A new school year beckons, and about The Workbox System!

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Every year since I've begun homeschooling, I have found that spring has brought, along with the showers and blossoms, a community-wide feeling of "are we done yet???"  March comes, and I'm DONE, only we're not *actually* done!  It must have something to do with the end of dreary, cold days and the coming of sprouts and tempting beaches!  I tire of paperwork and waking the kids up every morning, telling everyone what to do all day long, etc. etc.  And I'm pretty positive my kids feel the same way (at least, that's what they tell me!)  The refrigerator is calling out for a good cleaning, as are all the closets, and the bookshelves runneth over with creased, mostly-used workbooks, broken pencils and crayons, and rumpled papers which haven't found a home.

And then comes May.  Something very interesting happens to homeschool moms in May, too, and there must be a diagnostic term for it somewhere.  All of a sudden, in the very midst of our intense desire to throw every book we've been looking at all year AWAY, we realize that in a few months, a new school year will begin!  A new year, full of promise and empty of mistakes and struggles!  A chance to change math curriculum, to try a new foreign language, to finally introduce art!  And we experience something similar, I believe, to what happens to a mom who's recently delivered a baby . . . a sort of teacher's amnesia.    Thank the Lord we do, because without it, we'd all only have one child, and every one of them would be returned to the local schoolbuilding in September.

So, as the new year beckons to me from across the glowing promise of summer break, I'm basking in the light of possibilities.  I printed out blank monthly calendars for the year last night, and they positively made me giddy, for heaven's sake.  I've got a few changes in store for the year.  For one thing, we're going to run a sometimes modified-six weeks on, one week off school year.  We'll take a summer break for about 7 weeks starting June 1st (the kids have camp on the week I wanted to start, so that was our first adjustment!) and then begin the new school year July 13th.  Somewhere in there, our new baby is expected to arrive, and then after 5 weeks we will hit my family's official "week of birthdays," where we have 3 all at once (and we will also need to go pick up Zachary from his summer trip to New Guinea!) so that's our first week-long break.  When it's time to start again it'll also be the first week of Classical Conversations for the year (aaahhh!  Providence!) so we'll go ahead and run right through to October, when we'll take another week off (and probably run north to see some pretty foliage!) and then we start again and go 'til the week of Thanksgiving. By that time, because we will have started early, we'll be done with the first half of the year--always my dream, and one we seldom manage to accomplish!  We'll break for ALL of Thanksgiving-New Years (no school at all in December--5 weeks, this year!) which is my very favorite thing to do. 

In January we start again with Classical Conversations and will run right along with their (new this year!) schedule of 6 weeks on/1 week off; we break for a week in February just in time for our anniversary.  The next 6 weeks takes us to the week of Easter for our next week-break, and the last 6 weeks leaves us all done with school by the 3rd week in May, which should put us right in line with our umbrella school's schedule for promotion/graduation.  I'm so excited about the way all the dates "just happened" to land--I think it will work really well for us.

One change I'm really looking forward to is something I first heard of from my dear friends at CC.  It's called The Workbook System by Sue Patrick, and is basically an organizational process for managing your children's schedules, papers, books, etc. all at the same time.  The idea is that you purchase/find a set of shelves and 12 bins for each child (she suggests a simple shoe rack and plastic shoeboxes, but many people have modified this idea in a zillion ways) and then fill them up the night (or morning) before each school day with whatever it is you want the student to accomplish. Each box can contain one of a myriad of things: a slip of paper that says "clean your room," a math workbook, a puzzle or craft to work on, a snack to eat, history book to read, or an instruction to "work with mom."  The ideas, of course, are endless.  The child can see what it is they need to do, as each box is numbered (encouraging them to work left to right and top to bottom--a "hidden" benefit of the system which is actually priceless for young ones) and you can see if they're done, too--the child simply removes and stacks both boxes and work as they complete each task.  Great idea, don't you think?  You can see Sue's website with an e-book to download explaining all about the why's and how's of the system (very important, in my view--I don't think you'd be as likely to stick with it without understanding all those why's) at http://www.workboxsystem.com/  and even order system sets from her if you don't want to make them yourself--laminated cards with numbers for the boxes, schedule strips, little pictures that say "Work with Mom" or "I need help" (only three, so they have to really consider how much they need your help when they use them!!!)  There are discussion forums with different tips and tricks and all sorts of things there, but I'll tell you honestly that this originating site is not quite as engaging or informational as others I've been introduced to--there just aren't enough pictures and real-life experience notes there.  So let me give you some good places to read more about what other moms are doing . . .

