Off to the State Championship!

I didn't fathom that it could possibly happen, but our rookie FLL (First Lego League) team is off to the State Championship on Dec 12th after placing in Regionals today!

A team was literally thrown together when a local university offered grant money to sponsor a team. The kids got off to a slow start and had many hurdles to jump before things starting really got going. Most of them didn't know each other and there was a variety of personalities in the mix. The families were spread all over our very large county, making meeting regularly enough a bit of a logistical problem. A good half of the kids had never even used the Lego Mindstorm program needed for competition and two families dropped before it was all said and done.

Honestly, we were all in this for the learning experience for the kids. We figured they could go under low pressure this year and gain a better understanding of what it was all about for next year. It wasn't until midway through the regional competition today that we realized they had a good possibility of making it to State. It is amazing what kids can pull off with a bit of determination.

Now we are off to the State Championships! Way to go team!

Review: The American Heritage Education Foundation

While homeschooling can be done inexpensively, most homeschoolers I know are working hard to stay within a homeschooling budget. There are so many great sounding products that compete for those scarce green bills. With a plethora of reviews introducing new products appearing regularly on this blog, I sometimes feel like I'm contributing to the overspending of budgets. However, this review is a bit different from previous reviews. The product is completely FREE!


The American Heritage Education Foundation, provider of America's Heritage: An Adventure in Liberty, states the following mission statement on the website:

AHEF is a non-profit, non-partisan educational foundation dedicated to the understanding and teaching of America's factual and philosophical heritage to promote constructive citizenship and Freedom, Unity, Progress, and Responsibility among our students and citizens.

AHEF accomplishes this patriotic mission by writing, producing, and distributing FREE K-12 lesson plans to teachers, students, and families in all 50 states and through additional initiatives, programs, and partnerships.

AHEF sent me a copy of their CD version of this no-cost K-12 resource for review. Included on the CD are three levels of materials, elementary (also in Spanish), middle school, and high school, with approximately 185 pages each. Each level includes 15 lessons based on four key themes. These themes, Freedom, Unity, Progress and Responsibility, are described as "A Formula for America" by the founders of AHEF. Each lesson clearly states the purpose, objective, theme, NSCC standards, time, materials and preparation required. For the elementary level, coordinating passages from the Core Knowledge series are noted. Additional articles and reading material are included as well as printouts. Following each level is a teacher resource titled Religious Expression in Public Schools, covering a topic where misinformation is common.

While the lessons are intended for a classroom or group environment, many of them can be modified for use with individual students. Many of the worksheets could easily be used with whatever civics or history curriculum you currently use. For example, text scrambles of the Declaration of Independence, the Preamble of the U.S. Constitution in sign language, or president card printouts can be used independently of the lessons. The multiple levels on on CD are perfect to coordinate lessons among all of your students. While the lessons for each level don't completely align, there are several topics, e.g. the Declaration of Independence and the U.S. Constitution, that appear in each level.

While I likely won't use the lessons fully as presented, many of the accompanying activities will fit in nicely as a supplement when studying American history or civics. As a resource that is FREE to all, this is certainly a supplemental resource that fits in to all budgets. America's Heritage: An Adventure in Liberty is available as a direct download or can be ordered on CD. You may also request a print copy in a binder for $19.50 per level. Visit the American Heritage Education Foundation website to find out more about this non-product foundation and to find more about the lesson plans.

Visit the TOS Homeschool Crew's blog to read more reviews on this product and others.

Disclaimer: This review was provided as a result in my participation in The Old Schoolhouse Magazine Crew, a team of 100+ homeschooling parents. While the product was provided at no expense to me in order to provide this review, I have not received any other compensation. Furthermore, receipt of the product does not guarantee a positive review. I strive to give a balanced overview of each product, detailing my opinion of both pros and cons and how the product worked for my family. What works for one family may not work for another. I encourage you to read reviews of other Crew members and research sufficiently to determine if any product will be a benefit to your homeschool.

