How is everyone preparing for the comming school year?

[learning6]

Hi everyone I hope that all are having a great summer. I have been trying to organize our books (talked sweet hubby into another bookshelf, Yeah!!!) and have been planning for the comming school year. This is how it looks for me oldest Resurrection to Reformation, two fourth graders doing BHFHG, a second grader in BLHFHG, and four year old twins in LHTH. I am overwelmed and awe strock at the extent of this responsibility but through God's grace and by using HOD as a tool. We will get it done. I would love to here how you all plan your days and if you have any suggestions to share on how to balance all of the many hats we mothers have to wear.
Learning6
Just celebrated 13 wonderful years of marriage
proud to blessed with 6 beautiful children 12, 10, 9, 7,and 4 yr old twins

[Maadrose]

We te doing the same guides (with the exception of the fact that I'm not using LH)! Anyway today and yesterday I made and printed science notebook pages for RtR and bigger. Have been putting their binders together so it's all organized and in one place. Will be starting very soon! Oldest will be in RtR, next two in bigger, then second grader in beyond. I'm excited for this year and so are the kids. They call HOD "fun school" lol!

[davisfam7]

Hey Learning6,

This will be our second year using HOD. I have two doing MtMM and two doing Resurrection to Reformation. This is how we set up our school shelves. Each child has a cloth bin that their math, language arts, handwriting, etc. goes into. I have labeled each one with their names. Then one shelf is devoted to all the books that go with whichever level I am using. For instance, Jack and Alec are using RtR. So on the top shelf is both of their cloth bins with their individual books and on the shelf under that are all the RtR books and the TM. On the bottom shelf I then place and empty cloth bin and any teachers guides I might have for their alone subjects. Now the empty bin is used as we go along, when we finish a book then it goes into the empty bin and makes more room on the shelf. This way we can visually see how much we are getting done as the year progresses. I also have printed off all the Map trek maps and made science notebooks for each boy and had them bound at Office Max. They each have a 1 inch binder for their notebooking pages and a 1/2 inch binder for their Shakespeare notbook. I also use a label maker and mark the books for what guide it goes with. RtR or MtMM, or R2R (for Rev. to Rev), and so on. This helps us to make sure that the books get back to where they need to go if the kids leave them out somewhere in the house. Hope some of that helps, It's just how we have found it to work for us. Have a great year in HOD, we LOVE it!!

[annaz]

Slowly! I feel like we haven't had off. Just a busy summer.

I'm thinking of doing a workbox-style organization for dd. She usually just schlups all her work on a shelf and I'd like to put each subject in it's own bin. Any continuing work is our biggest issue and that would be in the subject bin and keep it all together. The problem is finding a bin that is the size of a binder without using plastic. I despise Sterilite. I have old toy bins that used to sit on an angle. The largest bin out of those houses binders perfectly, but I only have a few and nothing to set them on. I've looked into cubbies but the bins are too small. I have great uses for a cubbie system, but the sizes are really right. So, I keep looking. Ikea Trofast system won't hold books because they sit on the lip of the bin.

I really wanted something nice this year. Something that matches my house since we hs in the family room, age appropriate and perferably dust free. I did the workbox system a while back, but my shelving was wire. YUCK on the dust and dirt.

[Heather4Him]

We use a workbox system, too, and I labeled the boxes in the guide with numbers, and then place the materials, books, etc. for that HOD box into the corresponding workbox. It works great, and we've been doing it this way for several years! So, basically, my lesson planning amounts to numbering the boxes in the guide and making sure the correct copies, books, etc. are in each workbox.

[glperky]

We use a workbox system, too, and I labeled the boxes in the guide with numbers, and then place the materials, books, etc. for that HOD box into the corresponding workbox. It works great, and we've been doing it this way for several years! So, basically, my lesson planning amounts to numbering the boxes in the guide and making sure the correct copies, books, etc. are in each workbox.

What guide did you start this with?

[Heather4Him]

We use a workbox system, too, and I labeled the boxes in the guide with numbers, and then place the materials, books, etc. for that HOD box into the corresponding workbox. It works great, and we've been doing it this way for several years! So, basically, my lesson planning amounts to numbering the boxes in the guide and making sure the correct copies, books, etc. are in each workbox.

