Workboxes- Day 1

Today was our first day of using workboxes in school. I have been setting things up for two weeks now, planning and organizing for the big "reveal". LOL. I was originally going to use shoeboxes on a shelf but the shelf I had only held 17 boxes and that won't hold all the boxes once I have both (or all three) kids going full time. So when I saw these in Joann Fabrics' Black Friday ad, I knew I had to have them! Turns out, they are perfect! They only have 10 drawers, but for now that is just enough (I got three carts just in case- or for Luke later on). (:

So last night I told the kids that we are doing something different for school the next day and they were very excited. So after Luke went down for a nap, I took them downstairs and showed them the workboxes (they are in the basement because that's where all my supplies are and it is easier to fill them down there. They just bring up the box/item and go back and forth). They listened to all the directions and were so excited to see what was in their boxes. They wanted to skip around but I told them they had to do it in order (I am so mean). Anyway, they quickly got the hang of it and seemed to really enjoy it. They especially liked the idea of putting the completed number on their chart. Zach kept saying "step 2 (3, 4, etc) complete!!". LOL. He is so type A like me. I think I see a future list maker in the making- we love to cross things off! Okay, back to the fun- here are a picture of the boxes before they dug in (yes, I know they are drawers but I just can't call them workdrawers). Okay, here we go...

Katelyn's are on the left with pink tags and Zach's is on the right with yellow tags. The grids that they put the numbers on when they are done are on top of the cart along with their folder to put their completed work in. They also have a pencil box with pencils, crayons, glue, etc. I thought this was easier than putting a pencil/crayons in every box that requires it.


Here's what was in Katelyn's boxes (prek/K):

Box #1-In all the picture taking confusion, I just realized I didn't take one of her first box (Busy Bugs)! I have this one of both kids doing their first workbox.

Box #2 was her Abeka phonics worksheet- most of her boxes are "work with mom" boxes.
Box #3 was Count and Measure Links- she had to put the links together to count them out and finish the picture.
Box #4 was her Abeka math worksheet.
Box #5 was Brain Quest.
Box #6 was a Readiness skills paper where she had to cross out the picture that was NOT an animal and then she colored the ones that were animals.
I had 10 boxes prepared for her but we ran out of time and only did 6. I think that is probably a good number for her though.

Here's what she didn't get to and will be part of her boxes for tomorrow.
#7-scissor skills page
#8-Sesame Street letter of the day bingo
#9-dry erase letter tracing
#10-Abeka reading book (blend ladders)

Okay, here are Zach's boxes (2nd grade):

Box #1: Rush Hour game- at first I just had him copy the card and put all the vehicles in the right spot but then he wanted to try to play the game so I helped him try to figure it out. I admit we had to use the "hints", it's harder than it looks!
Box #2 was his Abeka phonics worksheet:
Box #3 was a scissors page. I let him use decorative scissors to make it more fun. He's really needed practice in this area but is getting much better.
Box #4 was his Abeka handwriting. He has been doing great with cursive and actually loves it! He wrote his whole name in cursive today!

Box #5 was Brain Quest.
Box #6 was his Abeka reading book. It was supposed to be independent reading but I ended up listening to him read it and then he answered some comprehension questions.

Box #7 was his Abeka Language worksheet- writing complete sentences with a capital letter and a period.
Box #8 was special sounds flashcards. We reviewed spellings and sounds and then he read the words on the back of the cards.

Box #9 was addition flashcards, the "12 family" facts. We reviewed these and he matched the "twins" (8+4, 4+8, etc) and found the "double" (6+6).
Box #10 was his Abeka math worksheets. He ended up doing these later since we ran out of time.
So there you have it! Nothing elaborate, basically their curriculum with a few fun things thrown in. I plan on getting more creative with things soon. I have been reading some awesome blogs (see my blog list on the sidebar) and can't wait to try some of them!

Wish us luck that we stick with this and the kids stay as excited for it as they were today!