Review: All American History (Bright Ideas Press)

If you've followed my past postings, you've may have picked up that I have trouble getting history into our studies. I know, I know...I wonder if I'm a "real" homeschooler too. Most homeschoolers love history, don't they? I sometimes wish I shared that love of history I see among the homeschooling community;I just didn't have a good example of how to enjoy studying history. All I remember about my high school history studies was the sheer joy my teacher took at boring us to tears. Really. She was not a nice woman. The end result is I dabble, but never manage any systematic history studies. Having my kids read and listen to a ton of historical fiction has been fairly successful. However, I must admit that I've been feeling the pressure with an upcoming high schooler. It seems like our history studies need to have a little more oomph and direction for high school credit.

Ironically, I've been blessed with a several history programs to review since my time with the Crew. Wow. That high school history teacher really did me a disservice. History isn't all that bad! I've been very pleased with the latest history curriculum that has come my way - All American History Volume 2 by Bright Ideas Press.


All American History Vol 2, for grades 6-12, covers the Civil War to the 21st century.
The author, Celeste Rakes, developed the All American History curriculum as a result of teaching history in a homeschool co-op classroom and having difficulty finding a curriculum that met her criteria. With a history degree and experience teacher her own children and others, she had definite ideas of what she desired in a curriculum. Rather than a boring fact-regurgitating curriculum, she desired an engaging curriculum that told the story of real people through the ages. The end result is a curriculum that provides structure with a chronological and thematic presentation of material while including reading opportunities, writing projects and artistic/hands-on work to enhance the textbook. The set comes with a Student Reader, a Student Activity Book, and a Teacher's Guide & Answer Key.


Student Reader ($44.95)

The text, or Student Reader, is broken down into four units with eight lessons each. Each lesson is about 12-14 pages long. The reader is texbook style, but does have plenty of black-and-white pictures of people, places, and events discussed in the chapter as well as maps for further understanding. Each chapter concludes with a bullet-point “Impact” section that summarizes the main points of the chapter. The suggested pace is to complete one chapter a week.

The Units Covered in the Volume are:

• The Civil War and Reconstruction
• The Gilded Age
• Two World Wars and A Great Depression
• The Cold War and Beyond

For a complete Table of Contents, click here.

Student Activity Book ($16.95)

The Student Activity Book contains notebooking pages, map work, review quizzes, and suggestions for further study. There is also a final review for each unit. In the back of the book, students will find images and maps to be cut and pasted on to the notebook pages. The author suggests that students fill in the information on the notebook pages while reading or being read the text. The development of note taking skills will progress with this method. The Further Study section offers topics and question to explore. For example, one suggestion is:

Define the political terms referendum and recall. Why do you think the Progressives favored enacting these measures?

The chapter review quizzes are in a traditional style with a collection of true and false, matching, fill-in-the-blank, and multiple choice questions. While it is sold separately, the Student Activity Book is considered not optional. I agree that one should not go without the Student Activity Book; it is an integral part of the curriculum.

Click here for sample pages.

Teacher Guide & Answer Key ($18.95)

The Teacher Guide & Answer Key starts out with a clear explanation on how to get the most out of the curriculum. Suggestions for adapting for younger or older children, a co-op, classrooms, or a family studying together are included in this section. Section Two includes teaching resources for each chapter. Project possibilities, timeline dates, review games, and suggested family activities are all included. Section Three has supplemental book lists for each unit divided by ages K-4, Middle (5-8) and Secondary (9 and up). Section Four contains the answer key to the “For Further Study” questions, including younger student adaptations. The last section, Section Five, is the answer key to the Student Activity pages. I often elect not to purchase teacher guides, but this one contains valuable information and I would recommend not skipping out on it.

Click here for sample pages.

In Our Home

I originally started this curriculum with my 5th grade son. I found it to be just a bit much for him, especially considering that we are not accustomed to including history in our main studies on a regular basis. Our biggest obstacle was the notebook writing portion and remembering of details for the notebook pages. At first, I didn't realize the notebook pages were to be done while reading the text and we were doing them after the fact. Switching to completion while reading helped some. My son enjoyed finding the appropriate image and flag for each page. With the suggestions in the teacher guide, I believe adapting Vol 2 would have been obtainable. However, I soon realized that Volume 2 was just about perfect for my 7th grade daughter's needs.