http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/LittleMen/669091/  Lots of great pictures at this one so you can get an idea of what it's all about

http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/walkingbytheway/674074/  Great ideas for using toys in the boxes as educational tools . . . on the right is a list of "wonderful workboxes" with links to various posts she's written about it!

http://blogshewrote.blogspot.com/search/label/Ideas%20for%20the%20workboxes?max-results=20

Again, lots of pictures and ideas for things to fill up the boxes!

http://www.ideas4theworkbox.blogspot.com/

There you have it; my organizational plan for next year.  I'm anxious to purchase my shelves and boxes (and figure out where exactly to put them, LOL!) and will be on the hunt at the fpea convention this weekend for lots of things to put in them . . . one of the great things I'm hearing about this system is that it helps you use all the books/toys/games you've purchased in the past and never actually USED, which would definitely apply to me!  My friends already using the system are swearing they're getting twice as much done in half the time--accountability for mom is another built-in benefit of the system.  Check it out! 

11:09 AM - May. 20, 2009 - comments {0} - post comment

Day 2 of 23-Day Back to (Home!)school Planner *free!*

*to read the latest Amazon River Team Updates, click here! http://teenmissions.com/summerteams/Teamreports.php?ActivitiesID=08027

Here's Day 2 with it's intro!

There's another important component to consider as we prepare to start a new school year.  Maybe he's your biggest supporter; maybe a grudging one.  But for whatever reason, he's agreed with your desire to homeschool your kids.  Maybe he's even the one who looked into it first and pushed you in!  Either way, we ought not start our school year without considering where he's at.  As my friend says about her husband, "Well, the kids ARE half his!"

I picked up a great book for my dh at the Florida Parent Educator Association's Convention this year called Help, I'm Married to a Homeschooling Mom!  The title says it all, doesn't it?  The author has a ministry called FamilyMan Ministries and it's fantastic; he focuses on encouraging dads to encourage moms (how about that!)  You might even want to order a copy of this book for your own husband; my own, who is not a lover of books, did read and enjoy this one and even signed up to receive monthly emails from the author! 

So, if you're ready for day 2's download, click below! 

*I think this somehow added a third page (which was unintended and so will come up blank) when I turned it into a pdf file; so just disregard it and forgive me--I'm new at this!*

http://www.shop-at-joes.com/Joe/hsb/day2of23daycountdownpdf.pdf

An interesting thing happened to me the other day at the mall.  My kids were turning in some used games from their PS2, and choosing some new ones.  They asked me if they could get "007."  I took a look at the back of the box, saw the scantily-clad women (surprise!) and said "Hey, is that how you want your mom, and your daughters, and your wife, to dress?"  L quickly shook his head "Nope.  Okay!" and headed back to the rack with the box.    The guy at the register was young; college-age, I'd say, and he had been listening in.  "I have to commend you," he said.  

   "Really?" I replied, surprised, and not knowing what he was referring to. 

   "Yes," he said.  "For being interested in what games they're playing.  Most parents just don't care.  And that's bad."

   I was surprised by his comments, not only because it was news to me that most parents don't care, but because he, as a college-aged guy (and I assume non-parent) DID!  Isn't that interesting? 

