What's in the Box?

Another Neil Armstrong workbox sample

2012-01-28T15:15:00.000-05:00

These lapbook components match the chapter we're on. I added the Klutz book for practice with tying knots (this book is a good one. I had originally bought it for my oldest son when he was in Boy Scouts and am glad I kept it for my youngest), the map flip book was for him to write out a wee map using directions-so I grabbed the little compass and the compass rose component from the Geography Center [in right-hand corner].

About 3x per week we're doing the Neil Armstrong study. I am following the Beyond FIAR guide and added in the Homeschool Share lapbook to round out this study. I keep the chapter book and TG on my desk-no sense in putting them in his box, since I read the book to him and obviously, the guide is for my benefit.

new background and such for this blog

2012-01-22T12:58:00.003-05:00

Thanks to the nice gals at Cutest Blog on the Block-we now have the issue fixed-and it should load nicely for you (the background) YAH!

Oh, and even tho I haven't been posting much here-I have lots uploaded on my other blogs-take a peek. Hopefully, someday soon I can get some interesting posts done here. :)

Thanks

What's in the Box today?

2012-01-11T15:06:00.000-05:00

image from Amazon.com

Well for the boy-we are reading thru Five InA Row's Neil Armstrong [book 3] and chapter two talks about the Wright brothers-which my son asked to study a mere month or so ago-so I never did have to come up with much myself...yah...I simply am following the FIAR guide, and added a few books and a DVD on them (which is great by the way) plus a few experiments to help him see the concept of flight better. I put all the materials he needed (except the blow dryer) to do the lift experiment in Wright Brothers for Kids book.

Ladies-save those little boxes and packing things when you can-never know when you'll need them for an experiment! Since we didn't have floral foam or a potato (yes, I need to buy some) this Scentsy box came in right handy :).

I also added three more mini-booklets for the Neil Armstrong lapbook that I am using, which is available for free via Homeschool Share. This unit was put together by one of my friends (with another gal) Leslie-who always has great FIAR activities posted on her blog!

We are not doing all the stuff in there, but again-that is the beauty of being in control-you decide. I did have to make my own copywork pages because we do not teach D'Nealian/cursive with loops for handwriting [we use Italic] and that is what it is in. I simply used MS Word to type out the quote in a readable print, and then added lines for the boy to write on. Easy peasy. I will try to download that for you all to use if you want. I am thinking of using something other than Scribd b/cuz usually when I upload it-it gets the lines and parameters all messed up...so I will let you know when I have that figured out.

Oh, if you did not see this on my Scrap and Lapbook Blog-these little storage gems are perfect for lapbook components. These ones are from Creative Memories, and I am not sure if they are available any longer-but there has to be something out there that is similar (these have a flap that comes down to keep the material in place and 3 holes for a binder) -I simply pre-print/cut and place the soon to be needed items in one, pull out what we'll need for the day and when he has completed them-they go into another one to await being placed into a lapbook. All safe and clean and protected. Look at garage sales, at art/craft stores, scrapbooking stores, etc. for something like this-it is a wonderful "must have" for any serious lapbooking family.

Classroom 2012 -finally got to it!

2012-01-02T17:07:00.000-05:00

I posted on my other blog Homeschooling on a Wing and a Prayer about our newly cleaned, rearranged and re-worked workboxes of a classroom for 2012. I never thought I would get to it but alas-the Lord in his mercy and well frankly He was probably sick of hearing me whine about not getting it done-put the bug in me to "JUST DO IT" and so I did! Yeah.

You can read about it there but here is a peek at it.....

Merry Christmas to my blog readers

2011-12-23T17:06:00.002-05:00

May your Christmas season be joyful and full of love, family/friends and rest from all the schooly stuff. God Bless-see you in 2012~

Plans for the new year

2011-12-19T12:16:00.000-05:00

Well, I am not sure how or why this year was able to fly by like it did-but we are just a few short days away from 2010 ending and I am having myself a wee bit of a panic attack...not really, but I am getting concerned because I have yet to figure out what we'll be doing for the boy's science for the first part of the semester. I could do the animal study or the human body study found in the curriculum I have. I need to decide because I want to create a new center board (like the geography one) for it and I will need to collect the components and put it all together. So that is weighing heavy on my mind. I want to sooooo badly take these next few weeks off, but I also know I need to get some focused planning and creating done too, so that we can start the new year off right. Once I figure that problem out, I will build (then post about it) the center.

He also wants to learn about Orville and Wilbur Wright. I do have many sources here that I gathered from the library, but have yet to crack one of the books open to see what I can use. There seems to be no real lapbook that is completely dedicated to them, so I will have to decide if I want to create some of my own stuff or just read and do a couple projects on them. Again-this is a huge time investment, and not one I am sure I have the energy to invest in. So that too is another situation I need to figure out.

I also found I was getting really boring in my workbox packing. I need to ramp that up a bit too. So it seems I have a ton of planning and figuring out to do. Some years are just like that I guess. I am hoping to finally get myself organized and get a better game plan here for the 2012 year. I will keep you posted. Hopefully, my creative side will kick in and I can get a couple power days in. Maybe a few cookies and eggnog will help boost my energies. :)

Until then, have a wonderful Christmas season and a blessed new year.

Craft Idea: Reindeer Candy Canes

2011-12-10T15:40:00.001-05:00

I am sure this is nothing new in the crafting world-but it is adorable. Just pop the book (Lisa's or the one on the Candy Cane) and the supplies into the workbox and then you'll have a lovely family activity! (not the glue gun if you will be using that)

image from Amazon.com

Using Lisa Whelchel's ADVENTure of Christmas book as our jumping off point (on the history of the candy cane) we made these puppies or shalt I say deersies (? new word there for ya)...they are really easy too.

No candy cane deer was injured during the posing of this picture, neither was it strangled by the string.

This is actually hanging from one of those magnetic hooks and let me tell ya, these are awesome. Before getting them, I had that hook thing you hang on the door, the one where part of it hooks to the top of the door and that caused the weather stripping to gap letting in cold air. Plus, these won't hurt the paint on the door. I am so excited to have our wreath hanging on our front door without all the annoyances those hooks caused. This is a spare and I put it up on the inside of the door-made for a great photo op here. :)

Supplies needed:

Red and white candy canes (we only had these green/red ones to use during this session, but will be using red/white for the additional ones we'll make this weekend)

Pipe Cleaners/Fuzzy Stix (Meijer's brand is called this) -One per deer [18"] (now Lisa says to use 2 but we only used one-and it looks just fine)

Wiggly Eyes (we have colored ones but black eyed ones are good too) obviously 2 per critter

Ribbon (about 8" per deer)

Small Pom-Poms (I found red ones in a package of at least 30 or so in it-I believe at JoAnns but any craft store should have these, black would be cute too)

Glue (I used a glue gun but will use tacky glue when we do this with the little kiddos, we didn't find the glue melting the wrapper so as long as the tip doesn't touch the stuff, it should work OK)

Scissors

Directions:

Basically, glue the eyes and nose on the front hook part of it. Tie a bow around the neck area. Cut the pipe cleaner in half. Twist one half around and form antlers. Cut the second section into two parts, twist each half onto the straight antler parts. We manipulated the pipe cleaner a bit to better resemble antlers.

Story behind it:

This is the shortened version of it: A candy maker decided to make candy sticks for the babies/toddlers to suck on to keep them quiet/non-fussy. Then in the 1670s a choirmaster decided to angle them into shepherds crooks, again this was used to keep the little ones quiet. And, after all shepherds use crooks to herd their sheep and Jesus is called our Shepherd in the Bible. Then later on, hundreds of years later (or so it is told) a candy maker in Indiana decided to add the thick red stripe to remind folks of Jesus' blood that was shed on the cross, Then smaller ones were added to symbolize the lashes Jesus received prior to being hung on the cross. The white color is to remind children that Jesus lived a life without sin. The peppermint was added to mimic hyssop which is a plant that was used in Old Testament times for sacrifices. Obviously, Jesus was the ultimate sacrifice for mankind by defeating death and bearing our sins on the cross. Apparently, the hardness of the candy mimics the fact that Jesus is our Rock of Salvation. Awesome heh? Oh yea, turn the candy cane upside down and you have yourself a "J"...which is another way to remember Jesus. This is a cute and tasty treat that opens the door to sharing with family and friends, what Jesus did for us some 2000 years ago.

There is also a great book that explains the candy cane-we read that last year when we did the Christmas Lapbook: The Legend of the Candy Cane (which you can find the mini-books to on Homeschool Share) It was written by Lori Walburg.

Legend of the Candy Cane LPBK

Enjoy!!!

I have an idea-a way to help us build up our adoption funds while folks who win get some neat gifts

2011-11-29T16:12:00.000-05:00

Please visit the new our Whispered Blessings page for more details and the post with the current items up for whisper-erings are here.

Thanks so much!

Just posted a HS science lapbook ditty on my other blog

2011-11-27T16:36:00.000-05:00

for those looking for lapbook ideas for their high schooler, I just posted a few pics/ideas on one for Advanced Astronomy.

We're not done with the course, but I wanted to get some ideas out there for others. These project booklets all go into her workbox as we work through them. I only put a few mini-booklets per day to correspond to what she is reading in the text..not the entire enchilada. I also keep a Ziplock in there for her to put the completed materials in, to keep them safe until I place them in the book. We usually cover astronomy 3x per week, so we just keep box #3 as her science one. She knows to skip it on Tues and Thurs. Most of her boxes (actually) are perma boxes (meaning that the same subject matter stays in that box, just with updated projects, papers and assignments for each time we cover it) and we are finding this works quite nicely for her. Some children/teens may need a mix up to keep from being bored or to retain interest, but for her-this works. My son's boxes are mixed up a bit more because he is the student the thrives on variety and "surprises". This again points out the need to vary the workboxing to the child's individual needs. HTH

Astronomy post on my Lapbooks and Scrapbooks by Sheri Blog

Retirement only lasts but a short time

2011-11-13T12:35:00.002-05:00

So way back when (in the spring) I decided that I needed to retire, and I was ever so happy to do so. But alas-our plans are not always the Lord's. So when August rolled around, I saw a post on FB about a new review team being put together and I got that same feeling I had when I originally saw the TOS call for review team members. I prayed about it, consulted the family and then decided that I was in fact being led to try out. I left it in God's hands as to whether or not I made the team. I did! And so a few months later-here I am as a part of an 18 member team to review homeschool curriculum/products and other items. It is set up a lot different than what you are used to seeing. We do not post the reviews on our blogs (as of yet and only after they are on the website) and the website setup is unique compared to other homeschool review teams. Viewers can leave comments (like at Amazon) and there will be give-away promotions on the very products we review, and other exciting things catering to the homeschool family.

Right now the site is in Beta Testing, but you can check out what we have up right now. They are working hard to get new reviews up quickly, and look for the Thanksgiving/Christmas products very soon. I hope you will visit it to see what my team mates and I have been up to. Since my goal is to help homeschooling families find the best products for their children, and it is vital in this tough economic time to make wise, informed purchases-I simply had to mention that there is another place to go for help and advice. Regardless of where you glean your information-we as a homeschooling community need to look out for each other and offer wise, supportive help to be sure we continue with this awesome challenge of educating our own. Both the Home Educating Family Review Team [my new team] and the Old Schoolhouse Review Team [as well as other groups] are working toward one goal-to help you sift through the multitude of products out there with ease and with wise council.

I do have a page dedicated to noting the reviews that I have written (or am in the process of writing) and you can directly connect to those (a lot of them have yet to go live-as they come up, I will add those) and once the site is publicly launched-I will have all those links changed to reflect the permanent ones. You can click the tab at the top or click this link to get to it.

Until then, enjoy the Beta Testing link to the site and let me know what you think!

Home Educating Family Review Site

Science Idea: Rocks and Gems

2011-10-11T11:22:00.000-04:00

This is a relatively easy workbox theme. Just toss in a couple of the worksheets (or plain paper) along with some reference texts, a pencil [the sheets require a penny, nail and metal file to test the hardness of the rocks, so include those too] and some rocks-and you have a mini-science lesson.

We are using the Considering God's Creation program [continuing it from last semester] for the boy's science this year, and we are currently studying Rocks and Gems. So in true CM fashion, we set up an area for displaying our rock collection. Since we live in the gravel pit area of the state, and our sub is located on a giant [no longer used] pit-we have a HUGE selection of rocks to choose from. For the first time-living in a gravel pit area is actually a good thing (we usually curse the abundance of these rocks-as it is very hard to get anything to grow-rocks sprout like weeds and well-they are usually a nuisance]. We have a large variety too-from fossils, to sandstone, to volcanic rocks, to some we cannot even figure out.

It is very easy to get a collection going and fun to display them. I wish I could find those cabinets that museums use to keep their goodies, maybe I will someday, but for now-the counter will do. The egg carton serves as a nice tote for the rocks and you can have your student label their specimens too. We haven't gotten that far yet....but we do have some nice notes on a few so far (worksheet provided in CGC worktext-and these are very nice-thorough and useful)...

*all books are from the library, and you need a big variety due to there being so many rocks-the cross reference is necessary. Unless you have a geologist/petrologist in the family. The elephant carving was a gift :) but that is soapstone, so it counts.

There are only a couple of these forms in the worktext, so I made copies-as I want the boy to do quite a few to get a good idea of the variety of rocks out there.

Science idea: Volcano stuff

2011-09-21T12:17:00.000-04:00

Don't blow your top! OK, do but do it in a not too messy manner!

Loaded up the workbox with the ingredients we needed to make his volcano blow (we got this while traveling-at the Cracker Barrel Store, but you can find them in all sorts of places-it is the easy way to make a volcano)...and included the Magic School Bus video on Volcanoes. The Janice VanCleave's Volcanoes book is a great resource. We did the volcano experiment using a potato cork-but couldn't get pics b/cuz it blew before we could position the camera and snap one of it. It was OK, not super exciting but it demonstrated the pressure build up in volcanoes nicely.

You can also make an underwater volcano by putting in BKing Powder instead of soda then drop it carefully into a glass of water-we also have a mini-sub and the boy will make them both go at the same time..fun, fun!

Our first week back in the 2011-12 school year

2011-09-10T18:56:00.000-04:00

Needless to say, I totally didn't take one picture of the workboxes or students. It was just that kind of a week. We started slow [6 boxes or so]-just wanted to get in the habit of getting up, and starting school before the sun set over the horizon. How'd we do? Fairly well actually-after the first day or so of grumbling and slooooowwwwwly working thru the materials, they got back into it [sorta]. I am confident next week will go more smoothly. It has to. LOL...

Seriously tho-we did use the workboxes and I managed to stuff them in record time before the students arrived all non-bushy tailed and definitely not bright eyed. No matter, they went right to the boxes and did the assignments-so at least they didn't forget how to do that! :)

It felt good to know we accomplished the lessons I had penned into my schedule book and again-the workbox served as a great way to do this. I even tossed in some treats a couple times. I have my talented dd drawing out some new number cards for both of them. Guess they want some DSlite game characters-so hopefully she'll get that done soon and we'll have yet another option to keep the number card boredom at bay.

And that is our not very exciting start to the new year. Hopefully, I will have some new ideas crop into my noodle and I will remember to take pictures next time.

Math Idea: Visual way to understand multiplication and division

2011-08-28T14:33:00.001-04:00

Using a few simple items, you can help your student "see" exactly what it means to multiply or divide. Now this is not a new idea by any stretch of the imagination-but a different way to do it...and a great one for the workbox.

*Please note-unless you want the equations to be on your cards permanently -do not use a Sharpie-use a Vis-a-Vis wet-erase marker. I accidentally grabbed the wrong pen for the photo op. You will need a few bags of marbles, or [like I chose] those glass gems from the dollar store. I will need to snag a couple more for the higher level mult./division problems-but 2 are a good start. I found the Post-It note look alike room decor thingies at a Dollar Tree. But since you never know if you can find them or not-just choose something you feel your child will enjoy, which has a surface large enough to write out the equations. Laminate as many as you think you'll need, so that you can reuse them over and over again. Pre-fill your target multiples or divisibles in the Ziplocks. I was able to get enough bags made for 2,3,4,5,6,and7 X7 before running shy of the gems. The beauty is that I can reuse the stuff to create a new set at any time.

The object is to have the appropriate amount of gems in a Ziplock bag. They then move the gems into groups per the card's instructions. So for the multiplication-the bag has 14 gems. The rule is the child is to group them according to the number listed first (so 2 sets of 7) then the next one (7 groups of 2). They can then add up the sets to get the answer. I think I will have the boy use a reg. sheet of notebook paper, to write out the equations then the answer. For whatever reason, he seems to not be "getting" why one would multiply or divide-it eludes him. Being that he is a visual/tactile learner-this little project will hopefully "show" him the why/reason/results.

For Example:

Now I could have easily done this with a multitude of items [I did use matchbox cars with my oldest son], but knowing this particular student will easily get side tracked-that is not going to work. And if I didn't have them in bags-they'd end up all over the house being used for various things such as a track outline for his cars. This way-they are contained. That is also helpful for those with little ones around-not that they couldn't open the bag, but it is somewhat corralled. I wouldn't suggest having the student do more than 5 at a time-to avoid over load. Also-I think doing just multiplication or division is better than mixing it up which would also prevent confusion. I do think they suggested writing it out like, "Separate these into 5 sets of 2" or something like that-but with the little cards-there is no way I can scribble that on it.

UPDATE: Found this in the book, Math Wise: Over 100 Hands-On Activities that Promote Real Math Understanding by Jim Overholt and Laurie Kincheloe. Pages 109-111, labeled "Ziplock Division".

Lots of new goodies added to for sale page

2011-06-18T16:07:00.002-04:00

And I have changed the prices to reflect postage paid on most. Take a look see cuz there are some cool things there! :)

Ask Sheri: Dana asked about the Geography Centers

2011-06-07T16:19:00.000-04:00

A fellow blogger, Dana, wanted to know:

How did you find all the post cards? What exactly did a child do at this center for 15 min.?

