Our Modified Workbox System

Ready or not, August is here.  All month long I'll be writing posts about what we are doing to be ready for school.  Today's post is all about our version of Sue Patrick's Workbox System.  If you're not familiar with the Workbox System, it is an organization and teaching system that allows your children to work more independently.  There is much more to her system than I will cover here, so if you want more information you can search Google, or buy her ebook.  However, let me give you a brief overview.

You start with some sort of cabinet or container for each student.  It can be a set of shelves, an organizer drawer set, or in our case a portable file box.  Within that container you have smaller containers for each class that student is taking. For example, if you are using shelves, you might choose to use plastic shoe boxes for each class.  If you use an organizer drawer set, then use a different drawer for each class.  Since we use a file box, we have one hanging file for each class.  I know that sounds a little confusing.  It's not complicated, just kind of hard to explain.  Let me show you.  Here is my daughter's workbox, and each of the files for her classes.

Each day, I only put that day's classes in the box.  So, if she only has math & social studies on that day, those are the only files in her box.  Within the files is that day's work for the class.  I include everything she needs so that she can work independently and not loose focus because she has to find her textbook, manipulative, or any other material.  I also include an instruction sheet so that she knows which pages to read, what problems to solve, etc.  (Tip:  I use blank transparency sheets for my instruction sheets, and write on them with Crayola Dry Erase Crayons so they are reusable.)  Here is what is in my daughter's social studies folder for her first day of class; it contains her textbook, workbook, lapbook, and instruction sheet.

Notice that there is a cute little decorative label clipped to the front of the file.  I made these easy to remove in order to boost her sense of accomplishment.  We have a ribbon with paper clips hanging on the wall at my daughter's desk.  As she completes each class, she hangs the label on the ribbon as a visual reward for finishing the class.  This makes it very easy for her (& me) to see what she has done, and what she has left to do.

I hope this helps you understand the Workbox System and how you can customize it to fit your home classroom.  It does take a little bit of time to set it up for each day.  I usually get the next day ready after the kids are in bed each evening. However, it saves even more time each day because everyone knows just what to do, and has all the tools to do it.  Next week, I'll share how we use a block schedule to stay focused.

Karissa