Positively Giddy

Can we just skip the rest of this homeschool year and jump into next year already?!  I have some awesome new ideas that I think will breathe new life into our daily school lives and I can't wait to try them.

First idea was inspired by the workbox system.  If you aren't familiar, it is a system developed for autistic/ADD kids to help keep them organized and fascilitate independent learning.  You have a number of bins (I have seen anywhere from 6 to 12) per child.  In each bin you place one lesson or one activity.  They have to complete bin #1 before moving to bin #2.  In each bin is also everything needed for that activity...pencils, rulers, markers, stickers, etc.  You can also add cards that read "Go jump on trampoline for 15 minutes" or "Have a snack!"  just to break up the monotony.

I have two kids and no room for 24 plastic bins...but I DO have a two-drawer filing cabinet with hanging file folders.  Each child will get a drawer.  When each activity in each folder has been completed, they will place them in a 'completed' folder.  Then at the end of the school day I will have all of their completed work in one place to grade.  If a book or activity is too large to fit in the folder I can easily slip in a card directing them to that book/activity. 

Another minor issue we have is what to do with the kid that has finished an assignment and I am busy helping the other kid.  For this we have <drum roll> centers. (Squee!)

I will have about 5 large-ish plastic bins, and in each bin will be activities to keep them busy (and learning) while I am occupied or as a workbox treat.  One bin will be arts and crafts- paints, papers, pompoms, googly eyes, glue, glitter, how-to-draw books, etc.  My daughter will LOVE this.  There will be a geography center- maps and books on foreign places and cultures.  Folders with geography 'scavenger hunts'.  A science center- magnets, magnifying glass, prisms, books on experiments, rocks, other small science kits that we have accumulated.  Even a language arts center-Boggle, Bananagrams, a book report folder with fancy scrapbooking paper, stickers, etc to make decorative book reports, poetry books, crossword puzzle and logic puzzle books.

These two changes will really help with organization with me as well.  It will be nice to have all subject related things contained together.  It will most definately help my kiddos get more organized and independent.  And it gives me one more reason to scour yard sales and thrift stores for items to go into the centers!  :)

Do any of you have any suggestions for either workboxes or centers? If you do, I would love to hear them!