   I suppose none of you have kids who watch TV (insert chuckle) but mine are High School Musical fans.  Yes, we watched the 2nd one the night it came out (had a birthday party centered around it, even!)  We've been watching the tryouts on television lately, and I wonder if anyone else has been impressed with how much better behaved and self-controlled these kids are than the "adults" who regularly audition for American Idol???  Whew!

   21 days 'til we pick up Bo from Teen Missions!  I'm getting anxious to hear the stories.  That's the hardest part, I think; as a homeschool parent I'm so used to being part of everything he does and knowing where he's "at."  I believe they're on the river this week, and I know this is his favorite part--really being in the rainforest and spending time with the people who live very separated from Western civilization.  Hopefully we'll get a letter soon! 

   Tonight is my first meeting for Classical Conversations tutors, and I'm also very excited about that!  This is going to be a great year.

9:04 AM - Jul. 24, 2008 - comments {0} - post comment

The gift of encouragement

http://www.teenmissions.org

It's been an interesting week!  Hard to believe it's only been a week since Bo got home because so many thoughts have gone through my mind that it seems more like a month.  We've had many long conversations about homeschooling and his trip.  It seems there were lots of other homeschoolers on his team (about half the kids) and there were many conversations about the pros and cons of homeschooling (mostly the cons, apparently.)

He told me that the first few weeks were tough but things got easier as time went on and he proved himself to be a nice, funny, intelligent guy.  He made friends (one a cute blonde from Alaska!) whom he will probably have relationships with forever.  But the trip left him with the impression that he wished he weren't homeschooled because he was convinced that he was being slighted somehow.  Now, if there were ever a dagger to hit a mom's heart, that's the one to use!  I really, really wanted to know what it was he thought he was missing, and he couldn't really tell me.  The kids were saying "You've missed your freshman year, and now if you tried to go it would be harder to fit in."  His leader had the . . . mmm, lets call it audacity to be nice . . . to say to him, "Your mom is an idiot for homeschooling you.  You aren't getting a chance to make your own mistakes now instead of later."

???  Excuse me?  As if he doesn't make mistakes at home?  As if he doesn't have any interactions with other kids?  And he couldn't verbalize to me exactly what mistakes it is that he needs to make, either.

Sigh.  Life is not always easy in homeschool land, is it?  It's been a difficult week as I've attempted to process all these thoughts.  Enter the gift of encouragement.    I felt a bit despairing.  I knew I needed some seasoned advice.  So I sent out a note to several homeschool moms I know; a couple I know only through their writing and one I've had the privilege of meeting a few times.  And they answered!  They told me that no, it's not always perfect, and yes, it's usually hard.  They were able to offer sound, practical advice.  The listening ear, though, was what I needed most of all.

I want to encourage you to reach out when you need to!  Don't be embarassed to say, "Hey, I'm drowning here today!"  There's someone out there who's got a little more time under their belt, and that means they've been through those same feelings.  Reach out.  If you can't think of anyone you know, email me!  I love to encourage moms to stay the course.  You have to remind yourself of your goals, your call from God, your commitment to finish the race.  And don't get weary in well doing. 

The difficult thing I came to acknowledge this week is that homeschooling costs my kids something.  I do NOT like that piece of information!  And yet I do think it's vital for me to know and understand it in order to minister to my kids properly and with compassion.  Because I want them to know that most things that are worth something have a cost, and the payoff on the other end of this cost is going to be huge for all of us!  Seriously, the BIGGEST reason kids give for my kids needing to go to school is . . . lets all say it in unison now, ready?  SOCIALIZATION.  I guess I should have their dad take them into the bathroom, give them a swirly, teach them some evolutionary theory as fact, steal their milk money, and call them by a few swearwords.  Just kidding.  Sortof.  The thing those kids aren't old enough to have learned yet is that HIGH SCHOOL DOESN'T MATTER.  As in, one year after graduation (maybe sooner) they will suddenly look around and realize that the intense, dramatic social structure that ruled their lives that entire four years has strangely dissolved into thin air; any gains or status they had there are now useless; any perceived less-ness was only a vanishing phenomenon, and they have a whole new structure to deal with wherever they are.  I say my kids will be way more prepared for the real world by having strong roots, knowing who they are in God and our family, having a good idea of their own special bents and gifts and having a plan for their futures beyond who to take to the prom. 

