schedule
A look into our school room (and Workbox System )
Monday, February 22nd, 2010 | Uncategorized | No Comments
We have a room off the kitchen that is our ’school room’. Standing at the door of this room I am looking at Elias and Hannah’s shared desk.
This room used be used as a toy/play room but all toys in the house have been sorted into like boxes and labeled and moved to a finished shed that is detached from this room (out the back door). We now rotate whatever play things are in the house and this ‘library toy system’ works very well for us. That freed up this room to be an open space for school learning. That transition is why it has taken me 6months to actually start the workbox system once I learned about it and decided it would be a good fit for us. You can see Elias’ set of boxes there beside the table in the back of the picture.
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Here you see Hannah’s boxes all set up. I chose an adjustable shoe rack and boxes purchased via The Container Store and the stick on numbers and such are direct from Sue’s website, its the 2 student starter kit which is not expensive and saved me valuable time and money because I didn’t have to put it together Workbox System Starter Kit (2 Child)
Elias’ boxes have the same assignments but in a different order. My kids work differently and so I put their assignments in an order that I think they will work best with. I have more active and get-up-out-of-your-chair assignments put in boxes between writing assignments and such for my son because I know he will be happier and do better at his sit down assignments when he’s had some movement in between. Also they work at different speeds, so again- I set up in a way that makes sense to me even if at the end of the day they have done the same work.
Hannah’s boxes have in them (or had, she had started box 1 already):
box 1- Morning chore/routine chart (I believe I have a downloadable version of this on my blog)
2- Bible (we are listening to an audio version I have on CD using the reading schedule from my motivated mom’s planner)
3- journal with assignment written on strip of paper
4- scale drawing picture of a bird (I made this worksheet to reinforce the lesson we had yesterday in ECC about maps and scale. Last time we started ECC I had them map a room to scale and I didn’t feel like having them do it again, this is a less intense and fun shorter refresher type lesson to understand scale)
5- First Language Lessons Peace Hill Press Store
6- Writing with Ease (same link, one of my big goals for this year for the kids are their writing skills which is why I have these. I integrated these two programs last week before I re pulled out ECC)
7-Exercise worksheet (another worksheet I made which is great to put in the line up between a lot of writing work before I ask them to do math or something)
8-Math U See (MFW suggests using Singapore to add on to their curriculum once you get past K and 1st, when math is integrated into the program. I felt like their integrated in math was totally fine but once you get to older math and they ‘outsource’ I went to MUS. I tried Singapore but I am not a fan of that program in the slightest, I’ve found MUS to be a much better fit for my goals for my kids)
9-letter writing to their friend in Spain (my journal assignment above, usually written on a sticky note or strip of paper in their journal, varies from writing prompts Write Source – Writing Topics to memorization copywork, to response prayers to our bible listening, to what I assigned today which was a response letter to a friend in Spain that wrote to them this week. So in box 3 they wrote a letter, when they hit box 9 they bring me their journal and I help them get that draft into a final form and help them get out stationary and write it up so we can mail it. I’ve at times used thank you notes and such as journal assignments. Usually my journal assignments are a time I don’t correct work, its a creative writing time and I just let it be whatever it is and however it comes out of them….just depends)
10- piano (timer is in box already set for 30mins, notebook has book names and page numbers for assignments they need to practice during their 30mins, when their timer is up they can call me in to the piano to try to pass songs if they feel they are ready)
11- chapter book (again 30min timer and this is for pleasure reading, I don’t quiz them on what they read or ask them to read aloud- its just for their enjoyment)
12- I have this one turned around because we don’t need it for today
Things that I have put in boxes that weren’t in there today include:
Daily Oral Language
Teacher’s Outlet – Carson-Dellosa: Daily Oral Language
Book Basket (basket full of library books for the kids to browse that are on the topic of learning we are focusing, this is always available but at times I will put a sticky note in a box with a timer that says look at books in the book basket for 20mins and when the timer is up come and tell me about something you learned/thought was cool)
Living World (science being used right now with MFW ECC, I grouped the weeks reading assignments into one sitting the other day which worked well for this week and I will do some weeks when I feel appropriate)
Maps and Globes (used it the same way as Living world this week)
Window on the World (ditto to last two for this week, may be different in future weeks as to how I split up the assignments on any given day/week)
board games (if it fits in the box I’ll put it there, if not I’ll set it next to the racks with a sticky note in the box)
Picture crosswords Poof-Slinky.com – Online Store
sudoku
play dough (not often by itself but I’ll combine it in a box when appropriate, like once last week I had a reading passage with the kids and so I had clay in the box for them to work with while they listened and they LOVED this)
craft
30min timer with a sticky note that says ‘Webkinz’ or ‘BrainPOP’ (sometimes free time and sometimes with a specific thing I want them to look up and watch appropriate videos and then come tell me about) BrainPOP – Animated Educational Site for Kids – Science, Social Studies, English, Math, Arts & Music, Health, and Technology
sewing free time or specific project time (they have their own sewing machine set up in a different room for this)
Latin
Commander Mark drawing program
Online Spanish (available through our library)
Meanwhile this is Bayus’ spot that he chooses to inhabit intermittently through the day (he’s 4, 5 in April). I don’t change out his 6 shelves every day but I do try to mix some of them up every few days, he loves ‘doing school’ and will pull out one tray with an activity out at a time. At the moment this picture was taken the shelves are kind of messy and there is too much on top of his table- ideally the top is clear and each shelf has one tray with an activity each on it.
