Friday, June 22, 2012

Free Workbox Tags

Workbox System Tags & Planning Sheet


Yesterday I told you about Sue Patrick's Workbox System. If you are struggling to homeschool more than one child, I highly recommend this system. You can get her book as an eBook from her website or from Amazon. You certainly do not need the book to set up workboxes, but the book is well worth the money.

If you're looking for the basic idea, let me explain.

Using workboxes is a work management system. The drawers/boxes hold a different activity in each one. The number of activities is up to you. 

A workbox can be any container you would like to use. Many people use drawers.

Some people prefer magazine boxes.

We use the Trofast system from Ikea.
What I like about the Trofast system is that the bins come in a variety of sizes. The green ones shown above are the perfect depth for almost anything. The white and red buckets are deeper and are great for work that has more bulky items. All the bins come in a variety of colors too. Ours are red and green.

How you decide on what your going to use depends on 2 things:
1. The amount of space you have to dedicate to this system.
2. The amount of money you want to spend.

So you get your boxes, drawers, bins, etc. Then you label them with numbers or subject tags. I used Velcro sticky dots. Put one part of the velcro on the bin and the other on the back of the tag.
Each of my kids have 6 boxes. On three of their boxes, I put an additional Velcro dot for a "work with mom" tag. I use these for activities like a spelling test, which can't be done by themselves. 



I fill most of the boxes with work that can be done without me sitting there and walking them through. The kids work through their boxes in whatever order they wish. BUT, if they see that their brother or sister has a "work with mom" box, they need to choose one of theirs that doesn't. Make sense? Of course, I am always available for a question. 

As the kids finish their boxes, they can either put them back or stack them up. You can create a laminated poster with Velcro dots for the kids to put their numbers on as they finish. The freebie today has posters with a variety of kids, so find one that looks as much like your kid as possible. If you wish, you can also just have the kids toss the numbers in a basket or keep them on the boxes. 



Another modification is to put subject tags on the drawers rather than number tags.



I've also created a planner for you.


Download FREE  from





Freebie Fridays

13 comments:

  1. Thank you for sharing these. I plan to utilize this system when I homeschool my little ones (it will be a few years as I don't have any littles yet...but you can never be too prepared). I have read so much about it and when it gets closer to time for me to actually start homeschooling I plan to get my hands on her book. These tags will give a jump start. :)

    Heidi
    My (Not So) Elementary Life

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  2. What a terrific freebie! I am sure this system would help a lot of Mom!
    Thank you for sharing this at TBA and linking up!
    ~Fern
    Fern Smith’s Classroom Ideas!
    Fern Smith’s Pinterest Boards!

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  3. I don't know if you have your products in Curr Click but they have a HUGE homeschool audience, and I think your products would be a great fit. Your products are fun and refreshing for that audience, Also the TOS store is good too. Just some ideas.:)

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  4. Thanks, Tamara.

    I have started an account on Curr Click but haven't thought of TOS. I just need more time in my day.
    Thanks for the ideas and your compliment.

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  5. Thanks for sharing! I am your newest follower. I just started a blog to connect with other passionate educators and you are definitely one!
    Layla

    Fancy Free in Fourth

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  6. This is a great system. Thanks for the description of how you use it and the free work tags. I popped over from TBA International Blog Hop freebie link up. I am a new follower now.
    Pamela
    First Class Teacher

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  7. Thanks for sharing such a great system. I have a friend who has decided to home-school and I've shared your blog with her! Thanks, again!

    ~Tanya
    A+ Firsties

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  8. Thank you for sharing I plan on using these when we start homeschooling next year

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  9. These are the best printables I've found for our workbox system. I plan to print them off, but I cannot, for the life of me, find the sheet with the subject tags. Is it missing from this packet? Help me find it so I can print it off! lol

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  10. How can I get a pdf copy of the subject tags? It's not included in the download on teachers pay teachers.
    Thank you!:)

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