New scheduling system

So this week we started a new schedule/organization system. It's a variation of  a workbox system. Those of you who are familiar with maybe special needs classes might have seen something like it before. This is how we do it:
I make my lesson plans for the week, and then I break it down by task. Every assignment or task that the boys have is put into a ziploc bag, along with any materials they may need to complete it. Each bag has a number on it. Each of the boys have their own box where I put all of the bags for the day. Then I make them their own schedule.  They can look at it in the morning and know exactly how many things they need to get done that day. How long their schoolday will last is, for the most part, up to them. Some of the tasks are timed, so they each have their own timer. Each task has a "tag" on their schedule. Once that task is complete, they remove the tag and put it, along with the completed work, into my "in box".
Caleb was pretty excited about it because he has his own box! He is a hands-on learner a lot of the time, and loves it when we do something new! Josiah doesn't display much emotion over anything, but he seems to like it. I set up a week's worth of bags and schedule at a time. That way, everything we need is together and ready to go. So far, it has made the school day easier because the boys don't have to wait for me to gather supplies or get the next assignment ready. They can just move from one to the next.

As with any new thing, it seems to be going really well. I'll let you know in a few weeks if it still works. Haha!

bags of assignments

daily schedules

boxes

Here Goes Nothin...

So, here I am, NOT a writer, by any stretch of the imagination but, I decided I'd share my adventures with everyone.
We are fairly new to homeschooling this year. We had a "trial run" a few years back with just my middle child but, weren't really "homeschooling" - not like we are now. I have one in 6th grade and the other is in 4th this year. We started thinking about schooling at home about this time last year when it came out that my fourth grader was having trouble in the classroom. I love how the teachers always say, "it's fine, he's doing good", and then it comes out halfway(or more) through the year that he's really not doing good and now they don't know what to do with him. He's NOT a bad kid, just needs one on one attention to help him focus. So hubby and I talked it over and prayed and decided if this is what we were going to do, we were jumping all the way in - head first! My oldest was "iffy" about it at first but, warmed up to the idea. Now they both love to tell people they are homeschooled.
 Our style is what you might call eclectic, as is our curriculum. We are taking a little bit from here and there and putting it all together. So far, we are loving it! I'm in the process of ordering a few things curriculum-wise, especially for my 6th grader. That kid is so smart. The main curriculum we've been using is a unit study. However, he knows most of the subject matter it covers so, I've had to stretch to find things for him to do with it. My method isn't perfect but, they are learning. That's the great thing about me being the teacher/administrator, I can change things around if it's not working. I don't have to wait for a meeting to "come up with a plan", and then wait another month or two for that plan to be implemented. If you have a chuild who has needed help in the public school system, you know what I'm talking about!


So here we are, learning as we go! It's 8:45am, and my boys are still sleeping...and I love it!!!