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And this is my spot where I’m at right now. I sit here working on my own stuff and drinking tea with occassional times where I get up to do some house chores or check in on their work or help them with something that you saw in the top picture will have a tag that says ‘work with mom’.
I have a form I made myself that I’m trying out for next week where I have pre-planned the workboxes. I looked at the weekly assignment chart in the ECC teachers manual and just plugged assignments into boxes in incremenets that made sense to me and left off stuff that I’m covering in a different way (like we have our own math and such). I don’t do ECC exactly, its a back bone. I use it as a form and a direction in which we are going but I give myself plenty of freedom to use what I feel is appropriate and needed and leave the rest (one of the perks of being the ‘teacher’). I give myself permission to read a bunch from one book one day rather than read 2 pages from it all 5 days of the week….or split one assignment into smaller chunks if I feel it can/should be…..or completely replace their suggested assignment with something else that I feel will reinforce the same idea but inspires me more. I’d say 3-4 boxes were typically used this week for MFW ECC specific assignments.
PS- for anyone that doesn’t know, ‘MFW’ stands for My Father’s World My Father’s World – Homeschool and Christian School Curriculum and ‘ECC’ stands for their curriculum you can buy called ‘Exploring Countries and Cultures’
Also one other thing to mention: Had I seen this type of box system to use with the workbox system ideas I would have absolutely done it.
Daily Thoughts on my Tots….: Workboxes
Here’s a link to the chore charts.
I love that when my kids ’start their day’ they are dressed, fed, teeth brushed, pets fed, hair brushed, bedroom clean and ready to go!
Other information:
In the picture that shows ‘my station’ you can see my home school planner open beside my laptop. This is the one I designed and sold copies of this past summer.
Bayus’ assignments can be all kinds of things, here’s an example
Feeling brilliant today… | LifeVentures
Right now we have some new years goals as a family which have resulted in me making the chore charts now reversible. Once they finish their morning chores they flip it over (they put them on the fridge) and work on their ‘healthy family goals’ for the day (flipping it back over in the evening when its time to do evening chores). The healthy goals include things like filling a water glass that they set at their spot at the desk/table and I fill small glass bowls with things like baby carrots, sugar snap peas and clementine wedges.
Oooh another note to add- the sliding glass door between the kitchen and the back room is my ‘white board’. Dry erase markers write on it wonderfully and wipe off easily. I have a suction cup caddy thing from the shower section of a store that sticks to the door and holds a few pens and the eraser. I have a few to do list items there that are right behind my chair for me (and my phone is always at my station and I can turn around and put notes up when I get a call I need to write a note about) and the other door and other side of the doors I can use throughout the day as needed when I need to put something visual up for the kids. Also the blue lines you see in that image is blue painters tape, I love that stuff and have about a million uses for it because it doesn’t leave a residue on anything. In this picture I’m using it on the back side of the door to create straight lines to write on on the opposite side of the door
The yearly question
Tuesday, September 1st, 2009 | Uncategorized | 1 Comment
Starting last year I began what i hope will be a tradition of asking the kids ‘What do you want to learn this year?’ It gets their creative juices flowing with anticipation and helps me get a window into what things their little minds are pondering that I don’t know about. We don’t necessarily cover everything they tell me about and I very likely have things planned that they don’t know they will be interested in but I love getting their input just the same. This year I’m particularly intrigued by the ‘themes’ I see emerging in each kids lists as it shows a bit of how their minds work and from what angle they view the world. I’m excited that this year much more than last year their reading skills have a really firm foundation so many of the things I see they are interested in but may not hit the actual curriculum schedule can be explored through some good reading books being available. Without further ado here are the words of my kids when asked- ‘What do you want to learn this year?’
(please excuse any grammatical and particularly punctuational errors, I was trying to notate their words as they spoke to me)
Elias- Frogs and lizards, castles and knights and horses- just a whole bunch of stuff about castles and horses and that kind of stuff. Dinosaurs, cowboys and indians and snakes- how ’bout more about bugs? Cows and whales and seahorses and dolphins. Can we learn about noodles? Squirrels and chipmunks, rabbits and movies and race cars. How to make glass and how to row a rowboat and how to make a mirror. I want to learn how to cook fish and crabs and also learn about crabs and monkeys and gorillas and parrots.
Hannah- I want to learn about countries. I want to learn about how hair changes color. I want to know about how skin changes with age, like how it gets all wrinkly. I want to learn how to sew bigger things and how your body makes your eye color. I want to know about candles, how to make soap and how to play the violin. I want to learn how to make dye and how people make shoes. I want to learn about how petals on a flower are made and how a flower knows it’s winter and closes up. I want to know how the piano makes different sounds and what is the smallest bone in a guinea pigs body.
