Command Central, New Resource Room part 1

Our new school year kicks off this coming week and I am happy to say we have found a system that I think it going to work.
We re-purposed an old literature rack and took the divider out to accommodate two columns of folders/ notebooks.  The notebooks will hold notes , worksheets, etc.. related to a given assignment each day. The daily subjects will be all in one folder (4 math sheets, Bible notes, Spelling words and activity suggestions). I printed labels for the folders so I can write the subject and assignment / suggestions on each folder. I may end up putting contact paper over the label so I can reuse it , but for now I will just print new ones for week 2 and 3 as I have a huge box of shipping labels that I can use from.
The bulletin board for Weekly Words to Learn is divided just like the folder rack, blue for Cameron and Green for Nathan. The goal for the board is weekly spelling lists and vocabulary words including Spanish and Latin (once we add Latin to the mix in October). The 2 anchor charts above the word wall are Adverbs and Adjectives; I also hung the suggested word list for over used verbs. 
I have a thought about putting a TV tray or small table under the sign for pens, pencils, etc... along with a spot to check your work before returning it to the rack.
On the door into the room we have a colorful 10 Commandments poster that the boys have always liked. (on the back of the door is a pocket thing currently holding various flashcard activities that needs to be gone through).
 I still need to work on the bookshelf next to the command center for various Montessori themed options for Nathan and various Command Card activities for Cameron, but I feel like I got something pretty big done with this project. Now to fill the first 8 folders and find our rhythm for the new year.

My goals for next week is the giant magnet board over the dryer and the crates in the middle of the room. If I can get those handled I would also like to get the cubbies all flipped the right direction and load the appropriate books into the cubbies.

Going paperless when planning is possible with Paperless Home Organization

Are you thinking about going paperless? I am working toward paperless planning and was blessed to received a copy of Paperless Home Organization by Mystie Winckler of Simplified Pantry to review and share my thoughts with you.

I started out reading the ebook on my laptop thinking , I already use GMail and Google Calendar what else could I possibly need. Then I was introduced to Evernote. I added the free app to my laptop, my phone, and even the family desktop to keep websites and the notes filed together.
Since I use my phone as much or more than my laptop , I was happy to have Evernote join GMail, Google Calendar, etc.. on my app list. It is so easy to sync those items and makes it possible to share events with my son who also has a GMail account. I have our homeschool calendar set up and he subscribes to it meaning he knows when we have activities, field trips, etc. Also having GMail for both my oldest and myself means we can also chat when I am not at home and he needs a question answered. Eventually my husband will have a smart phone and will will be able to sync his calendar as well but for now, I manually add events to his Outlook calendar for him.
I do keep several calendars on Google Calendar for different things; family, homeschool, blogging, and dinner menus.
Going paperless as far as calendars and notes has made a difference in my stress level. It is all right where I need it even when I am not at home. Later this summer when my youngest gets a GMail account , I will sync his Calendar to our homeschool calendar as well. I will likely also set the boys up with Evernote as well especially as we start adding more research projects to their assignments and options.
While I love having my notebook for thinking "out loud" and being creative, being able to keep life organized with calendars , emails, and webnotes paperless helps keep things moving smoothly. Using the available and free technology makes paperless organizing not only easy, but also affordable. I love how Mystie keeps in real throughout the book. I even kept a list of things in a note within Evernote as I read through the book so I could try new things with the various apps.
I could go on and on about how effective using GMail , Evernote, and Google Calendar are for a Mom on the go, I really love having everything in one place no matter what technology I am using. I even the Blogger app on my phone to make blogging easy from my phone and then finishing up the post on the computer. Everything works together to make life a bit easier.
I color coded my various Google Calendars including assignments for school (I will add student names to assignments once both boys are using the calendar). Here you can take a look at a light week calendar. I will continue to tweak the calendar as we use it more and more (color coding, abbreviations, etc) but going paperless is great, and if the need arises I can still print a calendar.
Since moving to paperless means less stress, I can focus more on cooking, something I love. Of course Mystie has that covered too, with  Simplified Pantry's Simplify Dinner where she shares wonderful homestyle meals with basics. You can download a Sample of the ebook. I have been trying to add more the her recipes and tips. I am actually thinking of printing this one for my guys to use when they are responsible for dinner. There is even a Gluten Free/ Dairy Free option for the Simplified Dinners book.
Most of the Crew on the Schoolhouse Review Crew reviewed Mystie's products and share their thoughts, check out their reviews by clicking on the button below.