This is a two part question, so I will answer it as such:

As for where I found the post cards-I joined the Yahoo group Postcard Kids to get most of the ones I needed for the 50 states. I did run into a couple of issues tho:

#1: I couldn't find folks that had the cards for the "challenging to find states"; or who could find a few of the cards I needed [not there fault-they just were not available] so, I solved that issue by getting some when I traveled, or by finding a picture of one online and then copy/pasting it to my Paint program to make a postcard. But I believe I only had to do that for a 2 or 3 and that was after about a year of trying to find em via the group.

#2-some folks are not [well, how can I say this nicely?] uh, "mindful" of returning the agreed upon card(s) in exchange for what I sent. I got burned on a few in the beginning, but the group moderator was great at bumping those postcard bums outta the group. So do be mindful of this problem-but usually folks are very, very good at exchanging. Also, give folks time to get yours to ya...like a couple weeks is fair (after all life goes on and sometimes getting the cards out has to be delayed due to stuff happening). All in all it was a great experience.

As to what the child does whilst at the center-now that is totally up to you and what you want to accomplish. But around here that usually involves a few things:

1. Coloring in the states we have covered on the laminated sheet of the US.

2. Opening the mailbox to see what new cards have arrived and filing them when done (into a plastic card box). Examine the Circle with the State names and Capitals too.

3. Looking over any new maps I put in or worksheets that I added.

4. Doing a puzzle of the US.

5. As for the added worksheets-I have failed a bit there but my big plan is to have ones that use the little compass and ask him to do something (like go outside and stand on the porch-which way does the front of our house point? Or What corner of the back of the house points W? Things like that. I can also do Long./Lat. pages where he has to use the mini-help guides [in the pocket] to answer questions. Things like that).

6. Read a book on the state we are covering.

These are merely suggestions. Remember too-we do NOT do the center everyday nor do we even do it once a week (yep, I could but usually don't). I try to set it up once we have covered 5 states, then ask him to do the above #1-4 and any additional stuff I find to toss in there.

Again-use what you have laying around the house. Find simple games, puzzles, projects that you could toss near the center for the child to do and set the time according to the amount of activities you want them to accomplish. I am sure other folks have some awesome ideas too-and if you know of some, please share. I have been looking at the shower curtain {just trying to justify that cost! Eww} with the world on it for when we do the world geography-thinking of games and such we can do using that. So there are tons of ideas-just depends on what you want to accomplish!

HTH ya out a bit! Thanks for asking too!

Funny tie in for our workbox on insects

2011-05-24T19:04:00.000-04:00

So yesterday, I loaded a box with a worksheet on insects (from Considering God's Creation worktext) and the needed goodies to complete it, for our science lesson for the day. It pertained to knowing how to identify an insect and then the back has a section on the metamorphosis of several insects-one being a BEE.

As we were about to discuss the stages and glue on the sections for the bee, my hubby came in the front door and left it open (as he was going to turn around in just a few mins. to go back out) and wouldn't you know-a giant, giant bumble bee decided he would present himself as a living example of his species. There he was, buzzing around and making a bee line for the fruity-flower scented candle in the dining room. I mean he was a big bumbler! The boys (meaning son and dad) grabbed the handy dandy bug catching nets and quickly snared him in it. He was then swiftly hustled out the back door and left to figure out where he was in the world [which was our backyard]. Now, sure, we could have placed him in a container and spent some time examining him. To look over all of his bumbly body and 6 legs, 4 wings and massive head, thorax and abdomen. But we didn't. We figured he was already discombobulated enough.

Mind you, this is the very bumbler who buzzed around me all day on Easter, as I sat outside trying to absorb some vitamin D. He has a real liking for our front porch area and I suspect he decided it was time to take a look about the insides of this place. So I am sure he will present himself again somewhere down the road.

I love how little things like this happen and tie in perfectly, exactly as we were studying the very subject. Just a funny BEEdazzling way the Lord presented a great moment for our homeschool science class.

Hey if you don't visit my other blogs-you may wanna to see this cool art project

2011-05-04T18:42:00.001-04:00

I have all the instructions and pics there for ya. It was a fun one to do-just remember that it will take several days b/cuz you have to allow for drying in between. But the results are well-keepsakes!

First post

Instructions

Enjoy!

I told you I would get creative~eventually~My Artist Memory Game

2011-04-08T18:07:00.000-04:00

So, I purchased those dollar store bulletin board packs way back, just knowing I could make something from them (this one has 5 each of an artist palette, glue bottles and packs of crayons) and then a pack of 25 little easels. What I thought I could use them for, I had no idea. But I could see the potential. Finally, it came to me-we study at least 3 artists a year. So why not make a matching project/game that my son could do, to help retain the artist styles and typical art work?

I visited Olga's Gallery for Mary Cassatt's and Winslow Homer's images; and for J. J. Audubon's art to create these little gems! I had fun-and I was able to get 8 different easels for each artist palette. I will grab some more when I go to the local Dollar Tree, and hopefully find some more of these packs so I can continue with this (adding artists as we go). I have yet to laminate them, but was so excited to show them off.

This is a very easy project-simply size the pics [on your MS Word or similar program] to fit the easel and type the title (I didn't put the year for 2 reasons-wasn't sure I could fit it all on, and the pics dates were not listed, so I have to search each one to get that...so they remain dateless..but you could do that if you wish), and on the back put the initials of the artist in a corner (this serves as a self-check, but don't tell your student if you want them to really work at it. This is a Montessori trick...it allows you to say, "Check it", if you don't have time to come and do so yourself. You need to be careful with children who will simply flip it to get the answer, and not sit a moment and ponder the picture to make a guess. My son knows the "trick", but also knows I expect him to be honest about trying to figure it out first-which he will).

This makes a great workbox activity. Just store in a Ziplock or envelope and let em at it. :0)

And without much further ado-My Artist Study Memory Game

3 artist palettes with the individual artist's names and DOB/DOD

with 24 art easels (8 each)

So when the child plays, they look thru the mixed up pile,

and place the correct image under the correct artist!

~Have fun~

Ultimate Blog Party

2011-04-01T08:00:00.000-04:00

It is that time of year again-the Ultimate Blog Party is up and running! If you haven't joined the fun yet-please do so! You can meet many new bloggie pals and even enter to win oodles of awesome prizes!

If you are linking in from my main blog, Homeschooling on a Wing and a Prayer, I thought I would take a moment to explain the main purpose of one of my favorite blogs I have in my collection.

The What's in the Box? blog is designed to highlight ways to implement the Workbox system, and use it to streamline and organize your schooling adventures (hey-you don't have to be a homeschooler to use this system! It has been used very successfully in PS/PS settings-esp. with children who have special needs. It would be a great addition to any preschool or day care too!)~it is easy and fun and let me tell ya-makes your days much more productive~

sample ideas on what to put in the boxes

You don't have to use the system exactly how Sue tells you too-in fact, I am a bit of a rebel as I make sure to tell folks to tweak and rework it so it fits your family to a "T". After all, no two fams are alike and neither are your students. The beauty of this program is that is centralizes the child's material in the "boxes" (could be folders, drawers and whatever else you can find that serves you best) so that there is no longer that "What do I do next?" or "But I can't find my pencil." or "I dunno what I am suppose to do." or the dreaded dawdling that turns a 15 min. math lesson into a 3 hour nightmare of a struggle. By placing everything they need for that lesson in their box, you create a stress free zone. Each box gets a new lesson (different subject and be sure to add some "just for fun" ones in there too), and with anywhere from 3-12 boxes per child, your day will be much less stressful. When the material in the box is done, the number card goes onto their chart and they move to the next box until they are all done! :0)

Space Center Idea

This system brought the spark back into the way we do school (and yes-I slip and don't always use it but let me mention here-when I don't use it, our days are lame and not nearly as productive as they could be). Sure, it requires more work on my end because I have to get myself organized and pack the boxes-but man-it is so worth the extra hour or so per week (more time usually when you have more kids-and if you read my posts regarding how to get a bunch of pre-work done and scheduling ideas-you will save time too) so that our days run smoothly and the kids are motivated and finish their studies much more efficiently.

Do spend some time trolling thru here-I have lots of links to other great workbox pals, ideas and ways to implement this system. I haven't been able to post much of late here-but as the school year comes to an end, I will have more time to dedicate to new projects and ideas that I will be sure to post about!

Enjoy!

Busy as a Bee

2011-03-28T12:07:00.003-04:00

Ok, so I am here penning this due to my inability to find my post writings on how to get your prep work done to save you time down the road.

The short of it is this-anything, I mean anything you can do ahead of time (esp. during your school breaks) to be prepared down the road will not only ensure a much smoother and more organized year for you and your students.

What do I mean by that? Well, if you have a project like I do, covering the states-that requires much printing and cutting of components to be sure it is ready to go into the box as I pack them (nothing more frustrating and annoying when you go to fill it, only to find you have to stop, hunt down the resources, print, cut and then load them into the said boxes! Talk about a time stealer and big reason why folks stop using the WKBX or any system-they get overwhelmed and slowed down by the details) you need to be prepared...so by being PRO-active in your planning-you can save your sanity with just a few dedicated hours BEFORE you get anywhere near that point of the lesson.

That means you will have to some pre-planning of the things you will want to cover (I say do the first 1/2 of your year-don't get crazy-as it will be too much to figure out). Then decide what you will need for those projects, find your resources and print anything you need (cut/label and put into Ziplocks-then file in a safe place) so that when you come to that point in your studies-all you do is pull out the goodie bag and place it in the workbox. I did the first 15 states and all their little pieces we would need for my son's project. I then kept them in a safe place and pulled out the parts I needed as we went along-HUGE time saver and it kept us on track with our lessons. I also did this for our lapbook and CM studies! Talk about a major blessing. Yes, I had to devote a good couple weeks of my summer vaca to this but in the long run it kept my schedule in the fall flowing beautifully. During the Christmas holiday, I did a bit more of my cluster planning/prepackaging so that we could continue on in the new year seamlessly.

Even if you work on it a day here and there, in the long run you will have a nice pile of material all set and ready to go. Heck if you know another mom who is going to be doing the same/similar study, why not turn it into a group effort? You can make it more fun and interesting when working together, the time will go much more quickly and you will have some bonding time too. I suggest that you get yourself a mother's helper to keep the kids busy so that you can devote chunks of time "focusing" on the projects at hand.

There is my wisdom on being "Busy as a Bee" in preparing for your future studies. Planning doesn't have to be a chore and it most definitely will save you much more time and energy down the road!

Jump start to our Blue Diamonds study

2011-01-08T19:04:00.000-05:00

So for Christmas, my son received the Smithsonian Rocks and Gems kit

and he couldn't wait to dig in, so he spent quite a bit of time chopping away (and don't cha know the area he started on had hardly any gems in it. He literally found all but 3 during the final section chop fest-but hey, he was diligent and worked and worked to unearth his little gem stones, so that is a good thing.

I used this opportunity to get him interested in the up coming unit we will start this week- The Curiosity Files: The Blue Diamond (the link is to my review of it). This week, we will work on the going thru some of the info in the study guide, reading the books I have gathered up from the library (many are on the suggested list, and even though a couple are a bit below his age level-I wanted to read them so I can offer a better review of the suggested books) and we'll watch the DVD too.

I will have him do a couple of the worksheets during the week, and we'll end by working on the mini-booklets in the Fact File part. I am also going to take him on a mini-field trip to the local jewelers to allow him to see a variety of diamonds; and perhaps the jeweler will be friendly enough to discuss how they look for the 4 Cs of a diamond and such-

so that is our plans with that. I will post updates after we are into it, and when we finish it too.

**Oh and I purchased the kit for a great price at Micheal's using a coupon, so look for deals-it should be cheaper at a local store/craft store. And I am saving all the tools to use with digging extensions (I have come across some recipes to create the goop to cement in treasures to dig up)-so we'll do that for our dinosaur study and just for fun digs this coming spring/summer.

Good ole George

2010-12-06T22:51:00.000-05:00

In our history studies, we are starting our George Washington unit. We are very excited, because we toured Mt. Vernon a summer back (09) and we've always been somewhat fond of our dear first president. We have been anxiously waiting to get to this section in time...

The books I bought whilst at Mt. Vernon-to add to our collection.

He'll start coloring the pages from the Mt. Vernon coloring book and GW one as we work through the unit.

So in the workbox today-I placed his copywork book on George's Rules of Civility; read more of the wonderful D'Aulaire story-George Washington, and the Fritz book-George Washington's Breakfast. After reading the breakfast book, we decided to give it a go and have ourselves a GW snack. Off to the kitchen we went to make some hoe cakes, and have some tea. Now I don't think George ever had Goji Berry Pomegranate Tea (I dunno even know for sure what a "goji berry" is) like we did, but it was fun to recreate a similar experience. We invited daddy to join us, and the kids even tried to sip a bit of tea (we are not big tea drinkers and the kids could barely swallow a sip or two-but they tried) whilst we nibbled up some 'hot off the griddle' hoe cakes.

We tried to make these (at first) in great grannie's cast iron skillet-but because it has seen so many days of an open flame, the bottom was chipping/flaking...and don't cha know a big chip broke off and caught on fire (briefly-put out immediately) to set off the smoke detectors for a bit of time there-ah, always something. Sadly, we had to toss that well used beast...and use our modern day pan instead.

We even used the real china for this. The table cloth was pretty wrinkly, but we weren't going for looks here-just taste and experience.

Up close of it. The cakes were not real pretty looking (ascetically) as I was just kinda plopping them in-and we used the basic version of a recipe...next time we'll try Paula Deen's b/cuz it sounds wonderful and more tasty. Not real sure why the boy thought we'd need 3 sugar packets though-LOL.

Can I just admit that I have been on a creative hiatus

2010-12-01T21:34:00.000-05:00

Well looks like I just did! It is so hard when the holidays approach to think about "school stuff" and I am telling ya-I am worse than my kids! We have gone to bear bones minimum to save me from being called a no-schooler of late.

We have been doing stuff, just not a huge cachet of it. We are still working on Tchaikovsky...we're now learning about the Swan Princess and listening to other selections of his works, besides the Nutcracker usuals.

We are still working thru the Midsummer's Night Dream material but at a much slower pace, because I wanted to give Tchaikovsky the brunt of our time. We have plenty of time to stretch that out. Besides, the puppets have distracted us a lot (admittedly so)-if you want to see what the Tchaikovsky and Shakespeare stuff is all about-head to my Charlotte Mason blog, because that is where I have all that info noted. Basically, the books/materials we need are put in the workboxes and we go from there-not real exciting, but we're still using the system..so that is good.

We have wrapped up Jupiter and will move along to Saturn, then take off for the Christmas holiday to pick it up in Jan. This Astronomy has taken way longer than it should, but considering that we have been doing it about once or twice a week, I guess that would warrant the longer time frame. I will have some new pics posted (soon) on my Scrap and Lapbook blog of that....

History is poking along too. We'll finally be on to George Washington within the next couple days, and I cannot wait! I picked up lots of books [when we went to George's Mt. Vernon estate last summer] and have a great George Washington's copybook for the boy to use too. This will be a fun area to linger upon and I plan to dally in George's world for some time. The boy has been looking forward to this, and I will be sure to post our workbox goodies on our first day of it (which should be either tomorrow or Friday-if not Monday for sure!) GO GEORGE! Yeah.

I dunno why these things turn...oh wellers-here is what I had in his box a day or so ago. We were on this book, A More Perfect Union, and then I included the tape player (uh yes, tape-cuz I bought it for my oldest ones many moons ago and will not be replacing it just so one can have a CD of it. LOL) with the song he needs to learn ready to listen to. Whilst he listened to the tape he colored a pic of the 13 starred flag and then listened to the story after.

He's been doing the usual math, and lang. arts stuff (copywork, reading with the Phonics Road to Spelling and Reading) and all-but we have been eh, in the Nature Study area (cold, busy and well-I have been lame-O in that dept the last couple weeks)...saving the arts and crafts for our week prior to Christmas. Baking will start soon so that is our Home Ec.

All in all-we're just wrapping up what stragglers we have in our areas so we can take a break and start a fresh in Jan. So really this coming week is it and then we drop all but the baking, crafts, decorating, and reading of holiday books. The only thing I will continue with is the boy's reading materials.

As for the teen:

Same there too-wrapping up the loose ends and working to get her so we can take a break at the start of a new section-not in the middle of it. I had this in her workbox this week. We are covering poetry and so she was reading the selected material and I now have a nice Hiawatha pop-up book (thanks to a friend who was selling it) to enjoy for this section. Nothing fancy, nothing really exciting happening...

I am finding that I need a mental break. I have been thinking school non-stop now for months and I am a bit drained. I will take a couple weeks to focus on getting ready for Christmas-and then will take a few days to plan, print/gather and store for the new semester in Jan. I want to come up with some neat, new wkbx goodies, but alas-my creativity has sunk to a new low. Maybe some cookies and Christmas cheer will spur me on? I dunno. Anyway, just wanted to touch base and let you know that even tho I am not posting anything crazy-wild great here...we're still using these magnificent wkbxes and are so ever thankful for em!

til next time....

Finally getting around to this award here-thanks!

2010-11-20T11:52:00.001-05:00

Thanks to Sofia at Sofia's Ideas for this award-how very sweet of you! Some days I don't feel very versatile, LOL, but I am tickled you thought of me.