Overall, I found this to be a well-thought out and thorough history curriculum that caters to a variety of learning styles. The activity pages are not overwhelming for the target grade levels, yet really solidify the learning and keep the student engaged during the reading. With two very different learners in my home, I appreciate that the author provides many suggestions to make this curriculum adaptable. This is actually a curriculum that I can use with both of my kids. I like the structure the textbook provides in combination with the supplemental reading suggestions, games, and activities. It gives me the systematic approach I've been seeking, yet takes the bore out of a pure textbook approach.

One of the dangers of being on the Crew is that I often end up making more purchases as the result of liking the products I review. Such is the case with All American History Vol 2. In the end, I ended up purchasing All American History Vol 1, covering Exploration - 1840, for grades 5-8. Volume 1 has the same format as Volume 2, but the chapters are slightly shorter. The level of Volume 1 worked better for my son, yet is still appropriate for my 7th grader. We'll follow up with Volume 2 next year.

All American History Volume 2 can be purchased as a set for $68 (a savings of 16%) or the Student Reader, Student Activity Book and Teacher Guide can be purchased individually from Bright Ideas Press. You may also enjoy the All American History Yahoogroup for users to share ideas.

Bright Ideas Press also publishes many other products, including the popular Mystery of History and the new Illuminations. Check out the website and also visit the TOS Crew official blog to read more reviews on All American History and other Bright Ideas Press products.

Review: abcteach

Doing a unit study? Wouldn't a word search or custom handwriting sheet based on your study be great? Or perhaps your child needs a little extra practice on a concept before moving on in the textbook? Is an extra page of triple-digit multiplication in order?

Have you ever gone on an internet search with a particular worksheet in mind? If you have, you may come across the abcteach website, with over 5000 free printables and worksheets available. However, the free printables are just a small sampling of what is available through an abcteach subscription.

What is the benefit of subscribing to abcteach? For starters, members have access to over 35,000 printables and worksheets, with new material being added each week. Categories range from basic subjects to theme units to seasonal worksheets, covering levels pre-K- 8th.


Also included are an extensive clip art gallery, with over 6,500 options, and abctools. If you are interested in custom worksheet, abctools is your answer. You can try this worksheet generator out on the website with sample documents. For a video tour and a complete list of membership benefits, click here.

I was given a 1-month subscription to abcteach in order to do this review. I found all they have to offer is a little bit overwhelming! There are worksheets from basic multiplication problems, book units, games, parent resources, graphic organizers and everything in between. At the time of my membership, my daughter was taking a persuasion writing class and had just covered common fallacies in class. I was surprised to find a complete collection of worksheets on logical fallacies to reinforce what she learned in class.

I particularly liked the abctools for custom worksheets. It seems that every time I search the internet for a specific worksheet, I come away empty. With the abctools, you can quickly create worksheets on any topic specific to your needs.

Now, I have to admit that I'm not much of a worksheet gal when looking for supplemental material. If I were, abctools would definitely catch my attention. I tend to look for online video clips, DVDs or games instead, but there are occasions that I have a specific worksheet in mind and I just can't find it. An abcteach subscription would be perfect for such an occasion. I can see large families with several children in the pre-K-8 range benefiting from such a subscription as well as co-op teachers. We homeschooling moms are busy enough that we don't need to be spending our time searching for worksheets on the internet!

You can purchase an abcteach subscription for $40 per year* for individual users. There are also discounts available for group purchases, starting at 10 or more. Gift memberships are also available. Visit the abcteach website to find out more about the offerings or to buy a subscription.

*Note: Through Nov. 30th, Homeschool Buyers Co-op is offering abcteach at a 50% discount!

Visit the TOS Homeschool Crew's blog to read more reviews on this product and others.

Disclaimer: This review was provided as a result in my participation in The Old Schoolhouse Magazine Crew, a team of 100+ homeschooling parents. While the product was provided at no expense to me in order to provide this review, I have not received any other compensation. Furthermore, receipt of the product does not guarantee a positive review. I strive to give a balanced overview of each product, detailing my opinion of both pros and cons and how the product worked for my family. What works for one family may not work for another. I encourage you to read reviews of other Crew members and research sufficiently to determine if any product will be a benefit to your homeschool.