History is back as we reorganize the resource room

I spent most of yesterday purging in the resource room and then today did some more. I realized we haven't worked on history much lately and need to get back to it, so I am going through some online resources and putting History as a focus for a while. The beauty of this is that our Grammar, Writing, Math, etc... will all have a History based theme.
I am using Truthquest History as well as Story of the World Volume 1 as the base but adding in some Lapbook/ Notebook options, Sentence building and story writing options, and digging around for Math problems that fit into the Ancients.
Here is a list of things I will be pulling together to make sure they are on the shelf.

1. gathering the boys' Playmobil guys that fit into the Ancient Category to mix in to our Playmobil Writing box, to  mix it up a bit and incorporate activities they already enjoy.
2. Roman Numeral dice games. I made a set of Roman numeral dice for Cameron last year while we were reviewing Math Mammoth, I will bring those out and put them on the shelf along with some task cards.
3. Creek Edge Press Ancients task cards in a box that will give them an optional activity they can work on.
4. Clay (I have several activities that involve clay activities)


This list along with several websites I have found are pushing me to finish the reorganization of the resource room including the addition of a second Montessori shelf. We currently have 1 that is low and only 2 shelves. This new one is actually an old bookshelf that has 3 shelves the boys can use and 1 shelf plus the top that I can use for Teacher bits and pieces. We still have our cubbies , although they are about to get a good clean out and reorganization as well.
Since we aren't focusing on traditional math and Language for a little bit, the boys have a little more freedom as to what they are going to work on and also where they will work on it.
I'm still looking for more ways to incorporate Cameron's new found computer interests but that will come. (by the way stay tuned this weekend for a new review of a computer science program we have been using)

Our new Blog button shows off the Montessori Shelf set up. It will change slightly once I bring in the second bookcase but you get the idea.

Our cubbie system (aka Mommy's old scrapbook cubes) is also changing slightly We know longer use the cubbies for workboxes so Mom get those back for her office, but the cubbies are awesome for trays of hands on activities.

Can't wait to remove the old file station (huge monster thing) so I can move the bookcase in, of course that means I need to purge some of my  books, guess I should go get started.

SchoolhouseTeachers.com a Website with so much more than you can imagine #hsreviews #homeschool

I love finding resources online. I love it even more when I can hang out on one webpage and find everything I need and then some. That is exactly what I got when I started using Schoolhouseteachers.com I love that I can stop by the website each week and find something new and wonderful to add to our lessons.

Schoolhouseteachers.com has monthly , weekly , and daily lessons in a variety of subjects and ages. I love that we can download units and save them for later or work through a new unit as it comes up.  Last month for example the Literature unit was focused on the Velveteen Rabbit, one of my favorite stories so I decided to pause what we had been doing and do a unit on the Velveteen Rabbit. We read the book as a family taking turns reading aloud and then talked about various aspects of the story. I also printed a fun coloring sheet I found online to add to it. The boys loved the break from our other unit studies and the quiet reading time together even brought Daddy into read with us.

We have also thoroughly  enjoyed the monthly lapbook project from Hands of a Child co-owner Kimm Bellato. In April we went on a virtual field trip of London (actually we did it in July getting ready for the Olympics, but that is the beauty of this program I was able to download and save it for later.) I will be saving this month's lesson on Grey and Red Squirrels for Nathan to work on next month as part of this science unit

Another favorite has been the Figures in History taught by Figures in Motion creator and author Cathy Diez-Luckie. We can print and color or just print and build a variety of people and even animals for history. This month is Betty Ross and although we aren't studying American History Currently we will be touching on it a little during our break away Election unit come October so I am printing and saving some patriotic figures  for that unit.
There are also Daily printables for math, grammar, and writing practice.
It is almost overwhelming but the value is huge! For $5.95 a month you received access to a ton of amazing lessons, the digital archive of the TOS magazine, and one of the best parts of the program, The Schoolhouse Planners! There is a planner for the whole family. Primary grade kids have their own planner which my boys LOVE, Mom gets her own planner, Intermediate and High School planners, as well as a Special Needs planner for families with Special Needs members.  I LOVE LOVE LOVE my planner. I have the calendar saved on the desktop of my husband's computer so I can finish putting all the dates and tentative plans in before I print it for each of our notebooks.