Guess the deal is I am to:
*Thank the person who gave it to me (check)
*Tell 7 things about myself (oh OK)
*Select 15 newly discovered blogs (I am not going to do 15 but 3)
*and let them know they received it (can do)

Here goes:

1. I drive an ole lady car (but hey, it is paid for in full and altho not the color I would have chosen-it is paid for)
2. I designed my kitchen different than how the builder had it-and he agreed to make the changes-whew! After all-"I am not a custom builder." [his words] Yah well his layout was tight, unnatural and didn't lend itself to a family kitchen....and I wanted more room-hmmm, interestingly enough, our friend who worked for him said he was gonna use those ideas [and prob'ly has now for 6 yrs]. I think I should be paid for "giving" him the new layout ideas-yah. LOL Anyhoo-people who come here, and live in the same model, are shocked-they look around and cannot figure out what house they are in. LOL
3. I wanted to be an interior decorator for a long while-maybe I will pursue that dream when the kiddos are out of the house and on their own
4. I am not a fan of mint (chocolate) as in ice cream, gum, etc. Something about the mint makes me ill.
5. I love babies
6. I have moved a lot in my life and I am getting itchy-may need another move here (if the economy was better, this would prob'ly already have happened).
7. I do watch the Duggars TV show-I know, but hey-since Army Wives is off season-I must watch something ....

awards go to these gals who I have had the pleasure of coming across, this past year:
Michelle from Enduring Prize: Homeschool Downunder
Jesse at Orange Marmalade Mama
and
Jenn at Fresh Start Academy

Now I have been using my workboxes and all

2010-11-15T21:52:00.000-05:00

just haven't had anything of much excitement to post about. Been adding the usuals (Math, Science, History, Lang. Arts) and a few lapbooks/notebook projects and of course-the State Study material we have been going thru.

Both kids are still liking the wkbx idea...in fact, on those days I didn't get them filled, I saw our day dwindle away and nothing of great importance was accomplished. So I have to maintain my habit of planning, and filling the puppies to be sure we don't get so off track, that we continue to fall behind where we need to be (mind you-that is according to my schedule/goals I have for their studies for the year-not the world's idea of where they should be).

Now that the co-op is done for the semester, I can give their studies the full attention they deserve. I am also running low on my pre-made goodies, so I am now having to get the next few weeks preprinted material, books/supplies together. My biggest goal is to have a certain number subjects to a point where we can take the majority of December "off", from the normal things to focus on Christmas season.

So that is my workbox story for ya. Totally boring, and I apologize. I haven't been able to come up with anything of great excitement for them either. I am at the point where I have quite a few number cards, file folder games, centers and such that I don't really need to create anything right now. BUT I have been working on books to keep the kids studies (NS, Art/Music appreciation) in...and I have those posted on my new blog, A Charlotte Mason Homeschool Sampler and the Scrapbooks and Lapbooks by Sheri. I put those into the wkboxes along with the books they need to be reading/gleaning info from, so I guess that is a WKBX story? LOL

If you are new to this blog-just scope out the archives for areas to glean some info, ideas or links from. Hopefully, after the holidays-I will have some new resurgence of ideas and projects for the workboxes to share.

Ask Sheri: part II of Kelly's questions

2010-11-11T19:13:00.001-05:00

So, finally I am back in business with my own computer, so I am now able to focus on a few things, and answering the second part of Kelly's question is one of those.

Kelly asked:

I also was wondering the time commitment with "coming up" with the boxes and activities. With my 19mo. old we are going all the time and makes time management a HUGE thing at our house. I really want to try to start incorporating workboxes with our classical style. Do you think that will work?

This is a toughy really because I cannot see what really goes on in your home. But I once was there with a toddler, preschooler and 2 elementary children-with a husband whose job had him (and still does) on the road more often than not-so believe me when I say, I "understand"-because I do.

I suggest first off, that you decide what exactly you want the children to accomplish each day, for the week and month. Then break that down into what you feel you can handle per day. That should give you an idea of how much material, and planning you have to aim in organizing and carrying out. [time commitment? depends on how many students you have, and the projects you are trying to cover. Even 15-30 per day of prep time is sufficient. If you keep a note pad by your side to jot down stuff you want in the workboxes-whilst doing other things-you won't notice any real time commitment at all]. Not knowing your other children's ages too-makes this somewhat a "shot in the dark" but I will do my best to give you hope and ideas to try.

Once you get into your workbox flow-you could conceivably fill a set of boxes in less than 15 mins-BUT (and this a big one) you have to have your prep work done [again time depends on your particular curriculum and student load-this can range from a several hours spread throughout the week to only a few]. So that is going to require some assistance from dad, granny or a mother's helper. Once per week, with you goal list in hand-figure out what things need to be copied off, items collected, books gathered, and so forth. Take your prep time and get those together and then file them accordingly. I place pre-printed lapbook material, notebook pages and such in file folders in a large file box. Then as the week progresses-I simply pull the needed item and toss into the box. This is a HUGE time saver in the long run. IT takes you getting yourself into the habit of doing this-and it can be a bother from time to time...but the effort spent putting forth direct focus on prep time, will bless you in the end with "quick as a wink" workbox filling. I actually put a lot of time in this past summer getting several things pre-done (seriously, if I could print, cut, organize and get it done-it was done)...the dedication has allowed me to stay the course through unplanned vacations, illnesses and a divulge of "unplanned" situations that have done their best to knock us off course. You may have less work depending on what you use. I honestly cannot give a time frame-some but not so much that you drown. I also know that once I got into my flow, I found I could move quickly from task to task and get the materials and boxes done in short order. So practice makes perfect!

Now, I understand many families who use a particular curriculum or method have decided to only have boxes for each child-that they can do on their own, while keeping the first part of the day (or times throughout the day) to work on group items/projects together. That is a wonderful way to provide the much needed family time (which means toddler can sit right there with you and learn too) and then perhaps when baby goes down for nap (I hope you have that pleasure of a napper) you can focus on more one on one with the older children. So only fill those boxes that are individual to each student-so probably not more than 6. Esp. if the child is 7 and younger. I do not advocate having the youngers doing long, drawn out work at those early ages.

Step into it slowly. Perhaps only having 3 boxes per child with 2 reg. subjects and one with a fun, activity/craft project/game/puzzle, etc. Once the children (and you) get into the flow, slowly add a couple more until you find your perfect wkbx number.

I know I haven't exactly answered your question-as I stated before, I don't think I honestly can. But generally speaking this is a good rule of thumb here: start small, with a couple per child-mainly on their individual type work. Have one set for baby; and allow some time somewhere in the week to put forth focused thought on your goals for that week only.

HTH

I hope this helps. I suggest reading through the other blogs out there to glean more ideas, and thoughts regarding prep time and introducing your family to workboxing.
Also-create workboxes for the toddler to keep the busyness down. I read recently that someone created a box for each day and the child may only do/play with those items on that day-period. That is genius! By keeping those toys/activities for just that day, one alleviates boredom, and provides mother with a much needed "break" to address the other children.

YES, workboxes can be used, but you will have to tweak it to fit your current needs. Do not expect to do the level of wkbx activities, and individual time like I have (as my youngest is 9 and I am currently not watching my preschool aged nephew). If your toddler is more content in the morning then strive to school then (the main stuff) and allow for a quiet time with the others where they need the help for the afternoon.

I have created another blog all about Charlotte Mason homeschooling

2010-11-11T14:11:00.001-05:00

I found that I simply needed to create a blog dedicated to the CM areas of our homeschool. I hope this will serve as a blessing, and challenge you to try her methods as a part of doing "school" with your family. Even if you are new to CM, or an old timey CMer-I pray something there will encourage you or provide a new idea or two.

I will be adding posts as fast as I can, I have a lot of ideas and also will be cross-posting old posts from my other blogs to this one for you (so you can find the info quickly). I hope to have an intro to CM and how we use it someday soon--but until then, I have linked in many great blogs, sites and companies that are all about CM.

Stop by for a visit and tell your friends!

A Charlotte Mason Homeschool Sampler

Oh, here we go-an Ask Sheri opportunity fell onto my lap today-Part I

2010-10-29T00:43:00.004-04:00

Well, I find myself with a load of ??s from a fellow blogger, Kelly [Walking Home blog], who has asked me actually a 3 part question-so, to all you out there-I will simply split this into 2 segments because I need to ponder the one part to come up with something remotely intelligent for an answer...

Here is the easier part, which is long winded-so sorry...

Kelly asks:

"I would also love to know how you "come up" with the ideas for the activity centers."

Well, funny you should ask, because I often have moments where I have trouble figuring that out myself. I honestly do not know where these things come from (well, yes I do...the Lord puts into my head and opens the door for me to create it). I don't get it. I truly don't. Sometimes, I am like as dumb as a stump trying to figure out a way to get something across to the children-other times I emulate the dude from the "Beautiful Mind" movie, where ideas and things just pour from my think tank like a waterfall gone wild! Seriously.

So there really is no formula or books I scour to get these things-just general reading of other's blogs, piece mealing ideas I have read in various books/magazines or seen somewhere...then a need strikes. My poor family is doomed-they step back and I get to creating this whirlwind of something.

Then a situation arises where we could use something fun or an activity of sorts that helps cement the lessons and poof! I get motivated (having worked in child care for many years, I was no stranger to the idea of centers or areas dedicated to a certain topic, but gosh darn it all I don't want my house looking like a science fair or elementary open house display)-so I knew I had to come up with something that I could tuck away. Hence the science project boards-saw em one day at JoAnns and thought, "Well lookie here, I can put such and such on this, then when we are done with it for the day-fold and tuck it away!" I was sold.

Then I will just look around at the goodies I have squirreled away [the dollar store teacher section is a dangerous place for me-I will see those bulletin board cut outs or something and "see" that I can do something with it-what? Well who knows...so I get ones that I believe I can use and "wait" for something creative to pop into my head for it. Then I start making something after I have a need [such as the geo center]. I look at the resources I have on my shelves, in my 'puter and so forth, pick through to find what will work, and then throw it together. It is amazing what you can find tucked away in toy boxes, one's school stuff, junk drawers, etc! I get some pretty cool things from those treasure troves. It is like putting a puzzle together-the pieces are there, you just have to figure out where they go and if it even fits (you know cuz the kids mixed different ones together)....to get the finished product.

And there you have it. I guess need drives my creativity, together with a God given talent [which comes and goes] for whipping up something, is truly how it comes to be. I know there are many more talented and gifted folks out there that put me to shame. I actually love finding/seeing their stuff, and learning from them; so I can glean what I can for future use. I just tailor it [whatever it is I am trying to put together] to our needs and hope it works [which is not always the case, actually-I have to toss a lot of it out b/cuz it stinks], and that there is my long winded explanation for you.

But thanks for asking! Part II will come soon-just want to ponder it a bit. Thanks and hope you all enjoyed another session of Ask Sheri.

Monday's Workbox goodies-Art Appreciation

2010-10-18T17:41:00.001-04:00

Finally! I have these ready to post (well not all of it-but the beginnings of it)...

SO I am really trying here to do more in the Art Appreciation (CM related) department, instead of "getting to it later." My intention this year is to study at least 3 artists. Being that we are into Am. history this year, I chose 3 folks who express the true essence of America. I wanted someone who also recorded aspects of nature-so we are starting with John James Audubon. Couldn't think of anyone who better fits the nature loving (OK mostly birds) requirement. What's more, it so nicely ties into our regular nature study course (and I am throwing in the bird study too)! Geez, I feel so special having this click so well together!

Anyhoo-back to my story here...so I came across these little blank books (but alas, they are not quite what I want, but will do--so good thing my pal Heidi is working on a great new line of blank books, lapbooks and such for my crafty needs), to use to create something lovely and sturdy for our studies. I used MS Word to create the covers, and ran them off on card stock. The teen wanted turquoise and the boy got light blue. The goal is to put the data/pic info in the one for the study of the artist and then (pic of JJ Audubon with his signature) is for placing at least 4 post card sized reproductions of some of his work. We will use photo corners to keep them on the pages, then they can take them out to study them. I have to still order those, but when I have them-I will post a pic of it for ya. Then as we work thru the other artists, we'll add their info too.

The Study of Famous Artists book

The Artwork of Famous Artists book

I popped the books and a baggie with the necessary papers and a glue stick into their boxes. Normally, we would have a book to read (but we finished it and are awaiting our other choice to arrive at the library) but today, it was mostly just assembly and doing some basic notebooking. I wrote what the boy wanted on his page (lined notebook pages I purchased, and are a part of an Audubon eBook-just chose the 2 per page print option to get em smaller)...and the teen will journal her answers on her own pages...then those will go after the basic artist info. I am going to also have a couple of their favorite pics he drew printed up (small) to place in there too-

We are also making a whole Audubon/Bird study book using coloring pages of birds, notebooking pages, data, some lapbook components and NS drawings to complete this whole study. Once I get that built up a bit, I will post those pictures for ya.

And that is just some of what we had in our boxes today.

Since we work on this as a group-I place it right after the Bible wkbx of my daughter's and in the 3rd one, for my son (because her study takes longer and his are quick moving-so usually that works out and we sit down together do the Art Appreciation as a family)-which is a helpful hint to those who have some group material...just do it all first together or place it so the kids finish the other assignments about the same time (and to be sure you have all your bases covered-have a "spare" box available with a quiet time, do-on-your own activity for those who finish sooner)...

Some fun historical goodies to pop into a workbox

2010-10-15T21:16:00.001-04:00

Look at these neat project packs!

I put this in my teen's box-it required sewing this together and I wasn't sure if the boy could do it-besides, she begged to do this one!

Our little corn lady is uh-naked, as we still need to sew her apron and hat...LOL That is her fancy material behind her...now to just get some sewing done and she won't be so "out there"...

so I received these goodies to review for the TOS Review Crew (I am the head First Mate on this so I received all of em-whhoooot)...and thought I would share how neat these are for tossing into the ole workboxes.

We are covering American History right now, and so these are rather timely! So far, my son has painted and assembled his Tomahawk, helped with the corn doll (which is definitely one where you need two people), and the teen has stitched up the coin purse and (as pictured) the fringe purse. They really have enjoyed making these! We will work on the quilt next week, since it requires a bit more time and energy...but when we are done, we'll have some very cute items to remember this period in time.

You can always add such things to the workboxes and the kids will totally dig them-even if they usually don't like this sort of thing. It certainly will add some new, exciting things to do- and it meets the "handiworks" requirement that Charlotte Mason strongly encouraged the children to be exposed to and do.

You can see the great products that the Corps of Re-Discovery company has to offer, and take a look at the other goodies too! I am seriously pondering that Quill Pen and Paper kit!

Enjoy!

**OK, this is not a review per say, but it should be duly noted that I did receive these products for free, from the Corps of Re-Discovery company-to enjoy and use with my fam. I did not receive any financial compensation for this post or for my opinion of them. It is what it is-fun stuff to put into your child's workbox to serve as hands-on projects, for their history curriculum.

Geography-state project/center

2010-10-11T14:52:00.000-04:00

The first 2 states postcards are in the mailbox (not the ones we have been collecting for the 50 States Postcard book-but the extras). He will need to color in the two states (map on top left hand corner) we discussed with the erasable markers and he can do whatever else he wishes during his 15 min. time here.

Also have the flags of the 50 states and a full map of the USA postcards in here too.

Just tossed the center card in with the time card, and the timer (Dollar Tree find).

That was his geography for today (we're starting back up a bit slowly-then tomorrow I will introduce Arkansas for our next state).

I know it has been empty with posts around here-but I have my reasons

2010-09-22T20:11:00.000-04:00

but for now-you'll have to wait to see why. So stay tuned.

As far as the workboxes-we're very excited to have been able to sail thru our first 2 1/2 weeks of school and all with the lovely workboxes taking control of our schedule. Nothing out of the ordinary in there-just the average stuff-and again, I have my reasons. I have been very, very busy.

Our new co-op starts tomorrow and well, seeing that I am the Director, I have had a boat load of things to accomplish and get ready for it. Plus, I am teaching a Young Naturalists class for the 6-10 yr olds and the Art of Nature Study class for the tweens/teens (which isn't only nature study but also a 1/2 hr of art lessons) so that needed to be figured out, planned for and items collected/purchased for it too. But there is more-and again-

you'll have to wait. I don't want to post about it til later.....

so it isn't that we haven't been workboxing our way thru the beginning of a new year-it is just that I haven't had much time to do some informative posts.....I plan to get around to that (hopefully) by early Oct.

So til then dear readers-enjoy the last couple days of Sept. and be sure to pop on over soon-

New site for homeschoolers offers free stuff-yes!

2010-09-01T09:59:00.001-04:00

So lookie what I had found out about...Lapbook Lessons and Curriculum Share are giving away this awesome new Time Travelers kit from Homeschool in the Woods. I love HS in the Woods stuff! I was even fortunate to review a couple items of hers whilst on my TOS cruise...you can read about those here:
Olde World Maps and the New Testament Lapbook Kit.

HS in the Woods Giveaway

Visit this great new site: Curriculum Share

This is one sweet idea!

I am always excited to share ways for HSers to expand their repertoire and jazz up their studies-and this is certainly one way to do so!

*I am simply sharing info here-no financial or other compensation was received for doing so. I could win this giveaway-but that is not necessarily my reason for blogging about it.

CSN review time-What'd I pick?

2010-08-23T14:21:00.003-04:00

So awhile back, I posted a ditty on the CSN Stores and a few options I had narrowed my spending spree to. I lamented and pondered, then hashed it out with my hubby, before we made our decisions.

I initially wanted the rug for the front hall-but alas, seemed everyone else did too. I began to wonder if there was some sort of rug-buying spree of which I was unaware...but no, they are just that popular, and remarkably cute (if rugs can be cute that is). So, due to my wanting to partake in the CSN experience before summer's end, I went with the next most needed item, the Winsome 24" Counter Stool Set for the kitchen island.

$62.99 for set (includes shipping)

We unpacked those puppies faster than a hungry dog devours a plate of leftovers-and we giggled in delight as soon as we saw them (you'll have to read why in part II of my pre-review post and here is part I- just so you can follow the whole story) . They are very, very nice and for the money. Man, I have been looking at a variety of stools at the stores, and have not seen much to equal them, especially for that price! What made me more excited, was that I did not have to dash out and buy some of those nail-in plastic caps to place on the legs. You know the kind-so one's hardwood floors don't end up being trashed due to rough, scratchy-bottomed stool legs raking across it. They came ready to go with nice little white protectors in place. Sweet.

