schoolwork table divider

                               

Our table divider has been a huge improvement to our school time, especially in math.  I was inspired by this cozy homework corner.  Ours is made from a piece of black foam core in a tri-fold so two students can sit opposite each other. 

His side:

Her side:

Besides displaying multiplication tables, fraction charts and other references for schoolwork, the board holds supplies well.  Re-covered crayon and ink cartridge boxes hold pencils and a calculator.  An old marker package houses an abacus.  (We use RightStart Math and highly recommend it!)  Some boxes are still held with binder clips as I'm testing out the use of foam tape. So far so good.

Upcoming worksheets are below the abacus in a holder made from folder pockets- cut down and one turned upside-down.



Not so much fussing across the table, or getting discouraged when the other knows the answer first. Like fences make better neighbors, school work dividers make better students!

middle

Interruptions are typical for us in the middle of a school day. Rain, for instance, draws us outside and causes requests for trench digging and boat building. But today the distraction was tape. The boys asked to use the masking tape. I said yes, and didn't pay attention to what they were doing with it in the school room.

Tape ladders and bridges everywhere! This was fun to walk into, or under, over and through. Meanwhile, Sarah was reading another American Girl book- Kit. I'm so thankful for these books!

learning time

This is a fun way my kids learned to tell time (we've had it up for a few years now). All it takes is a clock, large embroidery hoop (mine is 18"), 12 clothespins, and cards. Instructions can be found on Martha Stewart for pinup wreath.

This helped so much when Cole and Sarah were little. Now, it helps reinforce the multiples of five.

At Christmastime, it serves the purpose of hanging cards nicely.

more lapbooking

(Five in a Row has lead us to great literature and provided a springboard for studying all sorts of topics. After daily reading the book and doing some book-related work, we pull it all together in a "lapbook" on the last day. The kids made these when they were 6 and 4.)

We took How to Make an Apple Pie and See the World (Marjorie Priceman) further by doing a lapbook on Apples. (There are MANY activities about apples on the internet. Homeschoolshare and Home School Mom are a good place to start.) Cole's on Apples:

with the center Apple Prints flap up:Sarah's with center Apple Prints flap up: Virgina Lee Burton's books became our favorites. Cole's lapbook on Katy and the Big Snow:Sarah's on Katy:The kids take pride in making their own books. Cole comes up with specific ideas on how he would like the cover to look. The majority of Sarah's lapbooks didn't have an illustrated front cover because, being four, she could only engage for so long. She wanted to be involved, so I tried to be sensitive to her temperament and notice when things stopped being fun. She got what she could done, and that was good enough.

lapbooking

Lapbooking is a fun way to learn more through a great book. (pictured is Cole's lapbook for The Glorious Flight by Alice and Martin Provensen completed Jan. 2008)

Just beginning homeschooling, I knew I needed to read to the kids more, but was unsure where to start. I thumbed through Five in a Row (by Jane Lambert) at a homeschool resale store and knew it was exactly what I needed. FIAR has led me to books, most available at our library, to introduce not only great literature, but also history, science, social studies, art and math in a fun way.

Through the use of homeschoolshare, I found online resources that lead us to making lapbooks. Also, I found this site very helpful for how to put a lapbook together.

Through most of last year, we had some fun with My Father's World curriculum. Recently, the kids asked to go back to lapbooking; so we are. We have an exciting time learning while gathered around the table making a resourceful mess! FIAR was the only "curriculum" we were using when Cole learned to read.

Any topic can be used for a lapbook. I intend to make one for other important stuff- like the Alphabet and Numbers (to remind my Kindergartener which way the 'b' goes : ) shown here, and another for Manners, as described here. Fun stuff.