After I made my initial workbox post, I got alot of questions and I realized that I left out some stuff. So, this is my attempt at addressing everything that got left out…
Reloading Each Day: Yes, I do reload the bags each day. I find that the very best thing for me is to plan at least a week in advance. That way, I can just grab what I need and put it in the bag rather than having to plan as I reload. If I don’t plan ahead, we are NOT effective when it comes to using the workboxes. I use a spreadsheet to do the weekly plans…
Spreadsheet: Here is a picture of what my spreadsheet looks like. I tried to find a page that wasn’t too scribbled up. {This one is actually from last year before we bumped KJ up to 1st grade}. I am kinda old school when it comes to planning. I like to have it in pencil on paper so that I can easily make changes as needed… 
I have the “subjects” across the top and the numbers represent what bag number I want the assignment to go in. For example, on Friday, KJ’s bags would be in this order:
- SWR dictation of list C
- read phonograms
- Cursive First WS 30A
- read in Learning Log
- read & discuss lesson in My Father’s World
- write & illustrate words from list
- Singapore Math p.7
- “My Garden Grows” worksheet
So, for that day, she had 8 bags. If there is a # beside the assignment, it goes in that # bag for that day. If there is NOT a number it is something extra that will be done later. The last column is for such extra stuff that we all do together in the afternoon. So, on that day, we did art (veggie stamping) and science (soaking bean seeds). The very bottom of the page is for any reminder notes or materials that I may need.
Download a blank copy of my Simple Workbox Planning Spreadsheet.
Someone mentioned having a spreadsheet with everyone’s assignments on it. I do think this would be helpful, but for now, I use one of these for my daughter and another one for my older twins. If I come up with something that works better or if I decide to consolidate it all onto one page, I will post it…
Workbooks: If my kiddos have an assignment in a workbook, I put the whole workbook in the bag along with a little sticky note on the page they are to complete. I try to minimize the amount of loose paper…so keeping the workbooks in tack is what I opt for…
Completed Work: If you notice in one of the photos on my original post, I have a blue bin on top of a little file cabinet. I put completed work on top of the bin until I have time to store it away…
Storing Completed Work: Inside the file cabinet, I have hanging file folders for each kid for each school year. For now, I put their completed work in there. Since I know that their work will eventually end up in the file cabinet, I try to keep that in mind when it comes to large projects and such. Anything that is too big to fit in there usually stays “on display” somewhere in their room or our classroom…for a LONG time. Not sure what I will do for the long term once the file cabinet is full or once I run out of “display” space! 🙂
Purchasing Sterilite Boxes: I found my boxes at Walmart, but I have also seen them at JoAnns Fabrics & Crafts. They are the tall ones that are actually used for hanging file folders. I have seen them with teal blue lids and darker blue handles. However, I do not use the lids…they are stored away in a closet.
Stor-It Bags: Be sure to search multiple Dollar Trees if needed. One of our stores carries the bags and the other doesn’t. Yes, I use the large size that are 15”x15”. At first I thought the bags were going to be to big, but now, I really like them. I am able to get big stuff inside of them like puzzles. The bags are a bit wider than the Sterilite boxes, but I have not had an problems with using them. No, I do not zip them up…too much extra work.
So, I think that is it. Let me know if there are more questions or if I forgot to address something! 🙂
Mama Jenn
Your question makes TOTAL sense! What I found most helpful was to make my plans two days at a time. Basically I would come up with two separate/different sets of activities. So, here’s any example…let’s use twin 1 and twin 2 and daily activity set A and activity set B. The first day twin 1 would do activity set A while twin 2 did activity set B. The second day they would alternate and twin 1 would do set B while twin 2 did set A. That way both twins were able to get practice with the different activities/skills without me having to print/make/laminate two of everything. Does this make sense?
Corrie Haffly
How many bags do you use?
Mama Jenn
I used anywhere between 5 and 9 bags per child. It just depended on how much work I had assigned each child that day. (I had 12 bags available to use for each child, but rarely had that much work for them. So bags, 10-12 were rarely used.) Hope that helps
Corrie Haffly
Thanks so much!! I’m new to homeschooling, and of all the dozens of blogs I’ve been reading, your system and ideas click with me the most. Thanks for the information and inspiration!
Mama Jenn
Thanks Corrie! Hopefully the system will work well for you! It was a lifesaver when we were using it!
Mama Jenn
Hi Sa~
Thanks for your kind words! As for workboxes, I am not sure that I would use them for 2.5 year olds. Perhaps tot school with tot trays would be more appropriate. My pal Carisa has a whole webapge about it: http://www.1plus1plus1equals1.com/TotSchool.html
As for both of your children needing your involvement, I would try to make most of the activities group activities. I work with boy of my 4 year olds at the same time quite often. If they are working on different activities, I am always nearby in case they need me. I follow the same general rule with my older set of twins too…however, they do have workboxes. I stagger them so that things I do with both of them are usually first and then work that they should be able to do independently is later. If they need extra help with something the individual time is when that happens.
Hope that helps a bit! 🙂
Sa
Just found your blog and am SO excited you are homeschooling twins! (two sets too…amazing!)
My girls are 2.5 now and I’d like to be more organized and intentional with tot school for them. I love the workbox idea but am uncertain how to make it work for two kids at the same age level (so doing the same activities) who still need a good bit of my involvement for most of their activities.
How do you use the workbox system in planning for your twins (both older and younger)?
Thank you!
Mama Jenn
I will check through my files to see if I can find a blank template to share…hopefully sometime this month.
scballou
Any chance you could offer the workbox tags in a “blank form”? I love the colors but I’d like to have it more customizable. Thanks!
Shay
Bummer! I’m working off a mac with no Microsoft OR Photoshop. Guess I’ll have to settle for less cool tags. LOL Thanks anyway! 🙂
Shay
[email protected]
Mama Jenn
Hi Shay!
I TOTALLY know what you mean about everything having to be the same with the tags. I was able to use Photoshop and Microsoft clipart to alter Cassi’s tags with what we needed. I would have shared the ones that I made for my kiddos, but with all the copyright issues, I felt it best to not share them since I didn’t completely create them myself.
Shay
I love the way you’ve done your workboxes. I’ve “been gonna do this” for months now, but with three kiddos & limited school space, I hadn’t figured out how to pull it off yet. This way looks totally doable! I already had my eye on the tabs that Cassie had used for her system from the post at Spell Out Loud, but I was trying to figure out how to make similar tabs for our activities she didn’t have a tab for (I have to have them all the same…it’s my curse!LOL), and your post said you had made some of your own…HOW?? 🙂 Thanks for the info! & Nice to meet you. 🙂
Shay
Threebusybs
Thank you for posting the additional information. It really is quite helpful!
Aimee
Mama Jenn
Surprisingly, they were not in the section of the Dollar Store with the kitchen ziplock bags etc. They were in the isle that has the laundry type stuff…you know, the lent balls, hangers, air fresheners, laundry bags etc. Hope that helps. Not all Dollar Trees seem to carry them though.
Chic Mama
What section of the Dollar Tree did you find the bags in , by chance? Thanks!