The ABC Teach goodies I put together

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

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.

Time for another ASK SHERI

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.

In/Out Session Center cards

Here is another part of the WKBX system that still has me wondering...the jury is still in deliberation regarding the necessity of them for my children [again folks-this is a personal decision and must be based on your child(ren)'s needs/learning styles, etc.]. I decided I wanted to do something else, a bit different (again) than what is included in the purchase of the book. I like graphics that are bold and colorful, and when I stumbled upon these in MS Word, I saw the potential for the Session cards. As a part of the review process, I truly want to try all the different ideas/components of the WKBX system, and so I broke with my normal aversion to such things, and made the kiddos a set each.

I loved the color and images and didn't want to "cover it up". One of my fellow TOS Mates mentioned she used clear packing tape to create a pocket-well, that got me to thinking!  I had accidentally run an extra laminating sheet thru the machine and so I had a whole big piece of see-thru possibilities right under my nose. I simply cut to size the section I needed to create a "pocket". Then I used my ever trusty clear packing tape to secure it.  I also cut a strip of cardstock to make the background base for this, added an extra cooridinating piece of cardstock for drama (scrapping skills coming thru here!) and print out of their names (which are blocked out) to pull the Session Center together.  When I originally created the cards in Paint-I didn't realize the size!  Oi!  SO when I went to print-they were pretty large-I have resized them now. Not being one to waste good ink/paper, I worked with what I already created.  So they are big (about 4" across)-but maybe that is a good thing-they certainly cannot claim that they can't see 'em!

Here is the boy's....[clarification-the In/Out cards are separate pieces I glued back-to-back before laminating...but I suppose you could have 2 cards instead-I just didn't want to make another area to store them-hence the flipper-over card.]

Uh, it is not hanging crooked on the wall-for whatever reason, guess my angle, it just appears to be so. I have these right next to the chart to hold the WKBX number cards (ones that come off of the boxes)-so it is very visually noticeable!  

So if you decide to go this route-I will try to get those downloads up soon-for whatever reason, when I go to upload I am not seeing them-and I know they are there! Oi. Otherwise, making your own is easy too. I have a few different backgrounds made up for different tastes...look for them soon (I hope).

Daily Planner strips for workboxing

Because I designed my number cards and such, before reading Sue's book, I cannot use a lot the ones found on her site. I can use some of them, but the schedule strip is not sized to fit my cards. So it was much easier, and more economically sensible to just create some Daily Planner Strip [my name for it] that would work with what we already had. Therefore, I have my version of this idea and wanted to share. Now, I want to point out, that I still believe you should purchase the book in order to truly understand her system, and to also gain access to the various downloads she provides.

Here is a pic of what one sheet looked like a few days ago. I can put the "Do workbox number ..." on the strip as per my layout for their day, along with any thing else that would be a good break of activity for them. I also created the "Do wkbx number" cards (download link in side bar) [please note this is not exactly like Sue's design...I chose to switch up some components because I know this style will work better for my kids-so you will have to figure out which version will work best for you]. I simply chose 2 different card stock colors to separate the kiddos and then a coordinating color for the cards. The other activity cards fit fairly well in the sections-and those I really, really use a lot I can resize and reprint. The dish holds the cards once the task is complete (I have switched the boy to a small box-for safety reasons-but you get the idea). I hope all the sections are the same size in the download (looks to be), if not-I guess one will just have to tweak it a bit to match-it is sorta hard to get them exact...but hopefully, that will not be an issue....

I initially bulked at this component of the system, so I am still not sure if I will continue-or drop the idea.  For the boy-it was kinda nice.  He liked it; and it offered me room to put a few extra things on it.  For my teen-she may buck it like a wild Mustang.  I will have to see how it goes next week, when I start her on it.  It may be a blessing, and help her focus on getting a bit more organized-we'll see.

So there ya have it...my version of schedule strips.  Nothing earth shattering by any means-but for those with larger cards, it may help you out.

Vikings Game

Here is the Vikings game I mentioned in the previous post.  The timing for finding this could not have been better.  I chose to print the Bk/Wht version.  I then sat and colored it all nice and perty...and when folks ask why I seem so young for my age, this is the reason I give them:  because I still love to color like a kid (keeps ya young I tell ya!)....so anyhoo, I glued the panels down (using that spray adhesive-that stuff is totally awesome and I am not sure why in the world I haven't used this sooner-it is getting its own post soon!) to card stock, laminated them, and used clear packing tape to assemble them into a board (and it still folds up to a smaller size for easy storage).  I then raided the Pictionary game for the pieces (I am looking for little ships or something Viking related) and pulled a couple spare dice out of our math cabinet and went to town. It is fun!  We also watched a Viking DVD (so that went into one box) with some popcorn, and this will continue to visit our workboxes until we move on to another subject.

You can find this beauty for free (well the components-) at Ellen McHenry's Basement Workshop site.

Brain Hat

OK, found this because one of my Most Helpful TOS mates and Team Members, Debbie posted this on our TOS Crew forum...you can download and do this fun activity too at Ellen McHenry's Basement Workshop site (I will post the Viking game soon).

