Yet Another Workbox Question.....

[Mandi in Ohio]

So I need some help! My mind is spinning! We did the workboxes last year with our girls and absolutely loved it! This Summer we moved rooms around to make room for a new baby and ended up switching out rooms for our homeschool room. It's in a better location now but a smaller room. So it's a bit tight with all our magazine holders for 3 kids' workboxes as is and I really could use that space to store our evergrowing book collection.

 

So I've been looking around online and of course there are lots of ideas on how others have adapted this system and not used shoe boxes or magazine boxes (like us). Has anyone done this and liked it? What did you use for your workboxes/folders/drawers and where did you get them?

 

We have a 3rd grader, 1st grader, and preschooler who will be doing boxes next year. I'd also love to have maybe 4 small boxes for "organized play" for our 2 year old during school.

 

Any ideas???

[prairiegirl]

When we were using workboxes, I used one rubbermaid container for each child. The container was big enough to hold large ziploc bags. I put 10 ziploc bags in each container. The bags were our 'workboxes.' I put stickers numbered 1 to 10 on each bag. I put the curriculum and acitivites for each child in their bags. I was able to put the containers on a book shelf so they didn't take up much room. This worked very well for us.

[Mandi in Ohio]

When we were using workboxes, I used one rubbermaid container for each child. The container was big enough to hold large ziploc bags. I put 10 ziploc bags in each container. The bags were our 'workboxes.' I put stickers numbered 1 to 10 on each bag. I put the curriculum and acitivites for each child in their bags. I was able to put the containers on a book shelf so they didn't take up much room. This worked very well for us.

 

 

Did you just use regular sized freezer bags or extra large ones? Also did the bags seem to hold up all year? Thanks!!

[Chris in VA]

Just wanted to say, there's often a lot of "hidden space" you can use for storing books. Think about putting a shelf above the door, for instance, or hanging a book rack on the back of the door. :001_smile:

I like a room with a high shelf all around the top of the walls (maybe a foot down from the ceiling, for example), for storing books I still want to keep, but may not use every day. I don't mind standing on a 3 step ladder to reach them.

[Mandi in Ohio]

Just wanted to say, there's often a lot of "hidden space" you can use for storing books. Think about putting a shelf above the door, for instance, or hanging a book rack on the back of the door. :001_smile:

I like a room with a high shelf all around the top of the walls (maybe a foot down from the ceiling, for example), for storing books I still want to keep, but may not use every day. I don't mind standing on a 3 step ladder to reach them.

 

Great ideas!! Always looking for places to stash the book hoard!

[Tawlas]

Yup, I agree. Definitely think vertical - look through Ikea catalog for inspiration lol. We've used those plastic drawer dresser thingies so if you're using the shoe shelves like is actually suggested in the book, this would save a lot of room too (and the shoe boxes could be repurposed for toy storage etc).

[Amy Jo]

I have the clear drawers (they have three drawers per unit), I bought them on sale at shopko. I actually decided I'll store our books elsewhere, and just have the current ones in the school room. So fiction, how-to, etc. are in the family room on bookshelves. I will (probably) be storing unneeded school books in boxes. I got the idea here, a mom who has a box for each of the 4 years of rotation, and she just gets out the correct box each year.

 

In the schoolroom, I'm trying to go with less is more, because I get distracted. The room is a mess right now, and I can hardly think! It is challenging with a small house though.

[Spryte]

We just started a new system. We've been using the Trofast bins from IKEA, but I found that we slowly were moving toward more of a workfolder approach.

 

Now we have plastic folders for each day of the week (the kiddo decorated each folder with stickers and used scrapbooking letter stickers to write the day of the week on each folder). Inside each folder, there are 8 plastic pockets, and I've put 2 velcro dots on each. We don't use the number cards that Sue suggests, I just make cards up with the subjects (I don't care if he does the work in order, as long as he finishes it each day), so each plastic pocket gets one subject card and, if necessary, a work with Mom card or a time card (15 minutes, etc). If I can't fit the actual activity in the plastic pocket, I have cards made up to slip in the pockets. If all else fails, I can draw a quick picture to put in the pocket! All 5 of these folders fit into a little decorative file box from Target, which lives on top of the re-purposed Trofast bins. When we are ready to work, the kiddo grabs the appropriate folder and he's all set. The Trofast bins are now divided into subjects, and all of the necessary manipulatives, etc are in bins for easy reach. So far, this is working well, taking up less space, and I like that I fill the folders weekly rather than nightly.

 

Hopefully that made sense!

 

HTH a bit, and that you find a new system that works well for your family.

[Mandi in Ohio]

We just started a new system. We've been using the Trofast bins from IKEA, but I found that we slowly were moving toward more of a workfolder approach.

 

Now we have plastic folders for each day of the week (the kiddo decorated each folder with stickers and used scrapbooking letter stickers to write the day of the week on each folder). Inside each folder, there are 8 plastic pockets, and I've put 2 velcro dots on each. We don't use the number cards that Sue suggests, I just make cards up with the subjects (I don't care if he does the work in order, as long as he finishes it each day), so each plastic pocket gets one subject card and, if necessary, a work with Mom card or a time card (15 minutes, etc). If I can't fit the actual activity in the plastic pocket, I have cards made up to slip in the pockets. If all else fails, I can draw a quick picture to put in the pocket! All 5 of these folders fit into a little decorative file box from Target, which lives on top of the re-purposed Trofast bins. When we are ready to work, the kiddo grabs the appropriate folder and he's all set. The Trofast bins are now divided into subjects, and all of the necessary manipulatives, etc are in bins for easy reach. So far, this is working well, taking up less space, and I like that I fill the folders weekly rather than nightly.

 

Hopefully that made sense!