Anyway, as I was walking and praying yesterday morning, it hit me again that they have all the rest of their lives after they graduate for their friends.  This time is all we have, though, to build our family.  These years will never come again.  I'm determined to make the most of them.

8:29 AM - Aug. 29, 2007 - comments {4} - post comment

Day 18 of 23-Day Countdown--Back to HOMESchool!

http://www.teenmissions.org

One stressor for most moms is figuring out what to make for breakfast, lunch and dinner.  Many menus that purport to "help" actually DON'T because they're not designed for families and your kids don't want to eat scallop kebobs or Thai turkey burgers or whatever great thing some gourmet grownup dreamed up!  Take some time today to think through the things your family enjoys eating.  You know what's next . . .Write them down! 

I've included my own weekly breakfast/lunch menus, as well as my list of 30-some potential dinners!  I've put these into a calendar form that I can use month after month--just post it on the side of the fridge.

Another great tip is to buy hamburger meat in bulk.  Make a couple of meatloaves, some meatballs, and then just brown some of it, put them in plastic freezer bags, and toss them in the freezer!  Do the same with boneless chicken breasts or even whole chickens, if you want to save money--throw them in a pot of water and cook them til the meat falls off the bones; then bag the meat pieces up in meal-sized portions and put them in the freezer too.  If you want really *tasty* chicken, though, drizzle the whole chicken or chicken breast with some olive oil, throw some crushed garlic on it and add a bit of salt and pepper and then roast the chicken instead.Instant chicken for chicken salad, chicken casseroles, etc etc!  A BIG time and sanity saver on homeschool days!

Here's the Day 18 download.

http://www.shop-at-joes.com/Joe/hsb/Day18of23daycountdownpdf.pdf

9:14 AM - Aug. 6, 2007 - comments {0} - post comment

Day 17 of 23 Day Countdown--Back to HOMESchool!

http://www.teenmissions.org

Like many moms I know, I don't do well at homeschooling when I know there are dust bunnies in every corner, science projects in the fridge, and avalanches just waiting to happen in the hall closet.  So for the next few days I thought we'd focus on getting things picked up in our homeschools! 

Everyone has to eat, so I thought we'd start in the cafeteria--oops, I mean in the kitchen!  Here's today's download to help you get started.

Remember--set the timer for 15 minutes, and take a 45 minute break between every activity if you can!  That way, you won't feel like it's really work! 

Tomorrow we'll finish up and consider our menus.  I'm going to share my monthly plan which I hope might be of help!

http://www.shop-at-joes.com/Joe/hsb/Day17of23daycountdownpdf.pdf

8:23 AM - Aug. 5, 2007 - comments {2} - post comment

Day 16 of 23 Day Countdown--Back to HOMESchool!

http://www.teenmissions.org

It's a lovely, rainy Sunday afternoon here in northeast Florida as I write this!  I *love* rain on Sunday afernoons; perfect for naps!

Today we're going to think about  Sundays in our own homes.  What do you want your  Sundays to look like?  What are your husband's ideas--what does he want to do on Sunday afternoons?  The kids?  How about asking God what He wants your particular Sabbaths to look like?

I'm convinced that Sunday is supposed to be different than other days.  And also that I want it to be everyone's favorite day of the week!  We can accomplish that by having special Sunday music, activities that are just for Sundays, or maybe with a church-wide Sunday afternoon tradition.  One popular silly tradition around here is cereal for dinner, LOL--passed down from my husband's family!  Maybe you want to do a fancy dinner on Saturday evenings, or have a picnic on Sunday afternoons, or invite people over every Sunday.  It doesn't have to be a big deal to be a tradition; it just has to be something you and your kids can count on.  Make up your own family traditions!  Make Sunday special.  Your family will love it.

