself. The work itself is in the boxes, though. It's very visual, which works very well for my kids.

 

My 13 year old Aspie DS loves them. My DD would do find without them, but she likes them, too.

[SproutMamaK]

I'm looking at implementing this next year. It seems that I'll likely do my prep for the next week on Saturday nights. Can I ask how you prep for a week ahead? I mean, you can't have a week's worth of boxes set aside. Do you put the assignment for the upcoming week in a binder with dividers between the "days", and then just throw them in before school starts each day? I'm the sort of person who does a big chunk of work at a time, so if I can prep things once a month instead of once a week, I'd do that, too. (Yeah, I know it's not gonna happen, but whenever I CAN work ahead, I do. Because if I don't do it when I have the energy, I cant be bothered later. :glare:)

[elise1mds]

I do a sort of modified workbox system. I have a bunch of file folders, each labeled with a subject name. I place the ones we're using each day (we don't do every subject every day) into a box with all the books/papers/binders necessary to complete the entire day's work set nearby. Inside each file folder I list what the assignment is for that day. This way my son can pick in what order he completes his assignments, see what the assignments are, and work as independently as a 7-yo Aspie can work. There have been a couple of days when Daddy has had to take over school because I've been sick or dealing with other stuff, and my son was able to get continuity even though I wasn't available, which was very handy.

 

After he completes the work, he places the work and the file folder on the dining room table and moves on. I can then check the work, record it, change the info in the file folder to reflect the next assignment for the next day we do that subject, and we're good to go.

 

I would like to have a weekly schedule available next year, but I'm not sure how I can do that and still use the file folders. This is going to take some thought. :)

[Peela]

What I intend and have so far set up is a general schedule at my desk, that I can tweak each week. I have allocated a subject or theme per box, and some will stay the same, like the maths box. But others, like the spelling/vocab/word puzzle box will change daily. But beyond that, I like the flexibility. So I have printed up a bunch of word puzzles and have resources for that box- but it will be up me each day as to what actually goes in the box. If we are having a stressful week, it will be something the kid can do alone. If I am ready to work, we will do some Spelling Power. So, so far, I have a general structure, but within that structure, lots of room for spontaneity. I am guessing it will take me a good 5-10 minutes each night per kid to fill the workboxes- but I think I can manage that. If worst comes to worst, I could fill the later boxes while ds is working on the earlier ones- that wouldnt be ideal.

But this is all theory of course. I havent live it yet.

[ChristusG]

I'm a workbox drop out. :tongue_smilie:

 

I had good intentions that last all of about a week. My kindergartener just does not have enough that we absolutely have to get done to make workboxes useful to us. And I have to oversee nearly everything that she does anyways, so workboxes are not helping her work independently.

 

Maybe when she is a little older, reading on her own, and doing some of her own independent work is when I can reintroduce workboxes and have them benefit our schooling.

[cara]

We are using a modified version of the workboxes, the boxes where taking up too much room so I redid some things. We use this instead of boxes and I like this a lot better and do does DS. It works well for us because he knows what he has to do.

[MamaSheep]

It's been fabulous around here. We started at the beginning of the school year this year. The kids each have a velcro strip on the magnet board above their desks and I velcro the numbered tags for the drawers they're to do that day onto the strip. They can easily see what's next, and what's left, and move on to the next task smoothly without having to check with me, or go look for something. They clearly get a sense of accomplishment when they can pull the tag off and stick it to the finished drawer and move on to the next thing. Workboxes work MUCH better for my two than a written list. The written list looks overwhelming to them because it has lots of words on it, instructions, page numbers, whatever, whereas with the workboxes, the "list" is just a row of single digit numbers. I think it's a visual thing. The instructions, page numbers, etc. are in each drawer instead, so they encounter them in bite-sized bits instead of confronting the whole shebang at once.