Review: My Access! (Vantage Learning)

Many incorrectly assume that good readers will equate to good writers. I haven't met a writer that also doesn't love to read, and it is natural to point out the correlation. As a result, homeschoolers make sure their students have a solid reading foundation and then follow up with quality literature. This approach is often a successful method to model proper sentence structure, vocabulary usage, and organization in a way that naturally engages the child.

However, it is not always true that all those who love to read, or have been exposed to quality literature, are natural and gifted writers. Many kids need specific instruction, guidance, and lots of practice. Furthermore, writing isn't just a self-contained subject area to study; it impacts all other subjects.

Vantage Learning, the developer of My Access!, a subscription based writing program, understands the importance of students learning to write, then writing to learn. From the website:

Why is it so important to teach writing?

While writing is a unique skill unto itself, it is also closely linked to all areas of learning. Often referred to as "writing across the curriculum", as you combine writing instruction with other areas of study, you'll better understand how well students grasp information and where they need more instruction.

How is My Access! different from other writing programs?

• completely web-based
• can be used with any curriculum
• self-paced
• utilizes artificial intelligence technology for instant feedback
• individualized
• multiple tools, e.g. graphic organizers, are available

For a detailed list of everything that is included with a subscription, go here.

How does it work?

My Access has 90 pre-loaded writing lessons for three different ages: 8-10, 11-14, and 15-18. Specific writing topics can be assigned to each student through the parent account. A student can be assigned topics of varying levels. A parent can also create a topic of her own for the student.

When the student logs in, they may select from the topics assigned. Once a topic is selected, they may choose to "start course" or "begin draft". Each course matches the level and writing style of the assignment. For example, a topic in the age 15-18 category reads as follows:

Psychologists have argued for centuries regarding the influences of nature (genetic influences) and nurture (environmental influences) on the human personality. There is evidence to support both views, but the question is ultimately, which of the two, nature or nurture, plays the greatest role in shaping our personality? Write a multi-paragraph essay in which you state and defend your position. Be sure to include specific details and examples to support your argument.

The courses are short and are presented with graphics and reading (no sound). The course assigned for the above topic covers the basic elements of persuasive writing, discusses organization, and reviews terms (hook, thesis statement). Material is reinforced with matching exercises. The course closes with tools for evaluating work and leads the student to start brainstorming with a graphic organizer.

The area where students write their draft has a box to type text and includes access to several writing tools (outline, a word bank, original course). Once a draft is submitted, the essay is ranked as "below proficient", "proficient" or "advanced proficient" in the following areas:

• focus
• organization
• content and development
• language use
• mechanics and conventions
  

The My Editor tab will show potential errors and suggestions for improving the first score. Students can continue to edit and submit their essay for a better score.

Each task, whether it is a lesson or submitting a draft, earns the student points. Parents are able to set up a point goal and reward as a means for motivation. From the parent account, submitted essays and progress can be viewed. Finished essays can even be put in a published format and emailed to friends and family.

How did it work in our home?

With both a reluctant writer and a talented writer, we are likely a good test-run family for this product. I first started with my 10-year-old reluctant writer. I selected several simple topics from which he could choose. The first issue arose when he tired of the course and wanted to take a break. There was no option to save his progress through the lesson. He unhappily finished the rest of the lesson, in an effort to earn points and not have to reload the lesson from the beginning.

The next day, I had him start his draft. Because he needs solid direction on his writing, the suggestions weren't all that helpful to him. His writing skills simply are not where they need to be to use this program. Instead of using the writing prompts, I created my own writing topic and submitted an already completed writing assignment. We had worked together on this particular assignment, using our current writing program. While short, the paragraph was grammatically correct, used varied vocabulary, and an appropriate length for my son. The resulting score from My Access! was very low, likely because of the short length. My son simply isn't ready for this program.

I was excited to try it with my12-year-old gifted, independent, and verbose writer. Short pieces were not going to be an issue for her. While My Access! is a bit more useful to her, it does have its limitations. She found the lessons not very challenging, though I used writing prompts from both the 11-14 and the 15-18 age categories. She didn't care for the presentation and didn't find the matching exercises useful. Some of this may be because she already has a very solid foundation on the concepts being taught.