Scroll down for any other downloads you'd like!

Here's day 16.

http://www.shop-at-joes.com/Joe/hsb/Day16of23daycountdownpdf.pdf

8:46 AM - Aug. 4, 2007 - comments {0} - post comment

Day 15 of 23 Day Countdown--Back to HOMESchool!

http://www.teenmissions.org

Today is (or was supposed to be!) a day to plan your schedule!  We can't accomplish all the great things we've thought up and prayed through without an hourly plan for each day of how to get it done.  Think it through and write it down!  That way you'll be ready to hit the ground running whenever you decide to truly begin your school year. 

Day 15 countdown is below!  And I'll get to tomorrow's much earlier--think I'll start now!

http://www.shop-at-joes.com/Joe/hsb/day15of23daycountdownpdf.pdf

8:06 AM - Aug. 3, 2007 - comments {0} - post comment

Day 14 of 23-Day Countdown--Back to HOMESchool Planner!

http://www.teenmissions.org

Here you go, as promised!  It came in just as I was headed out the door (thank you, Lord--and Joe!)  It's time to buy that fun stuff on your list.  Oh, and the not-so-fun stuff, too.  Hey, at the beginning of the year, it all looks fun to me!  My kids rejoice over "box day" when it finally arrives--that's the day our Sonlight is delivered.  Have your own "box day" when you unveil all the great stuff you've bought for your children, but don't do any of it yet--just enjoy!

Have fun shopping!

http://www.shop-at-joes.com/Joe/hsb/Day14of23daycountdownpdf.pdf

8:00 AM - Aug. 2, 2007 - comments {0} - post comment

Day 13 of 23-Day Countdown--Back to HOMESchool Planner!

http://www.teenmissions.org

For today, just finish sorting out your "stuff" and putting it up for sale!  Clear out those bookshelves!  You can do it!

http://www.shop-at-joes.com/Joe/hsb/day13of23daycountdownpdf.pdf

8:11 AM - Aug. 1, 2007 - comments {0} - post comment

Day 12 of the 23 Day Countdown--Back to HOMESchool! Get organized and sell some "stuff!"

http://www.teenmissions.org

We all have "stuff" in our homes.  Things that we don't love, that aren't sentimental items, and that we don't even really need.  Lots of it can probably be found on our school bookshelves!  So after you finish planning your materials for each course and student, today is all about clearing out your old "stuff" to make way for the new!

http://www.shop-at-joes.com/Joe/hsb/day12of23daycountdownpdf.pdf

8:11 AM - Jul. 31, 2007 - comments {0} - post comment

Day 11 of the 23 Day Countdown--Back to HOMESchool Planner!

http://www.teenmissions.org

Now we're down to the details!

I've got this laid out so we can spend today and tomorrow making lists of what we're actually going to *do* this year with each child.  What to use for history, science, math, etc.  Then we'll check our shelves to see what we've got on hand, and THEN will come the fun part--SHOPPING!  Which I plan to do on Friday, btw, if you need to prepare! 

One option to help you plan is to download HomeschoolTracker.  I have heard great things about this online, and downloaded a free edition of it at their website!  Just go to www.homeschooltracker.com  to check it out.  Also, The Old Schoolhouse Magazine included a disk of HomeschoolTracker as one of their free gifts this year.  If you haven't subscribed yet, do it as something for yourself!  Teacher training, you know!

There are also many paper resources for planning and keeping track out there; see www.rocksolidinc.com  for a few.  I've always just listed the kids' work in our Sonlight Instructor's Guides, but this year we're using the second half of Core 6 so I have to lay it all out; plus, there just honestly wasn't enough room on one sheet of paper for all the children running around here!  Got to keep better track for my high schooler, also.

