Our Classroom

Yes, I know...it's been awhile.

It took us a few weeks to figure out how to use the workbox system efficiently, but I am happy to report that it is working GREAT!!! Bella loves that she can quickly see what is expected of her everyday. Savannah just loves that she has lessons this year. Gotta love that!!!

Since starting in May we've studied the United States, Canada, and Mexico. Amazing what I am still learning haha!

I've been asked a lot lately about our organization system. Here are some pictures of how we transformed our dining room to our homeschool room.

Our old kitchen table serves as our classroom table. Then, I have a small bookcase to house all of my teacher guides and lesson plans. It also holds some of our favorite games. Then, since we are traveling around the world this year, we have a large classroom map on the wall.





Workboxes:


We now have a dry erase board on top of Bella's workbox cart. If I need to write down any information as to what she is expected to do in any specific drawer, I write it there.




Then there's my teacher cart. LOVE that thing!!! There are ten large bins and six small bins inside the A-frame. I store pretty much everything in the cart: resource books, art supplies, manipulatives, paper, paint, etc... The front of the cart has a large dry erase board, and the backside has pocket chart hooks. We used to hang our calendar on it, until we decided it was just easier to hang it on the wall.







Lastly, here is one of my favorite classroom resources. This is actually an item I took the lead of creating during my time in the marketing department at ETA/Cuisenaire. It is called the ClearVu PaperSaver. It's essentially a glorified sheet protector. The sides are stitched up about halfway so that you can easily slip a sheet of paper, reproducible activity page, etc. inside, and then use either dry or erase markers or crayons on top. Savannah is the one who uses it the most, as she uses it for her spelling lesson.



Monday we are "flying" to South America. I am planning to add some action shots of the girls at work next week.

Until then...
Melissa

A New Year is Underway!

After 3 LONG weeks off we started our new year of curriculum today. The girls were so excited to start their new lessons. Here is what we are learning:

3rd grade:
- My Father's World, Exploring Cultures and Countries (for bible, geography, science, reading, writing, art)
- Abeka Arithmetic 3
- Abeka Language (only using for grammar)
- Abeka Health 3
- Spell to Write and Read

Kindergarten:
- My Father's World, Kindergarten (for bible, science, art)
- Houghton Mifflin Math for K
- Alpha Omega Horizon Health for K
- Spell to Write and Read

Pics to follow tomorrow!
:-)

Our Workbox System

So we are newbies to the workbox system. After much research and blog stalking I finally mustered the courage to attempt our own workbox system. They arrived last week and right away I got to work on them. First up, putting them together...see how nice they look?

I love how they are "kid-size" and I like that they have a nice top to them. I plan to have a basket for them to put their completed work into.

Then I had some fun over at Kinkos (well, WE had fun didn't we Lisa?) where I laminated all the printouts. The templates were courtesy of Mama Jenn over HERE.

Next was an ever-so-much fun evening of cutting out circles, cutting velcro, and affixing the velcro to the circles and bins. Here are some pictures of a typical workbox system (only numbers). Each child is color-coded: B has blue circles, S has pink circles, and H has purple circles.

Of course, anyone who knows me knows I'm atypical LOL. I decided to add subjects directly to the bins so that I can easily see which subjects were done/not done. Plus, I feel that will make filing the drawers each evening that much easier. So, here are a few pictures of what I came up with.

Here's one of the drawers:

The way we will be using this system is as a drawer is completed, the child will put the number from that drawer on their workbox ring. They will then move onto the next drawer, unless there is a circle on their ring indicating they do something else (ie. have a snack, practice piano, lunch, etc.). Do you see that 4th card on the ring? That would be a chore chart....heehee! I have several jobs in mind that I plan to add to the girls' rings each day. Savannah was very excited to learn she has jobs. Bella, on the other hand....less than thrilled.

This system will allow my independent worker (B) to always know where she stands as far as the school day, my sensory child (S) to feel like there is order in our homeschool day (something that is very important to her learning style), and my always on the go preschooler (H) to start focusing in on some structured activities. My next week or so will be filled with organizing each subject so that when we begin to start back on lessons (sometime around the first week of May) we will be able to easily implement this new system.

Stay tuned for information as to which curriculum we've chosen for our 2011-2012 school year!

Melissa

Why, you ask?

I thought it would be appropriate to begin my blog by explaining why we chose to homeschool. Homeschooling was always in the back of my head as something I wished we could do. I just never dreamed it would become a reality. We mistakenly put our trust in the school district to educate our oldest two. 'B' survived 2 years while 'S' was there less than a school year. 'B' is super smart. She is social and really loved going to school...until she started getting into trouble. Since she was ahead of other classmates in many subjects, she was prone to talking, doodling, etc. to help pass the time. Even library trips were no longer fun because her teacher could only allow her to choose from the leveled readers set aside for her grade level (her teacher said this was protocol per the principal). In first grade she was already at the reading level of a third grader. I laughed when her teacher said she tried to resolve the situation by giving her extra worksheets as "busy work". How would that help when they weren't anymore challenging than what she was already doing? On the other hand...'S' entered into the public preschool program (at the same school as 'B') because she was in their Early Intervention Program. 'S' went so she could receive speech and occupational therapy. Being in this program also meant that she would be in a preschool classroom for 2-1/2 hrs per day. Not the best situation for a chid with sensory processing disorder! I learned after months after her being there that she was still requiring extra help from OT because she was having a hard time being around the large group. She was missing out on opportunities to learn because she was spending her day in the therapy room. When she wasn't in the therapy room and it was a loud situation, she would wear headphones to block out some of the noise. How could she possibly learn in that situation? She obviously was not because after months of being there she still couldn't tell you A from B. While both girls' situations were different, they both show areas that school districts lack. I know that teachers have to teach to the majority, so I can see their point-of-view (it was explained to me by both 'B's teacher and the principle). I am thankful that I can take my children's education into my own hands, and create a fun, challenging, rewarding schooling experience for them. Oh, and to the principle at the school who told me that we wouldn't be able to do it by ourselves, that we would fail to find a curriculum that would meet each of their needs, that I couldn't do it with my brood (yes, she used the term BROOD for my 4 girls!), and that she would see us in the fall...I DON'T THINK SO!!!!!!!!!! Melissa

Homeschooling Isn't...

The same kids...in the same room...doing the same thing...at the same time...in the same way...to achieve the same results...because they are the same age. Stephen Moitozo