They both just ran to me and asked I add that they want to know about puffins too.
Happy School year everyone! May your curiosity find many fruitful paths to explore!
Sarah
Chore Charts
Saturday, August 23rd, 2008 | Uncategorized | No Comments
I’ve had people asking me about my kids ‘morning chores’ and ‘evening chores’ that I reference in our ‘day in the life’ posts and schedule posts. Here they are for your downloading pleasure, feel free to alter these to your needs and use freely. One file is what I used before my kids knew how to read (picture chart) and they got mini stickers to put in the boxes. The other chart we used after they could read and they liked putting check marks in the boxes. That one is printed so you can cut the paper in half sheets and I would usually print a week or two work and staple them between two half sheets of their choice of cardstock.
The charts they use now are pretty much the same as the ‘readable’ charts mentioned above but in a graph format (several days per one page and practice reading graphs in the process. When I find that file on my computer I will add it here.
Click these links to download. Enjoy!
Week 1 of school…schedules and sewing
Saturday, August 16th, 2008 | Uncategorized | 1 Comment
I decided to start ’school’ earlier this year than planned due to the upcoming births I will be helping with in the fall (which always requires some recovery time). Its a gentle start meaning that we still have a full summer schedule of play dates and outdoor adventures but have been adding in a bit of our school work as we’re able. This year I’m going to attempt a more structured day but its a guide that I won’t let dictate everything as I want all our days to have the flexibility for creativity.
8am- wake up and do morning chores (hopefully they were done the previous night by 9pm with evening chores completed). The kids have printed graphs with their morning and evening chores listed
9am- we start ’school’. The kids each have their own rolling carts/scrapbook totes with their personal school books in them that they have to roll out and put next to where they will sit for the day (they also have their current reading books, craft project and sketching notebooks in these carts and anytime they finish an assignment before their sibling they may pull that out and work/read quietly while they wait for what is next). Part of their morning chores include clearing off the table, so they should be sitting with their books ready and the table clean at 9am. I spend that morning hour making myself breakfast and getting Bayus ready for his day, also checking email, printing papers for their work of the day and getting myself dressed and ready for the day. We are using MFW curriculum and start our day with a short review of our memory verse for the week, sometimes there is some discussion, a short Primary Language lesson, handwriting review and writing in their journals (I have a list of writing prompts and will have already written the day’s verse and the day’s writing prompt on the sliding glass window). So basically we start the day with a bit of bible and english.
9:30- 15min-30min ‘recess’. My kids think its really fun to have recess and they take it so very seriously to play hard during that time that I find it adorable. I set a timer in the house and go out and ring a cow bell when the time is up and they come running. Sometimes I will tell them to collect eggs or eat strawberries from the garden but mostly its free time that involves a lot of running and chasing and playing in the ‘forest’.
10am- Math; we are using Singapore math this year and so far I’m not impressed but I’m going to go a bit further with it before I pronounce judgement and switch. We move into Geography after math and they have a geography binder they are often filing worksheets or construction paper flags they’ve made during this time. Sometimes the lesson involves a game or song that goes along with the given country
11am- Science; they have science notebooks that they write about what we read from ‘Living World’ in and illustrate a bit
11:15 (or so) they are outside for more recess time (hopefully with their science lesson fresh in their mind as they run around outside). I take this time to set out lunches
11:30-noon we eat lunch and I’ve usually got a CD playing with international music from the country we discussed that day or the memory verse or our Latin studies playing in the back ground
Noon- Quiet time; Elias and Hannah each grab their current reading books and have to find quiet corners to read in for 40mins while I get Bayus to lay down for what usually results in a nap (He spends most of the morning hours playing with trains or castle toys and running outside with the others during recesses)
1pm- Elective time; these rotate daily–> Monday= music lesson,Tuesday= Latin, Wednesday= Sewing, Thursday= Draw Squad, Friday= letter writing to relatives and free choice as they can pull out any craft projects they’ve wanted more time on to work on in the afternoons
1:30/2pm our school day is done and they run off for lots of free play, crafts, afternoon trips to the YMCA or library or friends houses…..that sort of thing. We may have some cub scouts for Elias and Celtic dance classes for Hannah in the fall that will be afternoon/evening on our schedule.
So I started our ’school’ the first week of August and so far it has gone well. I have not wanted to stress about our schedule, I want it to be a guide but not a dictator, and we are doing about 1 week of work every 2 weeks. The kids like everything we are doing, the schedule is doable and they are loving the electives and recesses this year. I’ve had the materials for most of these electives for years now but never had it formally included in our schedule- now that it is its fun to see it happening. Its also fun to hear the kids greeting each other in Latin.
Here’s a picture of the kids first sewing project. Using a full adult sized dinner napkin they made small lunch napkins and silverware roll ups. I used the remaining fabric to make a bag to hold it all in with their new Tiffin lunch pails. The kids are loving using these for our picnic outings!