Happy planning!  Please let me know if this is helping you, and also if you notice any mistakes!  I have noticed several typing errors, but I'm sure there are more as well as things I could've/should've included as I went along.  It'll be a group effort for next year!

http://www.shop-at-joes.com/Joe/hsb/Day11of23daycountdownpdf.pdf

8:26 AM - Jul. 30, 2007 - comments {0} - post comment

Day 10 of the 23 Day Countdown--Back to HOMESchool Planner!

http://www.teenmissions.org

This morning I actually got out of bed *and* the house before seven a.m.!  This was exciting to me, because since we stopped school in the spring I've been on a progressively later-waking-in-the-morning track that was bugging me.  I went for a walk for about 35 minutes (a couple of miles) because if I wait 'til after 7:30, it's too hot!  Getting in shape was on my list from yesterday.  :-)  I'm glad I'm learning something!

I hope you enjoy today!  If you've been stashing homeschool catalogs and magazines right and left all year, it's time to haul them out and mark down all your favorites! 

Day 10's download is below. 

http://www.shop-at-joes.com/Joe/hsb/Day10of23daycountdownpdf.pdf

10:20 PM - Jul. 28, 2007 - comments {1} - post comment

Day 9 of the 23-Day Countdown--Back to HOMESchool! And MY "Why We Homeschool" Declaration!

http://www.teenmissions.org

So, did anyone else enjoy thinking through and writing out your "whys of homeschooling" yesterday?  I'll admit I did mine over my morning coffee today because I was so busy running around yesterday, and really enjoyed it.  I drug out all of my scrapbook tools and made it look cute--actually I got a smidge sticker-happy and it's a bit busy, but it's done and permanent and cute--yippee!  I was trying to figure out how I could show you; maybe I could just take a picture of it and upload the file?  Anyway, here's what I came up with:

Why Do We HOMESCHOOL?

Because . . .

-We're commanded to "impress these words . . .on your heart and on your soul . . .you shall teach them to your sons (and daughters) when you sit in your house and when you walk along the road and when you lie down and when you rise up."  Deut. 11:18-19

-We believe that the right, responsibility and privilege of raising and educating children belongs to parents, not the state.

-We don't want our children's primary influence-rs to be people we don't know; nor for them to spend the majority of their day with their peers, because "He who walks with wise men will become wise, but the companion of fools will suffer harm."  Prov.13:20

-We can provide them with a superior education through one on one tutoring.

-We want to have as much time with our kids as possible, in order first to discern and then to prepare them for everything God has planned for them.

-We love being with our kids!

"The goal of our instruction is love from a pure heart and a good conscience and a sincere faith." I Tim. 1:5

That's it!  I'm happy with it, and it's posted on my fridge now. 

Okay; now it's time to GET SET!  We know where we are and we know where we want to go . . . time to figure out how to get there.  What about you, mom?  How are you (we!) going to take our personal goals and do something about actually reaching them? 

Here's today's download!

http://www.shop-at-joes.com/Joe/hsb/day9of23daycountdownpdf.pdf

8:23 AM - Jul. 27, 2007 - comments {1} - post comment

Day 8 of the 23 Day Countdown--Back to HOMESchool!

http://www.teenmissions.org

*Note*--Would you please leave me a comment if you're using this download?  I feel like I'm just throwing things out here, LOL.  Just a quick note would be great!

It's the weekend, and time for a little evaluation.

Why do we homeschool? 

If homeschooling is the best way to accomplish our goals for ourselves and our families we should be able to describe why.  Lets be ready to give an answer to those who question us.  . . including ourselves!   And that goes for nosey neighbors, doubting in-laws and cranky children, too!  Knowing your purpose can take you a long way in the midst of a difficult, ongoing task.

Today's download is here!

http://www.shop-at-joes.com/Joe/hsb/day8of23daycountdownpdf.pdf

8:48 AM - Jul. 26, 2007 - comments {5} - post comment