As for the editing tools, she expressed that she wished the text box for the draft composition was a larger area. She found some of the suggestions created with the My Editor tab to be helpful, but did note that they weren't always relevant and "not concise enough". Also, she felt the terminology in some of the suggestions may have been too advanced for many students. The examples included were helpful though. She didn't like that the program sometimes flagged things that weren't really errors, e.g. calling a non-recognized word a spelling error. These "errors" result in a lower overall score of the essay, which she found frustrating. Other times, the score was higher than it should have been. She even commented that a first draft of a "choppy" and "poorly written" essay she submitted received too high of a score based on her own self-evaluation.

My daughter is very strong in grammar and mechanics. Her concerns with the program were mostly because the program didn't give her the type of feedback that she's seeking - that of content. However, there were several features that she did like, including the graphic organizers. While there were issues with many of the suggestions, she did find some to be helpful for mechanics issues she overlooked. Because of this, she thought My Access! may be useful as a self-editing tool for papers already composed. "I might use this to look over a paper before turning it in as a way to check for unnoticed errors."

Suggested Improvements

I tried out the program with an article I had written and came to mostly the same conclusions. As a self-editing tool, it was a quick way to flag potential errors. Users will need to be able to have enough background to interpret the suggestions and discern whether or not they apply. One improvement both of us would like to see is the ability to add words to the spell check. I found the point earning system to be useless because it was driven by number of submissions rather than improved work. Most children would figure how to accumulate points by submitting unchanged work or doing the same activities over and over. The point system needs to be either modified or discarded.

Conclusion

For our family, this program is more of a writing tool than an instructional program. That may be a result of having two children on extreme ends of writing ability. We'll continue using it as a self-editing tool for papers written with other programs. The instructional value may be higher for families with students that are average writers and/or weak in the area of grammar and mechanics.

Each 12-month subscription to MY Access! Home Edition includes one parent account and your choice of three ($99.95) or six ($129.95) student accounts. Vantage Learning has a variety of other products. You can visit the Vantage Online Store to learn more.

Visit the TOS Homeschool Crew's blog to read more reviews on this product and others.

Disclaimer: This review was provided as a result in my participation in The Old Schoolhouse Magazine Crew, a team of 100+ homeschooling parents. While the product was provided at no expense to me in order to provide this review, I have not received any other compensation. Furthermore, receipt of the product does not guarantee a positive review. I strive to give a balanced overview of each product, detailing my opinion of both pros and cons and how the product worked for my family. What works for one family may not work for another. I encourage you to read reviews of other Crew members and research sufficiently to determine if any product will be a benefit to your homeschool.

Review: The Amazing Bible Timeline

Note: Presence of a review on this blog does not mean I endorse a product. I try to provide enough information for the reader to discern whether or not a product will be a fit in their home, in addition to providing my personal opinion of the product.

If there is one learning tool that homeschoolers love, it's timelines. Whether made from scratch, purchased premade, hung along the perimeter of the room, or contained in a binder, timelines are often used to supplement history learning. It is even more interesting is when multiple timelines are combined in one resource for a broader view of what was going on concurrently around the world.

The Crew was sent the Amazing Bible World Timeline for review. This timeline, which traces the origins of each nation to Adam and Eve, includes over 1000 references from the Bible and world history from the start of time to 2000 AD. A Creationist perspective is taken on this timeline.

I have to confess that my attempts to implement timelines into our homeschool have never been very successful. I've purchased materials for the kids to make their own timelines as well as premade timelines for reference. It isn't that I don't see the value of them. I do. The larger issue is that we are often a bit, well..., sporadic, in our history studies. With one child needing extra time in the 3Rs and the other with some heavy duty coursework in other subjects, history studies end up being more enrichment. While some history-loving homeschoolers can't imagine such an approach, such is the case in our household.

Now that you know my dirty little secret about our history studies, I can share our experience with this particular timeline. The first thing I noticed was this timeline is absolutely huge. At 37" x 45", it doesn't fit on any surface in our school area. It barely fits on our dining room table, which is where it first landed when pulled it out of the shipping container. Unlike typical horizontal timelines that either fold or run the perimeter of your school area (or down the hallway), this timeline is presented in a circular fashion. Blue, pink and yellow color-coding help with tracking families, nations and related events. Christ is presented bottom center, splitting the timeline in half with B.C. on the right and A.D. on the left. Basic information on sources and how to use the outline is located in the upper left corner and both the right and left lower corners contain the index.


