Let me start with saying, I love workboxes! If you don't know what workboxes are- google Sue Patrick. She is the inventor of these wonderful little creations! Many people have taken her main idea and come up with variations. I am one of those people. I love so much of what she does, but not all of it so I have come up with what works for us. Some people use shoe boxes (we used to), file folders, cereal boxes, manila envelopes, etc. This is our current version. They help me to stay more organized and on top of things. The kids love them because they can "see" how much work they need to do for the day. I never have to worry about someone loosing a book or something because it's all contained to their carts. This current system was a little pricey, but it was well worth it. Our old system was shoe boxes (scroll down to the bottom of this page) and I hated how the books didn't lie flat. The drawers of the new system allow the books to lie flat and actually hold a lot. The cart has a sturdy shelf to hold extra supplies on top and it can be wheeled around if needed.
How this all works- The boys start with #1 and work through all the work boxes by the end of the day. As they finish 1, they remove the Velcro # and put it on the card attached to the side of their cart. When all 12 are complete, they are done with school. Ideally, they work in order. Every once in a while they might only have 10 minutes until lunch and the next box will take a lot longer so instead, they do a different box out of order that would only take 10 minutes. If it's an activity that won't fit into the box (like practicing the piano or typing on the computer) the drawer will contain a card that tells them what to do. Easy Peasy, right!
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