Homeschool Room Open House Day 5

Hi Friends,
Today I'm showing you a few basic ways I keep my kids on task during the day without having to repeat myself 800 times! (that makes me crazy!)

Here is Cole's bulletin board, I have one for each of the kids.  On the board you will see our memory verse for the week, his sticker charts, spelling words, and a small whiteboard.

Details:

• Memory Verse: This month our memory verse is Colossians 3:12-17.  I put the verse on his board to use for handwriting practice throughout the week.
• Sticker charts: I'm a big fan of sticker charts, especially with BOYS!!!  My son needs to see big picture.  He needs to know the point of all this math is to get to the end of the year!  Sticker charts help him see the end goal.  A couple of the curriculums we use come with sticker charts and a couple don't.  I made a template for the subjects that don't have sticker charts, if you would like my sticker chart you can download it by (Click Here)
• Spelling Words: We practice these throughout the week in different ways and I've found having the words pre-printed for him to use really helps.  We write the words on the white board, with magnet tiles, and as handwriting practice!  
• White Board: This is without a doubt one of my favorite things in our homeschool room and something that keeps the entire family sane!  I write 2 groups of things on the board each day.  First, I write what individual homeschool work that is expected of Cole for the day and second, I write what chores are needing to be finished for the day.  My kids love knowing what they need to do and feel like they have accomplished things when they can wipe an item off the board.  We also have strict rule that if the whiteboard isn't cleaned off then free time isn't happening.  It's a simple little thing to have in the room and it makes a world of difference in the smooth runnings of our home!

I LOVE my maps!  I bought these at Costco for $24 and it was a United States and World map and the best part: it's laminated so we can white board marker all over them!  I only have up the United States map in our room because there isn't enough space for both - eventually I'll figure out how to stack them and roll one up when I need the other, but for now the World Map will have to wait.

I have 2 desks, these are Ikea desks and they are super simple - no drawers, just a great spot in the back that can hold a file holder.   The desks are left empty so that any of my kids can sit at any desk when they need a place to work.  

Since my children don't have a desk to keep there individual work at, we instead keep these individual file holders with their work.  They pick it up and take it with them to whatever location they want to work at - a desk, the kitchen table, even their bedroom if they are needing some quiet space!  Works really well for my family and I never hear "I can't find my notebook!"

So there you have day 5 in my homeschool room!  Questions or comments feel free to email me - vintageburlapbarn@yahoo.com

In His Service,
Jenny