Now for those that aren't sure about the program, you can check out some of the amazing things on the website with these samples
There really is something for every homeschool family on Schoolhouseteachers.com
See what the rest of the crew thinks of the site by clicking the button below


Disclaimer: As a member of the Schoolhouse Review Crew I received a subscription to this program to review.

Montessori Man brings color organization to our colored pencils

I've been thinking about  creating something to organize our colored pencils for a while now. I really like the Montessori colored cups but I know that the cups wouldn't make it back to the base so I decided to come up with something different.     I've been thinking about using a solid piece of wood for a while. Today I found a piece of 4x4 that at first glance was the perfectly length. Turns out, it was a perfect 24 inches long. 
I thought I could do it, but should have known better than to try.





Thankfully, unvlDad came to my rescue.

He put together the drill press and the vice to hold the wood in place and at the right height to drill 1 1/2 inch holes in 9 spots.

Here it is just waiting to be filled. The brightly colored pencil box it is setting on , was my pencil box in high school not to bad for 20 years old. Of course it just mostly sat on my desk when I doodled. My Mom found it full of Crayola Colored pencils and called me to tell me about her find. 

Filled with colors while still in the shop. I am so blessed to have such an amazing husband who is willing to rescue me and build such awesome things for our homeschool.

I love how the colors look all sorted. The whole thing sets up on a shelf until school time and then will set on the table between the boys so they can reach the colors they need.

Mini office binder, # homeschool Help Book

I recently talked about the mini office binder for Cameron. Well since this is our week off,  I decided to start putting the binder together.

I started off my finding some coordinating scrapbook papers and some sticker letters (I didn't have enough of the right letters so I mixed and matched but Cameron liked it so that is all that really mattered.)
We are using a 1 1/2 inch view binder so I inserted trimmed scrapbook paper to fit. (The paper he choose is an older pack from Close to My Heart and the letters are an older style from Creative Memories)

I pulled out a pack of 8 insertable tabs that will get labeled as we added categories.

Next I added a Quick Spelling Guide I had from years ago (I'm pretty sure it was a Avery thing from college). This will come in handy as he is writing stories and such. I really wanted him to have something that is slightly above his grade level that will last a long time.






Next I added a Cursive and Manuscript Letters chart we had been using as a guide.

We will add the remaining things under the tabs as we introduce them next week. I want Cameron to finish putting it together since this binder will be for his use.  It may sound silly but I really feel that his ownership of the binder will be stronger if he is actively involved in putting it together.

Repurposing project to help organize

I love finding new uses for things and repurposing them.

Here are my latest.
First: re-purose a pencil pouch

I had several of these pencil pouches left from a Children's Claritin  event, wanting to use the leftovers but needing to make each one a little different I decided to paint them.

I painted over the logo using some Glidden paint testers I had left over from some other DIY project.  It did take a couple coats to cover the logo, but that wasn't an issue, I used my hair dryer to promote the coats drying faster. It took 3 coats of paint to get the look I really wanted.



The boys and I decided the paint over looked like a post-it note and would be perfect for labeling the bags.This one has Primary Pencils and their sharpeners in it. The second one has regular pencils and the third one is empty but only temporarily , I know if I don't fill it my husband/ principal will find a use for it in the sound gear.

The second re-purposing project:
The Huggies Diaper Wipe box.

Again a couple of coats of the Glidden Sampler Testers  and we have a marker pens box that has a nice large "label" on the front.



Now the Crayola Marker pens will have a nice home. I do have a different box of the Crayola PipSqueak Markers that needs a make over but I will save that for another day.

The Children's Claritin items mentioned in this post were part of a sponsored activity where I was provided with product for an event, however their use and mention in this post are unrelated to that activity. This post is  a personal post of my opinions, experiences, and ideas.

Organizing your digital resource

I don't know about you but I have e-books, coloring pages, catalogs, projects, articles, tons of other resources that are all digital.

