Filing system or workboxes?

[parias1126]

Do you use either? If so, which one? Do some of you use both? Have you kept consistent with it or did the idea just sorta fade over time?

 

Please tell me about your filing systems, which one you chose and how its working out for you and your children.

 

As for the workboxes, why do we need 12? Do we HAVE to use 12? Is the whole idea to fit fun things in between the schoolwork? I haven't read a lot on it, but have done a "search" on the boards and looked a couple blogs thus far.

 

I am still confused a bout which would fit my family better! I have narrowed it down between the folders for 36 weeks with each child's schoolwork to be completed each week in a folder or the workboxes....just not sure which is best!

 

Would love to hear about your experiences with either and why you chose it for your family.

 

I am sick of hearing, "are we done yet??????"

[Hockey Mom]

I used workboxes last year. We had (9) in our system, but only ended up using (4) on a regular basis. My boys are the type of kids that would rather do their work then play. So putting little games or crafts in their boxes caused more frustration for them than less. Thus, the reason we went to (4).

 

This year, I plan on doing a file system of sorts. Toward the end of last year, I was filing their work in folders a week ahead, in order to just dump the work into their workboxes as needed. I haven't figured out the details of a filing system yet. I'm waiting for DD to move to college so I can claim her bedroom as our classroom (we just moved here last month, so none of our school room stuff is set up yet). Once I'm able to set up a classroom again, I'll figure out which method will work best for us.

[Rosy]

I'm doing the filing system this year--for me planning/prep mode is different from execution mode, and they don't co-exist well. So I tend to do all my planning during the summer. The filing system lends itself really well for that. Workboxes are the opposite--they require constant preparation.

[Samiam]

I guess the real question is do you want to "plan" a little bit at a time, or alot all at once...kind of the difference between workboxes and filing system, but then again, maybe not. You could do both...the filing is good for long-term planning and would certainly make the workboxes easier to load every night. Workboxes are easy though....and 15 minutes a night is SO worth keeping our mornings running smoothly.

 

For me, I don't want to have to spend weeks planning for the whole year. That just seems overwhelming, plus my OCD mind would start to go crazy if the schedule went off-track.

 

What I typically do is load 1-3 weeks at a time, into HST Basic. Honestly it's not alot of "planning", per se, because most of our curriculum is open-n-go, not alot for me to schedule out, but it's more about seeing all of a day's work on one spot. But this short time frame does keep my mind at peace, to allow for field trips, unexpected park days, spur of the moment "free days", without my OCD self getting crazy. It is easier in my mind to get back on track if it's only a week or so that I need to rearrange because of a missed day.

 

So workboxes work for me. Once all of the plans are loaded into HST (usually Sunday nights), then each evening is 15 minutes of loading workboxes. It's not too much work, nor do I necessarily feel as if I need to put in "fun" things. I think that an important idea behind workboxes is the opportunity to break the work up into manageable chunks. For example, in DS7's math, he has 2-3 workbook pages, flashcards, verbal counting, and speed drills. So workbook might go in one box...flashcards in another a couple down the row, and speed drills in another...down the way. Spreads it out so he's not burning his brain on math facts. Same thing with phonics. Add in his other stuff, and yeah, it's pretty easy to fill 8-10 boxes with real schoolwork, and fun stuff might be in there once in a while, but mostly it's real stuff. AND keep in mind, I don't believe in pushing a 7year old TOO much, nor would he stand for it. He actually does pretty light work, if I compare to some of the curriculums I see posted in other's signatures.

[Amber in AUS]

We use our own version of workboxes. Most of the curricula we use is teacher driven so i co-ordinate between kids getting them started on boxes as required and working with them as needed. We ONLY have school in our workboxes. DD has 6, DS has 5, little DD has 6 (fun playschool activities). DS regularly completes 4 of his boxes then gets some free time whilst i work with DD to finish up before we get to box 5 for DS. We save our RAs for the end of school time, they are in the last box. It works well for us and 6 boxes isn't too daunting!

[Peela]

Workboxes are a very visual method and I love them with my teens. I set up the system as directed, but it has since morphed into a much more relaxed version, where basically they just go through the drawers each day and put the work back into the same drawer they go it out from. It has helped with mess considerably, and just simple orgnaisation.

We don't use the velcro and strips...too complicated. I ended up putting subject labels on the front of the drawers. Simple.

No, you definitely dont need 12. I have 10 drawer carts and we dont even use all of them, so I do slip something fun into some of them at times.

The thing about workboxes is that it stores their books, their work, and is such a visual system. I have a folder in each drawer that stores photocopies and/or past work. On top of the folder is whatever they are to do each day.

[prairiegirl]

I have used a modified version of workboxes and will be using the filing system for this coming year.

 

For the workboxes, I only had 10 bags (we used plastic bags instead of boxes) that were used for the core subjects and fun things like audio books, art, MadLibs, games, etc. 10 worked for us.

 

The kids loved the workboxes and it solved my problem(how to engage all of the children for our entire learning time) but it was a pain to fill every day.

 

The filing system is a pain to fill but that pain is temporary (the beginning of the year.) I just have to fill the files once for the year and then I am done. I don't have to keep up with it during the year. At least, I hope I won't.

 

We haven't started the filing system so I don't know which is better but from where I am sitting now, using files wins hands down. :D

[Mommee & Baba]

I will be using both this year.

 

I just spent the summer planning, printing and filing for the entire school year. I am done!

 

I also built a modified version of a workbox system that suits our needs and our space and actually excited to utilize it! Last year I spent sunday evenings up to an hour sometimes preparing and filing in my folders for the week. That's as planned as I got.

 

This year I want to use all our school time wisely. I will be able to do our combined subjects in the morning hours....allowing them to work on their own on certain things through-out the rest of the hours, along with my help of course for math and such things..but when I'm able to have oldest dd doing penmanship I can be working on my middlers math with her...then when she's complete and my oldest is complete I can have my middler doing her penmanship independ. and have my oldest doing math with me..I think it works out great. I'm not too sure of the order yet as we've yet to try it out but I def. think doing our combined subjects first will be the best allowing them to pace themselves for when they complete school and not have to wait for student A to complete her last workbox bag before we together as a class can begin on our history...see what I mean?

 

I have included some "fun" things in our workboxes this year but this again will help with time towards the middle of the school day when they need some re-coop time before lunch. I plan on having atleast ONE fun or extra thing in their workboxes each day...whether it be make some words out of playdoh or do a file folder game...but something to change it up a ltitle bit.

 

My kids are still little so they can only do their penmanship by themselves once they get a little instruction....and their copywork....otherwise they need me for mostly everything else. So I will hopefully figure out a way of lining up the subjects in their workboxes to go in an order that we can utilize for everyone.