Like everything I have tweaked the workboxes to the point where I am finally confident and happy :) I have also added in a filing system to help me keep more on top of things ala the well trained mind forums. So here's the details on my new system!
First off I went out and bought 2 ten drawer carts from sams club which are PERFECT for workboxes and only cost 29.75! The best part is they look nice too since they are in our greatroom.
The two desks are vico desks and are AWESOME! They are adjustable size so they will grow with the kids. On top of each drawer cart I have an accordion file that matches each kid's color. I will explain the use of the accordion file further down when I get into filing. On the right side of each cart there is a hook that I hang the workbox tag schedules on. If you haven't read much about workboxes yet then the way it works is, as a drawer is completed the number tag is removed and then put onto the schedule tag. I should mention that I used velcro sticky back dots on the front of each drawer, on the schedule cards and on the number tags themselves. This way the tags can be moved around as needed. Each child gets their own color and I print them all out on construction paper and then laminate them. For the schedule cards I then hole punch the top corner and put a binder ring through them so they can hang off the cart.
Now I also have a set of orange tags that are activity tags and can be used by anyone. I keep these tags in a pocket chart on my wall. They have subject titles, activity names like reading or math game, work with mom, snack, play outside, library trip ect. I can put these up on the boxes to the right side of each drawer where I have another set of velcro dots, or I can lay them in a drawer.
Then there is the third and final workbox station which is used for everyone. It is a shoe rack from target (which was the original workbox idea described by sue patrick) On the top shelf of the cart I have two sets of sterilite drawers, on the other shelves I have shoebox size sterilite boxes. I keep games and other activities inside of these (scroll down for pics of examples of what I put in there) For those of you who are curious folk like me the colorful drawers to the left are filled with my insane collection of math manipulatives :op
Here you can see examples of what I keep inside my drawers:
Mighty mind
Matching pairs puzzles
think fun games
we have singapore math in my older DS's workbox
Tot tray idea drawers for the 16 month old:
home made going fishing set
crayons
beans transfer activity
Now we'll get into the filing that really makes this system work awesome for mom. I have two crates ( I may change this to one crate for child down the road), split between the two crates are 36 hanging files. In each hanging file there are 3 folders ( one for each child) on each folder is the number of the week written in the child's color. This 36 week system matches up perfectly with my Sonlight IG as well as many of our other curricula that runs on a 36 week schedule. NOTE we do school year round so at the end of the 36 week we will take a week off so I can get the new stuff prepared and filed. I have two un-numbered hanging files in the very front of my first crate. One is for mom stuff, the other is anything from the workbooks I needed to keep like instructions or whatnot.
Now to coordinate with the workboxes more and to just make things even easier I bought the previously mentioned accordion files in each child's color. On the weekend I will pull out the upcoming week's folder from the filing crate and file it by day into the accordion file. Now each night all I have to do is pull out the next day's stuff from the accordion file and put it into the workboxes!
Now what goes into the files you ask? Some have asked about separating and filing away the IG pages but I don't do that as it already matches up. I just use the numbered weekly tabs from Sonlight and that makes it easy peasy to match up to my file numbers anyway. What I file is workbook pages or consumable pages. I sit down and tear out all the workbook pages during my prep stage and file them by week using the TM or SL IG as my guide as to what is used when.
Another thing I have added but can't picture yet (they haven't arrived yet) is the addition of library pockets to the front of the files. I grabbed 4 packs of 50 library pockets off of Amazon for CHEAP! I will put these onto the front of my folders. What do I plan to do with said pockets? One pocket will be for a book list so we can track the books read that week. the other is for a schedule card that I can fill in with anything we did orally or that does not have a consumable. We do portfolios in my state and this will make it much easier to show what we have been doing. The book lists also make it easier to get those books ready for the boxes for the coming week!
Here are the daily schedule cards. I got them from DIYplanner.com they are 4up 3x5 index card size. I print them on cardstock then cut them to size. I print them front and back 2 I get 2 days per card.
Now as each day is over I put the work back into the file for that week to keep for portfolio review. NOTE I don't keep ALL the papers but only some which best illustrate our progress and what we have done. When the year comes to a close I will put the papers all together and bind them with my zutter bind it all into a neat little keepsake book. This will keep it all neatly together for the portfolio review as well as make a nice keepsake for my DC.
So there it is my system and plan in it's full glory :)
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