He decided he was too cool for a more traditional workbox set up last year.
So we switched over to a plastic portable file tote. I found ours at Walmart and it’s been perfect for us! Although boys are SO abusive. I went to take pictures this morning and found several of my reinforced hanging folders torn and/or bent. If I were sharing a daily thankful for…today’s would totally be Duct Tape! 
Both kiddos start each morning (8:30am) with Math. I must confess that this year, I’ve delegated math to daddy and the Saxon Dive dude! We try each night for Jonathan to review the next day’s lesson and go over any corrections with him. Four days a week he works on Saxon 1/2. It’s pre-algebra. One day a week he does an alternative (think: Fabulous Fractions and other middle school math concepts) workbook. Today was a Saxon Test.
Another thing I’m thankful for today…is Uncle B’s gift of a refurbed laptop! He donated it to a good cause. 
It allows him to watch his Dive CDrom before each Saxon lesson too.
For Language Arts we’re using…
Spelling City. I create weekly spelling lists for him and then choose several activities that he has to complete. I don’t make him do them in a specific order…but I am a meanie and add less preferred tasks. Like writing sentences! 
We’re also using…
Daily Grams 6. I can’t express enough how much I LOVE Daily Grams! It’s such a wonderful way to reinforce grammar on a daily basis! We do this together and we both have SO much fun!
And lastly, Easy Grammar 6. I’m not as in love with this part of the Easy Grammar program as I am with the Daily Grams portion buuuut the repetition really seems to be helping him “get” some concepts that he’s been struggling with.
Another new for us idea for this year is using a folder with brads to build a Grammar notebook and keep past work so he has an easy reference.
His daily Latin work right now is in a Word Roots workbook by Critical Thinking Co.
Daily Science is ACE but we also have some extras like Magic School Bus kids and monthly workshops at the Natural History Museum that a homeschool mommy friend helps me out by taking the big kids to!
I have him highlight where he finds the answers in his reading. This helps keep him accountable when he’s tempted to just guess. It’s also handy for reviewing!
His penmanship has been getting sketchy again. He’s a lefty and a boy…so I have some grace.
To help him improve…I printed out some copywork pages. I thought he’d get cranky about it…but he’s actually loving it!
He has weekly writing projects as well. This week’s is to create an advertisement.
He’ll be working on his rough draft today.
He’ll be practicing the Thanksgiving Hymn on the piano today.
This is just a peek at what a typical Wednesday looks like for us. My goal is to share a different day each time I write a workboxing post and to rotate between the two kiddos (2nd and 6th Graders).
If you’re new to homeschooling and/or workboxing Sunflower Schoolhouse has this wonderful blogroll for you to explore and I have a pinboard dedicated to Workboxing Style Ideas.
…danielle
I really like reading these SPECIFIC KID updates! And still love the workbox idea! (I don't think we'll be getting more workbox-y though.) I have Easy Grammar 6 for my girl next year. Do you also use the separate student workbook? Or just copy lessons from the teacher edition? Wondering what's easier! LOL I hadn't planned on getting Daily Grams with it. Isn't it too much?
ReplyDeleteWe're not super geeky with the workboxing. Really, it's just a good way for me to keep the majority of their work organized (and kinda sorta independent!).
DeleteI don't think it's too much with the Daily Grams AND the Easy Grammar curriculum. Daily Grams are only one page and my grammar loathing son gets through one in about 10 minutes. I've slowly been increasing the number of work pages we do with Easy Grammar too. For the first couple months we just did one page a day! But now that he's getting the hang of it we're up to 3 pages a day. I go over the lessons with him before he starts...and some days I'll stay with him for the whole time. But it really lives up to it's name - EASY!
Oh...and I totally thought I'd just copy the workpages from the teacher text. Um, yeah. That was a mess! It's not organized in a copy friendly way...IMO totally worth the mulah to buy the workbook!
...d