The size, unique display, and sheer volume of information of this timeline was initially impressive. I found it an interesting product and I, the sporadic history teacher, started looking over the information. Even though I'm rather limited in my history knowledge, within a couple of minutes, I found some information that seemed questionable and commented to my husband about my curiosity of the sources used.

I soon found out the variety of resources that make up the information on the Amazing Bible Timeline. The information that originally caught my eye was from the Book of Mormon. While a variety of resources will need to be used for a product as detailed as this, I find this particular resource troubling. I further discovered that the producers of The Amazing Bible Timeline also have a LDS version of the timeline available on a separate website. There is no cross reference between the two sites. I've found three different sites for the non-LDS version of the Amazing Bible Timeline and am including them here as they have differing supplemental information.

http://agards-bible-timeline.com/
http://www.bibletimeline.net/
http://agards.com/bible-study/

The list of resources for the two versions of timelines is essentially the same.

Crew version
LDS version

The creators of the timeline have stated that the LDS references on the timeline the Crew received, which was created from the LDS version, were left on the timeline in error. Given the amount of time this timeline has been circulated, that fact brought about questions for me on the accuracy of the rest of the content. A follow-up communication was sent to the Crew after questions of the sources and doctrine were raised by some of the Crew members. You can read an explanation here.

While I am not opposed to using multiple resources as tools for learning, even those with which I may disagree, I only do so in those areas that serve educational purpose, are well-defined, and allow clear explanation of various viewpoints to my children. The Amazing Bible Timeline does not meet this criteria. I'm sure there is plenty of solid information to be gleaned from this timeline, as it was created from many resources. However, with my limited knowledge on the content of the timeline, I do not feel that I would be able to appropriately discern what might be questionable among the volumes of information with this particular product.

There are several layers to my concern that are beyond a few questionable resources, but do revolve around the discovery itself. In fact, I feel a little misled as there is no reference to a LDS version or sources on the website, though to give credit the sources are listed on the timeline with the entries. Because my own faith is very different from the teachings of Mormonism, in combination with history not being my strong suit, this isn't a product that I'm comfortable using in my home. This is especially the case with other similar resources readily available. If you are Mormon, indifferent to Mormon references, or a history buff, it may be more appropriate for you.

Outside of the content, I did have my kids look at the timeline in terms of visual appeal and readability. The text is quite tiny in order to fit everything in the space. Younger kids especially will have difficulty with the text size. My kids are more familiar with a horizontal timelines and at first didn't understand how to read it, though they caught on rather quickly. My daughter mentioned that the addition of pictures would be an improvement. However, the inclusion of pictures would have further added to the one feature that was the biggest obstacle to using this timeline – its size (pun intended). Finding a place that was both large enough and accessible for display would be no easy task. The dining room table may be an option for those doing school there. Otherwise, you would need to find a low space on an empty wall accessible to your students. See the picture below for an idea of the mammoth size of this timeline.
The Amazing Bible Timeline is not a product my family would purchase, both on content and usability. If you would like to explore this resource more to see if it may be a fit for your family, please visit the Amazing Bible Timeline website. The timeline can be purchased for $29.97 plus $6 shipping and comes with a 60-day money-back guarantee. Purchase includes two download products, Interactive Maps of the Holy Land and Digital Amazing Bible Timeline.

Disclaimer: This review was provided as a result in my participation in The Old Schoolhouse Magazine Crew, a team of 100+ homeschooling parents. While the product was provided at no expense to me in order to provide this review, I have not received any other compensation. Furthermore, receipt of the product does not guarantee a positive review. I strive to give a balanced overview of each product, detailing my opinion of both pros and cons and how the product worked for my family. What works for one family may not work for another. I encourage you to read reviews of other Crew members and research sufficiently to determine if any product will be a benefit to your homeschool.

Review: Sue Patrick's Workbox System

For the last six months or so, I've been hearing rumblings in the homeschool community about workboxes. I had a general idea of what it was all about and thought about implementing something similar in my own home, but really didn't give it a whole lot of thought.