The final test was the quality level of these stools. Can they withstand the daily wear and tear that 5 adults and one kid will surely put them through? I would have to say that they most certainly can handle this family-as they are made of thick, solid wood; and are strong and sturdy, and are comfy too. So they are definitely a keeper. We're very pleased with these and would highly recommend them!

Next on the line up was something of a curve ball really. Altho, we could have chosen any number of things, especially something on our original list of 6-we decided that sheets for our king-sized bed took precedence. Yeppers-so I took a look see in the Bedding and Linen section, narrowed it down to my price range and needs and found these babies...

Wildon Home Sateen Sheets (300 count thread) $35 for set (any size)

See the flowers there-we chose the sheet color they are sitting on, called "Sand".

These are exactly what I had hoped they would be (after all, sometimes buying on line, you cannot be sure of the quality of the product) as they not only met, but exceeded my expectations! They are so soft, and comfy-I didn't want to get out of bed after our first nite of trying them out! They have deep pockets to fit our thicker mattress, are "Sateenish" in nature and best of all-they are not falling apart or coming unraveled in the wash. I am very pleased with these, and will be snapping up a couple more in the future.

So both items proved to be winners for us. But one of the biggest aspects of supporting and/or continuing to shop at any store-is their customer service. I was very pleased by CSN's care and attention to the details. Amazingly, I purchased them on Friday; and by Monday (sheets) and Tuesday (the stools) of the following week, I had them in my possession-no joke! I guess you could say that truly is speedy delivery! And upon placing the order, I received notification concerning their status, with an estimated delivery time noted, as well. Very professional and prompt! I am sure there are items that may take longer-but "Golly gee Wally", that is something to behold. I have also received follow-up emails to rate the product/service, so that they can continue to strive to be a great company-one you'd want to not only recommend to your family and friends, but one you'd shop at again.

So all in all-this was a great experience and I do recommend the CSN Stores for your online purchasing needs. I hope you take a moment or so to look through their 200+ stores-loaded with the most needful items one could use-as I am sure you won't be disappointed.

**Please be aware, I received an electronic gift certificate from the CSN Stores, to be applied toward a purchase from from any of their 200+ stores, as their way of thanking me for writing a preview review, and a review of that/those product(s). No other compensation was received in exchange for my honest opinion of their company, or the products I chose to review.

Another Ask Sheri moment

2010-08-18T13:01:00.002-04:00

So Rhonda asked:

I am considering implementing WORKBOXES into our homeschool starting in a couple of weeks. I wonder how parents introduce the system and how it works to the children who will be using it? Sue really doesn't address that in her book, and for my son, info is key to his cooperation. Also, I was considering signing up for Sue's webinar this Friday...any suggestions?

For starters-the question about introducing them-I suggest you create a great excitement! Talk it up and go over the basic how-to do it with him. Let him know that this is a new way of doing business, that you will have all his goodies for the assignment in those boxes and ready to go. Give him 3 stuffed boxes as a trial experience. Leaving the third one with a fun snack/activity (the other 2 with minimal work-just to give an example). Show him where you want the boxes to go after he is done, what he is suppose to do with work you want to check over, and how it works with the number cards (not sure how you'll be doing that, so my example is how we do it) Ex: since I expect the child to go in order, he is to take the number off the box when the project is complete, and then place it onto the number board~I would show him how that works.
We have two boxes that he is to put the stuff-one for the extra supplies/materials, and the other for those papers/workbooks that I need to go over and check. I also have a Schedule Ntbk that he follows along in, due to some activities not being able to fit into a box. Then it is clear that when those are done-unless I have given him the OK to stop at a certain box-his day is done.

Here is my unsolicited parental take on this-as the parent, I have the final say on how we do school-and as the child, they are to be obedient to this way of doing it. I am all about using what works and considering the child's learning style and personality, but some children will balk at anything to just be ornery. This is a life-long character trait they will need to have-for college, work, marriage, life! They must know how to be submissive in certain areas of authority and acknowledge that they cannot always have it their way. So setting the ground rules will serve to make this go much more smoothly. You can talk it up, explain and take it easy for the first couple weeks-but eventually-the child will have to (and this almost happens naturally b/cuz they will know what to expect and can see what they'll be doing) "go with the flow" and just do it...no arguments allowed. After 22 years of battling some very head strong children, you can take that advice to the bank! It won't always be a picnic, but push thru the tantrums, pouting and small annoyances, and you'll be blessed if you do.

As to the ?? about attending a webinar with Sue-by all means yes! You will get a great understanding of the system. I heard her speak at the Spring TOS HS Expo and I really enjoyed it.Just keep in mind, that no matter whose program we're talking about-you the parent must figure out how to implement it so it works best for your children. Thankfully Sue (and if you are reading this hon-I love ya but I am sure by now you see that there are many ways to do this and still succeed-but thanks for sharing this awesome way of doing school!) is better at accepting that most HSers have had to tweak and adjust to fit it for their fams. So even tho she wants you doing it her way-you will ultimately need to decide a way that works best for your child. So if you can still get a ticket, and can afford it (sorry, not sure what that is) I say-you most likely will be blessed by doing so.

HTH

and also-if any of you have trouble downloading the Scribd docs...you should be able to just save it and then print it from your document. See if Scribd has a helpful how to print section for more info.

***KORI-I just went to Scribd-you don't need to pay or anything, and signing up is free-even if you don't have a document to download-many don't. That gets you access. See this page: Scribd Support Desk for more info. HTH!

Check this out-TOS HS EXPO coming soon!

2010-08-18T10:49:00.003-04:00

Hey Homeschooling moms and dads-here is a real treat for you!

I attend the spring one, and even tho I have been doing this for some time-it was so refreshing and inspirational to hear the speakers and gain oodles of new information! I loved it and I think you will too!

Hurry! You can save $5 by purchasing the tickets by Sun., Aug. 22!

And now a word from our sponsor:

It's back to homeschool time and registration is open for the online
Schoolhouse Expo, October 4-8. It's five days of top homeschool
speakers, fellowship, and fun door prizes.

Save $5 per ticket! Register between August 16 and midnight August 22,
and you'll pay only $19.99. Plus you'll receive over $200 in free
E-Books.

You'll be inspired by speakers including: Zan Tyler, Dr. Jay Wile, Jeannie
Fulbright,Carol Barnier, Diana Waring, Todd Wilson, Davis Carman, Kim
Kautzer, Lee Binz, and many more!

A special teen track is planned--the entire family will definitely
want to listen to these special sessions. We've also planned a special
focus on a topic that touches every homeschool--writing. Plus, an
array of other topics that will inform and inspire you throughout your
homeschooling years.

Don't forget, MP3 copies of each session comes with your LIVE event ticket.

Two special preconference shows on August 24 and September 21 with Dr.
Jay Wile, Jeannie Fulbright, and Kim Kautzer!

Register starting 12:01 a.m. on Monday, August 16.

The theme this fall is "Celebrate Homeschooling!" We're going to
celebrate the unique blessings of homeschooling, the beginning of
another school year, our families, and the freedom to tailor our
children's education to best meet their needs.

If you cannot make the Live event, then the October Expo To Go is
just your ticket! You'll reserve MP3s from all of the workshops. This
week only, pay just $14.95!

Purchase the TOS HS Expo tickets here!

**In exchange for this notification and promotion of the said event-The TOS HS Expo-I received a free October Expo to Go package from The Old Schoolhouse Magazine, of whom I am an independent contractor -whhoooohooo. No other financial compensation was received for doing so. Aren't they great? My opinion is biased, as I have attended the previous event and it was awesome!

US States study links and helps

2010-07-24T21:57:00.002-04:00

So if you have read my previous Busy as a Beaver post, then you realize I have been working on the geography stuff for the up and coming year. And I promised to do a geography post...so here it is.

I stumbled across this State Symbols USA site-and boy was I like whooping it up over the wealth of info and such here. Good place to start. I used this one to get the seals and other goodies to really make our state study "pop" with neat stuff! I noticed on the side-bar there was this book for Alabama (since we are going in alphabetical order here) and thought-could it be? Could there be a book for every state? Yeppers! Now, since I did the study before these were written with my older 3, I was unawares. So stop giggling if you already knew about em. The most exciting part-outside of the fact that now I can start each study with a book as the lead in and it fits the Charlotte Mason method, and it is just so beautiful and, and, and...can ya tell I am excited about it? Best yet-our library has em all-now that is like a one in a thousand chance and I am so geeked! So-then I searched and saw that they also have this baby available-so I put it on hold (since it was one thing our library didn't own) and got it today-not that I am big on teacher's guides (always seem to not follow em too closely) but figured I could glean some useful ideas to make this a great stroll thru the USA. Take a look-see here...

Look how nicely each book is illustrated and ties into something major the state is known for!

The series is called Discover America State by State-but when I did the search thru the library-I had to look for each individual state's book-guess our library website is a bit fussy-LOL, so anyhoo-when you go to the State Symbols site-just look on the side-bar for that state and you will have the name.

I will take some notes and let the rest be (in the guide) but I am always looking for ideas-now to find time to go thru it!

The HIP Pocket Change (US Mint) site has lots too. I actually downloaded the quarter info-the background about the decisions behind the state's quarter design-look under the extra resources sections for each year...they are about 2 pages long each. I just ran those off. There is also the full quarters listing in picture form under the 2008 stuff. If you go thru the earlier years, you won't have em all. I ran those 2 pages off and then cut out the quarters to add to the info packet for the individual states. There are also coloring pages that you can run off (good for younger siblings to keep em busy) and lots of other links/activities.

Found this one, but haven't explored it yet: Teacher Guide to the 50 States

A to Z Teacher Stuff has a recipe for edible state maps (why not enjoy a wee bit of food when doing this heh?)

Maps that Teach offer up some good online links/activities

This 50 States Book List is going to come in rather handy during our study. I will just use what I can get thru the library-on top of the cool state books noted above.

The US50 site offers up those stamps I downloaded. I did have to shrink the size of em a bit, and tried to fit as many as possible on the page too. They have more state info to help you with your studies as well. The license plates are from MS Word-images, I think the only one I couldn't find was SC, so I searched the internet and found one that would work-sized it and added it to the document to print.

I will also be using a few goodies I was able to review whilst being on the TOS crew:

The Little Man in the Map This is a delightful way to learn the states and where they are located on the map.

My Review

HS in the Wood Olde World US Maps I will be using the states maps and notebook pages, and the brochure document too-I think that one is under the World maps tho. I will have to double check-but these are sooooo nice and perfect for this study. I am also the materials for the Geography Center. But if you are on a super tight budget, you can find most downloads for free from various other sites-they simply won't be as detailed or have all the data, but they certainly can create a lovely notebook for your student. I suggest Googling or doing Swagbuck searches, which frankly is a great way to get free $ (Swagbucks that is-you can join and earn-I have already earned $20 worth of free Amazon gift cards just by searching!) Click the icon below and it'll get you there. :o)

My Review

TOS Travel the World eBook I will pull some elements out of this eBook to help with our studies too.

My Review

I also have a mishmash of atlases, coloring books or map books about the states, and of course-where would I be if I didn't tie in some kinda lapbook to this? Well-I purchased

Hands of a Child State by State lapbook and will pull out components as needed.

10 Days in the USA

This is on my wish list-a nice to have but not totally necessary...

I have found flashcards at the dollar section of Target, a poster listing the state names/capitals at the Dollar Tree and so forth. Been building the collection for some time and now when we get to it-I can draw from all sorts of good products to make this a fab project. OH, and I have 2 fun puzzles-one of the USA and one of the world, which will show up in the workboxes here and there too.

HTH ya out too. So that is the big stuff-I am sure I have more, but it gives ya a good idea of what one can use to pull together a study. I have seen a few other great ideas from my pals via their blogs too-but since I am pretty sure I have enough to make this a detailed enough to remember kinda study-I am using what I have available. :0)

Been Busy and have the long post about it

2010-07-22T20:03:00.000-04:00

but since it is so long-gonna link ya to it on my HSing on a Wing and a Prayer blog. Many of these components will go into the workboxes as we come to each section. I still want to pull together file folder games, puzzles, and do-dads and put em in one storage box, so I can pull and stuff em into the boxes as we go. Organization is my main focus!

I will have a post with more details of the Geo center and links when I can. This should give you a good starting point.

For those of you who use the Cutest Blog on the Block templates

2010-07-21T12:31:00.001-04:00

this Friday, they will disappear. Apparently they upgrading the site-so you best wanna find a new one til they get back up and running. I am using Hot Bliggity Blog for these, and they have several-just click their icon in the upper left-hand corner and it'll get you there. Just a heads up-

It is that time of year where one can find the goodies at the Dollar Tree

2010-07-20T15:14:00.000-04:00

So, I went on a wee trip to the Dollar Tree, and found a couple neat things-so here they are:
(which means if you have one near you, you may want to take a wee trip there yourself)

The States wheel is perfect for our study of them that we'll be starting. Way cool, and I am going to put that into our Geography Center for activities. The little compass do-dads, well, I thought I could write some stuff on the back, like "kitchen" then he has to take that and his real compass and go to the kitchen to see which direction it is. I can come up with all sorts of places (inside and out) that he can do this activity...again, it will go in the Geo Center. The little Jupiter expanding towel is something I have seen but never tried, not exactly sure what to expect, but hey-we are picking up our solar system study with Jupiter tomorrow, so it is going in the workbox for fun!

I don't know why this turned, it is correctly set in the documents, but guess you'll just have to cock your head for a second. The arrow lines up to the state you want to know the stuff for...then on the other side, you can read the answers. Fun! I am thinking I will have my son do this for each state we cover, and have him fill in that info on his lapbook components-kind of a win-win situation-he can do copywork, get the answers for his lapbook stuff and I can step back and let him do it. Yeahs.

Neat huh? On the back there is a place for the child to write the info on their state and it also lists the abbreviations for the state names.

This too turned even tho it is correct on the documents. Well, I dunno what we'll find, but it will be neat to watch this grow. LOL

So there are some of the goodies. I am going back for a couple more of something I found and will post that later. Til then-enjoy some more ideas from the box. Hey, and ya know those wall decorations I have noted (in this post and many others-the compasses here-you don't need to use em for what they are suppose to be used for...you can tweak em for all sorts of "works" and/or use em for the file folder games and more-use your imagination ladies-

Up and coming review for a product or two from the CSN stores! Whoop it up!

2010-07-19T19:22:00.004-04:00

For those of you who follow my Homeschooling on a Wing and a Prayer blog-you will find the first half of this post, explaining what exactly is going on here. You can read all about the cool review project I am about to embark upon. But for those who want to get the skinny, right here and now-I have cut and pasted the main essentials from it for you:

When it comes to finding goodies for your home, children, or yourself [OK gift giving too] it can be very tiring to have to stroll through store after store to the point that it has turned into some nasty chore, and all you are left with is one exhausted shopper without any goodies to show for it. So when one can find a multi-plex online center which directs you to oh, say 200+ stores-it is only natural to become very curious about this site. Could this be that there exists such a thing? Some place that will direct you to just about every needful thing one could imagine, and have it be all organized and professional looking-and you won't even have to leave your home to shop?

I am delighted to report, that yes-such a place exists and not only that, but I get to review a product or 2 from one of the many stores they own! The CSN Stores have so much to offer, it is like one giant playground for the adult shopper. No kidding! They have stuff for just about every need, in every category. I have already spent a lot of time bee-bopping through the many stores, drooling over the wonderful good products, so much so, that I am like that proverbial "kid in a candy shop"!

It is truly amazing what one can find there-and I have some ideas of what I think I would like to try out for review-but I am remaining tight lipped on which one(s) it could be. I will be posting a review once I receive and test the product (which is what one would expect right?) and then you will know what goodie(s) I picked.....

So by going to the first post, you will get to read about options 1-3, then come back here and read about the others. But wait-there is more to this story...I will be able to do a give away in another month or so for them-so you too could be swooning over the hundreds of items to choose from-and talk about a great time for it-just before school starts back up! So look for those details after my reviews are done. Fun and more fun!

Option 4

Knowing my need for all things fun and manipulative in nature for getting those concepts into my pupils heads...I about fainted when I saw this department for teaching and learning materials! There were so many goodies that caught my eye, like the ones below, that I am thinking I would need a tranquilizer before I would make my final decision! I saw so many good ones to use for learning but mostly-ones that are so very, very workbox friendly! Yes! I could blow the whole budget in that department for sure!

Carson-Dellosa File Folder Games

Learning Resources Power Solids, Manipulatives

Learning Resourses Rainbow Premiere Pentominoes

Man this is a great area for my addictive schooly needs!

Option 5

Now this general option is a bit more on the spency side for us right now, but a gal can always dream...and if you saw my 60 year old cricketty kitchen set, you would get why I am even pondering this section. Yes, strolling through the dining room section was like floating on air...the beauty and selections abound. Even though this option is not truly viable right now for us, I must say-it was the most enjoyable (even beat out the teaching materials) event for my poor old peepers! My dear readers, time to confess to you that I am truly a furniture-aholic [sadly tho, one on a tight budget]...but it was fun looking at those pretty sets! So not to be discouraged, I clicked on the bar stool links-which we need bad...I have 2 of em, but they are unstained, my hubby really, really wants them for his garage, you know the man-cave, and because they are a bit too high for our counter, the diners find themselves towering over their food like the Jolly Green Giant [see what happens when you don't measure before you buy?]-not fun. These babies are in budget and look rather sweet~

Winsome 24" Backless Stools

and finally

Option 6

Last but not least, we can never have enough clocks, can we? Well I can't...I never seem to be able to locate one when I need it, and no-I don't carry my cell phone on my person 24/7 like my teens do. And moreover, in this digital age, one finds themselves squinting to read the 1" X 1" sized sliver of a clock found on the cable box, all too often. Our family room could use some classy decor on the walls, and a clock bigger than the one noted above-so this baby could easily fulfill both of those needs. I almost wanted to post the clock that looks like a tire, as I am seriously considering this for my hubby's b-day that is coming up. Mostly because he doesn't have a clock in that man cave I mentioned in option 5, and well-cuz it is kinda cool..but I decided this one better suits the whole fam. So I am sticking with this as option 6 to pick from~

Ashton Sutton Chateau Wall Clock

and there you have the 6 options that I am pretty sure I will choose from. Now that I have been revisiting the slew of stores CSN has to offer-I may end up going all crazy like and pick something totally different. So stay tuned and when I get the goodies I order, I will get the reviews of em up so you can see not only what I ended up getting, but you can find out just how well we enjoy them too!