 

HTH a bit, and that you find a new system that works well for your family.

 

Can I ask where you got the folders with 8 pockets insides of them? I saw someone else online using something like that but had no clue where they were from. Thanks!!

[Spryte]

We had to hunt a bit for the folders, and I *think* I found them in the Target school section last year. They are plastic, with 4 clear inserts inside - pockets on both sides of each insert.

 

Here's something similar: http://www.amazon.com/Esselte-Oxford-8-Pocket-Folder-Letter/dp/B000V9CQ1Q/ref=sr_1_27?ie=UTF8&qid=1311024246&sr=8-27

 

(Sorry, I don't know how to make the cute little links.)

Edited July 18, 2011 by Spryte
adding link to pocket folders

[Mandi in Ohio]

We had to hunt a bit for the folders, and I *think* I found them in the Target school section last year. They are plastic, with 4 clear inserts inside - pockets on both sides of each insert.

 

Here's something similar: http://www.amazon.com/Esselte-Oxford-8-Pocket-Folder-Letter/dp/B000V9CQ1Q/ref=sr_1_27?ie=UTF8&qid=1311024246&sr=8-27

 

(Sorry, I don't know how to make the cute little links.)

 

 

Those look wonderful!! Thank you so much! Headed to Target in a bit so I'll keep my eye out for them.

[Spryte]

If you end up using the folders, just thought I'd share one of my kiddo's favorite things to find... Along with our subject cards, I have some cards that say "choose 1" or "choose 2"... I put those on the velcro dot on the pocket... Kiddo reaches inside pocket to find several different cards with activities listed, then chooses the appropriate number to do. I went a bit crazy making activity cards and laminating them, so there is no shortage here, but you could write activities on an index card and that would be just as exciting.

[Superfly]

If you end up using the folders, just thought I'd share one of my kiddo's favorite things to find... Along with our subject cards, I have some cards that say "choose 1" or "choose 2"... I put those on the velcro dot on the pocket... Kiddo reaches inside pocket to find several different cards with activities listed, then chooses the appropriate number to do. I went a bit crazy making activity cards and laminating them, so there is no shortage here, but you could write activities on an index card and that would be just as exciting.

 

Where do you get your ideas for activities? I'm always looking for ways to add "fun" to DD's day, but I'm just not that creative.

[Spryte]

I'm not that creative either. :) I read a ton of blogs, gleaned ideas, then made and laminated a bunch of cards.

 

I had stopped using the activity cards, but have recently found that my kiddo is very motivated if he knows there is something fun to come. So we are back to the cards. I had really forgotten that aspect of the workboxes, how important it is to give them something fun to anticipate.

 

This week's cards (we are doing school-light for the summer): cooking (we watch Jamie Oliver and kiddo chooses a recipe); educational computer game; Lego task cards (these ask him to build something specific, but don't give directions); board games; nature walk; audiobook.

 

HTH.

[Mama2Many4]

This is what we do.

 

[prairiegirl]

Did you just use regular sized freezer bags or extra large ones? Also did the bags seem to hold up all year? Thanks!!

 

Extra large bags, large enough to fit a math workbook. Yes, they lasted all year long and then some. :001_smile:

[Captivated]

I use these and they take up just a small amount of wall space. I even mounted one (with command hooks) on the side of a bookcase. :)

 

http://www.amazon.com/Educational-Insights-Classroom-Organization-Center/dp/B000LLEA5Y/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1308855770&sr=8-2

 

HTH!

[Superfly]

I'm not that creative either. :) I read a ton of blogs, gleaned ideas, then made and laminated a bunch of cards.

 

I had stopped using the activity cards, but have recently found that my kiddo is very motivated if he knows there is something fun to come. So we are back to the cards. I had really forgotten that aspect of the workboxes, how important it is to give them something fun to anticipate.

 

This week's cards (we are doing school-light for the summer): cooking (we watch Jamie Oliver and kiddo chooses a recipe); educational computer game; Lego task cards (these ask him to build something specific, but don't give directions); board games; nature walk; audiobook.

 

HTH.

 

I would have never thought of lego task cards....my girls would love that! I think I might have to start adding activity cards. :001_smile:

[diaperjoys]

http://www.staples.com/Staples-6-Drawer-Organizer/product_809574

 

We do drawers. Staples carries 6-drawer carts. We use them without wheels, and they stack nicely. I have four sets of the drawers, and stack them, so it makes two "towers" of 12. This is enough for our four kiddos this year - the littles just get 2 or 3 drawers, the older kids use more. I like the drawers better than bags or files, because I love to place the teacher's manual together with the workbook. I have room to place anything needed for the subject all together in one place. My 1st grader's math drawer holds his workbook, teacher's manual, abacus, counting chart, ruler, and timer.

[ClassicMom]

I use the 10 drawer cart and they are on sale for 34.99 right now at Michaels. They are made for scrapbooking but work perfect for our purposes as well! :)

[PentecostalMom]

I use the 10 drawer cart and they are on sale for 34.99 right now at Michaels. They are made for scrapbooking but work perfect for our purposes as well! :)

 

Do you have a link for this? I do not see them on the Michaels site at all.

[DawnL]

I haven't used workboxes yet, but, I am going to try my own version of that this year. I think I will have the upright, plastic, magazine holders someone posted previously in this post, one for each child. Then there will be up to 10 folders/pee chees in their file box. I'm going to number the folders, but they can work through them as they wish, unless it's something meant to be a group activity.

 

We'll see how well this works out. I'm also hoping to file stuff ahead of time, so that all I will have to do is fill the folders the night before. Taking 10 minutes to do that each night seems easier than trying to get each child started on something while I work with one of them. Someone always winds up waiting for mom to give them something, explain something, or work with them on something.