We are planning on using workboxes this year. We are doing Bible reading, Writing Road to Reading and CM literature in the morning... so we have 6 boxes that are meant to be worked together. Then, the kids will go outside (might have to adjust this in the dead of winter) and come in and draw, write or whatever one nature observation in a notebook. While they are outside, I will make lunch. We will have lunch... then the kids will start on their 6 "private" or individual boxes. They have to do them in order. I have set them up so that one child is doing math, while the other child is practicing piano. Their fifth individual box will be a chore. Then, their 6th box will be tea with mom... where we will discuss our day, an artist, a famous character from history or a composer.
On Thursdays we have piano in the afternoon and Fridays we typically do half days. So, on those days, the kids won't have all 6 boxes to do.
I went to Ikea and got Trofast shelves. We homeschool in a room that is also our guest room, so I wanted to keep it looking attractive.
Hopefully, it will work well. My liitles are 6- and almost 8- and toward the end of last year, their age (and ability) difference made working together difficult. And, I found that one child sat there doing nothing while I worked with their sibling. A bored sibling is not very conducive to a smooth homeschool day. So, I hope to separate and structure that part of the day when we really, truly need to work at ability level.
