Extra things made by you to ease your school day

[blessedmama]

I was wondering if anyone had extra sheets or things that they did, in correlation to HOD, to make their day easier? I am specifically looking for CTC, Preparing and Beyond.

[momtofive]

One thing that's helped in our home has been making the kids each a checklist that lists the order of boxes to do throughout their school day. It lists the stuff we do together in the morning and then goes through each box in the order that we've decided to do them. Then, as the kids accomplish each box(or item on thier list), they can check them off. It isn't necessary to do the program, but gives them a sense of independence and accomplishment to see what's left, and what's been completed as they go through the day. I just type it up, print it off on paper, and then laminate it or just slide it into a page protector and mount it on the wall where they work. Then, they just check it off as they go with a dry erase marker. At the end of the day, we check everything and then they erase it so it's ready for the next day.

This little thing has really helped us out a lot, as there are five children to keep moving along in our family, and if I'm busy teaching one of them, the others can just move on to the next thing until it's our time together.

[Mumkins]

Us too. Though I just print off a fresh sheet each week.

[Rwandalove]

We do a variation of that. I made a page that resembles the boxes in the teachers manual, each with just the subject written at the top of it. Each is a different color. I also include an "extra" box for things like "practice violin" or "Awana". I make one sheet per child at the beginning of the school year and lamenate them. Then we just use dry erase crayons or markers to briefly write assignments each day. When they complete the assignment they can erase it from the sheet. It's nice because for my older independent child I can double check that all work was completed and they can all see what is left to complete for that day as well. I made these sheets in MS Word using landscape orientation and making the boxes about the same as the book has them except all on one page. They worked out great last year!

[holdinon]

This isn't something "made" by me, but it was sure well worth the money spent last year. We have color coded tote boxes that I got from Walmart. I'm going to try and post a picture, but I don't know if I can, so I will describe them also. I guess some would say this is similar to workboxes, though I have never read anything on workboxes other than what I've seen on some forum posts. But this is what works well for us. My oldest used these all last year, and my next dd will use some this year for CtC. They are beneficial to olders doing mostly independent work---they would not be necessary for kids in the lower guides.

So....we have the Blue Box, the Pink Box, and the Green Box. They are arranged to hold the items dd does in one sitting of time (or at least subjects that come next to each other in our schedule. DD does math, Quiet Time Bible Box, the science box, and the storytime box first in the morning, in one setting. So her Pink Box contains all the items for these subjects. Also in the Pink Box are hanging files (that came with the boxes), that are labled and hold card stock (for science notebooking pages), notebook paper, and a "to turn in" file. After work for the Pink Box is done, she brings the box back to the "school table". She has some chores she does after that, and the next section of school work is Reading About History, Independent History, and History Project Boxes, and the Student Rotating Box. So her Blue Box contains all items for these, along with hanging files with the history notebooking pages, Shakespeare pages, maps, and "to turn in". After that is lunch and our meeting time. I usually check her to turn in files while we are doing dictation and we will go over those for any needed corrections. We do the teacher rotating box and go over the LA box. Then she's off again with her Green Box which holds all items for LA along with hanging files for those needs.

On Friday, DD "cleans out" the boxes, filing away completed notebooking pages, putting completed books back on bookshelf, getting new books into the boxes, etc. She also looks ahead on the next week of plans and makes a list of needed items for our grocery/errand list.

Hopefully these pics will work. I'm not sure that made much sense without a visual......
Angie

[abrightmom]

Angie,

I LOVE how you organize HOD. Do you know what those totes are called? I want to see if Walmart still has them.

[Gwenny]

Great idea! I love the boxes, makes sense!

Thanks for sharing!

[6timeboymom]

I just hand my boys the teacher's guides!
We used to use a weekly assignment sheet that was part of a package I bought many years ago called "the master planner" I would write the subject and they would check it off when they got it done. Although it ended up being more work for me-they started wanting the assignments and not just the subject listed, so I was basically copying the teacher's guide once a week! That's when I started giving them full access to the TG's.

