I think a large part of successful homeschooling is having order.  Granted, my orderliness may look totally different from your orderliness, but having some type of  system in place for assigning work, following through and record keeping helps us reach our individual goals.

As far as assigning work, we are still learning about the Workbox System. 

This post is about what I do with the work once it’s done.

This hallway storage chest used to have pictures on top of it, but it is now my work station.  I find that I’m constantly moving around during our school days, and this chest is the perfect height for me to stand in front of and work.  I stand here and grade papers; I stand here and work on our schools notebooks and portfolios.

On top you see:

• A few books we are working on
• Michaela’s 5th grade notebook.  It’s a combination scrapbook/portfolio of work done during 5th grade.
• An accordia- style file folder in which I stand papers and items I’m currently working on.  For example, one section holds brochures and Michaela’s journal entries from a recent field trip, but I’m waiting on pictures being developed from that day so that I can glue them into her notebook all at one time. 
• Glue, scissors and paperclips so I can work and organize without delay

Some of the things in her notebook include some work from a Five In A Row Fold-N-Learn completed during the election, only we stored our information notebook-style.

Some work done from our Angelo unit study.

Some pages from How to Make an Apple Pie and See the World.

Recent nature pages including bunny sketches. 

I love how this “station” lets me keep Michaela’s notebook filled up in a chronological fashion.  It helps me not to procrastinate!  I used to have little stacks of paper everywhere thinking that at some point I’d “catch up,” but knowing all along that I wanted a pretty and detailed record of some of Michaela’s best work by the end of the school year. 

I have changed my procrastinating ways!  Right now I probaby spend less than half an hour a week placing things in this notebook and it’s all because of organization.  As soon as Michaela is finished writing a story or coloring a map, I glue it into the notebook.   Of course she also has a three-ring binder which is organized by subject that’ll hold regular worksheets and math work.  I love, though, that her 5th grade notebook/scrapbook is getting done day by day now!  The only time I wait to put something in is, as I mentioned before, if I’m waiting on photos to go with it.

Sitting catty-corner to my notebook station is a bookshelf that holds art books, sketch books, and a lot of craft books.  This is my home notebook station, the place where my home notebook stays open (unless I’m in my purple chair writing herbal information into it). 

My notebook contains my current shopping list, menus and many other things that I like to be able to look at throghout the day.

What keeps you organized?

Lynn

Guys.  Today was a wonderful school day.  I can’t recommend the Workbox System highly enough.  And remember, I don’t even have my book yet. 

On tap for school today were 9 assignments sitting in those 9 pretty boxes.  Princess of the Universe was very excited to pull one box at a time off the shelf and do the assignment in it.  The excitement lasted all day.  We were organized.  Everything went smoothly.  This is only day 1, but I’m sold.   This was a work day for me.

What were the assignments:

• Math
• Paperdolls
• One page from a test prep booklet
• Handwriting sheet
• Practice piano
• Bake sugar cookies
• Five In A Row writing assignment from Angelo
• Spelling lesson
• New chapter book

The day was seamless.  Smooth.

I realize that not every day will need to be done from 9 or 10 or 12 boxes, but for my work days, this is PERFECT.  And to be clear, I DO intend to use this system even on non-work days, but I know there will be days that we get lost in Hamlet, or have a fieldtrip, or do something major in the doll house and we won’t do all the boxes.  That’s okay, that just means a few are already loaded for the next day! 

The beauty of it is the accountability factor.  The JUST DO IT factor.  Just put the things in the boxes.  Even if they are sweet little projects that I bought and keep thinking that we’ll get to them the next day and the next day and I just keep waiting because it’s something special and needs a spotlight or something.  Duh.

Princess of the Universe made cookies totally by herself today.  Totally.  I mean, I got up a couple of times to show her how to properly place the tray into the oven with care and I was totally right around the corner the entire time, typing, and asking every so often (of course), do you need help?

No.

These cookies were so good.  Who cares if the only cookie cutters we have are from Christmas?  Stockings and stars and Santas can go spring any time.   Just use blue and green icing.

This gave us garden time this afternoon when my work day was done.  GUILTLESS garden time.  Everything was done.  I easily refilled the boxes up this evening for her work tomorrow. 

A little side note here.  It’s not that we weren’t doing school before.   We were.  I was certainly writing out lesson plans and had things on her school shelf.  STACKS of things.  But can you envision me at my desk and Princess of the Universe coming to me and saying, “So what’s next?”

“Uh, let me get out the planner.”  Then a dark cloud forms over my head when I remember that I want her to do some writing, but did I mark the page in the Story Starters book? 

Can you see how easy it would be for me to then say, “Just go read for a minute and I’ll be around there to show you what I want you to do.”

An hour goes by. 

It was so different today.  Actually, one of her boxes at this very minute contains her Story Starters book with a little note that says, “Read The Brave Robin on page 77 and finish the story.”

Let’s go out into the garden now, shall we?

I just had to show you this.  Princess of the Universe and I could not believe it.  This spirea is filled with oothecas.  I’ve circled a few of them, but we counted 8 in all and we are sure there are more that we just overlooked.  How many praying mantises will we have this year? 

