We use them intermittently, but that's kind of by design: the "workboxes" are kind of a placeholder for where we leave off since we don't "school" consistently. In that respect., it works well for us.
Quote:
Originally Posted by NaturalMamma  I could see getting tired of filling boxes, though if you're already planning your day/lessons, it's pretty much the same thing--just that it's all organized very visually. However, I don't want to become a slave to any sytem either.
|
Quote:
Originally Posted by kittywitty I keep quitting and coming back. First of all, I find them a pain in the butt to fill and it takes me forever at the only time of night I get sans children.
|
For me, it kind of forced me to plan and really think about what we were doing vs. trying to wing it all the time. PITA? Yeah, but then so is planning, IMO. Especially if you're relatively new. Over the course of a few months of filling these boxes, I had to actually sit down and align what I was putting in the boxes to some actual annual objectives. Homeschool Skedtrack helped me lay it out time-wise and resource-wise. Turns out, about half of the resources I had could go in the attic for the year. Bonus.
Quote:
Originally Posted by NaturalMamma After a child does the work of one box (for example, a math page in a workbook where the completed page remains in the workbook), where does the workbook go? Back on the book shelf with all other books? I am keeping books/curriculum currently in use in a different place than all the other reference type books. I'm curious how others organize their books and curriculum. For example, I have a bunch of reference-type science books and we're using Considering God's Creation for our science curriculum. I often refer to those other books, but I don't keep CGC mixed in with those books b/c it is our main book. kwim or am I confusing anyone?  |
We altered the system. We use this stack of 2" high, 12"x12" drawers & each has a little laminated color 2"x2" piece of paper that is velcro'd to the front of each drawer and the bottom 3 drawers have a 2"x2" paper with a pic of a mother and child, labeled "Work with Mommy" (also laminated). I put the work in the drawer and when he's done, he puts it back in the drawer and moves the color or the other label to a sheet on top of the drawer stack. I only put the little patches of color/labels on the drawers that have work in them. Mine reads, so I can often just give him instructions on where to find something too big for the box (like a puzzle). If we do a worksheet, I either rip it out or a photocopy it (so I can eventually use for his younger sister
).
So the finished work stays in the box. Then I can look it all over. We DID buy a folder for finished work, but that's not really working out for us.
All my curriculum/resource books are in a place the kids can't get at it. They don't need to touch them.
Quote:
Originally Posted by kittywitty Second of all, I am totally unimaginative at filling them. I see people fill them with all kids of cool activities, but honestly, to me it feels like busy work most of the time which is one of the reasons we don't go to public school. Some people can do it, I just feel like I am not one of those people.  |
I'm not sure if you mean that filling the boxes is always busy work even if it's "cool stuff"? Or just that you can't think of cool stuff and wind up putting in busy work? Or that the system is akin to public school in general?
One of my son's "box" items was to use his camera and a list I printed out (each letter of the alphabet with a line after it) to take pictures of something he could find with each letter of the alphabet. Busy work? I guess it depends on your definition. He has also had "assignments" that include drawing a picture of different animals in their homes and labeling them or collecting 3 different kinds of shoes in the house and grouping them based on what's similar (according to him--he'll tell me what the similarity is later) or using a particular item from his "instrument bin" to make 3 different kinds of sounds (that he'll show me later) and make up a song. Sometimes I give him some "ingredients" for him to create something (anything).
*I* don't find that stuff to be busy work, but again, that really depends on your definition. When I fill it with a dot-to-dot (to reinforce counting or counting by 2s or 5s) or a book to read or a puzzle to do, that might be by some people's definition busy work but I try to have a purpose to that stuff. I'm not a huge fan of worksheets, but my kid is definitely a "worksheet kid" (thanks preschool
). So we definitely do some of those. THOSE (to me) are definite busy work.
And the idea of my son actually having to be responsible (on some level) for his own learning is 1) an indicator to me of his motivation to learn at the moment (since I can't always "read" him right this way); and 2) a good habit for him to get into in terms of being self-directed and self-reliant.
hth.
I like it too.