When I started this homeschool journey I knew e-books were going to be a huge part of our school. I decided from the beginning that I would try and keep them organized. Well after 2 computer crashes and a laptop dying I  think I have finally come up with a solution that is working for us.  I sync my net-book with my external hard-drive about twice a month and once a month I move files from my desktop to the external hard-drive sorting them into their prospective folders.

I have articles sorted by method (Charlotte Mason, Montessori, Traditional, etc..) I have subject files (art, Bible, math, grammar, history, etc..) and then I have publishers for companies I have a lot of stuff from (Hands of a Child, Simple Schooling, TOS,) I have a folder of photos and a folder for MP3 files from online conferences , etc...  It isn't a perfect system, but so far I've only purchased 3 items I already had.

A couple of things I have learned. 1. Know the policy of the online store you purchase things from. How long do you have to download the item? What if something goes wrong and you lose files?  2. If you get something for free and you enjoy it, make a note so you can support that vendor again. 3. Know the vendor's copyright policy. Can this item be used with a co-op or is it single family only; and PLEASE abide by their guidelines, many of these vendors are homeschool families just like you.

If you like a vendor share a link with friends on Facebook or twitter, many of these companies have Facebook pages where they will share ideas and possibly freebies or deals.

Do you have a tip for storing your digital media for homeschooling? Share a comment or link below.

#Workboxes ready to start #school?

Since we are only two days from school starting I decide I should get the files loaded. I have a few last  minute things to get but I think we are ready. I have the file, folders, and a supply bucket for each of the boys. (color coordinated of course)
The Supply bucket was something I picked up at the dollar store a while back... I used black puff paint to write their names on the bucket and the file.  Inside the bucket is a zippered pencil pouch, 2 primary pencils , a dual pencil sharpener (again color coordinated), 1 pack of Crayola thin makers, and a mini composition book (a quick place to write a note if we need to.) I still need to add a pair of scissors for each of them and would like to find a color crayon holder in green (I have a blue one already) so they have a box to put their crayons in..
The file folders have an laminated label on the front so each of the boys know what the assignment is  and what supplies he might need to get. I used a Vis-aVis wet erase marker so it won't come off inside the file and I can double check that assignments at the end of the day.. I have a box of Huggies wipes in the resource room so I can clean off the folder and write the next assignment's notes when I load them in the evening.
The lesson plans are written and ready to put on the folders. The only thing left is fill them and put together Mommy's journal. I started a homeschool journal when we began,but it quickly got put aside, I am going to keep it simple and use a 3 ring binder and basic ruled notebook paper... nothing fancy (I might decorate the binder if I get a chance...)


As I put the finishing touches on things tonight I'm sure there will be another post...

Cariann

#Homeschool #Workbox Planning Box

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This is part 2 of my revamp of the workbox system we worked with last year. I have a hanging file folder for each subject : Math, Grammar, Science, History,  and Bible.  Inside each folder is the booklet, master copies, etc.. for the coming weeks  that I need to copy or use for their folders.  I have made notes on their lesson plans so I know what book I need to pull out.   The boxes are small and portable which is nice but also means I still need to store the books for later use.

I hope this will help me stay ahead of what is coming up. I have sorted books and printables into 2 boxes like the one pictured (I would have preferred these to be color coordinated but they were given to me.. I think I will add something green to Nathan's just so I know which box goes with which boy).

One of the things I am most excited about this system is the flexibility. I am only committed to about 3 weeks in the box so if something isn't working I haven't over planned and can adjust things as needed.
I am also using a lot of Avery Note Tabs this year. I can write notes on the clear part and have the tab sticking out of the book. I am also putting lines note post-its on the cover of books that have more than one unit within them. so I know when I am done with 1 unit I can move it to the next file it needs to be in.

L is for Lesson Planning.

July is our off month from school work, however July is my planning and prep month and this year I have a lot of prep and plan...  I am still working on the classroom conversion to a resource room and sorting through all the wonderful things we have in our space. I am also working to plan out next year and make it a little more doable....   I still need to figure out where the boys' workbox folders will go and start getting the things together that will be in the folders.  I need to find brightly colored file folders or Pee-Chee folders, I hope to find them locally otherwise it is going to be online, I have found a couple deals...  I don't want to spend a fortune buying and I know classic file folders would work just as well, but I really like the large size of the Pee-Chees and my boys think the colors and sports figures are cool..