I counted about five or six violets in bloom.  All I could think of was spring infusions.  I didn’t really spot any chickweed yet, but it’s coming.  I know it.  I love to eat violets in salads and to use the leaves and blooms in my infusions.  Ahhh. 

Thank you, spring, for thinking of coming and staying at last.

We played around in the garden to our hearts’ happy content and I finally got around to turning the old, empty aquarium into a terrarium.  I had a piece of plastic from an old poster frame that I cut to fit as a perfect snug lid with heavy scissors.  Then I used Sculpey to make a little birdbath and baked it so that it’s nice and hard and is now sitting in the little wonderland in the terrium.  The terrarium is on my workdesk, so I can be in a little garden even when I’m working.

When the sun is up in the morning and I can open all the curtains and get a few good pictures without the flash, I’ll try to show you the birdbath and the other little things in the garden.  A terrarium tour.  Won’t that be nice?

This has been a splendid day.  I hope yours was.

Lynn

Okay, so I’ve started something new in our homeschool this afternoon.  It’s the Workbox System, and loosely started it I should say, as I don’t have the official book by Sue Patrick yet, but I do plan to get it ASAP (hubby just said he would put the money aside next week).

Anyway, there’s a huge discussion going on at the Five In A Row boards right now about the Workbox System, offering up alternatives to the clear shoe-boxes that are called for when using the Workbox System and tons of ideas for what to put in the boxes.   I got totally sucked in, but I think we’re gonna love it.

Confused?  You should be.  I’m talking in circles.  That’s mostly because all my Five In A Row buds already know what I’m talking about. 

In a nutshell, you use a rolling cart that will hold 12 clear plastic shoeboxes.  In these shoeboxes you place 12 items/assignments of school work to be completed during the day.  The child works left to right, top to bottom, finishing their work more independently than ever.  It’s apparently accomplished great things for children with ADD and other such diagnoses.  That’s a broad overview.  I have not touched on any of the fine points, which I’m looking forward to reading about further in Sue’s book.

Anyhoo, I’ve started out totally on my own eclectic foot with this program, choosing to use decorated cereal boxes for our boxes.  I am not saying I won’t go with clear boxes.  I am saying that I want to read the book first and that I want to figure out if I’ve got room for a stand that holds 12 clear boxes.   (We can barely walk through the hallway as it is.)  I am also starting with 9 boxes.  I want to see how Princess of the Universe reacts to this. 

Michaela’s school shelf is now totally clutter free.

The boxes are super cute and I know Miss Priss will love them.  (I cannot believe she has not noticed them yet. Maybe she cuts her eyes away when she passes by the school shelf. ha ha)

Each box holds an assignment.  We’ll start the day with math.

I am sure this system is going to help me pull in things that we don’t always remember to do.

Just look at that little Heart of the Home box.  Sweet.  This will contain domestic assignments.  Like now…

Don’t worry.  She won’t get free reign of the stove without supervision, but I do think she’ll enjoy this being HER assignment.  I’m going to get everything together this evening so it’ll be easier tomorrow.

She also has a Five In A Row assignment, a handwriting assignment, a page from a test booklet and a couple of other things I *can’t remember* right now. (*That might give you a clue as to why this system will help us do everything every day. It’ll be in the boxes ready to go.)

I could easily have filled up more boxes, but tomorrow is our first day and I want to see how long this takes her to work through.  Also I really want to read Sue’s book and get serious about the fine points.  In three short months Big Joe will graduate, so I’ll have another shelf for more boxes.  We could also perhaps switch to the clear boxes for the new school year.

For now I’m doing a test run with cereal boxes.

I first heard about this system from my friend, Leslie, and she’s got pictures on her blog. 

In looking on line, there’s a post on another blog where someone has set up their own version of the workbox system.  See it here at Ginger-Snap-Shots.

Another friend, Kristina, has pictures on her blog of her system. 

Another friend, Jessica, is using envelopes for her system. 

There are other pictures out there, but this gives you some ideas. 

Lynn

PS — There is an update on our cereal boxes —>>  here!

Since you’ve seen my notebook, I thought you might want to see my clipboard.

We are a clipboard family when it comes to school.  I keep three of them loaded with clean notebook paper at all times.  They sit in our two school shelves.  When I assign something, it’s easy for the kids to grab a clipboard and get started.  A clipboard can be taken to any chair or table; it’s easy to work with. 

But I wanted my OWN clipboard, especially for when we are all working together, like reading Hamlet, or talking about history, or discussing spelling words or grammar.  I keep my clipboard with me when I am reading a bedtime story with Princess of the Universe.   My clipboard is even with me when I am working.

Why?

Because constantly things pop into my mind that I want to discuss later, like the other day when I was thinking of the words ORDNANCE and ORDINANCE and wanting to see if Joe could spell them correctly.  Or we’ll cover something that I think we need to go back to, but it’s not something I want to stop and research at that very minute.  An example would be the Namean lion mentioned in Hamlet.  I make a quick note on my clipboard and I know the idea won’t be forgotten later. 

Did you see my clipboard is pink?  BRIGHT pink?  It cannot get mixed up with another clipboard. 

Lynn