 

It also helps ME stay organized and on top of things. I plan once a week and write down the week's assignments for both children. I have a file folder where I put any worsheets or other items that will be added to drawers over the course of the week (for example, if dd has a supplementary math worksheet for Wednesday, it will distract her if it's in her math drawer on Monday, but I don't want to have to dig it out Tuesday night, so I put it in the folder. I pull pages out of workbooks for ds as well, so his workbook subjects are in there, paperclipped and labeled by day.) Each evening I just set up the boxes, and when I get up in the morning I don't make excuses and procrastinate starting school (I am NOT a morning person) because I know it is all set and ready to go and will pretty much run itself.

 

I'm a big fan of our workboxes.

[Frontier Mom]

Similar approach to Peela here as well. I have lots of pics on my Frontier Christian Academy blog linked in my siggy. I cannot tell you what a difference this has made.

 

I was a huge skeptic. I thought my dc's were too old for this and it wouldn't work. Once I got them set up I kept thinking, "Why didn't I do this years ago?" We are finishing every subject well in about 2 less hours per day. Why? Well, we haven't lost any books lately because they are in their drawer, we don't have to stop and start subjects like before and the dc's work better when they can see the work visually.

 

It's just been huge here!! I use a four across, three strip ring with velcro. We have ten drawers with a reading basket on top. I use the numbers 1 to 10, add a reading card and a lunch card for the total of 12. I don't load ours every night because most of our drawers stay the same. I use Planbook and lay out a week chart. I use times as the drawer number so my sheet is in the same order as the drawers. Mine keep their schedule on their desk with a page holder and put them in the reading basket at the end of the day. I personally am not going to do planning more than once a week.

 

What I have found is that we can get our work done plus more!! We were constantly forgetting writing but now it has a box and gets done everyday. We would put off history but now it has a box and gets done. It's just amazing all the things I bought that I am now using. I use one box for some spelling and math games I have bought but never used. Now, three of my dc's play these together each day while my oldest finishes up for the day.

 

It was such an easy and relatively inexpensive change for us, but has been one of the best things we have ever done. You should give it a go.

[Peela]

Kristi, it was your posts on using workboxes with teens that came up when I searched workboxes on the boards here, that inspired me to give it a go. Its good to hear its still working well. I like your idea of the library box on top. My system is also 10 drawers and it hasnt arrived yet...but in my planning, the 10 drawers are filling up very fast. :)

[Closeacademy]

Workboxing is a visual organizer rather than just having a piece of paper and a stack of books. It has helped me to remember to include the fun stuff.

 

Now, with that being said, our workboxes are on hold for a bit while we do school in the living room while it is too cold to work in our basement schoolroom. When we go back down there I hope to include more of the fun stuff again (file folder games, manipulatives, crafts, etc.):001_smile:

[mom31257]

Here is what we do with ours. They help me be organized for the day more than anything else.

[Rhonda in TX]

I'm looking at implementing this next year. It seems that I'll likely do my prep for the next week on Saturday nights. Can I ask how you prep for a week ahead? I mean, you can't have a week's worth of boxes set aside. Do you put the assignment for the upcoming week in a binder with dividers between the "days", and then just throw them in before school starts each day? I'm the sort of person who does a big chunk of work at a time, so if I can prep things once a month instead of once a week, I'd do that, too. (Yeah, I know it's not gonna happen, but whenever I CAN work ahead, I do. Because if I don't do it when I have the energy, I cant be bothered later. :glare:)

 

I wrote a blog post detailing how I set up the workboxes a week at a time.

 

It mentions how I use HST with the workboxes, but you could do a lot of what I mention without HST.

 

HTH!

[mrs.m]

Workboxing is a visual organizer rather than just having a piece of paper and a stack of books. It has helped me to remember to include the fun stuff.

 

Now, with that being said, our workboxes ...

 

 

 

A piece of paper with checkboxes and a stack of books or other activities is also a form of visual organization and works for some people. :) The thread title asks for "reformed" workboxers. I read the book and liked the idea of a visual organizer, just not the boxes. I don't believe that we move any slower using activity strips. I also have been able to add in the fun stuff. You don't need a box to do that, really just a plan helps! ;) I do use 3-4 boxes for my 4yo but not everyday.