I went through and mapped out the lesson plans for the boys beginning August and Ending June 2012. We homeschool using a 4 day week and various short breaks.
Each of the boys will have 5 folders they are responsible for each day.  I am using a very eclectic mix of resources including: journaling/notebooking , hands on math (Math-U-See and Elephant Math), read aloud books, visual word walls and word games, old style phonics and grammar from McGuffey's, Creative Writing using Write Source from Houghton Mifflin, and Science from Real Science 4 Kids. We will also have various unit studies mostly from Hands of a Child; Bible lessons from Scripture Adventure,  Sentence diagraming using Montessori Print Shop, and whatever wonderful resources come our way during the year.
The boys will again be involved in Adventurer club through our church and our local homeschool Co-op for enrichment activities. I am considering swimming lessons at some point but that will depend on timing and finances.
The next step in the lesson planning is to select specific activities for Cameron's journals and Nathan's Morning Messages and begin building their folder activities. (I want as much of it done before school starts, at least 2-3 weeks per printed/ sorted)  We have a full month of activities in July so I am trying to start early .

Over the next couple of weeks I will post links and overview reviews to some of the resources I already have ready for the year... I am also hoping to find a screaming deal on primary composition books before school starts... I figure I will need somewhere between 6 and 10 for the whole year...

#Classroom Clean Up and Repurposing

Our Homeschool classroom was one of the fails for the year... I am not as well organized as I would like to think and the boys would rather do school work on the kitchen/ dinning room table, so the classroom collected stuff and continued to collect stuff most of the year...

Last week I received the first few boxes of materials from a retired teacher with the knowledge there was more to come. I also found another retired teacher who wanted her stuff to go to a new home so I accepted this treasures with plans to incorporate some into our classroom , some into our co-op library, and some into the hands of homeschool friends and teachers. Thus began the repurposing of the space formally known as our classroom. The boys and I decided the room would be a library/ resource center/ activities center.

Step 1; clear out.. Below are a few of the before pictures.

So the desks came out first, then we started sorting out the garbage and the keepers...  And yes, the classroom is/ was in the laundry room, the door in the bottom picture leads to the mudroom and then outside.. Someday the mudroom will house the washer and dryer but for now this is how it looked.

Next we started moving some of cubby boxes around , the game bench moved across the room and a literature rack moved in.

Empty Binders to be filled with unit studies and planners and whatever else needs a home.. the CD player on top is shared between this room and the boys' bedroom until we get another one for this room.

 Literature Rack full of resources, workbooks, planners, lesson, etc..  under the pile of other books is the bench that houses board games from now.

 The cubbies in the above picture are full of various phonics/ grammar activities. I used Target itso wide trays and Avery Name Badge labels for 2 of the sets (I have 2 more ITSO trays coming) 

Finally our magnetic wipe off board. I have a list of sub projects written on the board for us. The white chart is actually part of a set from Primary Concepts it is a word building activity and I hung it there as an example for the boys (they are excited to try out the letter tiles) This was one of the many wonderful resources we received this past week .

The garbage can is full, the goodwill bag is full and 2 piles are ready to take to the co-op library in a few weeks. 

This coming week we will finish sorting and cleaning up the floor, build a bookshelf or bookcase, and arrange books  along with set up the math cubbies and begin planning for the new school year... (We are still 1 1/2 weeks before this year ends...)

Planning and sharing

Over the last month I have been blessed to attend 2 online expos and 1 local homeschool open house. I am also planning on attending several used curriculum sales over the next couple weeks and hitting one of the local Homeschool bookstores.  I have also been thinking alot about what has worked and has NOT worked over the last 2 years of our homeschool journey.

I created a simple spreadsheet and included company/ product, subjects, grades, cost, pros/ cons, learning styles, aestitics, and e-book as things to consider.

I am including a.pdf of the spreadsheet in hopes someone else can get some use out of it. curriculum shopping planning

Have You Heard about the Ultimate Homeschool Expo?

For the past 2 years I have enjoyed the Ultimate Homeschool Expo, even after the Expo was over. Read on for more fun details.

My friend, Cindy Rushton, has just finished her Ultimate Homeschool Expo audio set. I have been listening to several workshops and they are simply fantastic! You will love it!

