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Homeschool Reviews
My Workbox System ( edited)
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Click HERE to go directly to the updated version of my workbox system. And now click here to see the newest tweak.
I recently learned about then purchased the ebook for Sue Patrick’s Workbox System. I read the book, looked at other blogs with samples of them..then gleaned what I wanted and did my own. Now I varied from Sue’s idea..which based on the tone of the book I can say she would not like..but I am a tweaker.. I like to make things my own, get what works for me and toss out the rest..so that’s what I did. So I am off to show you in every detail what I did for my 3 kids..enjoy. Oh I also must say when I saw one example of this I thought of it as micro managing.. which I won’t do to my kids.. but once I saw other more relaxed approaches to this system I saw the real benefits!
This first set if for my 7.5 year old who is on a late 2nd grade early 3rd grade level in most subjects.
My version of The WorkBox System.. each is loaded with assignments,games etc..all the needed items to complete the work. Declan will pull a box, do all the work, place it all back in , remove the number and put it on the assignment strip. the box will then get put on the floor and he will move on to the next box.
The assignment strips.. the numbers from each box get removed from the box when the work is done and placed on this. Also with break,snack and bike riding cards on them. they will help split up his day.
His "Help Please" cards..he will be given a few each day to use, extra work with mom cards and a chapter book for use when he gets done, needs my help and has to wait etc..
Here's his 12 boxes loaded for tomorrow. Box 1.. Math u See lesson papers, DVD,pencil and head phones..the laptop will be available for use on his work station when schooling begins.
Box 2.. Map skills..crayons and a pencil .
Box 3.. his LLATL lesson sheets, reader,pencil and a Work with mom card.
Box 4 his Non fiction reading ,a pencil and note telling him what lesson to do.
Box 5.. Wordly wise, a pencil, a work with mom card( just to start him in the lesson) and a note with what lesson.
Box 6… math bingo game
Box 7… spelling book ,pencil and a note with what lesson.
Box 8.. his Astronomy text book,notebooking pages, a pencil, crayons and work with mom card.
Box 9..his nature journal and colored pencils..he knows to go outside and find something in nature he wants to draw.
Box 10.. History..test book, pencil, notebook,assignment note and work with mom card.
Box 11.. his Draw Write Now book, his notebook, colored pencils and a pencil ( the work with mom card shouldn't be there)
Box 12..end of the day journal ,pencil and crayons.
Ok..so that’s Declan’s set up.. it will change as different subjects are needed to be done. I will load this every day after school or at night. It may seem like a lot of work..but it will save me a ton during the actual school day since everything is right there. I am also currently laminating more Learning Centers and File Folder games for his “boxes”.
On to Jadziah’s. She’s 5.5 and working on a late Kindergarten early 1st grade level. She has 9 “boxes” instead of 12 because Art,Music, History and Science are done with Declan and her supplies, for now, will be in with his.
Jadziah's assignment grid.. her break,snack and bike time cards are all placed so as she completes a few boxes she gets to do something.
Her Help please and work with mom cards along with a book for her to read/look at if she needs to fill her time while she waits for me.
Box 1.. her sight word book, a pencil and a work with mom card.
Box 2.. a sight word file folder game.
Box 3. Explode the Code book, a pencil and a work with mom card.
Box 4 .. her nature journal and a box of crayons.
Box 5.. a Leap Pad book and cartridge. The Leap Pad doesn't fit BUT the schoolroom is set up so getting up to get the leap pad is easy.
Box 6..Math U See lessons sheets,DVD, headphones, a pencil and a Work with Mom card. The blocks don't fit but again she has very easy access to them.
Box 7..a Sight Words matching game.
Box 8.. handwriting sheets and a pencil.
Box 9.. Her end of the day journal, a pencil and crayons.
Next up is Taejan. he will be 4 in a month and is basically just learning about life as he goes. I set his up because , as anyone with wee ones knows, they want to so the same things as their older siblings. He has 5 boxes and I have hopes this will help keep him from being so distracting when the other 2 are doing schoolwork.
Taejan's workboxes.( he's almost 4) Here's his assignment strip, his extra need help and work with mom cards and a book to read.
Box 1. Glue,a paper plate and 2 sizes of each color pom pom and a work with mom card. We will do some matching and sequencing with these then he can glue the heck out of them!
Box 2.. a bunch of paperclips and a work with mom card..I will set him up with the task of making a paperclip necklace.
Box 3.. water colors ,paint brush and paper.
Box 4 a Letter sort File folder game
Box 5 a tanagram type activity. he has only 5 boxes but I think that is enough to make him feel like he is doing lessons and such like the bigger kids!
Now I am certain I will tweak and change, and adjust and reorder..that’s just me. This system will force me to be prepared, to not waste time during our school day finding things, getting ready etc. I am also confident that I will have a much easier time doing the “easy to not bother with” tasks and subjects..we all have ones that we don’t enjoy so we can skip cus it’s easier. Another note..we are busy..not a day goes by where we don’t have 1,2 or 5 things to do. Often we start lessons and then have to leave… we return and well.. we don’t always get back. I feel seeing a pile of boxes on the floor and the rest stacked will help us get back to finish our work, and that we can not get to can be moved to the first boxes for the next day.