Edited January 20, 2010 by jannylynn

[Hedgehogs4]

i have never done workboxes in the technical sense...i think there is a proscribed system? but from what i'm seeing here, we do something similar. i got cubby boxes for the kids from ikea, and they each have their cubby with ALL their supplies in them. we work through the day's assignments with no fuss of looking for "stuff" because it stays in each kid's cubby. i even have my own for teacher manuals and answer books.

[blessed2fosteradopt]

If it's anything to go by...I put a laminated chore chart with velcro cards on it, on the fridge door. I put the chores of the day for each kid- these are TEENS mind you- on the top of the chart, and when they finish, they take it off and put it on the bottom half of the chart. I was really expecting a lot of complaints that it was too babyish.

Who knew what a hit that would be? They love it! They love the velcro effect! The visual of seeing what chores are still left to do is AMAZING. I can tell when they have done their chores without asking because the cards will still be there. I can just say "chores not done" instead of finding out at the end of the day that the rabbit has no water.

 

:).

 

This is such a brilliant idea, Peela. Thank you for sharing it. Do you have any way to share a photo of your chart?

[mrs.m]

I have a picture of my system: here. The strips on the ring have their assignment/activity cards and when they are finished they transfer them to the larger sheet on the wall. DD has finished vocab.

 

I'm working on the same thing for the chores but laminating all those cards takes forever to cut! LOL! This really has worked well for school and I'm hoping it will transfer over to chores!

 

If anyone wants my chore cards, let me know. I'll find a way to share the file I created.

Edited January 20, 2010 by jannylynn

[Sweetbabe]

:bigear:

I tried(mayb not too hard) and I failed. Trying again this yr and adjust it to suit our needs.

[Caitilin]

Totally OT, but everytime I see this thread, I think it's going to be about workboxes that are specific to Reformed Christians. :lol:I have to consciously remember what it's about.

 

Now, back to workboxes!

[blessed2fosteradopt]

I have a picture of my system: here. The strips on the ring have their assignment/activity cards and when they are finished they transfer them to the larger sheet on the wall. DD has finished vocab.

 

I'm working on the same thing for the chores but laminating all those cards takes forever to cut! LOL! This really has worked well for school and I'm hoping it will transfer over to chores!

 

If anyone wants my chore cards, let me know. I'll find a way to share the file I created.

 

Yes, I would love to see it if it is not too much trouble.

[CalicoKat]

workboxing since September 2009.

 

The number one improvement for us with workboxes is that we spend way less time trying to find books and workbooks since they're "in the box!" :D

 

Initially we tried the velcro colored squares but with a 2 yo constantly pulling them off and chewing them we gave up. It was fun while it lasted but completely distracting to find the remains coming up in the diapers. :lol:

 

Initially everyone's schedule was different but that got confusing because everyone worked at a different pace and it didn't help me the way it theoretically was with me being available for the Needs Teacher's Help subject staggered so I only had one kid at a time to focus on..... it was still a log jam. Now we all do math, then reading, then writing..... together we work through the subjects/boxes. When someone finishes faster that's OK cuz I've got time to correct their work before the next one's done. And if there's still more time they're allowed to work ahead.

 

The toys and puzzles for the babies has in shoe boxes has been a HUGE success. The toys are always ready for play and they feel like new toys because they're just for school time. Best of all the littles have become my best picker uppers. They don't to "check out" a new box until they put away the old box. One modificiation, I keep the shoe boxes of school toys in a locked closet after lesson time to keep it from being destroyed.

 

Initially we started out with a walking/jogging program but several kids lost or destroyed their timers and were poor record keepers. I couldn't rely on them to get it done --way down in the basement -- properly while I was upstairs working with another child.

 

Initially we kept a pencil in each box. And we spent 10 times more replacing pencils thanks to the curious two year old and ADHDer who lost her pencils and kept taking from the others. Now we have a pencil cup that's locked up in the cabinet with the school toys. :D And we're back to the normal loss ratio of pencils.