All I did was copy off the hat pattern onto card stock, add some scissors and tape, and coloring pencils to his box; and whallah, this is the end result. NOW I did get the biggest chuckle, because she stated that hat is a one-size fits all. WELL apparently she hasn't met my big headed children! LOL!! I mean, my kids noodles are huge (and I should know-I delivered those bowling balls) and I must say-it does not fit all. We were laughing so hard we about burst. But the activity was fun, and it will provide a great visual for the areas of the brain study. We actually did this for a part of the Nutrition 101: Choose Life! eBook we're reviewing.
Sissy chose to forgo the photo shoot tho-hmm, wonder why?

He looks like some cartoon character-some alien hybrid! ROTFL here!


Thought you'd appreciate a chuckle today and a link to another great site!

Solar System Center Set Up

I picked up one of those Tri-fold Display boards from JoAnns a few weeks back-so I could put together an area for all the space material I have been collecting. We will be starting our Apologia Exploring Creation Through Astronomy (Elementary level) this Monday. So in honor of our year long study of God's ultimate creation-we're decorating the room and setting up the board with activities. I also bought some space things from Target before the school rush started. I was able to get a pack of Space cards, a space write on board, and a workbook for the boy's level (I am tearing out various pages of that and putting it in the center for him to do over the course of the study). To go with that, I have a great Solar System set I bought when I started schooling the kiddos-so it is about 15 years old-and still going strong. It is so big-I have to put it up on the wall. I will put up a new one when we come to that planet. I have the sun up as of now-even though we won't be studying that until next week (there is an intro chapter).

The workbook, and cards I mentioned. I actually cut up the cover of the workbook for the pocket picture in the center :0)-it looks cute up there. The boy approved the look-so all is good.



The center still needs one more section. I have an idea of what I want to do with that blank area near the top-but have to find the goodies to do it. The planets on the bottom are from a poster set I bought from the Dollar Tree (so is the info on the planets)-so I cut them up and laminated them, put Velcro on the back and so when we study that planet, I will put the thing in his workbox, and he will know to put it up on the board (I have em all up there for the picture). The flash cards are being used in the 2 pockets. I will change out and add the appropriate cards as we are learning of it. Again-the side sections are that other poster I mentioned. I decided to cut it in half, to fill those areas as well. So that is our "Fold It Up and Put It Away Space Center".

Math projects for Elementary students

I cannot say enough about this awesome site! Home Education Resources has some fantastic downloads for way cheap! I mean the fraction tarts were like a buck 50! And it is very well done. So, I bought it, printed and laminated them, and now it is ready to go into the boy's workboxes, when we start the ole fractions in math. You can find a ton of really cute and fun activities at the Home Education Resources homepage. The donut one (under language) looks soooo cute-unfortunately, it is below my boy's skill level (I forgot about this site until just this spring-so I missed my op to use that one). These are copyrighted products, so please honor that.

UPDATE:  looks like the donuts and the pie fractions are no longer available. I am so bummed but there are new items on her site.  If I find anything similar I will post about it.

I dug this little sweetie out of my collection of stuff.  It is a set (there are 10 of the 100 boards in there, I gave some to my friends, but I also let the kids write on a few (so we're down to 4 good ones). It has the 100 boards, and all the number tiles to do several different activities to teach many skills. Obviously, laying the tiles from 1-100 is the main one...but there are activities in the booklet that teach place value, patterns and they can even turn the tiles over and build pictures on the board too. I bought this when I first started homeschooling-WAY back in the early nineties. They still make it-but you have to buy it thru someone. OK, I see this company has it for $27ish Teacher's Paradise, but it says out of stock. I suppose you can do a more thorough Google search if it interests ya. I actually do not see any problem with a person making their own 100s board and then making the number cards too.

Well, anyhoo-these are a couple more math ideas.

Workbox card ideas

For my teen-I found these two pics in catties and cut cut and glued em to an index card-then I laminated it, so I can reuse it all the time. Right now-I am not using the BFB program because we were quite fortunate to receive the All American History II from Bright Ideas Press, to review-so that is what we'll be using as our backbone in history for her this year. I haven't made a card like that for it, because it comes with tear out pages for the student (which go into her folder workbox) and then the for the text reading-I am using one of the Post It notes that are laminated (found on yahoo group). I am still in the process of making more-amazing how these "to do" lists keep growing!

This is the Holding Station set-up. You can download it here: Holding Station File, or you can find them in the file section of the Yahoo group (Workboxes Group, I think). The Lego looking dude card goes in the workbox. The student then knows they have to go to the Station to pick up their stuff. It is kinda like going to the post office to collect a package. There are 6 cards/station number cards in the set. I am using 2 12x12 clear paper holders I found at the local JoAnns store (scrappin isle). And the smaller box right now. I am going to get a larger box (for number 3)-but alas, just haven't gotten around to it yet.

The super-sized games can fit into the 12x12 holders, along with a lot of those big things that just cannot fit in the regular-sized boxes. I also created cards with pictures of the actual games we own. I simply found the pics on line, and made them into a card. One can also just use a pic they take of the games as well. I then added a dot of velcro under it (after laminating) so I can stick a timer card on it too. Then the student knows they are to play that game-so they simply go collect it (from wherever you store them) and comes back to play. I put a timer in the box too-it is too easy to get carried away in the game and lose track of time. I like to save games for closer to the end of the assigned boxes-it proves to be a great motivator!

Hope these ideas help you out!