Homeschool Makeover: Workboxes Update

I thought it was about time for an update on the Hodgepodge workboxes! As with all aspects of homeschooling now and then, our workboxes needed a makeover. See, I was quite taken with workboxes about this time two years ago. I still, very much, appreciate their usefulness. When my friend Angie first introduced me to them, they were perfect for our Winter Olympics unit study. And, they worked so well for our Tapestry studies. (How Tapestry fit into workboxes here)

But, since that time we have fallen into a different happy routine with workboxes. The older two children, 7th and 8th grade, use a few workboxes for storage. Mostly, their books have found places on the shelves in our family room. The younger three do use workboxes. Here’s how:

For Kindergartener and four-year-old, our basic workboxes remain the same. We just rotate the order. The workboxes make a nice visual for each activity/subject I do with our youngest two. And, let’s face it, they are great storage. All of Saxon K in one spot. All the math manipulatives in one workbox.

Middle Girl just spent time this last week updating her workboxes. She rearranged all her subjects in the order she likes to complete them. She stacked her supplies in the order she needs them. She got rid of most of them. And she chose just a few.

Then she turned her largest workbox around so that she could see the spines of all her books through the clear plastic container. She also created a craft basket (her craft supplies tend to get scattered – to put it mildly). So far, she’s really liked the arrangement.

A few highlights from this week…the younger two had a wonderful time with and kept going back to Boggle Jr. I love the blur of those spinning hands. These are the happy times of homeschooling I just want to linger over.

We had a stellar handwriting week. So much so we had to create a Handwriting Hall of Fame!

We finished some Tapestry of Grace readings this week. History and literature. It’s always a bit sad when a good book is finished. But satisfying at the same time. We have so enjoyed learning about Renaissance artists. (and I like how the book cover sort of matches the chair 🙂 )

We enjoyed a nature study of sheep with the Outdoor Hour Challenges plus had plenty of outdoor time. Hodgepodgedad and I are getting back into our routine of late evening walks in the neighborhood as well.

Here’s one giant collage to wrap up the rest of our week. Always a Hodgepodge…

1. The menu my two littlest girls created for supper one night | 2. No Stress Chess at the start of the day | 3. Just a closer walk with Thee, Grant it Jesus is my plea…| 4. Love the action in this illustration of Mike Mulligan and His Steam Shovel (reading this with the younger two as our FIAR selection) | 5. Studying sheep with Outdoor Hour Challenges – using Draw, Write Now | 6. Confusative Case – love what fun we have with Visual Latin | 7. Even I enjoyed some exercise with Club Penguin Dance Off | 8. Teddy Bear tea party | 9. Studying Haydn with Harmony Fine Arts Plans | 10. Groundhog Day fun!  | 11. Enjoying some swangin’ – Thanks Big Sis for the push! | 12. Slow Cooker Batch cooking ground turkey – it’s the Super Supper Saver

We also made little groundhog snacks with crushed Oreos and Nilla Wafers – aren’t they cute? (Thanks to Phyllis for that Pinterest find!) We took the opportunity to pull out our First Field Guide: Mammals and learn about groundhogs. We imagined what their whistle sounds like. Of course, there were plenty of children volunteering whistles…

Oh! And Nana brought us our first in a series of acrylic paint tutorials. Photos and narration by Middle Girl! Who can resist a cupcake?

Many thanks to our Friday hostesses…Camera Phone Friday hostess Dawn Camp @ My Home Sweet Home ,

Weekly Wrap-Up hostess Kris at Weird, Unsocialized Homeschoolers and

Mary at Home Grown Learners