Hey if you are a FIAR rower, and have done the bk 4 ones...

2010-07-10T18:23:00.001-04:00

help me figure out where these stories are suppose to take place, I would be much obliged. I am compiling a listing of the states or country or continent these take place in/by/near/sorta maybe....and since I don't own these, and the inter loans haven't come in yet, any help would be great. I will post the listings for those FIARowers who like to have a quick glance referral as to where they occur, soon on my scribd.

Arabella (I know it is an island-does it pinpoint any specific region of the world?)
Roxaboxen (any place?)
Higgins Bend (?)
Hanna's Cold Winter (?)
Mailing May (I remember it being out west, OR or WA?)
Hickory Chair (southern USA?)
Albert (would NY be a good guess?)

If you could just leave a comment if you know-I figure some have no location, but a guess to the general area is fine too. Thanks.

UPDATE!!

**I forgot to cross post-2 folks have now mentioned HSS and their FIAR listings, and yes, I have finally gone there-but also have posted the version I did on my Scribd pages-look for the icon on the side bar to get you there. Can never have too many reference charts! :0) Thanks for all your help folks-I have this as done as it is going to get.

Oh yeah! They fixed my issues at Scribd! Yeah!

2010-07-08T19:04:00.000-04:00

It wasn't me! Whew! They had some tech difficulties and of course, one of the issues is what I had...you can link and subscribe by clicking this little icon!

Ah, I feel better now!

Two things to show ya right now....

2010-06-13T01:35:00.000-04:00

this precious excursion led to these

12 totes, two shelves to hold em, and a couple catties

now to assemble, Velcro areas for the number cards, and finally-my teen will have

a perfect workbox system (well not perfect, cuz that would require having stuff in them!)

The Hide and Go Seek Workbox Adventure

2010-05-26T10:28:00.000-04:00

So, if you caught that post about hiding various workboxes around the homestead, you probably recall that I said I would post how it went. Well-just as that great idea popped into my noggin-my son came down with a terrible case of the flu. So I had to delay it by over a week. Thankfully, he recovered just fine, and we were able to give it a test run. His face just lit up when I explained what he was to do. Here are a couple shots of the event. Funny-one I didn't put in the box, just tucked it under a pillow/stuffed animal that was on the couch, and don't cha know-that was the one we spent a lot of time hunting for cuz I simply couldn't remember where I had put it (note to self: take one's own advice and mark out where you hide these things)..we got a good laugh about that.

This was a no brainer-had it right out on the dining room table. Figured I would start him out easy like...

I had this way back by the door to the garage. I literally hid the boxes all over the house, the poor dear had to run up and down 2 flights of stairs and search everyone's rooms.

Number 4 was stuffed betwixt the wall and the back of the couch. The boy had some space (well enough at least) to work on this. I think this was my favorite spot to hide the boxes.

Uh, yes, Santa tablecloth. Well, my teen is a painter and this was on my craft table. This was the one in the basement. At that point it was nice to head down there cuz it was getting kinda hot in the rest of the house (was fighting turning on the air so soon in the season-so we cowboy'd up and endured the unpleasantness).

And so it went. I ended the 8th box on his bed (top bunk) so it took him some time to spot it, as it was hard to see from his eye-level. That was a couple tapes (one was Hank the Cowdog, the other some American songs-ie: Working on the Railroad, etc.) and his tape player/headset. Yes, tapes are outdated, but alas-Papa gave him a portable tape player and I have tons of those things from my previous years of schooling, and so why not? LOL. Besides our CD portable player bit the dust. So I was able to relax and work on my business, and he was able to chill and hang out after a hard day of hunting.

I am going to do this here and there to break up the monotony for sure. I am planning on having a snack box too. So do consider this fun alternative. Just remember to remember where ya put them!

My how time flies-well the workboxing has taken a strange holiday

2010-05-10T19:58:00.000-04:00

a holiday of mainly non-use...not because I don't like them anymore, but because our days have been filled with drives back and forth to another town for driver's ed, a traveling sick/food poisoned husband, and various other types of distractions that have rendered them almost extinct for a bit. But workbox buddies-do not despair because I will be back into our groove soon (only 2 more driver's ed classes and altho we have 3 drive times left-it isn't creating a huge gap of time loss in our days) to once again workbox away!

I am starting tomorrow off with a secret workbox activity for my boy. [Tues. and Thurs.] we have been doing school. So here it is and gosh, have no idea why it didn't pop in my head sooner. If you are Sue Patrick, you may want to look away...this totally goes against your recommendations...

THE WORKBOX HUNT

Yep, you read that right-I am going to randomly hide about 6 or so boxes tonight, all over, in odd places like my closet, under a table, in a cabinet, down in the basement-etc. He will then have to hunt all over the house to locate them. Now, he can scout ahead, and find all em if he wants, but he must do them in order (so if he finds #4 and hasn't done #2 or 3 yet, then he cannot do it). Talk about a neat way to "shake it up a bit" heh? I will have to map it out as I do it so I can be ready if he needs assistance. That should get him revved up and get some schooling done too. :0)

HTH inspire ya! I will let you know how it goes ~

Oreo Cookie Moon Phases activity

2010-04-30T13:32:00.000-04:00

This is a fun one! We used the vanilla flavored cookies, since they look more like the color of the moon-but obviously, the chocolate ones are just as good.

I found this activity on the Paper Plate Education site. There are a lot of fun things there that I am sure we will also do.

Enjoy!

Since I knew the cookies wouldn't last until we could do this-I squirreled away 9 (in case one broke) and hid the stash til the day it showed up in the workbox. I highly recommend this approach if you will not be doing this as soon as those cookies are unpacked from the grocery store.

We did school outside that day-because it was gorgeous....just packed the workboxes up and hauled em outside. Talk about a fun way to learn. I just clipped the laminated sheet (of course it was laminated-do you expect anything less from me? The laminating queen? LOL) to a clip board and then totally forgot to read the directions before heading outside...you were suppose to use a knife to help cut the shapes...but teeth work fine-they are just not very accurate....

as you can see by the final results here-that and the cookies must have been dropped or something because many were cracked...but alas-that did not stop the boy (ah hem and me and Sissy) from enjoying them. Talk about an excellent way to being totally involved with your lesson! LOL We may have to do this again with the chocolate ones, and perhaps the Oreos that have the orange filling (like during the fall when the harvest moon shows up) for good measure. :0)

Wednesday Workbox Day Link Up

2010-04-28T21:46:00.000-04:00

click the icon to go to the siteThis is a new blog link up activity perfectly designed for the workbox fams-like us!
I just recently posted a ditty about what we have in our boxes-and altho I promised to post the pic of the Oreo cookie/moon phase thing-I have spent most of the day in bed dealing with a bug or something-so I did not get to it. Never fear-tomorrow, I will. I see we can do giveaways too-well, perhaps this summer when I get a moment to catch up on things I will have a giveaway of something most workboxy useful! :0)
Here is the link to my most recent post: What's in the 8 yr olds boxes?
and if you are new to my blog-there are plenty other ideas on here-just see the topics list for more info.
Have fun exploring other workbox fams and hope you stop by again real soon!

This is what I have in my 8 yr old's box for tomorrow

2010-04-27T01:18:00.000-04:00

Since we are learning about the moon now, I have added a couple goodies into the workboxes, to carry over the interest (I will show the Oreo Cookie project Wed)-such as Owl Moon [FIAR book] and the story disk to match [which gets placed on the map of the world] and some miscellaneous books referencing the moon. Later in the week, I will put some Sculpy clay in a box, to create an Owl Moon ornament [found the idea on my pal Leslie's blog: Joyful Mother of 6 Children: look under the FIAR category on the side bar to find the great ideas for FIAR books] and of course, all week I will add the mini-booklets to go with the Apologia Astronomy book we are using.

To bolster the whole moon theme-we carried over our "schooling" to after 9 tonight...as were able to (finally) check out the "...lesser light to govern the night" [Genesis 1:16] via the telescope (no-I didn't stuff that into the boxes, LOL) my brother gave us. That really was neat to see! Since it is a full moon all week-we will check it out each night (assuming the clouds don't roll in) to hopefully be able to spot more of the craters and trenches; along with testing our very amateur skills in astronomy, to see if we can also hone in on some of the stars and planets too.

I found the cloth world map at WalMart a few years ago-it still may be available- it works very nicely for the FIAR disks. I simply put on some Velcro dots to the areas the books are in (for those with no noted location-I used the clues mentioned in the book/Teacher's Guide or simply guessed). The movie is from the library. It is just someone reading the book with a few extra sound effects (like the train and owl call)..it gave me a break from reading it-gotta love that. We have read this book a lot in the last few years, and although it is a bit youngish for my son, he enjoys it still. Especially now that we are doing the Molly/McGee watch and covering the moon. (this is going to be tucked into a box with the books below)

As you can see, these are well loved books in our home. Goodness-I think Grandfather Twilight was "new" when my eldest son was about the age my youngest son is now. These are a bit more folktale in nature, but fun to read-and again-talk about the moon. Great tie-ins.

The box has the goodies he needs to create some of the mini-books for the Lapinder we have currently going for this study. There is also the vocab booklet tucked underneath that project too. As we move through this lesson, I will add the lapbook components that match. You can find out more about the Lapinder over on my Scrapbooks and Lapbooks by Sheri blog: look under the science category for details. Oh, and since the book is rather larger and does not fit nicely into the shoebox-sized workbox~ I simply put it on the shelf, then place the box on top-it fits and doesn't ruin the textbook.

There are other boxes with math, Bible study, a few games and activities too-just wanted to highlight the moon stuff. I will have to remember to put a "science center" card in a box this week-I have a magazine about space and some new cards to go into the resource pockets...plus I will add the puzzle and a few more books to the area to jazz it up a bit.

So there is our moon theme workbox ideas for tomorrow.

As for the teen's boxes?

Well, hers are rather boring since she has a lot of reading to do for history, and science tomorrow. I do have her working on some papers that go with the history, so I was sure to include the scissors and glue stick she needs. She has another Winston Grammar review page to do (so that has the paper and the cards plus the pencil in the folder), and her art project she is working on...

She is doing a sketching/shading project from the Spear's Art Studio lesson [links you to the review I did on this program]...and so I have all the necessary pencils, erasers and blending stump (not in the pic) plus the paper in the folder too. The crumpled bag is folded up (as best as possible considering its sad state) and in there as well...the rocks and shells would rip up the folder so they are strategically placed throughout the house to give her different lighting situations to draw.

Oh woe is the poor crumply bag (but hey-that is what she is suppose to doodle)

but alas, he will be forever etched (or is that sketched?) in her art book.

and a few other things that currently escape my mind (as it is after 1 am here as I type this) but for the most part-my creativity went to the boy's boxes for Tuesday..maybe Wednesday she will get some more exciting ones...we'll see.

and that is it for now fellow bloggers-

Some ideas for the workboxes

2010-04-16T15:07:00.001-04:00

I found this gem at the local Dollar Tree. Seems they are starting to stock more teacher material, which is a blessing. There were others to choose from-I think there was a geography one and or a lang. arts one? Cannot recall...so check your local stores. I actually put small letters to each matching set (cuz honestly, I don't always have time to check the work-they can do a self-check after they do it). Then I laminated it for a longer life. :0)

So this is just another idea of what you can stuff the boxes with. One could even put this with the math lesson of the day (so when we do measurements-I can add this entire kit or just pull the ones that match the areas we are covering). Keeping your eye open for such little goodies can help build your "goodies kit". I look at the dollar sections at Target, Michaels, JoAnns, and of course dollar stores. With garage sale season coming up-you should be able to find some great little doo-dads too, and for cheap too.

I have this idea for organizing your eBooks on my other blog and wanted to share

2010-03-25T10:46:00.000-04:00

Over on my Scrapbooks and Lapbooks by Sheri Blog, I have a ditty about organizing all those ebooks (well there it is about my HOAC lapbooks/other lapbooks) but it applies to any eBooks you have. Let's face it-when it is on d'puter or on a CD it is very easy to "forget" you even have it. So this idea will help me (you) remember what goodies are "laying around ready to use".

HTH

Well she is almost completed...but well-here ya go....the Geo Center

2010-03-24T08:00:00.000-04:00

I will have to post another post with the links and sites where I found the majority of this stuff...as I am just too pooped to do so today. But here it is -almost. Yah see, when I work on these sorta things-I have it all in my head, unfortunately-that means there may not be parts of it available in the real world. Sigh. So I am still looking for a poster I can chop up or a big pic of a globe for the lonely spot next to the maps holder...so pretend to see one OK? Then, the Flora and Fauna-that is something we will work on in spurts-I just have to decide if I will do a long strip of Velcro across that section (couple actually) to then have the child pop up some critters and plants that are found in that region of the world or a different approach...I dunno...I will get to it when I get to it, I suppose. As we learn stuffalage about the said region, then I will add information cards into the pocket for that stuff, and I want to add a few more Lat. and Long. maps with more detailed number listings, for the teen to use. But for now-this will do. I also have two teeny tiny compasses I got in a science kit last year...aren't they just so cute? Well, I suppose if you want one of those, you can look at the dollar store to see if they have a wee bigger one available. Or maybe you have that kit too-I have to check the name but it was one I ordered for free last year-but I Velcro'd them up there too. The picture of the compass is so I can say to the boy, "Hey, where is the Pacific Ocean from our location?" He will have to figure it out by using the fake compass....yes, I do enjoy torturing my kids. LOL

And what else? All the stuff is Velcro'd to make my life easier for switching out maps and labels, as mentioned in the previous post....I think that is it for now....again-look for the info links later.

OK, so here ya go...I was trying to do an Image Loop of it and it dropped all the pics when I clicked something and honestly-I just don't want get my BP up today...so-well, I will upload it all on it later...but here is the 3 panels and a few close ups-

few of the close ups for ya...

The over all look [minus the MIA pieces], with added books, a puzzle and clipboards with the maps they fill out...

Geography Center info

2010-03-24T07:50:00.001-04:00

After penning a lovely, long post noting all the areas for where I found the components, and what I did to create this-and then having it disappear into thin air-I am only going to post a quick link one instead.

Found the project board at Michaels (JoAnns in the past near school start up time) and see Target also carries them.

Velcro (need I say more?) black and white -dots are easier cuz you won't need to trim them, but not as economical Black goes on the board to fade away into the background better. The white is for the stuff printed on the wht cardstock/paper.

Laminator-I have a Scotch from WalMart (cheapest place) but see KMart has cheaper (usually) laminator sheets (come in a 50 pk) but for the dollar or so difference-you'd eat that up in gas...so buy where you find em.
**Update: I forgot to note-you can make the pockets (which hold the goodies) with an empty lam. sheet ran thru the laminator. Cut to size, and use packing tape to secure to the sides/bottom.

Copy paper and card stock of your choice. I get mine at JoAnns (using the 40% coupon or when on sale).

Companies for materials:

Most of my maps are a part of the awesome Amy Pak kit called Olde World Map Pak (US and World included) which I wrote about in my review on my TOS blog-you can find that info here. Her site is Home School in the Woods, where she has tons and tons of great products to help you homeschool with pizazz! The Longitude/Latitude that is clipped together with a ring, the mini-map with the fishes attached, and the hemispheres section are all parts of a worksheet found under the World maps section. I enlarged the lat./long. ones a tad to make those easier to read, prior to copying them off.

That is where I found the maps shown in the pictures, say for the world pic that I found (it is the one in the clear pocket under Long/Lat.) at ABCteach. I also found the compass images there under the clip art. You do have to be a member to get those, but there are plenty of other sites where you can find these, you'll just have to hunt for them.

The maps are ones we found in our National Geographic pile. They are most likely not super updated, but alas-they will do.

All the words (on the section for the reference point, all other labels) are done in MS Word. I have lots of these uploaded on my Scribd page. Look for the icon in the right-hand side of my blog, to get there. The ocean info is something you can type up as needed. I just Googled the info, then typed out the important stuff. Each continent will get some info like that too.

All of this is Velcro'd on, so that when I need to change maps-it is easy as pie. I also have a long strip of Velcro running along the bottom of the map pocket and up the sides to give it super strength to hold those heavy maps.

The fish are a part of a little container I found at the Dollar Tree. It had stars, turtles and other sea critters in it. I will have turtles for the continent finding. Simple Velcro a tiny piece to the back of em, so they can be stuck on.

Lastly, the little compasses. Well I had those from a kit I got free last summer (some science place had those available) but do not recall who it was. Anyhoo-you can find cheap compasses at the dollar store. Just strap or Velcro them on for the kids to use on their excursions.

I think I got em all listed. Use what you have to save $$, look for free downloads first. Since our geography is on going-we will have this for a long, long time. Once done with the world geo...we'll go into the states. So we will have a whole new slew of things for that.

HTH

Oh, an Ask Sheri opportunity!

2010-03-22T16:12:00.000-04:00

My pal Leslie asked:

For someone who is clueless, what is the purpose of BlogFrog? I haven't heard of it before. Always new things to learn!