 

Recently we designated a drawer per child for keeping hobbies supplies (latch hook kits, embroidery, and knitting supplies) in. This so far is working well. They get to be crafty while listening to history or audio books each day and there's less stuff being "lost."

 

All in all workboxes have been a huge improvement. The main challenges have been a 2 year old and my ADHD dd.

[CalicoKat]

workboxing since September 2009.

 

The number one improvement for us with workboxes is that we spend way less time trying to find books and workbooks since they're "in the box!" :D

 

Initially we tried the velcro colored squares but with a 2 yo constantly pulling them off and chewing them we gave up. It was fun while it lasted but completely distracting to find the remains coming up in the diapers. :lol:

 

Initially everyone's schedule was different but that got confusing because everyone worked at a different pace and it didn't help me the way it theoretically was with me being available for the Needs Teacher's Help subject staggered so I only had one kid at a time to focus on..... it was still a log jam. Now we all do math, then reading, then writing..... together we work through the subjects/boxes. When someone finishes faster that's OK cuz I've got time to correct their work before the next one's done. And if there's still more time they're allowed to work ahead.

 

The toys and puzzles for the babies stored in shoe boxes has been a HUGE success. The toys are always ready for play and they feel like new toys because they're just for school time. Best of all the littles have become my best picker uppers. They don't to "check out" a new box until they put away the old box. One modificiation, I keep the shoe boxes of school toys in a locked closet after lesson time to keep it from being destroyed.

 

Initially we started out with a walking/jogging program but several kids lost or destroyed their timers and were poor record keepers. I couldn't rely on them to get it done --way down in the basement -- properly while I was upstairs working with another child.

 

Initially we kept a pencil in each box. And we spent 10 times more replacing pencils thanks to the curious two year old and ADHDer who lost her pencils and kept taking from the others. Now we have a pencil cup that's locked up in the cabinet with the school toys. :D And we're back to the normal loss ratio of pencils.

 

Recently we designated a drawer per child for keeping hobbies supplies (latch hook kits, embroidery, and knitting supplies) in. This so far is working well. They get to be crafty while listening to history or audio books each day and there's less stuff being "lost."

 

All in all workboxes have been a huge improvement. The main challenges have been a 2 year old and my ADHD dd.

:D

[GnomeyNewt]

I have been using a system similar to workboxes, but without the boxes :c) I should really take some pictures. We have one bookshelf for homeschooling supplies and file folder box off the side. Our living room and dining room are the same room (bascially we have no space!) so we use our dinner table for schooling.

 

I use hanging file folders in file folder box -- and where the tabs go I made a little pocket where the number card sits. I put each assignment in the folders (up to 12 a day - combine similar ones if there are more). Most everything has fitted in these folders.

 

As we do an assignement, we take the number card out and place it on a chart (numbered 1-12 with velcro). This is where she sees what is left to do or she can look at what numbers are left in the box. We don't assign breaks or other things (tried it but went to only assignments in the box -- we just take breaks as needed).

 

Our box is about 1 1/2 feet long.... so her assignments are in the front and in the back I keep blank paper, lined paper, whiteboards, and assignment sheets (common things we do like "Video" or whatever that I slip into the folders for some assignments) in other hanging folders. This way she is able to grab these things herself easily (on the book shelf it was all jumbled up with our other homeschool stuff -- made it easier).

 

As for planning out the assigments, so far about every 3 months I sit down and look at what we are doing. I made a OpenOffice Calc (or Excel) sheet that has 12 rows down and 5 colums across (12 assignments for 5 days). I plan out each folder -- like 1 page of math, read this book, work on lion lapbook, etc. This also helps because my DH and I share schooling duties and we both know what is coming and what to put in the box. We don't always follow this plan -- just gives us a rough idea of where we are headed and what to do. We only do school about 4 days a week, the 5th day is mostly catch up stuff that we write in during the week. I write it all in pencil, tried to it on the computer but made it harder to change things as we go and help each other stay on the same page.