[blessedmama]

Great ideas, ladies! Keep 'em coming!!

[lissiejo]

I have a master checklist for everyone. I used to fit it on one page, but now it's on two because of using three guides. It helps me stay organized and if we don't get to something in a day I don't forget to go back and cover it later in the week.

Each of my girls also has their own differently colored basket which holds all their books used each week, similar to those totes pictured below.

I also have two jars for each girl. With their names and "to do..." and "finished" written on them. They have posicle sticks with each subject listed (History, Science, Grammar, Math, etc.) They get to move a stick from one jar to the next when they finish. I also give them a little freedom this way to choose what they do. Some things I have to veto because it needs attention I can't give, but they like choosing what they do. It's been interesting to see which daughter does everything in the exact same order every day and which one does everything differently each day Definitely taught me some things about their personality!

[6timeboymom]

oooh, I LOVE the popsicle stick idea!!

[holdinon]

Angie,

I LOVE how you organize HOD. Do you know what those totes are called? I want to see if Walmart still has them.

Well......I am kinda bummed . I was trying to find a link, and I could not find them at all. I actually stopped by Walmart today and looked, and they are not there .
I am really hoping maybe they will stock them again when they get the school supplies out (our store is starting to prepare for that now). I don't know what we will do if they don't, as my second dd really wants to start using them too!

I googled around and found some, but they were $60 EACH (they were leather and fancier) . I don't remember exactly what I paid, but I can assure you, it wasn't 60 bucks! I am thinking they were $15.

I do know that lakshore learning has one that is similar. But I remember it costing a little more than the ones at walmart, and has sort of a "kiddie" look to it.....not exactly what my 13 year old would like . I did just show the lakeshore one to my 11yo just now though, and she said she'd be good with those if I didn't find the Walmart ones. But the only thing with those is there is only the one color (but it does have a tag/label thing on the front).

Anyway....I'm going to hold off a while and see if Walmart ends up re-stocking them in the next month or so. I don't know what the exact name of them are, but I do know it was a "mainstay" product (which I believe is a Walmart "exclusive").
If you go to the lakeshore learning website and enter "file tote" in the search box, you should be able to find that one.
Angie

[abrightmom]

Thanks Angie. I looked around online as well because I really like them. I will keep tabs on WM's back to school sales.

Katrina

[HollyS]

I write their assignments on a dry erase board...that way they can erase things as they finish, and no extra papers in the house!

[edsnyder]

Angie,

I LOVE how you organize HOD. Do you know what those totes are called? I want to see if Walmart still has them.

Well......I am kinda bummed . I was trying to find a link, and I could not find them at all. I actually stopped by Walmart today and looked, and they are not there .
I am really hoping maybe they will stock them again when they get the school supplies out (our store is starting to prepare for that now). I don't know what we will do if they don't, as my second dd really wants to start using them too!

I googled around and found some, but they were $60 EACH (they were leather and fancier) . I don't remember exactly what I paid, but I can assure you, it wasn't 60 bucks! I am thinking they were $15.

I do know that lakshore learning has one that is similar. But I remember it costing a little more than the ones at walmart, and has sort of a "kiddie" look to it.....not exactly what my 13 year old would like . I did just show the lakeshore one to my 11yo just now though, and she said she'd be good with those if I didn't find the Walmart ones. But the only thing with those is there is only the one color (but it does have a tag/label thing on the front).

Anyway....I'm going to hold off a while and see if Walmart ends up re-stocking them in the next month or so. I don't know what the exact name of them are, but I do know it was a "mainstay" product (which I believe is a Walmart "exclusive").
If you go to the lakeshore learning website and enter "file tote" in the search box, you should be able to find that one.
Angie

I think Target had something similar - the Walmart here had them the last time I was in the office supplies...