Well, far from a BlogFrog expert, mainly cuz I simply have not had much op to spend exploring it-but it is another networking op. Folks go there, ask ??s, visit other blogs, etc. and it creates another avenue to find others/help others find you.
Head to: BlogFrog to read up on it. I also have the BlogFrog visitor widget on my sidebar. Tells me who is stopping by and all. They have all sorts of topic ??s going on, which you can decide to visit/comment on.
Right from their site-this is what they say they do:
BlogFrog does 3 main things:
1. Provides fun, social widgets for your blog (example: you can see when your friends visit)
2. Fun ways to find new blogs (example: by High School, or by what blogs link to you)
3. Lets you host or participate in a blog community, where all the readers of a blog can interact with each other.

My community is: Homeschooling on a Wing and a Prayer

HTH explain (sort of)-LOL

Some workbox game ideas from a product I reviewed

2010-03-17T21:23:00.003-04:00

OK, so I finished the review and have some pics of them too. I am plopping these into my son's workboxes from time to time to shake up the ole routine yet, have him doing something where he is learning some things...gotta love that.

My review is for the Super Star Speech Homeschool Games.

Geography Game

All About Animals

This is the Planets, Moon and Stars game in action

Bit of the teen's boxes today (actually folders)

2010-03-03T19:32:00.002-05:00

Her schedule book opened to today's activities

This one came first. Any papers I have gone thru that need to be readdressed are put in here and come first.

She is working on this great book for her Bible stuff, along with a couple other programs. But for today-it was reading from the Stranger on the Road to Emmaus.

We found this book originally at the library. It teaches Algebra in a more easily understood way for my precious math-aphob. This was box #2.

She is still working thru the Nutrition 101 study I reviewed late last fall. I have her also going thru Dinah Zikes foldables/labook on the body too (mostly cuz I need it for an example when I start my lectures on this stuff-and she is kindly making these for me)...but it also helps her recall pretty darn well..so "killing 2 birds with one stone" here.

Then on to LLATL for box #4.

This is part of the science box-working on genetics in Apologia's Biology book-which is too heavy to put in the holders, but the notations on what to read/do, are in the pocket of the folder. This cute Bikini Bottom Genetics worksheet is in there too. Really helping her figure out all the nitty gritties of it. I found this puppy (actually 2 worksheets) on The Science Spot. Look for the placement of these in the science notebook on my Scrapbooks and Lapbooks by Sheri Blog.

This was her last box. She showed a great interest in knowing what the book was about-and since I have read this one a lot-I know it can be somewhat daunting to read the book first-so...movie first, then the book with Cliff Notes.

I know I missed a couple of the folders (one had some worksheets for thinking skills-) , but this gives you some ideas on what you can stuff a teen's boxes with.

By looking at the schedule book, you can see she also had to do some work in the Geography Center, and work on a math program on my puter (also reviewing that product)....so what cannot fit in a box, can go on a schedule form or book. :0) (PS I have the templates for that book on my scribd pages-check it out!)

HTH with some ideas. Not super creative but it does give you a peek into what you can do.

Best way to get to my Scribd pages:

New Easter workbox number cards available on my scribd

2010-02-25T20:03:00.000-05:00

You can hit the pic of these in the side bar and it will get you to the downloadable page.

Just a peek of what I have been up to...our Geography Center

2010-02-22T21:02:00.000-05:00

OK my batteries died whilst trying to get my photo shoot in...OI. But this is a sliver of what I have been spending my time on. This is my Geography Center (the display board type-like my science center one). I am using some Home School in the Woods Olde World maps (reviewing this-so look for that info in a couple weeks), and various other goodies. I also ran out of Velcro (I know-I know-that is completely unacceptable!) and altho I pretty much have the other flap thought out and done-I cannot show it b/cuz I need that Velcro to finish it up to make it all perty like. The center is sorta thought out but not quite....I think as I go along with these projects....so it is empty at the moment.

Imagine all the stuff completed on this side (just pretend now...) the continents that are on the top map are actually Velcro'd to the map-they will get placed on that green card (once I have that wonderful Velcro in my possession) for storage. The oceans one is almost done-I forgot I needed two Pacific Ocean cards-oops. The idea with this main map is, that the student will see the world position of whatever it is we are focusing on. So when we come to studying oceans/continents-all they have to do is glance up to see its location in the world.

Then the 2 pockets below that, have a Velcro dot on them so that I can change out the labels of what it is I am wanting them to find. Then the focus point is a map that shows what it is we are zeroing in on. Right now it is the Pacific Ocean. Then the child will take their sheet (that I put in their workbox on a clip board, or will have it by the display-depending on my mood) and fill in the info I want them to (in this case for my 2nd grader-it is just "North Pacific" and "South Pacific", but for my teen-she will have to note all the little seas and countries found within the map area).

The little blue card with the fish-well that is a fun one I made to fill in the blank spot below the focus map (I will explain that reason in another post) in which I took a part of a notebooking page of HSintheW's map collection, and put teeny tiny Velcro spots for the fish to go (there are 2 b/cuz the Pacific is in two spots on that map-but usually there is only a need for 1) which have the Velcro (big surprise heh?) on their back sides-so the child will put a fish on the ocean we are discussing...when we get to the continents-I have turtle erasers (found at the local Dollar Tree in the school section-in a container with a bunch of erasers) to place on the continent we're focusing on.

All of this is Velcro'd for a reason-so that I can switch up the type of study we are doing-
right now it is oceans and continents
next time around it will most likely be the states-so I need to be able to have different labels when necessary and move the position of the maps (some are vertical)
and so forth.

The idea here is to make this very versatile so I get the most use out of one of these display boards-no need to buy a new one for every type of Geography study. I didn't that with the Space one-since we'll be studying it for a loooonnnngg time-and will cycle back to it when he is older...so I was not as concerned with that issue for that application. But the geography center is a different story-I am not lingering too long over any one subject-so I need it to be interchangeable with not much time betwixt subjects of focus.

Well, once the ole Velcro issue is resolved, the middle section has stuff on it, and I have the right side completed-I will post the whole enchilada for you-just wanted to tease ya and let you know that I have not fallen off the face of the earth-and that I am having a few moments of creativity.

I want to write that I have some neat , new, crafy thing to show you

2010-01-27T22:12:00.000-05:00

but I cannot. I have been involved in some work for the HS group, had to celebrate another year of life (which is always a good thing) and take care of business round the homestead. Plus, I have been doing some major science project things-which I have posted on my Homeschooling on a Wing and a Prayer blog (mind you, you can put those supplies and instructions in the kiddos boxes-I say at least ages 10 and up. My 8 year old kinda struggled a bit, but it wasn't too difficult). Anyhoo-so my workbox ideas have been on hold for now. But never fear-I will come along with some new ones. Maybe, just maybe I can get my act together for February! LOL...

Teen's workbox stuff-Science notebook

2010-01-21T20:13:00.002-05:00

Take a hop over to my Hsing on a Wing and a Prayer Blog to see the latest in our notebook craze. This one is for the teen's biology study. Each module will get its own section, where we will add all sorts of goodies that we want her to remember. You can use this concept with many subjects!

And thanks to my crafty bud at Spell Out Loud, I now have a great way to make these babies even prettier. I kinda knew about this, but needed to "see" it and then I watched the You Tube link to get a better grip. Do stop over there and check it out! I am going to be "beautifying" all the notebooks 'round here (so the science one will undergo a transformation too!)...[and thanks Maureen, you help inspire and motivate me!]

As for the teen's workbox, I add whatever graphics and such we need for that day, with a note telling her what to do, plus the notebook/glue/scissors, etc. and of course, her science reading assignment/text. You could do that for any of your teen's subjects-but you have to have that stuff ready to go (which means getting the copies, worksheets, materials gathered and set to go B4 your student gets to it)..but just to let you in on a teeny tiny secret--lately, we've been scrounging up the stuff after we do the reading b/cuz my life as of late has been extremely busy crazy...so don't feel too bad if you don't get it done until the point of the student actually doing it, or after...as long as it gets done...

Looking for another way to put together your projects?

2010-01-13T10:30:00.000-05:00

I have a post up on my blog, Scrapbooks and Lapbooks by Sheri about the Envelope Book, and thought I would mention it here. You could easily (which is what I do) put the components for it (like lapbook mini-booklets, etc.) into the kids' workboxes. So when we are going to read the books that go with the Chopin study...I pop a couple parts for the Envelope book in the box with it. This concept can be used in a wide variety of applications-for most any subject too. It is great for smaller studies that have less material, which would look lonely in a big lapbook layout.

I will have the actual completed Chopin book posted as soon as we wrap up the major concepts...keep an eye open for it. The pic above is the very plain cover with the fold over flap not tucked into the next section.

Answers to some good ??s

2010-01-05T22:19:00.002-05:00

Some of my pals have asked a few questions about the science center.

As for using the centers with my teens-no I do not use them (yet) as my sassy teen would probably snicker if I did-but she does move thru-out the house to work on some subjects. Her stuff is mainly in her boxes or is listed in her Big Schedule book (like the guitar for instance-no stuffing that puppy in the wee WKBX pockets!) I honestly cannot think of a center that would work with her curriculum-but if I come across something-I will be sure to post it.

As for where I got the pics for the science center-I got them from a few spots:
I purchased a 2 pack of space posters from the local Dollar Tree b4 the year started. It was in the teacher section. I cut up the one into 2 long parts to fit the side panels, then the Planets sign/planet pieces was another poster in that pack. I cut out the planets and sign-then laminated em, added velcro to the backs so that he could put them up on the bottom section of the board, in order. I used black velcro to hide it better on the board. I used a yellow sheet of cardstock and just used packing tape to put it on the board-so it is a pocket. That is where I add worksheets and such (the pics on that are cut out from the cover of a space coloring book I got from the Target Dollar Section b4 school started too-I have been adding a few of those pages for him to do also). I also bought the pack of cards about space at Target. I laminated them, and add them to the respective pockets (same technique as the big pocket, just with smaller card stock pieces) and rotate them out on occassion. I am still looking for some other space stuff to add in the blank spots-but for now it works. When done-simply fold and store away. Gotta love that! (the board was from JoAnns-they had a boat load of selections b4 school started, with many different colors-which unfortunately I didn't get...but there is always this coming summer to stock up)....

And I think that answers the ??s so far. Keep those coming ladies-sometimes I forget to post the details-LOL.

**The notebook info will come along soon-hopefully! You can make these for science (which we will do)-using the multitude of foldable mini-books and also for basically any subject that has lots of info one needs to remember.

First set of workbox stuff for 2010

2010-01-05T17:55:00.003-05:00

Well, I missed ya all. I am back with some stuff we have going here for our workboxes...

My teen has this to work on (which she found yesterday in her WKBXes). It is a math notebook, where she will keep all her math definitions, any helpful diagrams, equations, etc. This material is coming from the Ray's Elementary Algebra we are reviewing for TOS, which we'll be using as a part of her Algebra lessons. In the book she is adding the definitions of terms used in Algebra, so we made some flap foldables to put in the pages. We titled the term, then underneath teen Sissy will list their definitions. We will keep this up until the book is filled. I am allowing her access to this during lessons, and on tests if necessary. By using this approach-I hope the material cements into her head. Math has been a struggle for this student and hopefully, by going back to the very basics (using a text from 1864 ?) and Dinah's Zike's notebook ideas...we'll succeed in her retaining and understanding this stuff. I watched a sample lecture covering this technique, and knew immediately that it was what I was praying for. My goal is to get Dinah's foldables book for the higher grades and the notebook book too. I will do a separate post (hopefully soon) on how to get this notebook going.

Definitions section

8 tabbed square fold
(just slice the 1/4 triangle sections in half to get 8)

This is just one of the new changes for her this term. I will be posting new teen ideas as I am able.

For the Boy:

Here is the Big Schedule Book in action. I have pre-done the days with the various cards, then when it comes time to stuff the boxes, I take a look-see to get my box count and any other misc. activities. Obviously, it doesn't tell me exactly what to put in-but it is a great visual so I can set my schedule set once (only) per week.

One of his new Christmas gifts, inserted into WKBXes for a "fun activity" between the 3 Rs.
I found this at JoAnns and used my 40% discount coupon to get a great price. Below is the Science Center (the card is betwixt WKBX 6 and 7) loaded with a new puzzle, the planets to stick in order along the bottom of the board, and the activity section is packed with the pencil and sheet he will need to do the experiment from the Apologia Astronomy book-under Mercury. The materials for the experiment is in the black container/small container too. All ready for him to explore.

The experiment is designed to show the student what kind of impact asteroids cause on a planet's surface. This out to be interesting-gonna have the mini-vac ready too! I can see it now-flour flying all over-ah what a HSing momma will do to further their child's education!

So that is just some of what I am trying to get into the WKBXes 'round here.

You may have noticed the other blogs received a new header

2009-12-28T11:21:00.000-05:00

but my workbox one did not-well, there are 2 reasons for it-

1. the other blogs had dates on them that will be incorrect in just a couple days -so they begged for a new design

2. I really like this one's header-altho I am getting a tad bored with it and assume (knowing my nature) that I will change things around before long-but after spending quite a bit of time getting the other two done-I am not touching this one-so it shalt remain as it

But I am going to change the background-LOL! Gotta love that capability!

With the Christmas holidays fast approaching

2009-12-08T16:28:00.000-05:00

I am going to be taking a siesta for a bit-we're canning normal school stuff and working on baking goodies, reading good books about Christmas, and just doing nothing of great importance-mommy needs a major break and no one is into learning. So after this week-we're done for a while....so that is why you won't see any new posts unless I get a wild hair on my head and go crazy creating something workbox related-but doubt it considering I am 90% not done with shopping and such...so....

Have a very Merry Christmas holiday and may the Lord reign in your hearts and bless you abundantly this season!

Yeah! BOUND Schedule books

2009-12-01T15:22:00.000-05:00

OK, so UPS was a flop-they only do the comb-binding there. So went to Office Max. For about $3 each, had em bound. I did get the 1 1/4" ish ring size-I measured what the thickness was, when I had cards on both sides of the day charts, and it was about an inch-so I didn't want to have it all pinched by having too small of a ring-but now that I see it (too late to change it) I am thinking an inch size is perfect. Actually, the dude said they come in mm -so whatever is close to that. Anyhoo-this 3 or so week project is finally done! Whoop it up!

Had a good question about the schedule books

2009-11-26T19:18:00.000-05:00

My TOS mate Lisa from the Berry Patch, at Freedom Academy (that is her HS blog) asked if I would then be scheduling out the full week, using the Schedule Books-and that would be a big YES!!! With the daily schedule strips, I would be redoing 5 x per week, what could be done once a week. That way too-I can see what we have going on thru-out the week, and will be able to pack the boxes (even tho this doesn't tell me what is going in-I still know how many boxes I wanted for that day) accordingly. I tend to wing it too much, so this way I will be a bit more grounded. Not that we are bound by that schedule, but it is a goal to try to meet. On those days we simply cannot get to it all-if it is of major importance, then those box cards/activity cards will be moved to the spare spots or the "carry over" spots on the next day's grid.

Also, she wanted to know about binding. I am going to the UPS store first, b/cuz it is just up the road-(want to scope out who would be doing it tho-and if I feel they understand and can accomplish it without ruining it-I will have it done there since it is like $3 or so bucks a piece)...but if I am uneasy about their skills (hey, ya know, this took a lot of time and some cashola to create these beauties-have to be a bit protective of em), I will go to the Office Depot or is that Office Max? Well, whatever it is near the mall, to have it done. Kinkos can do it too-just not one near close enough to our homestead go to.

And to Lisa, and the other gals who have already commented-thanks! I am pleased to be able to share this idea (altho not that is was mine originally-thanks to Ginger Snap Shots for that) in the Super-Sized version. If it helps a fellow HSing momma plan the kiddos week out, and if it saves her time in the long run (that would be after the things are made, cut, laminated, Velcro'd, bound and such-LOL) then it is all worth it!

Blessings!

Have some of the Schedule Book info up on Scribd

2009-11-26T13:37:00.003-05:00

I have a lot of these cards and the schedule book up for downloading...but you will have to figure out the tabs for days of the week-as the ones up on Scribd are not marked for it. I waited until I had the 2 pages glued back to back to each other, before cutting out the tab areas-it just makes it easier and that way you have it correct.

Also, as for the cover page-you are on your own there too (sorry). I used clip art to create the pic, then added the child's name on it below the pic. That will need to be trimmed to fit so that the cover doesn't hide the tabs on the side-I think I trimmed about 1/2 in total off of it. You will laminate back to back-so the cover and the calendar grid day for Monday will be together. I have downloaded the days of the week pages for the calendar side of the schedule book. I also have a blank one there-so be sure you are copying off the right one-I figure the blank one can be downloaded if you want a Sat. or Sunday page too. The days of the week tabs are now up as well-there is some extra hints/suggestions on it as well.

You can find all these on my Scribd page for What's in the Box?

What's in the Box? Scribd homepage

I don't have all the little cards there because some are very specific to our needs-again-you can easily make these using your MS Word application. They are 1 3/4" X 1 3/4" boxes , I get 3 x4 down for the grids.

Well it is not bound yet-but wanted to post it! Our Schedule books.

2009-11-25T22:15:00.002-05:00

I keep finding that I am getting distracted and not accomplishing what we need to each week-so when I saw Ginger Snap Shots article about her daily grids-my mind started churning. I wish I had seen this when I first started out-problem is that her grids are too small for the majority of the cards I have already printed/laminated/Velcro'd, so what was I to do? I cannot afford to start over-plus I wanted even more block spaces-so, I just super-sized it! Now, my goal is to on each Sat. (or maybe Friday afternoon), sit down and schedule out the week in these. I still won't have an exact list of what I am putting into the individual boxes-but I will know how many I need for the day and what other activities I want them to do. It should help me be more streamlined in my planning and packing.

