And So We Dip into Workboxing ...

Okay, so on Friday's post I mentioned that our schooling has felt like it had a knot in it.   I took a few days to try and untangle that knot.  Basically, though there are other issues, the main issue has been that Max and Lucy don't always take a nap every day so the means that Jillian and I do not have the guarantee of 2 or 3 hours alone together for school anymore.  School has been interrupted often.  Worse, without that afternoon naptime for preparation and quiet time I've been having to try and keep up with housework and school work with little ones at my feet.  This means that in addition to interruptions, Jillian has had to wait on me when I was disorganized and not prepared for the lesson.  Jillian has felt (rightfully) slighted and the two littlest ones have heard "not now" and watched far more tv than I feel comfortable with.  It has been really difficult for me lately to balance being the teacher that I want to be for my 8 year old and the mother that all three of my children need for me to be.  As a result, I've been short-tempered, cranky, overwhelmed, and honestly, a little sad.
 

That isn't how I want to teach and that certainly isn't how I want to parent.

Something has got to change.

Part of this has been solved by my getting up earlier than my family and using my alone time NOT for computer and email, but for prayer, meditation, and getting our school ready for the day.

But, that doesn't solve being able to teach Jillian AND balance a one year old and three year old who also need me during the day. Oh, yeah, and I suppose we should eat and wear clean clothing sometimes, too.  Yikes.  It is enough to drive a mama to tears.  And it has.  More than once.

So, last week I did what I normally do when I don't know the answers:  I asked God to show me what to do.  Please. Within a few days I felt my heart tugged in the direction of workboxes.

Now, I have seen workboxes and Sue Patrick's system all over the homeschooling community over the past year.  But, I had never see it from a Waldorf homeschooling family and so, while I thought it seemed very organized and clever, it never occurred to me to apply it to our kind of homeschool.  That is, until I read Annette's blog post last Wednesday.  And then I read all of her workboxing archives.  And then I purchased the e-book from Sue Patrick's website. And I read it in an hour.  And then I scoured the web looking at examples of people's set-ups.  And, then ... well, you get the idea.

That was Wednesday.  I talked to Chris about it for 2 days and finally he said, "Kara, it sounds great.  Lets try it."  By Saturday morning I had already started making changes and making little notes on my lesson plans. This may not solve the whole problem, but it looks like an answer for where we are right now.

Now, we're modifying the system to fit in with our philosophy.  For example, I'm not planning on using the "ask for help" (because she can always ask me for help) or " take a break" cards because we already have a natural rhythm in place and I want this system to enhance that, not replace it.

Also, because we're mainly Waldorf influenced, we're still doing main lessons.  That means that our boxes will all be on the same area of study, allowing for some review, instead of jumping from math to history to language arts, etc.  I really believe in the idea of blocks of lessons and immersing yourself in the subject but I think the workboxes will convert easily to that ideal. Some boxes, in fact most boxes, we'll do together.  But, some she will be able to do on her own. I won't always have to be right beside her. That is my hope, at any rate.

We're so in love with the "wonder book" idea from The Seven Year Wonder Book that we're calling ours wonderboxes instead.

You can read more about the workbox idea at the website, but one of the things I really feel will help out us is that each box is complete:  everything needed for that lesson's component is inside the box - the pencil, books, everything except for items that must be placed within easy reach of the child as they do their work (like the notebook of blank paper we use for our main lessons or the pencil sharpener).  Jillian doesn't have to wait for me to find a sharpened pencil or the right book, because I have (in theory) already filled all the boxes before lessons begin. I have to be accountable for my part, too. 

Another change I've made involved our Morning Circle.  Our circle time has really dissolved, so I've set it aside for now.  I will try and come back to that when my youngest two are a bit older.  I know that it is a challenge to duplicate a Waldorf school Circle at home, so I'm "saving the guilt for sin" as they say and moving on.  I'm taking the best parts of what we have been doing - the calendar, weather tree, and seasonal stories - and giving them a wonderbox.  We sing through our days anyway so there's lots of opportunity each month for learning new songs and verses.

I also talked with Jillian a bit about what she would like out of school and she mentioned two things:  more time for reading together and on her own (DONE! Be still my heart, done!) and more lapbooks.  The last one isn't really a pure Waldorf ideal, but I think we can work with it and both be happy.