 

For supplies -- we have a caddy (like the ones you would use for carting cleaning supplies around with a handle in the middle). We lined it with paper cups and put her marker pens, colored pencils, dry erase markers, pencils/pens, tape, glue, etc in there which we just bring to our table every day. So we don't put any of the supplies in the folders.

 

Hope that helps! You can make the system anyway that works for you and your kids! It has helped us 150%, especially since there is 2 of us schooling. We don't have to ask what has been done etc. We just look at the box. Since I only plan about every 3 months, I am not always trying to figure out what we are going to do -- but if I want to add something thats pretty easy by just erasing something on our assignment sheet or writing it in a blank spot or even taking something out of the box and slipping something else in. We on average do about 10 assignments a day for 4 days a week.

[Socalmom]

I have enjoyed reading the responses to this thread. This is my first year homeschooling my DD12. We are using the kitchen table with cardboard boxes of books and papers stored nearby. I spend so much time looking through stacks of books and papers. :tongue_smilie: I think my DD would like a visual way to know what work she has and I would like a way to organize everything. Organization is my biggest challenge with homeschooling at the moment. :001_smile:

 

Margie

[birchbark]

We're using this easy modified workbox variation and it is great!

 

http://www.welltrainedmind.com/forums/showpost.php?p=1157197&postcount=25

[Halcyon]

we have a very modified system that we're using. I will try to explain it, as it might work for others. I will try and get photos up at some point.

 

Key Ring:

We have a key ring with 3 strips of 3 blank boxes each (9 assignments total) that I place my son's day's assignments on. Each strip is laminated and has velcro to which I can attach the assignment. This is my son's to carry around, and he likes having it on a keyring.

Assignment Squares:

Each assignment, rather than being a number, says simply "writing" or "math" or "snack" or "logic". There are 16 total 'activity" squares. These are laminated and velcroed. I keep them in a ziploc baggie, and every evening I stick whatever assignments I'd like my son to do onto his Key Ring. Usually no more than 6, with "snack" and "game" squares as well.

Completed Assignment Sheet:

This is an 8.5 x 11 sheet with a blank table of 3 rows and 3 columns, sized so each square will 'fit' an Assignment Square. Each square has velcro, and the whole thing is laminated as well. The sheet is taped to the front of our book closet.

Hanging File Folder with Subjects:

Instead of workboxes, I have a hanging file folder box (a milk crate) which has a hanging folder for each subject (ie grammar, spelling, math, logic etc.) The labels are clearly written so he can easily see what he needs.

The process:

So, each morning my son grabs his Key Ring, and takes a look at what Assignment Squares I've put there for the day. He can choose in ANY order he wishes, but he knows that they all need to get done. There are days when he's chosen "Snack" as his first choice to do, but that only happened once. :) So, let's say he picks "Grammar" as his first square. He goes to the Hanging File Folder box and grabs grammar. If I've been organized, the sheets he needs are ready to go, already pulled out. If I haven't been so organized, he'll just find his Grammar book in there, with a yellow sticky on the page he's up to. He completes the sheet,and then he pulls the "Grammar" square out of his Key Ring set and placed it on the Completed Assignment Sheet on the front of the closet.

 

Then he chooses his next subject from his Key Ring. If he chooses Games, he gets to pick a game from the Game Box (Set, Blink, boggle) and we will play for a set time (usually 20 minutes). Then that next Square gets moved to the Completed Assignment Sheet.

 

This system doesn't use numbers like the regular workbox system, rather just states clearly on each Square exactly what assignments he needs to do ("writing", "Math", Logic etc...) This is easier for me, and there are no surprises for him (such as going to box number 2 and it being Writing--he knows what he's getting, so there's less moaning).

 

He loves having his own Key Ring to carry around, and loves moving things from his Key Ring to his Completed Assignment Sheet. At the end of the day, I just look over at this Sheet, grab any completed worksheets and write down on my printed calendar what he did for the day.

 

Hope this helps someone.