Looks like a lot of work-and it is a bit of work for sure-but so worth it. Now that is done (well, outside of getting bound, which is going to happen this weekend), I am basically finished fussing with it-except when I need to create a few new cards. Which is no big deal, because that way it will stay relevant to what is going on in our lives. I forgot to take a pic of the "work on fix-it file" card, but that one is reserved for when they have papers that need to be re-done or corrected. That will go first, before any other boxes/activities, so that they can wrap up the previous day's boo-boos before moving on. This is mostly for my teen right now, but as the boy advances in grades, I am sure he'll need it too.

The boy's book-2 pages per day with 21 blocks for cards and one area for the date. We stamped the card stock after we printed the grid outlines, using some stamps and ink I have from my SU Demo chick days. I will be getting these spiral bound this weekend so that they are set to go for Monday.

The calendar is perpetual, so that I can simply change it out each week. I made 31 day cards, one for each kid. He wanted spirals-so I stamped them in colors that matched the paper colors. It would be neat to make a set, one for each season or a variety-but that means more ink, paper, lamination sheets, Velcro and time. So I am sticking with one set per kid for now.

Yet, another day's example.

I just cut off a section to create the tabs, which was kind of a pain-but I didn't want to mess up the grid system when I made them and figured it would just be easier to do it by hand. I did type up the days of the week, cut them out and glued them down before laminating.

This is an example of how I can set up one of the days. I simply will predetermine how many workboxes and additional activities I want him to do that day-then put the appropriate cards on it. The Kinderbach and Mathletics are temps, because I am currently reviewing these programs-so I didn't laminate them, but rather just used some clear packing tape to strengthen them, then added a very small piece of velcro. Having these cards on the schedule makes it so I can put a bigger variety of projects, necessary subjects and fun stuff in the actual workboxes. I was losing the boxes to those type of activities that I really didn't want to, so I made cards that were for those "box draining" activities. Now that we have been using the system for about a year-I am more confident and want to add more of the reg. school stuff in the boxes-so this solved that dilemma.

Now, everyone knows there are times when you simply cannot get to all the activities you had scheduled for the day-so I decided to put a lot of boxes per day to solve that problem. The top 3 boxes are reserved for just such an occasion. I can easily (by removing that card and putting in the next day's carry over section) move the prior day's unfinished business to the top of our next day's list .

My teen daughter's cover

Her Monday layout.

Thursday's.

Sample layout with cards. The computer one can be used for any project/research or whatever she needs to do that day on the 'puter (this right now would be working on Tektoma-another review product), and the Mathletics is a few years too young for her, but I have her working on it as well, to give me some teen insider info about it. Plus, it doesn't hurt her to do some review. I have different lunch cards for her and her brother. She wanted musical notes for her days, so again-stamped them to match her card stock colors. She is not good with printed out "to do" lists, somehow, someway-she loses them or simply ignors them. But she does well with visual schedules, so this is a great alternative to laying out her schedule in a way she will want to use. Her workboxes are a bit more complex, simply because she is doing high school level work, so she is only getting about 8 or so boxes a day-on average. I also have cards for her HS group days, that I will put on those days she attends those classes, just to name a few. I will have a few pics of storage ideas and actual cards I have made, in another post.

Whew! Hope you enjoyed taking a peek at my latest project. I plan on adding a couple pics of what it looks like bound too-

Schedule book card ideas

2009-11-25T21:00:00.000-05:00

I had a tackle box I bought at Kmart to hold some of my stampin supplies, so I emptied that, snapped off the two ends on one plastic divider strip (they come out easily) so I could have a bigger section for the calendar cards...it won't be too hard to keep them in order, if I am careful...and there are enough sections here to hold two kids' worth of calendar, "do workbox #..." cards-one set per day/per kid (different color for each day), and the lunch cards. I think I paid less than $5 for the tackle box-but I have seen tons of different types of storage boxes like this, that would work great too. I wrote on it what was in it-plus it has a snap on top, which is very needful!

The lunch cards all fit into one section.

This beauty is what the boy made at one of the Home Depot Kid's Workshops. It is suppose to be for nuts and bolts and such-but hey-why not use it for cards? It has a sliding clear plastic top, and it holds the cards perfectly. I have the boy's on the left, the teen's on the right, to keep them straight.

Oh goodie! I see I did take a pic of it-well, here it is!

I made a bunch of cards for the computer games we have for him-and I did a couple for Starfall too.

Our girlie will be starting her driver's ed classes, so had to make these!

I made several of each card per kid. That way if we are going on a field trip, both kids' books will have that card in it. Or the library, HS group, walking, etc.

I will try to get some of these loaded to my scribd pages-but I have to go thru and make sure they are more generic-but really these are easy to create yourself. I used our MS Word program, made grids of 3 across by 4 down per page at 1 3/4" X 1 3/4 ", then clicked the clip art section, chose what I thought would work, shrunk them to fit the spot and added instructions if necessary (you cannot put a lot down-so make it short and sweet), then copy/pasted it into as many blocks as I needed. Then you simply save, print on card stock, cut em out, laminate them (tricky b/cuz you need to be sure they don't slide into the section b4 them and get laminated together-lost a library card that way)-and then cut again, Velcro 'em and whallah! You are done!

I can get the big grid schedule pages up too, but there won't be the lines to guide the tabs. I will have to go and measure out those and see if I can make a template or something-but to be honest-it is going to take me some time to do all of this. I have a boat load of reviews coming due that I must pay attention to, it is inching up on Christmas and I really want to be done dealing with anything schooly by mid-Dec. So it may take til next year. The big grid sizes are 3x5 down of 2x2" and the other sheet (with the calendar) has a bigger box in the top for the calendar card, then 2 3x3 grid boxes of 2x2. You will have to print those on card stock and decide if you want to stamp them-or as the boy pointed out-you could laminate and then let the kids sticker up the areas that are not in the grid space. Or leave em blank.

So that is my major project news-hope you enjoyed reading about it.

**Oh, and before someone asks-there is nothing wrong with a daily schedule strip, it was just becoming very time consuming to redo those every nite, this way I only set the days up one time per week (outside of any carry over cards). I was able to trim down the cards I already had to fit the new schedule grids-so I was able to use those too.

Simple Workbox activity that saves me work and time

2009-11-22T12:43:00.000-05:00

So I found these blend cards at Target, and decided to laminate them (since I figure I will be hsing forever: the kids say I am going to HS their future kiddos-not so sure, but I can pass them along) and decided the boy could cut them out. He is still in the throws of learning to read, so these will give him some nice, colorful flashcards to practice blending better, and this little project is a great break from the 3 Rs that go into his workboxes! My wrists have been stressed (causing carpal tunnel) and he likes to cut up stuff-so this is a win-win situation for sure.

I didn't come up with this stuff-but alas-something to tell ya about

2009-11-09T09:12:00.000-05:00

Teach with Games is a great site for downloading free games to pop into your workboxes. There are lots to choose from and they look nice and professional as well. Be sure to visit this site, as I am sure you will find something you can use to help your student(s).

I came across this when I read my newsletter from Homeschool Freebie of the Day . If you are unaware of the HS Freebie site- it is a great place to get free eBooks, and materials that are also excellent for workboxing and homeschooling in general. Every week there is something new. I just download them to a file and access them when I need to (because you can only get them for a short amount of time). All you need to do is fill out the info to get on their mailing list, and you will be able to access the material.

2 great ways to help stuff your boxes ladies (and gents). HTH you out!

November's ASK SHERI question

2009-11-03T17:19:00.000-05:00

OK, now this one (from my faithful askee from One More Equals Four) is a good question, and well, not so sure I have a good answer for it. So, I am asking for my fellow bloggie pals for some assistance. Please, if you have anything to offer up-leave a comment for all to read.

Here is her question:

In the past, I have traditionally graded papers as my kids have completed them and we immediately correct them. Today, our first day of all out "workboxing", the kids are turning in their papers in our basket. When I get to them, I am correcting them, but I am not sure how to deal with mistakes. By the time I have found the mistakes, the kids have moved on to another subject and I don't feel like I should break in to that subject, however, I have also promised them that when they are done, they are done. I hate to wait until tomorrow to correct the mistakes because I think the correction is good reinforcement and eliminates bad habits starting to form. What do you do?

My answer:

I have two different situations regarding the need for correcting papers-

First off, my second grader and I work on the more "challenging material" together, or within close proximity of each other-so I see any mistakes almost immediately. We correct on the spot. So I have yet to encounter the above issue.

But for my teen-that is a whole 'nother situation. I learned long ago [with my test subjects-kid 1 and kid 2] that they preferred to "correct" their work themselves. Now since "cheating" is unheard of here-no need or reason to-I would hand the TG to them to go thru their work, and correct as necessary. This little Test Project of mine proved quite valuable-since they saw the correct method, within moments of finishing their assignment, and they were able to make the necessary changes immediately. It also saved me a lot of work! On some things-I would go thru the work (such as tests or essays/research papers) but on the subjects that were more black and white-such as math-they could correct. So I am continuing this method with kid3 and in the future-kid4. Right now-my 10th grader has to turn in her science to the lady who teaches it at the HS group we partake in. The same goes for the Film Analysis course, and the Finance 101 class. So, I am off the hook there. As for history, Home Ec and various other things we are doing-I do not necessarily have to "rush" or quickly correct-it simply isn't necessary. I will just put it in a "correct this stuff" file for the next day-after the Bible lesson. She knows she needs to go thru the notes I made and fix the boo-boos. Easy as pie.

When and if I get to a situation where they need to have something correctly immediately, I guess I will simply ask the other student to hold off on what we are doing (if we are working on it together) or ask them to move to a box that they can work on alone-so I can go thru the material and hand it back for any corrections (meaning that that student will need to wait patiently whilst I do so-before they can move along to the next box).

I am actually looking forward to reading what others do-as I am just a bit unsure myself what is the best method. So dear friends-do tell!

Thanks!

This is an awesome way to layout your whole week's worth of boxes

2009-10-26T14:14:00.000-04:00

Love it!

Head over to Ginger Snap Shots to read about how she "tweaked" the typical schedule strip to set it up for the entire week. Now that is awesome. One would need a couple extra cards (for repeat activities) but that is no big deal-esp. if you enjoy laminating like I do. Yes-I am a laminatiholic, and proud of it.

Anyhoo-enjoy her great post and perhaps it may just be the answer to help downsize some of your work for the week!

What is in the Teen's boxes? Good question!

2009-10-24T13:52:00.001-04:00

So I have a lot of folks wondering what to put in the older kids' workboxes. This is a difficult problem because they most likely do not want to do "baby stuff" and yet, perhaps enjoy a few good activities that are not so academic like.

In general, my daughter (15) has set things she needs to accomplish and then we add when we can. She takes classes with our local HS group, so those assignments take top priority. Then I add in the things I want accomplished this semester and do my best to add the goodies.

Usual WKBX layout (Bible is the only one that consistently stays in the number one spot)

1. Bible (following Hewitt's Bible Syllabus and switch out couple times per week with Grapevine Studies on Bible Feasts and Holidays)

2. All American History Vol. 2-so we have a break down of a certain amount of reading and activity (sheets) and then add in a Civil War video (usually have her watch about 15-20 min worth each time to stay around the time frame of the reading information). Also add in President cards (found for a buck at Target this summer-I did laminate the flash cards to get more years out of em-but what I have her do is study the presidents up to where she is in the text...which right now is to Abe. Then she studies their years and order. I occasionally test her in the order and then have her tell me the years when she can recall them. I also have 2 books I add in at times-one really nice coffee table book on the Presidents-so she can gain even more insight about their life and times, and one on the ladies of the White House. I have her chose a gal that peeks her interest and read up on her. I am not looking to have her memorize it all-just be familiar with it. I will be adding in the timeline work soon-just haven't had the time to gather all the necessary items I want her to put on it (clip art, etc.)

3. Learning Lang. Arts thru Literature. Gold-Am. Lit. I add this in about 2x per week right now. We are just working thru each lesson (I add/delete the things we need/don't necessarily need to cover-), plus-Winston Grammar (refreshing her brain cells on grammar) and EDUDPS Write with the Best II for extra writing skills practice. 2-3x per week.

4. Extras: we are still working thru the Nutrition 101 course I received to review, so I will add that in 2x per week. I have her read the sections, do some suggested activities and make a couple dishes (when possible).
***German (right now using German in 10 min. a day) 3x per week

***also: 1 to 2x per week, I will add in her ACT Discover assignments (this is a cyber like career guidance program, so being that she is in 10th grade-this is a great mini-unit for her.

***then I add in the various fun stuff (will list later)

On top of that-she has a huge load to accomplish for her HS Group classes-so on Mon and Tues. (the days she goes) she will come home and start working on those items. The classes are Biology (using Apologia), Finance 101 (using several sources, including Rich Dad, Poor Dad), Film discussion, Painting with Acrylics and Quilting 101. So, using the teacher's syllabus' we work thru the assignments. The science takes a lot of time-so we have to slam down the majority of it early in the week. This means that usually until mid-Wed. her assignments from above (outside of Bible) are limited.Thurs. and Friday are usually almost all the ones above-then she wraps up any HS group classes.

I am finding right now-she is getting anywhere between 1-8 boxes. The assignments take more time, so I haven't wanted to overload her. Now, next semester-we will not be taking as many classes, so that we can get back into her subjects that we have had to way lay for a time-like One Year Adventure novel, she will have a math class (not doing anything now due to her taking the Finance one), and I want to do a geography study with her. Bible, History, Science and Lang. Arts will continue next semester too.

I have had a bit of time getting a handle on her boxes, since we just started using them, for her, this fall. Working around the workload of her classes, adding in the reg. ones we want to cover, and all the items we are trying to review for TOS, has not been easy-it is a juggling act for sure. So it has not been as ideal as I would like. I want to have neat and interesting things for her to do besides her reg. work-but time has been flying by and I have been dealing with a lingering lung/cough health situation that has been beating me up pretty good. I am praying Nov. will be more productive.

OK, now the fun stuff I have done so far. I have the Klutz fashion book where she designs clothes using their papers and accessories-so then I ask her to design an outfit or 2 and put it into her fashion folder (I have a pic of it in a previous post). I also have her do math puzzles and games (I have this hard one from the dollar store that is a wood puzzle that has to be put back in order to make it-not easy to do), math programs via the 'puter, puzzles (like a big world and continent puzzle), word searches, German worksheets that reinforce what she is learning in German, baking goodies, Spears Art Studio activities (see my blog on lapbooking, I just posted a pic of her Pointilla activity), she works on her drawing via her puter, Music CDs (she has a timer card for about 15 min. and a CD/player in her box), extra books I want her to read, her sewing assignment (I made a wee card that says for her to sew for 30 min.) and more. My brain is toast right now...

I am not afraid to add in younger things either-they are fun! Like the Rush Hour, seasonal crafts, jewlery making, clay crafting and she has been seen playing with Play Do still (uh, I am so guitly of this too, I simply love the smell-takes me back in time-and it is fun for a wee bit to create fun things using it :0) so why not?)

Well that is a bit of info on the teen's boxes. Like I said-once I get more organized and can focus more-I will have a better listing and set up going for her. Actually, I want to do a post about how to run the high school years more like how they do it in college. I am seeing more and more, that this is really a great way to approach it. But alas-that will wait until another time.

HTH

My Pal Honey at Sunflower Schoolhouse has a huge WKBX blog list and more

2009-10-24T11:49:00.000-04:00

Head here: WKBX Blog Roll to find even more fellow workboxing families and links to other resources for it.

Thanks for doing this awesome post Honey-saves me loads of time! :0)

2009 HS Blog Awards

2009-10-20T18:55:00.003-04:00

Well it seems there are some award opportunities for the HS bloggers out there. I have been nominating all of those that I can. Wish I could pick a few per title-but alas-cannot. Head over to Homeschool Post and vote for yourself! Blessings!

I am seeing that nominations need to be in before Nov. 9th-so I am guessing they need these in even before that point. So if you feel inclined to nominate some fellow bloggers-please do so.

Oh, and Learning Through Lapbooks (The Road Less Traveled blogger) noted their link is a dead one on their icon-so use the highlighted one. I haven't gone back there to see if they have that fixed, so you may want to copy/paste their direct addy to avoid this too.

What is in the Box anyhoo? This week?

2009-10-18T19:08:00.000-04:00

Well, we are currently doing this with the boy (2nd grade) (Not necessarily in this order, except for Bible, as we always start with that)...

1. Bible story and coloring sheet that matches the main story-every day

2. Math -Abeka 2nd grade (I will tear out the work page, add any necessary tag-a-longs such as a ruler or fraction puzzles, etc.) -4-5x per week

3. Beautiful Feet Early Am. History-Columbus (currently, just wrapped up Leif Erikson and Vikings)
So in the bigger bin goes: D'Aulaire book on Columbus, Meet Christopher Columbus, and other noted books, plus various notebook pieces, such as pics to color, maps to work on, etc. We are keeping a History Notebook that these will all go into. I do this about 3x per week. I am adding in videos from the library on Columbus and soon will have the Drive Thru History DVD to add in (one covering Columbus).

4. Apologia's Elementary Exploring Creation Through Astronomy. I am using that as the base text, then adding in Lapinder (lapbook/notebook crossbreed of the two) components. I found some thru the internet on the Notebooking to Learn (?) site, and the others using the Astronomy lapbook components I bought (will have to get the name of the company for ya-) . I have those preprinted, cut and ready to go-so I just toss in the ones that match the sections we're discussing and when he is done, it goes into a big Ziplock to wait until that unit is over-then we paste it into the Lapinder. 2-3x per week

5. All About Spelling, Level 2. I try to do this 3-4x a week. I have to put this in one of the first 4 boxes, otherwise he gets tired and his dyslexic brain does worse with reading/spelling.