I think these changes will help both our homeschool and our family life.  I think I can make these boxes really magical and special.  And, I think in turn, they will help our flow return to its normal easy state. I think this will be good for my second grader especially.  Jillian has a visual display of the whole day's school and, perhaps best of all for her temperament, the work is broken down into small parts. Yesterday and today I noticed that she took her time and seemed to enjoy working our way through the boxes - both the ones we completed together and the ones she did independently.  It was relaxing for both of us. And I didn't feel like I was slighting my school aged child or my babies.  This week has felt better.  Lighter.  Happier.


Yes, but Kara, plastic boxes? I know.  I know.  At first I was really resistant to the idea of plastic boxes, but lets face facts:  even thrift store baskets are $3 a piece and good luck finding them in the same size and shape.  I got 8 plastic shoe-boxes with lids (very important for keeping toddler fingers OUT) for a mere 95 cents each at Big Lots.  (Eight because when I sat down and made a list of what I wanted us to cover every school day, that was the number of items I had, including some boxes just for fun.) If this is indeed the right answer for us, I may expand to the 12 boxes and the cart talked about with the original system (and I may eventually replace the shoeboxes with baskets) but for now this fits our budget and our needs. And, for two mornings in a row now Jillian has been peeking into the clear boxes and getting excited about the day ahead.

So, all of this to say that $8 and a little bit of planning time invested later, this short holiday week seems like a good time to apply these changes.  If it isn't the answer, I'm sure I can find a use for 8 shoebox sized containers and we'll keep searching for what is the right answer.

Here's what our day looked like today:

To help us transition into this I set out just 4 boxes yesterday and moved it up to 5 today.  Since this is a holiday week, we're not doing a formal Main Lesson block but we are talking about the Thanksgiving holiday.  I imagine I'll keep tinkering with things a bit until they fit us perfectly, but here is how it went this morning ...

Wonderbox #1 - Calendar and Weather This is where our Weather Song (from EARTHschooling November) and our Weather Tree are located now.  I've got our colored pencils for coloring in each day's leaf on the tree.  I'm envisioning that in 2010 I'll put a page-a-day calendar in there for her, too (my Mom has one that Jillian loves reading the jokes on every time we are there)

Wonderbox #2 - Seasonal Stories - we looked at Gerda Muller's Autumn together and read I Am Thankful, a Thanksgiving board book

Wonderbox #3 - Main Lesson (A Little Garden Flower 2nd Grade) We talked about gratitude and what it means to be Thankful.  Then, I asked Jillian to write down some things she is thankful for.

Wonderbox #4 - Main Lesson Compliment She found beeswax crayons in this box and made a picture of what she thought the first Thanksgiving meal would have looked like

Wonderbox #5 - Something Fun ~ Sounds Bingo (from the Workboxable page at Homeschool Share) Max played, too and it didn't take long for Lucy to come over and giggle and play either

We're reading out loud from The Seven Year Wonder Book each bedtime as well (that is our 6th box in the picture)

So, that was our day.  I'm hoping that we are on the way to getting all the knots out and really being able to enjoy school again.  Tomorrow I'll add in a few more wondeboxes.  We'll enjoy Thanksgiving and then see how things go again on Friday.  But, so far, so good.

.........................................................

But What about the Laundry and the Dishes?  And Dinner? Okay, so the boxes solve part of the problem, but not all of it.  Here's what is helping with the rest of it ... I'm NOT doing it all.  I can't.  So what if the laundry stacks up right now?  So what if everyone isn't getting a handknit something for Christmas?  So what if my husband makes dinner sometimes?  Do you know what my husband wants to come home to?  A happy family.  Not a clean house and unhappy children.  Not a dirty house and an unhappy wife.  A happy family.

Maybe what needs to change is my expectations of myself and my priorities?  In fact, I'm pretty sure that is what needs to change.  I've been learning to ask myself "What is essential?" and then to DO ONLY THAT.

Laundry is not essential. (well, okay, at some point clean clothing is essential, but you know what I mean)  A happy mama is.  I've needed to remind myself to ask, "will this bring peace to our home?" .... a good day of homeschooling, three happy kids who feel loved (not pushed aside for a "to do" list), me letting go of the guilt, putting a hold to the idea of "doing it all"  ... those things bring peace.

The laundry will have to wait.

I hope everyone had a terrific day!  Thanks for reading this monster of a post.  Tomorrow I'll take more pictures, but I figured I already borrowed enough of everyone's time for one day. Go, enjoy your babies.  Hug your kids.  Enjoy the rest of the day. 

Best Wishes,
Kara