First Day With Workboxes - A MAJOR Success!

We survived!! Honestly, we did more than just survive, we really enjoyed our first day back to school! The boys both LOVED using the Workbox System and I did, too! Our day wasn't as smooth as it eventually will be, but things will fall into place as we all get used to doing things in this new and exciting way, I am confident of that!
Our day started with a special breakfast of cinnamon twists with icing (usually we have cereal or oatmeal). We all enjoyed them, especially Joey!

While they were waiting for me to clean up after breakfast, I found the boys perusing a book: Ripley's Believe it or Not - Encyclopedia of the Bizarre.

I LOVE that they got out a book instead of turning on the TV. I think it had a major influence on the fact that it was not difficult to get them to come to the table to start lessons. I had them use their "Clock-In" cards to start the day.

We started our school day with Morning Group time. We said our pledges, prayed, sang a Bible song (Trust and Obey), and had our Bible lesson together.
After that was done, they started their workboxes! Here are a few pictures of them working throughout the day...
 




Obviously, all these pictures were taken while the boys were doing independent activities, which we normally would not have a lot of, but the workboxes are definitely helping with that. I put "Work With Mom" cards with each of their math and reading assignments, as well as with Drew's All About Spelling Lesson and Isaiah's Phonics. We got to do a lot of things today that we normally just don't have time for! We did centers (which had 2 File Folder games for each boy), journaling, and computer time. As a special treat, I made a code and wrote each of them Super Secret Coded Messages to decipher and read. I greatly underestimated how much they would enjoy them! Drew specifically opened his workbox and said, "Yes! I LOVE these!". I wrote to each of them that I hoped their first day back to school was fun and that I was proud of them for doing their workboxes so well!
The highlight of MY day had to be when Drew was journaling. I put an index card in the box with instructions to write about the first day of school. I included some questions to get them thinking: Do you like using workboxes? and What was your favorite part of the day? My 9 year old son, the one who constantly tells me that he HATES school wrote this:
He told me workboxes are fun and he didn't whine or complain ONCE the entire day! The funny thing is we did WAY more work than we typically have in the past. We started at 11am (later than I had wanted but there's always tomorrow) and worked until 1:30, then took an hour lunch break and were done by 4:15. That's less than 4 hours of school time!
I am so very glad that I decided to try the Workbox System. It seems like a really good fit for our family, and I know it's going to get even better with time. I highly recommend it to anyone who homeschools.
I need to start dinner before Joey wakes from his nap, so off I go!

Blessings,

Cassie :)

Tomorrow's the Big Day..

The first day of our school year, that is! You may (or may not) notice the time I posted this - it's after 2:30am! That's because as hard as I've worked the past few weeks, as prepared as I thought I was, I still managed to forget several small details of getting things ready for this week/this year. But it's finished, the schoolroom is clean and organized, the workboxes are filled, and the week's lessons are planned! Can I just say WOOHOOOO!
I will be sure to take pictures tomorrow throughout our day and share with you how our first day back-to-school Workbox style went! For now - I'm gonna get some much-needed rest!

Blessings,

Cassie :)

Yahoo for Workboxes!!

Yes, I have succumbed to the newest homeschooling method-WORKBOXES!! I have been researching it for some time now and trying to figure out if it would be a good fit for us and how we could utilize it in our homeschool. I decided the best way to find out is to just jump right in and see how it goes.
If you haven't yet heard about the Workbox System, you can find out more by visiting Sue Patrick's site (the inventor of the Workbox System) and also by checking out this very comprehensive review compiled by Kari at Curriculum Choice.
I am not going to bore you with all the details, as I have given you the links to get all the information you could ever want. I am, however, going to share some pictures with you!

Here is a picture of the boys' finished workboxes. I don't have the funds right now to buy the wire racks, so I had to do a lot of rearranging to make space for them on our bookshelves. i am also starting out with just 8 boxes per boy. I am hoping to increase to the full 12 boxes once I can purchase the racks. They are $14.99 at Target. The boxes with the red numbers are Drew's and the boxes with the blue numbers are Isaiah's.

 

Here are our clock-in cards and pockets for school-time. I found these really cute pirate files that another mom shared on the Yahoo Workbox group.








These are our schedule strips with covers (shared by another mom on the Yahoo workbox group).










These are Isaiah's number cards on his schedule strip. They are Star Wars themed (again from the Yahoo Workbox group).









And here are Drew's number cards. He didn't especially like any of the pre-made cards I found, so I made him dinosaur number cards in Word using clipart. I am planning on uploading them and sharing them on the Yahoo group also.







And last but not least, I made some chorecards and choreboards with pockets to help remind the boys what they need to get done around the house on a daily basis. I plan on uploading these files and sharing the link with you in the near future, but I am too tired to do it tonight!





All I can say after all this work is I am really thankful I have a laminator and that I didn't run out of printer ink! I think I have used my laminator more in the past week than I have in the year-and-a-half that I've had it! Pretty soon it will be time to order some more pouches from Ebay.