Then, a couple of months ago, Sue Patrick's Workbox System User's Guide ebook arrived in my inbox. One of the things I love about being on the Crew and reviewing products is it forces me to try things that I would never get around to on my own, whether I didn't think it would be a fit or just didn't have the time or gumption. After reading the ebook, I moved my mind from thinking about implementing a workbox system to actually doing it.

What is a Workbox System?

The 122-page Workbox System User's Guide gives the reader background information on Sue Patrick, her educational philosophy, and details of exactly how the system looks in her home. In addition to detailing the actual system, Sue discusses areas such as what a typical day would look like, includes ideas for centers, and targeting problem solving. You can read a sample of the book here, which includes the a complete Table of Contents, Chapter 1 and part of Chapter 2.

For those of you unfamiliar with workboxes, this is not a curriculum, but a system. It is a way to organize your current school material and schedule. The ultimate goal of the system is for your children to become more independent, work more productively, and enjoy school work more with added variety. To learn a bit more about the system, please watch the video on Sue Patrick's site here.

Essentially, the workbox system is a visual schedule of assignments that need to be done. Work is broken down into 12 segments that readers and non-readers alike can follow. There are other layers to this system, such as "centers", "work with mom" cards, "help" cards, and "quiet" cards that are detailed in the book.

How did this look in our home?

Sue Patrick is very adamant that new users first attempt the system exactly how she has laid it out. She sincerely believes that she has tweaked the system to the point of maximum effectiveness. She may be right...for her home. However, I've been tweaking programs to fit my home during all eight years of homeschooling and will not stop tweaking now! For starters, the physical structure of the system was not to my liking - so I tweaked. The labeling of boxes didn't work with my new physical structure - so I tweaked. Some of the cards she suggests to use seemed a bit, well, oppressive - so I tweaked. Work centers...not for us and tweaked right out. Soon enough I came up with a Sue Patrick inspired system that works great for our household. Below is a picture of what it looks like.

I don't use clear boxes or a wire rack. I did like the idea of students being able to see upcoming work, so I selected these wire file holders instead. They fit perfectly in the cubby space in our school room. Previously the cubbies held a variety of school books that may or may not have been in current use. I moved those to the shelving unit on the left to accommodate the 12 file folders. Under each file folder, you'll see a white label. Those labels are the box number, four per cubby. When each "workbox" is completed, my son turns it around to the enclosed side, as you can see with the first two boxes in the picture, and marks the completed boxes on the schedule hanging from the magnetic strip on the wall.

This is not exactly how Sue Patrick has detailed her system, but this is what works for us. I have to say, I am very happy with the results and it has solved a couple of problem areas in our homeschool. First of all, my son tends to be easily distracted and the visual boxes seem to keep him more focused. He can see his work getting completed and we have less lost time in between tasks because he knows exactly what he needs to do next. The system as I have it allows me to move subjects around if needed. For example, if he's having a rough morning, I may rearrange his boxes to allow less-demanding work at first. On days that the boxes don't get finished (yes, that happens), I simply move the unfinished boxes to the first spots for the next day.

This system has also helped me as a teacher and parent. I think I need the visual schedule just as much as my son. We are both on the same page, I don't have to dig around for materials since that is part of the process when setting up the boxes, and our day goes forward with less bumps.

I didn't intend to use this system with my 12-year-old since she is already extremely independent. I normally just give her a written schedule and she follows it. However, after seeing her brother fly through his subjects with the workboxes ("He already has three boxes done!"), I thought it might be worth a try with her. Instead of 12 boxes, I used 6 boxes since her subjects are a bit more demanding. One of the best things I did was add a time card to each box so she could keep track of how long it took her to complete the work. Not only did it help me in scheduling the right amount of work, but it kept her accountable and signaled to me if she was struggling with some of the material.

Probably the thing my kids like the most about the system is I've tried to inject a bit more fun. With 12 boxes to fill, it might require a bit more creativity to fill them all. My son was pleased to find a geography card game, that I've had for years but have never pulled out, in one of his boxes. It has become a requested midday game and I'm thrilled my kids (and I!) are finally learning some geography.

