I just finished a major update of the Workbox Blogroll this week and I had so much fun visiting everyone's blogs again and seeing how all of you are using your workboxes.
We are on our spring break right now, so I thought I would direct your attention to a few posts from our past:
Please share your favorite resources in the comments.
This year we are using our workboxes for our various subjects and it is working well. We are using Bob Jones for most of our subjects and we are loving it. It is way more work than we are used to, but the layout is good and it is nice to have a stopping and starting point each day. I like having a teacher's manual with more information (than I could ever need) and all the answers for those days when my brain is feeling old and tired.
Most of the workboxes have:
The children grab the workboxes off the shelf and bring them to me. We work on our subject and then they replace the box on the shelf. We moved the workboxes up to a bookshelf in my bedroom and we do school sitting on my bed (one child at a time). It is nice one on one time. We were doing our work in the living room, but that meant keeping everyone else out of our main living space while we were doing school, which just wasn't practical.
I am trying to help the kids to work more independently, but they all have their issues:
I have been thinking about including more fun back into our homeschool day. Does anyone have any great links or ideas?
How are you organizing your workboxes these days?
This is what we have been up to this week...
We spent most of the week outside in the yard because the weather has been so nice. The kids really enjoyed digging in the dirt.
Hosanna discovered worms. She would walk around holding them and trying to kiss them.
I didn't get around to setting up the boxes, so that post will have to wait until another week. The kids were just having too much fun outside. The boys found a caterpillar and made a bug jar. They have been having fun watching it and Jonah took these awesome pictures.
What I thought I would share this week is a list of fun spring things to put on cards and throw in your workboxes. I am sure you will find something in this list for your family. I would love to hear what you would add to the list. Leave me a note in the comments.
What spring things are in your workboxes this week?
I am linking this post up with What's In The Box Wednesday.
Welcome! I am so glad to have you visiting here today. Have you visited the Workbox Blogroll yet? Are you listed over there? The Workbox Blogroll is a list of homeschool mamas who have incorporated the Workbox System (by Sue Patrick) into their homeschooling. Leave me a note in the comments if you are not listed on the Workbox Blogroll.
I purchased Sue Patrick's Workbox system last fall and for me, I am glad that I bought it. It was a very quick and easy read, but it gave information about the reasons behind her method. I don't agree with everything that she has to say, but I can relate to a lot of what she wrote in there (as a mom of a special needs child) and she has some very good ideas.
We started workboxes last summer and had a blast (they really "worked for us"), but we have taken a break from workboxes because we rearranged the way we were doing school (and we love the new system) and then we rearranged the school room (which is also the living room, dining room, and family room). We moved all of the cabinets from one side of the room to the other (well, my husband moved them - yeah for him, he is awesome!). So, the cabinets have been moved and everything is in roughly the same spot inside of them. I just need to re-evaluate how we need the workbox system to work for our family. Their is no point using the system if it does not work for our family (or yours).
In the interest of working the workboxes back into our school (and making them "work for us again"), I am revisiting the things that inspired me in the first place. One of my first views of workboxes was these beautiful fabric covered cereal boxes over on A Mother's Journal. I absolutely loved them. I continued on to read the blogs mentioned in her post (you should too!) and do my own extensive research, which resulted in the Workbox Blogroll. I also went on to write several posts about the Workbox System and I wish that I could share them with you, but they were lost in the major server crash of 2009.
There are so many different ways that people have set up their workboxes, here are just a few examples:
We have used magazine holders as our workboxes and they were kept behind closed cabinet doors because we have almost 2 year old twins. The twins will be sharing a Tot Basket which you can read more about if you like. This picture was taken before we rearranged the school room. These are the boxes that I will be setting up again this coming week.
I would love to hear what "works for you" about your workboxes, please leave me a note in the comments.
I am linking this post up with Wednesday Workbox Day and What's In The Box Wednesday and Works For Me Wednesday.
The Workbox Blogroll is up and running again! I was so thankful that it was an easier transfer than I thought it would be. I had to change the format a bit, but hopefully it will make it more functional for you. Have fun checking through all the workbox blogs for inspiration. There are over 170 blogs listed now. Are you on the list?
At the bottom of the Workbox Blogroll is a list of workbox related yahoo groups where you can get even more resources and information.