6. HOP reading-Orange book and readers. I again, have to have this near the top. I do not make him read a lot (usually no more than 10 min.) because I have found he starts to really switch up and mix up words after about 10-15 mins. So I am working on adding longer periods as he develops. I will also have to add additional reading material by early spring. Right now between the HOP and AAS, he is doing pretty good.
4-5x per week

7. HW, Copywork -3-4 x per week. I use the Italic HW program Getty/Dubay but am trying to work in Barchowski's HW program. I need to print off more sheets-so right now I have him doing the ones that contain images with lines to help control and fine tune the HW skills. For the Copywork it is the Memorial Press series. I love this. He writes the material (which is on the lines above the ones he is to write on) and then draws a pic to match. I have him just about thru the first bk. It has big lines, so I am anxious to get him into book 2, with smaller lines to control the billboard sized lettering I see now and again.

8. Reading with me. Right now it is Ginger Pye. Usuallly 3x per week. We just pick a fun read that catches our fancy to add into our schedule.

9. Lapbooks. I try to find one that is similar to our current studies. But also add ones (like the Hot Dog one we just completed) that are not related-to help add variety. I try to do one per 4-6 weeks. Haven't selected one yet, but am thinking one on fall activities would be appropriate. Not sure yet. When we are doing it-I try to do it 3x per week.

Those are what show up in the boxes on a very regular basis-but I also add in ones that are a mix of things-like: (these go in where there is a gap, so not sure how often per week-varies)

Spears Art Studio projects, SpellQuizzer, 1/4 Mile Math, Jumpstart CDs, Center time (right now it is the Astronomy one), physical activities, crafts, doing the Pirate DVD (moves his body), Nature walks/studies, playdough time (very good for him), baking, DVDs that tie into our studies, extra reading books, music CDs, experiments (like just last week I put his little trebuchet in the wkbox with varying items like erasers, balls, a big plastic frog and turtle and had him fling them via the treb. He then took his tape measure and recorded their length of flight. I then had him graph those results the next day), various math, geography, and puzzle activities, games, painting, file folder games, and so on.

Found this at the Dollar Tree in that bin that is a mess of DVDs. It has the kids moving to follow the arrows-excellent cross brain exercises for dyslexics.

Plus, he attends a Fun with Physics class (this semester) thru our local HS group.

That is a minuete of what goes in our boy's boxes.

I will post the teens soon. My hands are tired and it is time to watch the DVDs I got thru the library on the Nat'l Parks.

Til next time-

Finally-I have been able to upload the documents for All About Spelling on Scribd

2009-10-18T11:44:00.000-04:00

I have these done for level 1 and 2 so far. Basically, I went thru each step, noted all the tiles, cards and other supplies you need per each Step. That way, you can fill the workbox with exactly those items-so you spend more time doing the lesson-and less scouring thru the goodies to find what you need for that lesson.

Sadly, they are not in the cute landscape layout that I originally designed them to be-as I think that was why I was having such troubles loading them. Well, they are there and that is the good part. Look for 3 and 4 soon!

These are all for Level 1

All About Spelling Level 1, Part I

All About Spelling Level 1, Part II (this includes the Step Cards for the WKBX).

These are all for Level 2

AAS Level 2, Part I

AAS Level 2, Part II

All About Spelling Level 2 WKBX Step Cards

Additional ASK SHERI post

2009-10-13T10:20:00.003-04:00

This one is too good to wait upon-so here goes:

dccd mom writes:

I just have to ask you how you use spray glue without making a huge mess everywhere. I'm having trouble getting my file folder games to stick to the folder, especially when I'm using velcro. The spray glue seems perfect, except that I make such a mess with it.

That is not a good situation. I actually try to laminate most of my games. I put them on to card stock, using a reg. stick glue-then laminate and (clear packing) tape them together. But those are only for the ones I will get a long time use from. The others, I usually use the double-sided tape (scrapbook isle in stores) or a really good glue (stick) but when I do the spray glue [and that is more for the lapbooks] I have found:

1. You need a bag of those cheap medical gloves-I am telling ya, that spray glue does go everywhere, and having to de-glue my hands is such a pain. SO those puppies are coming in handy.

2. You should have a cardboard box, or newspaper spread out before you spray. That way, you can lay down the material to be coated, spray and remove -with the over-spray stuck to your box and not you.

3. You need to hold the can far enough away, but not so far the glue is rendered useless because it dries before it hits the paper. Read the can and adjust as needed. I found that about 6 or so inches is best. Too much closer and it is overkill-farther than that-it simply won't get enough adhesion to stick nicely to your project. (and that is what I am thinking is the problem-not enough glue is on it to stick properly)

4. Remember too-you do not need to hold the button down and spray for an eternity (not sure if that is what is going on either). Quick sprays in a sweeping motion, over the item only, should do the trick. A couple swipes per item. That will help keep the mess of the over-spray down too.

I am thinking that if you are using Velcro for some of it-I would think those items would do better laminated, so the Velcro won't pull up on the paper, and so that your game won't be ruined.

oh, and number

5. When it is cold out-the glue will not hold properly. It has been so chilly here, that some projects I did this past weekend had parts that did not adhere correctly because of it-so I had to respray in the house. Not something I recommend, but a necessity if living in the North. This stuff stinks and is not good for breathing in!

6. When all else fails-use that clear Elmer's glue (sparingly) to adhere your stuff.

Well, hope this will give you some ideas to see if you can fix the problem.

Thanks for asking!

Won an award-awesome!

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My TOS Mate and bloggie pal, Tristan from Our Busy Homeschool gave me an award-only thing is I have to answer the questions with only one word. So I did, albeit hard for a chatty gal like myself. Anyhoo-I am awarding a couple pals too-so they get to copy the pic/questions too.

#1. Where is your cell phone? table
#2. Your hair? blond
#3. Your mother? wonderful
#4. Your father? helpful
#5. Your favorite food? pizza
#6. Your dream last night? baby
#7. Your favorite drink? latte
#8. Your dream/goal? secret
#9. What room are you in? bedroom
#10. Your hobby? creating
#11. Your fear? socialism
#12. Where do you want to be in 6 years? lecturing
#13. Where were you last night? home
#14. Something you aren’t? skinny
#15. Muffins? Cinnamon
#16. Wish list item? money
#17. Where did you grow up? varied
#18. Last thing you did? blogged
#19. What are you wearing? jeans
#20. Your TV? on
#21. Your pets? annoying
#22. Your friends? cyber
#23. Your life? amazing
#24. Your mood? melancholy
#25. Missing someone? yes
#26. Vehicle? notta
#27. Something you’re not wearing? pride
#28. Your favorite store? JoAnns
#29. Your favorite color? Red
#30. When was the last time you laughed? hour
#31. Last time you cried? days
#32. Your best friend? husband
#33. One place that I go over and over? insane
#34. One person who emails me regularly? Michelle
#35. Favorite place to eat? Barvarian

Pals I am awarding-

Lynn at Learning by Living

Maureen at Spell Out Loud

Bronwyn at Loving My Life as a Mother and a Wife

Leslie at Joyful Mother of 6

Debbie at Debbie's Digest

Confessions of a Homeschooler

The ABC Teach goodies I put together

2009-10-10T20:15:00.000-04:00

I am currently reviewing the ABC Teach online site for TOS. I thought I would share here, a few goodies I have put together so far.

First up for your viewing pleasure is the German reinforcement charts I found. They are actually worksheets, but being the workbox lady that I am, I found that by backing the two pages (one with the German names/blank spot for English names on it for the pictures; and one with both sections blank to fill it) that I could create a packet of laminated charts my daughter can use and reuse to practice those words. She asked for extra goodies to test her, and to help her remember the words-that are not a part of the program we use. Thankfully, ABC Teach has a whole section of great supplements for foriegn languages. I still have to print the flashcards, and more sheets like this-but it is a start. And I have a jump ring to add more as we go. It will add a little pizzaz in her workboxes.

Behind curtain number 2, we have this fine little package. Using the section on Mini Offices, I was able to download and print those things my son is or has worked on in math. Some of it is a bit advanced, but we will be getting there soon, so I put them in. There are lots to select from. I used your typical file folders, laid a sheet of trimmed color paper down first (because, if you read my Lapbook blog-this is something I do; as I feel it helps the material you put there POP out and become more noticeable. But if I had all colored file folders, I wouldn't necessarily have to do that.) Then I applied the charts and graphs that pertain to his needs. I used the spray can of glue and I am telling you-it is the only way to go with projects like this. I then did the middle section, then I spray glued the back side of that file folder, and stuck it to a new one. I can add many more as we go using this process. The Mini-Office idea is not new to the education world, but it was newish to me. I heard my fellow TOS mates discussing it before I had a chance to read thru Sue Patrick's WKBX book, and sure enough-thought it was a pretty good idea. I could have used one of these puppies whilst I was in school-including college! I will be making a language one as we go. Right now, it isn't necessary because he simply isn't at that point of a lot of grammar and the like. [*I let the boy sticker it up to make it "his"-and to fill in some open spaces.]

Now this set is for the boy. I found he was struggling to understand what a dozen, 1/2 dozen were. So I found these cool construction dudes/dudettes in the clip art section, along with the awesome signs. He loves this sort of thing-so I am running with it. I then took a few items out of the package of construction cut-outs from the Room Decor packet for teachers, that I bought at the Dollar Tree this summer. It had big orange cones that I really wanted to use, but there is only 5-so I am saving those for another game. I grabbed the 4 work zone cards, and one of the barriers to laminate and use. I almost bought the little cones that came in a packet of 25 and now regret not doing so. I will keep a look out, b/cuz I am thinking I could make a game board using them and with the signs and such-have a cute activity for him. I also used my MS Word clip art to find the clipboards. I printed all of that, plus typed up some cards for it. After he gets the dozen thing, I can just make new cards to address any issues that come along (I am already thinking of making multiplication ones and so on). The idea behind this game is that he takes his clipboard and chooses a card with work orders. It tells him how many signs need to go on 2 of the work zones. He then choses one card at a time from the sign collection pile. He reads what it says and if he gets to collect signs, he does. Other times he may lose signs that fell off the truck. After he gets enough signs to fill the order-he puts those signs on the appropriate work zone sign. When he completes his orders. He starts over again. It is that simple (and because the cards are broken down into numbers that all go into 12, and it says things like "pick a dozen signs" he is learning thru fun-what a dozen means). I can also have him do some other projects and activities that teach it as well-but this one is so personal and enticing to my ever loving construction boy.

There you have it-by using the components I found on that site, and with a few things I had laying around-I now have some more fun activities for our workboxes! Cool. One of the things I want to be careful of in regard to the workboxes/kids, is to not worksheet them to death. This site is very worksheetish by nature-but by thinking outside the worksheet zone-I came up with a few games and ideas that are less "just fill in the papers" or "keep em busy" type of work. I managed to create a few items which reinforce what we are learning, and still keep it from being boring. I am seeing a lot more I can do with their stuff. I hope to have at least a couple more posts before the subscrip runs out. So until next time.....

ABC Teach homepage

A different approach to those expandable file folders my daughter is using

2009-10-10T17:01:00.000-04:00

So I was using paper clips to attach the little notes and info cards for my daughter's workbox file folders-and grew very tired of the paper clips failing in their mission, the fact a lot of them would go MIA. Oh, and simply-the messiness of it all.
Then my brain had one of those light bulb moments. I grabbed my pack of library pocket cards I bought during the summer (of course, from the Dollar Tree) and spray affixed them to the folders-now I can simply slide the note in there. No more lost cards! The only problem with this is that the cards I use (except the long white ones and index cards) are a tad too wide. So I will simply run another set off and trim the closer to fit. I can still use these files for a lot of other things, once we switch to the shelving unit (when that is going to happen is a mystery).

Thought I would share that helpful idea, as I know a few of you are also using files/expandable ones.

I have some fun new items for the workbox to post

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but it seems like every time I think upon taking the pics and doing a post-I get sidetracked. Hate when that happens. Well, I will try to get to em this weekend. Stop by soon!

I follow Honey's blog: Sunflower Schoolhouse

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She has some awesome number cards, games and more-check her out!
This is a great place to stop by and pick up some needful goodies for workboxing!

Sunflower Schoolhouse

Garden of Ideas Meme-October

2009-10-04T12:13:00.001-04:00

For October, we're just going to be linking our blogs. We need to know who is out there, and so all you need to do is just sign Mr. Linky with your official blog addy-that is it. Well, if you could, please copy/paste the above Meme icon, and link back to here (http://www.ideas4theworkbox.blogspot.com)-so other fine workboxing families can find the roll call list too.

Thanks!

Time for another ASK SHERI

2009-10-01T17:53:00.003-04:00

My lovely bloggie pal, over at One More Equals Four has been asking some great questions, so here is her latest:

I am wondering how much time it took you initially to get organized and fully functioning with the work boxes. Did you ease into it or transition into it as you got things ready?

Here is my best answer-

Uh, well, ya see-I am still getting organized. This workboxing thing has become a new passion of mine. But that said-I am spending a lot of time organizing, and figuring out stuff because I am constantly distracted by new ideas on what to create to put into it! That is not the norm for most workboxing moms.

The actual set up took all about an hour (assembly and getting some numbers made) but from there-yes, that took time. Maybe the first month of using it was more involved in organizing, and switching around to find what worked and didn't. I didn't own the book [at the time] nor have the access to the downloads, so I had to make everything myself (time eater, but I enjoy doing it). Then what I did, was kind of organize as I went. I would figure out what I was in need of-then work on that. For example: I needed a place to put all these new file folder games, cards, activities so that I could find them asap and not waste time hunting them down-so I had to find some totes to store them. At times, I realized the need after I was setting up or putting things away (like I realized I needed a place for the kids to put their finished work, and another to put their non-consumable items) or a lot of the times I needed [and had to create] certain cards, center set ups and so forth. That comes thru use, which equals time.

What I realized quickly is that I couldn't get the main stuff together, teach, and do other mommy duties-without burning out like a bad TV sitcom. So I designated a week for prep. My hubby was home that week, so he was able to keep the boy busy (the others are older and can easily care for themselves) whilst I printed, cut, searched for ideas, printed again, cut, laminated, laminated, Velcro'd and added a whole bunch of "needful" things to my collection. Then I sorted, packed them in Ziplock bags, put em in specific totes (I have a tote for the Lapbook components we are going to study and another for all the File Folder games, and those type of goodies) and then stood back admiring my hard work. Uh, until I realized the classroom set up was not conducive to the new additions in the room, the boy's workbox rack and so forth. So gosh, I had to rearrange the area again (another weakness) but-I suspect after a lot of hours-I walked away satisfied.

Now I just add when I can-I like to keep an hour or so here and there during the week (nites) to find and print new stuff, organize things I need to finish; and then usually on a Sat. I will take an hour or so to figure out what I want to cover in the coming week. It takes me about 15 mins. to pack the boy's boxes (but a lot of times I pull it off the top of my head which makes that longer at times). I have to "think" and I am still working on getting the week ahead better scheduled to keep the time to pack down. Esp. for the teen. I had to wait tho on her b/cuz she has 5 classes thru a homeschool group and I needed see the syllabus listings first. So I am still figuring it all out, and taking more time for her-but about 15-20 min. usually.

You may find you need to take a couple full days to get all the cards, supplies and other such things organized and in place-so you can feel better and things will go more smoothly. Unfortunately, I cannot put an actual amount of time out there. Mostly b/cuz I am nuts and do all the extras and such. For a normal person-maybe a good week of intense work on it (not all at once) should do. With all the gals out there who are sharing their ideas and downloads-it is helping to save time "reinventing the wheel" with all those download and activity ideas. If you need time to get a good grasp on it-then perhaps just schedule 1/2 days for a week or so. Have the kids do their stuff in the morn...you work on tweaking the system in the afternoon while they play, do individual activities.

The second part of your question:

I started it with just 4-6 boxes for the boy. I was more interested in him getting used to how it worked, and what was expected of him. Then I could see what I needed to drop (amount of work in the box or repetitive things he became bored with) and then I also saw what I needed to add. I did put more fun things in than meatier stuff at first to "hook" him. But this child was one who loathed school at the ripe age of 7, so I had to make it a bit more of a grand time, than I would have for a child who didn't have such a disdain for it. My teen, well-I started her this fall and didn't "circus it up" b/cuz she is older and understands that she needs to complete certain things-but I did add in those fun activities we were missing, and it is going well so far.

I kept the 4-6 boxes (sometimes I did 8) for several months. Then I took the summer to think out and plan and create. We do anywhere from 6-12 but stay more at the 10-11 box level, and a lot of those have non-'R'R&'R material. On days I can see we're dogging it, I will just grab a few off the shelf and save them for the next day. Other days, we whip thru them and have the afternoon for lots of outdoor activities and such.

SO, eased into it thru several months of use, for the younger child; transitioned the teen into it in a week's time.

I haven't exactly answered your questions, because it depends on your child(ren), you and your time allowances. It is different than it would be for me. If you are feeling pinched-ease back and figure out what it is that is causing the stress-either eliminate that component or find a better solution. If the kids need to get used to this new system-wean em in. Do as many boxes as you think their age can handle, but do not feel you have to do all 12!! This is suppose to help improve and enhance the HS experience not kill it. You'll find the balance soon. It just takes time. Keep an open mind (and ya know-there are days we DO NOT do workboxes-yes!) Gasp! And go figure-we still survive-LOL!

Well, hope I helped give you some ideas. Hang in there, it gets easier as you get your "groove on" and the kids get used to the set up.

Another great workboxing blogger featured this week

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Look Who's Talking About Workboxes

This is sponsored by the Spell Out Loud blog. She has fantastic ideas for workboxing, schooling, scrapping digitally.

Take a peek at this week's featured gal: Sunflower Schoolhouse. I love the brick building cards they highlighted-great for my Lego loving boy!

Happy reading.