What guide did you start this with?

We actually used it before finding HOD 3 years ago, so it was an easy transition. We started CTC with the boxes a couple years ago. (We're going into our 3rd year with HOD.)

[glperky]

Thanks Heather!

[4Hispraise]

Laying a foundation of prayer!
Also, I always come to the board to check out schedules that the other moms post to get an idea of how to lay out my year. I love the idea of work boxes, but have never implemented it. Planning on trying it this year. I also copy and/or print anything I will need for the year & store it. Of course, you are doing this for so many more kids than I am...so that changes everything!!

[mom23]

I'm curious about the workbox system. Do you find it wasting a lot of time for your kids to walk back and forth to the place where their workboxes are? We don't have a "school room"; I have a shelf in the kitchen with school books, and then the kids have to do their work at a desk across the house, reading on the couch, and sometimes the kitchen table if someone needs to write while the desk is in use. I've only used the younger guides with HOD so far, and it's worked well for us to have one tote or crate with all the books for a particular guide in them. However, my oldest is in Preparing, and I'm finding that she's having too many books to lug around the house every day-and they don't all fit in one crate anymore. A centralized place like the workbox thing sounds great for knowing where your books are, and finding all materials you need for that class, but with not having school in the same room as our books it seems like it might not work as well. Any thoughts? How do you organize when school is done anywhere you can find a quiet corner and a clean spot to lay your book, lol?

[annaz]

I'm curious about the workbox system. Do you find it wasting a lot of time for your kids to walk back and forth to the place where their workboxes are? We don't have a "school room"; I have a shelf in the kitchen with school books, and then the kids have to do their work at a desk across the house, reading on the couch, and sometimes the kitchen table if someone needs to write while the desk is in use. I've only used the younger guides with HOD so far, and it's worked well for us to have one tote or crate with all the books for a particular guide in them. However, my oldest is in Preparing, and I'm finding that she's having too many books to lug around the house every day-and they don't all fit in one crate anymore. A centralized place like the workbox thing sounds great for knowing where your books are, and finding all materials you need for that class, but with not having school in the same room as our books it seems like it might not work as well. Any thoughts? How do you organize when school is done anywhere you can find a quiet corner and a clean spot to lay your book, lol?

If it's down the hall way in a back room, in a basement or upstairs, I'd say it's not condusive to school. The next room is fine, especially for your dd who is in Preparing. She should "get lost" LOL on the way to and from getting and putting away books.

I only have one child, so finding a quiet corner isn't hard for us, nor is a place to lay a book. However don't confuse what I just said in thinking that dd is NOT a human tornado! LOL! Perhaps nooks for certain work, like a reading corner, or coffee table to write on, etc. But I am still teaching dd to put her last subject back before pulling the next one. Also, if you can have workboxes, give them a box for work that still needs to be completed; such as homework.

[John'smom]

We use a workbox system, too, and I labeled the boxes in the guide with numbers, and then place the materials, books, etc. for that HOD box into the corresponding workbox. It works great, and we've been doing it this way for several years! So, basically, my lesson planning amounts to numbering the boxes in the guide and making sure the correct copies, books, etc. are in each workbox.

What guide did you start this with?

We've used workboxes as early as Beyond. Well even before we found beyond.

[glperky]

So would it be to early to start workboxes with LHFHG? Sorry, I don't know a lot about workboxes for LHFHG, but I love the thought of what I know about both.

[John'smom]

So would it be to early to start workboxes with LHFHG? Sorry, I don't know a lot about workboxes for LHFHG, but I love the thought of what I know about both.

I don't necessarily use it like Sue Patrick meant, like adding things to HOD. I use it as more of an organizational tool. It's like a visual schedule except that all their items they need are in the box when they start the day. Plus it's a great visual when they see their rack (or whatever you use) getting emptied. It's a visual motivation that their work is getting done. KWIM? My dd has been using workboxes since K although I did not know about HOD then. I don't think LHFHG is too young to start.

[glperky]

Thanks Edwena!