Next on my list of things to do is to compile a list of activities (other than regular bookwork) to include in their boxes on a regular basis. I already have quite a few good ideas gleaned from other moms who have shared their ideas on the net. I will be sure to share more when I get that done! For now, I am off to bed, I am pooped!

Blessings,

Cassie :)

School Planning Progress

  I had shared with you last week how I have been so very busy getting things in order for our new school year. I am in the homestretch now and thought I would share some of what I have been doing with you. Here are some screenshots of what I've been working on in HSTPlus...

Here are the goals I have painstakingly entered into HST, one-by-one. This is what has been the most time consuming for me. It will be really nice to have a detailed list of skills the boys have learned at the end of the year!

Here is Isaiah's Daily Lesson schedule...

And here is Drew's Daily Lesson Schedule.

This is my progress thus far on my planning checklist, which was typed in the Journal in HST.

Here's Drew's assignments (so far) for the first day of school...

and here are Isaiah's.

So you can see from this how very hard I have been working. I have entered HUNDREDS of skills/objectives into the goals section thus far. To be honest, there have been times I wanted to pull all my hair out! But I know it will be worth all the hard work in the end.

I also spent several hours putting together some new file folder games over the weekend. I had lots of help cutting things out from my dear bff, otherwise I would have never gotten nearly as many done! I am hoping having these will give me something to direct the boys to do while they may be waiting for me to help them with something.

Also, I finally managed to gets hubs to install our cabinet locks in the kitchen. Now Joey can go into the kitchen and explore. The first thing he went for was the snack cabinet...

Yes, fun times are ahead!

Blessings,

Cassie :)

Our Trip to the Indianapolis Children's Museum

The first Thursday of the month is Free Family night at the museum, so we packed up the gang for an evening of educational fun. A picture is worth a thousand words, so I put together a slideshow to share! Enjoy!

 

Blessings,

Cassie :)

In the Throes of Prepping for Next Year...

...which actually starts in less than 2 weeks.

Sorry I haven't been around much the past week or so. I decided to let the kids have a small summer break. I updated my school records and we were 17 days over our required attendance. Both boys just finished up their math books and are ready to start the next grade level, so I thought it would be a good time for a bit of a break.


While they have been lazing around, enjoying NOT doing lessons, I have been extremely busy preparing for our new school year which will start (tentatively) July 13th. This just happens to be the same day my dear hubs starts college classes. It works out well for him and the children because they get to spend some good quality time with him before he gets super-busy with school. It works out well for me because I get to get some super-powered planning done while he is still home and available to help wrangle the children.

So forgive me if I am not posting much over the next week or so, I have been very busy getting things together. I do have some pics to share with you as soon as things settle down a bit for me, so stay tuned...

Blessings,

Cassie :)

Grilling Goodness 6/12/09 (yes I'm a bit late)

1. What's the heaviest thing in your purse?
Actually I am not carrying a purse right now. I carry everything I need in my diaper bag. The heaviest thing I carry is probably Joey's sippy cups.
2. Do you mostly use cash or debit/credit cards?
Credit/Debit cards definitely.
3. Do you cut your hair shorter in the summer or pull it up a lot?
I had very long hair up until a couple of months ago when I cut it shorter. Weather doesn't usually affect how I wear my hair, it has more to do with how much time I have to do something with it. So yes, I wear it up a lot.
4. Do you like your man scruffy or clean shaven?
Clean shaven. He knows this. He still has a beard. Oh well!
5. What have your children done/said to embarrass you lately?
Talking really REALLY loud in public, It's a constant issue with one boy in particular.
6. Do you use plug-in type air fresheners around the house?
No but we do have some of those timed air fresheners that spray every so often. They are awesome!
7. Do you have any interest in the NBA or NHL finals? (Do you even know who's competing?)
Neither I nor my hubs watch a lot of sports. He likes UFC, but that's about it.
8. What is weighing heavily on your mind lately?
Money, but what else is new?

Blessings,

Cassie :)

Spelling Woes

It seems like no matter what I use to teach Drew-bug how to spell, he struggles through it. So I have been browsing around forums and curriculum review sites trying to find something different. We have tried BJU, Abeka, Sequential Spelling, no spelling (yes I know, I'm a horrible mother) and non of them have accomplished anything other than allowing him to memorize a few words a week in order to spell them correctly on a test then forget it all the next day.
I am and always have been a natural speller. I was also an early reader. It's funny to me how my 2 strongest areas in school are my boys' weakest areas. Isaiah has struggled with reading until just recently and it is still challenging for him. Drew has struggled with spelling from the onset. Things being as they are, it has been even more difficult for me to teach them those skills. I guess it's hard for someone who does something easily to try and teach someone to do that same thing when it is hard for them to understand or grasp.
I knew there had to be something different out there. Something that goes beyond just teaching kids how to memorize words and instead teaches them how to decode those words and their sounds so that they can use what they learn to spell other words in the future.
Then I stumbled upon All About Spelling. The following is from their website:

Poor teaching methods create obstacles for learners and lead to bad spelling habits or even low literacy skills. A child who becomes frustrated and discouraged may end up falling behind.
It doesn't have to be that way. We simply need to teach children to spell properly in a way that makes learning easier.
All About Spelling is a comprehensive spelling program based on proven strategies to teach spelling using the best and easiest method possible. It gives parents, homeschoolers, and teachers strategies that work, including:

• Lessons with crucial concepts explained in easy-to-understand language
• Multisensory methods for different learning opportunities
• Effective techniques to teach both beginner and remedial spelling

Kids learn to think about spelling the right way so they can navigate increasingly complex spelling with confidence-and a smile.
If you're teaching a young child just beginning to learn or helping an older student who struggles with spelling, or if you just want a better teaching method that works, then All About Spelling is for you.

So I browsed around their site and looked at the materials and some sample pages. I was blown away! This is exactly the kind of program I have been searching for! Even better than that, it is affordable. So what did I do? Well of COURSE I ordered Level One!
I am anxiously awaiting my package in the mail so I can get started using it with Drew. Isaiah is going to continue using BJU Spelling 1, along with SpellingTime.com until he is finished with the book. He is doing ok with it for now. When Drew finishes Level 1, I will then take Isaiah through it. Right now I need to keep him focused on reading and phonics skills.
I will be sure to post a follow-up after we get it and start utilizing it to share how it is working for us. I have very high hopes!

Blessings,

Cassie :)

Last Week’s Science Experiment (in video)

We just finished a chapter in our Science textbook about forces (gravity, friction, mechanical force). Last week, we did several activities related to these topics. Our favorite, by far, was the magnet activities and the friction activity, which I am sharing with you in the video below. Enjoy!

Blessings,

Cassie :)

I Know I Said He’d be Walking Soon…. But Today?!?

Yes, you heard me correctly, Joey started walking TONIGHT!!
We were all sitting in the living room, I on the couch, Hubs in the recliner across from me… he was looking up videos on YouTube and started watching one with some music. Well, in case you didn’t already know, Joey LOVES music and LOVES dancing to it. So he pulled up on the couch, stood up, turned around and WALKED RIGHT ACROSS THE ROOM to where hubs had the laptop!! It happened so unexpectedly and quickly, that I didn’t get that moment on video, BUT….
I got the camera out right after as hubs and I sat on the floor with JoJo to see what would happen…

And there you have it friends! He is officially a TODDLER!! I am so excited for him and as you can tell by the video, he is really excited to be a walker too!
The next few days will be interesting to say the least. I wouldn’t be surprised if he is speed walking in a few weeks!
Wow, I have nothing more to say, I am still in a state of shock…

Blessings,

Cassie :)

It’s Been Crazy Around Here!

Yes, I have been away from my bloggy home for awhile. I am sorry. Things have been very hectic around here with hubby working a very busy seasonal job with very long hours and the start of summer. We have been spending a lot of time outdoors, playing and swimming. It turns out Joey is a little fish, much like his big brother Drew was from a young age! I have been wanting to write, but I have been so busy that when I get the time, i just don’t have the motivation.
So I am writing to you, my friends, to let you know that yes, we are still here and still doing the normal things – school, work, play!
Joey is not walking yet, but he has been taking a few steps here and there independently, and more frequently. I am definitely not in any hurry and am not pushing him to be upwardly mobile. It’s quite a big milestone for him, and sadly a reminder that he is not such a little baby anymore…sniff. I know he has to grow and change, I just wish I could slow the process down a bit. I am doing my very best to enjoy every moment and treasure every day.
Isaiah is still doing very well with his reading and he is progressing nicely. He has finished all of his readers from his first set of Bob Books and has moved on to the second set. We went to the bookstore and bought the third set the other day so we would have them when he was ready for them.
Both boys are starting their new math books next week, Isaiah Math 2 and Drew Math 3. And Drew has started his 3rd grade Reading. It is a bit more challenging than what he has been doing, but he is doing really well with it thus far.
Something very exciting is happening in our family – hubby has decided to go back to school! We have had such a hard time trying to find him a good job that doesn’t require him to be an absentee husband and father, so we are really hoping this will turn things around for us. He will be attending Lincoln College of Technology to earn an associate’s degree in Diesel Technology. From what the admissions rep told us today, they can’t get enough students enrolled in the program to keep up with the requests they get from employers, so it’s a very secure field right now, and will likely continue to be. Please keep us in your prayers! We really want to make wise decisions and are hoping that this is an opportunity set before us by God. If it is, He will bless our journey, I am sure of that!
I will be posting again very soon, but I am getting sleepy and my spelling is suffering!

Blessings,

Cassie :)