This convention NEVER ends. You can listen to it at your convenience. You can listen again and again and again. It is set up so that you can listen on your computer or you can download these workshops to your Mp3 player and carry them along with you wherever you go. Oh! You can even burn them to a CD.

It is hard to capture all of the fun in words. You have just GOT to check it out! I give it my highest recommendation Get the details here:

Nook learning

So last month I won a Barnes &Noble Nook thanks to Currclick.com and Read an E-Book Week.  For the last couple months I have been eyeing an IPod Touch but when I received word that I won the Nook I couldn't have been more excited, mostly because while eyeing the Touch, I knew the budget wouldn't allow for it.  I did hit Costco during March coupon book and purchased an 8-gig micro SD card with the OK of husband/ Principal... Since the Nook was going to be used for school he agreed that the SD card would make it a lot easier to move more of the e-books to the Nook.  I received my Nook on a Tuesday via UPS and immediately cracked open the case and started playing... First off the USB cord / charing unit, what an ingenious set up... the wall plug has the USB port of the back so I only have 1 cord..  Second the size, just big enough to see , just small enough to literally fit inside a Staples brand plastic pencil box with my other small electronics that travel with me (cords, wireless network card for the laptop, various thumbdrive, and SD cards) and stows away nicely in my purse. Couple of things I'm still getting use to, the screen itself is not lit  (saves on battery life, but hard to read at night), and need to get a card charger for it...  I love the fact that my Hands of a Child Project Packs can be read (no more printing research guides for classtime). And Barnes & Noble has a large variety of free e-books.  Can't forget the built in wi-fi and since it is At&T based it pulls from the local AT&T cell phone tower... I haven't taken it to a Barnes&Noble store yet as the closest ones to me are about 50 miles away and not high on my list of places to go.

This little piece of modern electronics has been a blessing just in the 3 weeks I have had it.. I still have over 6 gigs of space on the Nook and sd card combined, although if I really wanted to spend time sorting through all my wonderful e-book resources I could fill it in no time; can also add MP3s for the onboard MP3 player or jpegs for the screensaver/ wallpaper functions.

I have a little Nook wish list: a clip-on LED light (about $10 for one at our local book store), the card charger piece ($5.00 for parts express), a an e-book of the Bible (really want a KJV or NKJV from B&N so it will search easier...)

Index cards in your homeschool?

Heart of Wisdom posted a wonderful article about using Index cards in her Homeschool. Reading the article got me thinking.

I love the fancy workbox cards we use but I can make others using Index cards and scrapbook supplies. Then I noticed her wonderful timeline box and thought wait a minute... I've been trying to come up with some way of sorting our workbox cards and all this time it was staring me in the face, I have inherited several old recipe boxes (various mediums and sizes), like this one: I can use the  various tabs (re purposed to create dividers for school) and then store the extra workbox cards behind each divider... Better yet, this thought just came to me... When I was young my mom used the Side Track Home Executives books and system with index cards and pictures... What a great tool for planning and organizing our workboxes. I think I can create a pocket on the divider cards to hold smaller cards and such...

I also have a stash of cigar boxes (I had planned on using for crafts) that I could use and have one box for each boy. I found a picture online that is very similar in size to the boxes I have...

Decluttering: home and school room

I found a blog today that really caught my attention, Mandi talks about decluttering and setting realistic goals for the year.. She set a goal to get rid of 721 things (that is an average of only 2 per day... realistic...), I got to thinking I can do that, especially since I had purged my own closet yesterday and today was working on the boys' bedroom getting ready to move their bunk bed out and put in two twin bed captain's beds (we will be moving the dressers out this week.)... Any way, I realized in just 2 days I had managed to get rid of (donating or selling) 50 items... and the boys' room isn't done yet... Now the next area to hit will be the classroom and the home-school closet as we have tons of things we just aren't using and most likely won't... So during the boys independent work time this coming week I will be purging books, workbooks, textbooks, and anything else home-school related to donate to our local co-op as well as Goodwill. Oh and I will be purging the mudroom as well (hoping to get rid of some of ceramic supplies and such... wonder if I can sell them on Craigslist...). If you are up for the challenge: 31 days of Organizing for a better 2010, check out the blog.. I think it is going to help me  a lot.