Pros and Cons

Pros

I've already shared some of the pros of the system as implemented in my home. In general, I feel our homeschool runs more efficiently and we are getting much more done in less time. My kids know what is expected of them and what is yet to be completed at a glance. Sometimes it is the simple things that make a huge difference. For example, my son has some daily tasks that require him to log onto the computer. In the past, he'd report to me when he finished his previous assignment and then wait for me to log him to the needed computer program and give instructions. We did it this way because he usually couldn't remember the login information and each day the tasks were a bit different. However, if I was currently in the middle of something, my student would wander off and become occupied with something non-productive. When I implemented the workboxes, it prompted me to write a card out with detailed instructions on how to log in and how to navigate the program. That card stays in the box and is accessible each day. There have been numerous other efficient changes I've made since adding workboxes to our home.

Cons

Like Sue Patrick, I only have two children. For very large families, I don't see how Sue Patrick's exact system would physically work. Many homes simply don't have the space. It certainly can be tweaked to work for large families. It will also take some modification if your family does a lot of group learning, rather than children working independently. Some of the Crew members came up with creative ideas in these cases. I recommend you look through the many reviews to see solutions that were designed for individual families.

Worth mentioning to those thinking about getting the book is that Sue Patrick's system as detailed is very rigid. The educational philosophies presented in the book are done so in a way that may seem abrasive to some. We all have different ideas of how our homeschools should look and Sue Patrick is no different. It is important to keep in mind that she designed this system based on Division TEACCH, Treatment and Education of Autistic and related Communication-handicapped Children, A Division of the UNC Department of Psychiatry. This is because Sue Patrick's son was diagnosed as autistic at the age of 2. While her system takes a rather rigid school-at-home approach, it is what has worked for her family. This doesn't mean the system can't work for children of all abilities and homeschools of all types. That has been proven otherwise. However, her system as detailed was designed and yes, tweaked, for a very specific child. In some homes it will work as is, in others it will need to be tweaked for your specific child(ren).

In the book, Sue Patrick makes comments that may simply rub other homeschoolers wrong. Comments like, "I find that there is way too much talking going on in homeschools," might cause the eyeballs of more relaxed homeschoolers to bleed. The suggestion that some homeschool moms don't take homeschooling seriously likely won't sit well with some. To get an idea of some of Sue's thoughts on the system and homeschooling, you might want to read the recent interview on the lovetoknow website.

To be fair, we don't all run perfect homeschools and what might be perfect to one, certainly won't be perfect to others. Sue Patrick does have some great ideas that can be gleaned. She is certainly passionate about the system and its effectiveness in her own home and the homes of others. My suggestion is to take what might come off as a 60-grit presentation and use it to take away the rough spots and smooth out a system of your own creation that fits in with your own philosophy and home.

What does purchase of the book give you?

At this point, you may be wondering what the point of the book is, since this seems like a rather simple system on the front or may not be an exact fit for your home. In the book, Sue shares her very detailed system, her reasoning behind it, extra ideas and download access to schedule strips, numbers, help cards, her typing program and various complimentary ideas. And while I didn't use all of her ideas, I found it helpful to understand why she set up her system as she did. Essentially, it was beneficial to see the original form of what it was that I was tweaking. It also gave me an immediate starting point with not only all the whys behind the system, but basic tools to get started. As always, each individual is different in what they find useful and why. For me, the book gave me a beginning point and I was easily able to discard what didn't apply to me. It was a worthwhile way to kick start me to begin a very effective system of my own that I had previously only thought about. All I needed to do was find the physical space and boxes...and tweak.

Sue Patrick's Workbox System User's Guide e-book is available for $19. You may also purchase a printed book for $19.95 as well as various starter kits and supplies. Browse the catalog for a listing of all available products. To learn more about Sue Patrick's Workbox System, including FAQ, history, testimonials, and pictures from those using the system, visit her website.

Visit the TOS Homeschool Crew's blog to read more reviews on this product and others.

Disclaimer: This review was provided as a result in my participation in The Old Schoolhouse Magazine Crew, a team of 100+ homeschooling parents. While the product was provided at no expense to me in order to provide this review, I have not received any other compensation. Furthermore, receipt of the product does not guarantee a positive review. I strive to give a balanced overview of each product, detailing my opinion of both pros and cons and how the product worked for my family. What works for one family may not work for another. I encourage you to read reviews of other Crew members and research sufficiently to determine if any product will be a benefit to your homeschool.