I don’t really do lesson plans, I know what I need/want to do..but writing plans..not my thing. I do intend to log what we’ve done so I can be sure we fit everything in over the course of each week. Also I am going to start “Workbox Wednesday”..i will post various pictures of what they had in their boxes..I hope any fellow Workbox uses will do the same!
I am already getting feedback..here’s a question i was asked and my reply:
Q. So will they do the boxes top to bottom, or in any order they’d like? How do the “work with Mom” cards work – do they just bring them to you when they’re ready?
A. They will finish them in order starting with 1. The work with mom cards are in the boxes that require me to work with them..this lets them know this. The Help Please cards are given to them at the start of school.. they can use one if they need me to help with an independent box.. not many are given so they can learn to problem solve and work on their own whenever possible.
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20 Responses to “My Workbox System ( edited)”
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Ohhh, this is just AWESOME! So will they do the boxes top to bottom, or in any order they’d like? How do the “work with Mom” cards work – do they just bring them to you when they’re ready? I guess I’m going to have to check out that e-book. I NEED something to get us organized! Thanks so much for sharing this, especially in so much detail!
They will finish them in order starting with 1. The work with mom cards are in the boxes that require me to work with them..this lets them know this. The Help Please cards are given to them at the start of school.. they can use one if they need me to help with an independent box.. not many are given so they can learn to problem solve and work on their own whenever possible.
They look GREAT! I have to wonder if I am not the “micromanager” you mentioned in the beginning. LOL If I am…I must say that my workboxes are not NEARLY as organized as yours. Mine just have the books and notebooks in there. No work with mom cards, no pencils or crayons.
You did an awesome job!
Very nice, hope you enjoy them!
Merry
This is by far the BEST workbox system I have seen to date! I am so impressed, Alison!
Thank you so much for posting this! I’ve been trying to figure out how to get our school day more organized and I think this will work! I’d never heard of wrokboxes until now. I think it’s a fabtasic idea!
Very smart getting the wider, flatter, boxes to use with this system so that books can fit in easily. Why didn’t I think of that? I used mine for two children using my own VERY relaxed version of this, but it only lasted a short season (maybe 3 months). Now, I will be using it to organize my workers who do therapeutic tutoring with my special needs children.
You did a wonderful job on this. I think that your kiddos are really gonna be happy with it and it will save you lots of time too!
What a lovely workbox system! I bet the kids love their colorful drawers.
Love the way you did this with the drawers! I would really like to do this with the girls, but am having a hard time figuring out how to work it since they both use the same books and materials for science and social studies…. I’m sure I’ll figure it out eventually though LOL
Great set-up!!! We love our workboxes, too
Where did you find such cute file folder games??
This is the most concise explanation I’ve ever seen about workboxes. The pictures make it all so clear and I love your different colored drawers! I hope you don’t mind, but I linked to this post in my own post about workboxes. Thank you
Oh I don’t mind at all!!! I am a detail oriented person..so I am glad that may come in handy to other people!
I love what you did
I nearly went with these kinds of drawers, but even in my new big house I didn’t think I could make room for 7 stacks side by side. SO in the end I went with boxes, which although not my ideal is sufficing; http://frogacademy.blogspot.com/search/label/work-boxes
if you scroll down you can see a picture of one of the boxes, but they are in the background of most of the pics!
The good thing about this is that it is quite portable, so if one of my boys decides the school room is simply too noisy to concentrate (and it really does get like that at times) he can transport his box upstairs to his own study-space and everything is still to hand for him
These look so great! I am so inspired to get to work on my planning.
Love this! I just bought the book yesterday. I am going to take back the boxes I bought today and get these instead. I saw them in the store and thought about it, but for whatever reason didn’t go with it. Seeing it now, i want to do this instead. Thanks so much for sharing!
Looks great! I’ve googled my heart out and can’t find the cute alphabet kids file folder game you have in that drawer! Would you mind emailing and sharing where you found it?
Thank for sharing the edited version of workboxing… I, too, do the drawer style (less space, yet effective), but brilliant are you to add the extra orange set for the together activities! Love it!
~Sheri-a new onlooker ;^)
Hi,
Thank you for the detailed info on your workbox system. I recently heard about this and found your site thru other blog sites. I have a few questions if you don’t mind. Your 12 drawer box, are they 4 of 3 box drawers stacked together? Do they ever come to you for mom’s help at the same time, if so how do you decide who gets mom’s help time first and what does the other child do while waiting? How long does this take for your 7.5 year old child to complete this work a day? How long/how many times does he get break between the work or do you set time for him to finish the complete work by certain time? What do you do with the completed assignment each day?
I love this idea but still trying to understand the details of how it works. Thank you so much.
very nice and good idea
thank you