We love being a homeschooling family. We often say that we just enjoy our kids so much that we can't imagine sending them off for 5-7 hours each day. I would just miss them too much. We have so much fun together. This blog will help me share our lives more with our family and friends.
So....to start....I found a new system that we are going to try as a family. It involves using a "modified" workbox system to organize our daily assignments. I have modified Sue Patrick's Workbox System to fit our large and growing family. I read her full system and looked at many blogs of real mom who are using her system daily in their homeschooling. I think using file boxes with # cards on the front will work best for us. They are large enough to fit lots of curriculum and projects in them but small enough to fit in our home. They snap shut so they can travel easily and are stackable....a must with 5 boxes with more to be added later.
I just got the basics set up. Here are the 5 starting boxes and then close ups of each individual box.
This is my "parent" box that will store the planned curriculum and upcoming unit studies, letters of the week plans, etc.
Brittany's Workbox
Madalynn's WorkboxDavid's Workbox
The system involves putting different assignments in each folder for each child. Not all of them will be worksheets, they may often find an activity "sticky note" in their folder sending them off to do something fun.
Each night we will fill their boxes with the assignments for the next day. My box will be pre-filled with at least a weeks worth of activities so that each evening we can quickly fill for the next day.
After our morning prayer/devotional time and group work.....usually Mystery of History, Bible Memory, Calendar Time and any unit study we are doing as a family. Each child can get their box down and start their work independently. This is very important in a large family. Each folder inside the box has a # attached to it with a small binder clip. The number has a small velcro circle on the back. When they have completed the work/activity for that folder, they put the completed # on the corresponding # block on the front of their box. They put their completed work in the red folder in the back of their boxes. This way they (and I) can see their progress throughout the day. (see outside pic below)
If it is an acitivity that I know will need parental involvement than I will also attach a purple "work with mom & dad" card. Throughout the day when I have a chance to work with each child personally, I can quickly grab one of those folders and get started. I have a master plan sheet for the day so that I know what is in each numbered folder. That way I can am prepared to work with them individually and as a group.
Each box contains red "I need help" cards. These have velcro on the back just like the # cards. If a child is having trouble with one of the activities than they can place this red square on the # with which they need help. This makes it easy for me to see when a child needs help and on what activity. This allows for them to get the help they need but not interupt when I am busy or working with someone else. As you can see below...Madalynn's box has activities 8, 9, 10, 11 & 12 complete and she needs help on #6.
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