Sue Patrick’s Workbox System is designed to help homeschoolers keep on task and work efficiently. She has various ways of accomplishing this goal that are practical and relatively inexpensive to reproduce.
My family is definitely not the most organized, so I was very excited to be chosen to review her system. I immediately started reading the manual and a few things stood out for me. One of the first things that was very clear is how passionate Sue Patrick is about homeschooling and organization. At times, for me, it was a little too dogmatic for my taste.
As with all things, I modified some of her systems to fit into my household and was pleasantly surprised by the results. One of her suggestions has really eliminated a lot of my need to repeat (over and over and over again) what needs to be accomplished for each day. She suggests really great visual cues for the kids so that instead of asking me about it all they have to do is look and see for themselves. And the physical component for transitioning from one subject to the next was also quite helpful. To see an example of how the Workbox works, click here to watch the video.
The Workbox System ebook is very inexpensive, only $19. There are also starter packages for people who don’t want to create their centers and other setup materials from scratch. These range from $55 to $110. The Workbox Specialized and Structured Teaching System Package is $375 (plus $18 for shipping) which includes a classroom kit, a large sampling of fun learning centers based on your child’s level and curriculum, recommendations for improving your current curriculum, and 6 months of unlimited email-based consulting. There may also be some telephone consulting on a case-by-case basis.
I think that for any parent wanting to get organized, this system is very well thought out, pretty easy to follow and effective. I personally won’t be using the system in it’s entirety because of a few differing ideas on what homeschool should be like. For example, I enjoy the chatter that goes on during our homeschooling days, Ms. Patrick feels it’s an unnecessary time-waster. And while I admit that chit-chat doesn’t make my homeschooling any shorter, I definitely find it to be a pleasant experience. Although I wish to get things accomplished, I’m not really the bootcamp type of parent.
DISCLOSURE OF MATERIAL CONNECTION: http://cmp.ly/1
a classroom kit, a large sampling of fun learning centers based on your child’s level and curriculum, recommendations for improving your current curriculum, and 6 months of unlimited email-based consulting. There may also be some telephone consulting on a case-by-case basis. The cost for the Specialized and Structured TeachingSM Workbox SystemSM is $375, plus $18 shipping.
Okay, I just wanted to warn you that when it comes to Virginia Soaps and Scents, I am by no means unbiased. I absolutely LOVE their products. I am so glad that I was chosen to review this company and receive samples, because I may never have discovered what I was missing. Okay, enough raving, let me tell you all about it.
Virginia Soaps & Scents is run by a homeschooling family out in Virginia. They make their soaps with all natural oils and no added chemicals. And best of all their soaps are hand-cut, so each bar is a unique creation. One thing to keep in mind with these soaps is that they are all natural. So if you have allergies to flowers, don’t pick up the Rose scented bars. They actually include the rose petals in the soap, so you might have an allergic reaction. Imagine having a hay fever attack from a shower!
Now I have dry skin as do my children. So, when it comes to soaps (especially scented soaps) I’m pretty leery about trying them. In my experience the scented soaps job is to rob me of whatever little moisture I have left and make the lotion companies very happy. Anyway, the first soap that I used not only smelled delicious (Oatmeal, Milk & Honey) but left my skin soft and (gasp!) moist.
I did my usual routine with the pure coconut oil I’ve found to be the most effective against dryness, but I used a tenth of what I normally do. Okay, so I just knew that this was a fluke, but each shower just got better and better. So, I finally let my children use the soap and was again amazed at how moisturizing and effective it was. I am now a true believer. Their bar soaps cost $4.95 for a 4.5 oz bar and they come in a variety of scents that are unbelievably wonderful.
I have wanted to make my own laundry soap for awhile now, so the sample of their laundry soap really came at a good time. I was surprised at how easy it was to make and how little is necessary to clean a full load of clothes. It’s proven to be very economical as well as a great teaching lesson for the whole family. They sell the laundry soap mixture for $4.95 and it does between 64-72 loads for less than seven cents a load.
Now, there was also a shampoo bar included in my review bag. I had never seen one of these before, and I laughingly wondered what kind of scarecrow hair I’d have after using it. Being a mutt, my hair has interesting ideas of it’s own. My hair is straight and wavy with a couple of curly spots to make it all lots of fun (not!) My daughter’s hair has always been a challenged because regardless of how much conditioner, oils, etc. that I put on their hair I could never get it to shine or hold moisture. So, I had no expectations of this working at all. But once again I was wrong.
I used my daughters a guinea pigs this time because the way I figured it the public would forgive scarecrow hair on children faster than on me! So I washed my oldest guinea pig’s hair and was shocked. After rubbing her hair with the soap for just a few seconds soft, creamy suds sprang forth. Not only did they smell good they felt very good to my hands as well. I used too much soap in her hair (usually it takes a lot of shampoo from the bottle to get her head sudsy), so I was steeled for a long rinsing process.
Wrong again! The shampoo rinsed out easily and cleanly. I didn’t find any spots that the shampoo lurked (like commercial shampoo does). And best of all her hair was soft and moist. I did put a little coconut oil in her hair, but nothing like I used previously. And best of all, her hair was shining and kept that sheen until her next washing! A never before occurrence in her nine years on the planet. Her experience was repeated with the whole family and we’re in love. Their shampoo sells for $5.50 for 5.5 oz. bar. This is a great price when you consider that I still haven’t exhausted the sampler bar (which is considerably smaller) and I’m using that on four heads.
So, yep, this gets a 5 Star Rating with the Khalid Family. You can pick up your sampler pack by visiting Virginia Soaps & Scents.
DISCLOSURE OF MATERIAL CONNECTION: http://cmp.ly/2
It’s wonderful to be back on the internet again. Two weeks ago my faithful laptop booted up for the last time. I guess all the homeschooling and typing assignments finally got to it. It was four years old. Now, I guess I shouldn’t be too sad since it did last four years and only over the past two months did I have to hook it up to my television because the screen died. And, yes pressing the right arrow key would take me to the save menu. But it was my buddy.
It kept me busy during my sojourn of bedrest during my last pregnancy. It played videos on our two hour treks to civilization to visit the family. It told us many stories (I subscribe to Audible) and recently it began to play movies for me as I tune into Netflix for my entertainment needs.
So, with a heavy heart (and mourning pocketbook) I purchased my new laptop from Walmart. It’s a beauty. I’m still a little afraid of the thing. For one thing, it runs Windows Vista, which is a beautiful looking system, but I can’t find a darn thing on it. So I guess this weekend I’m going to be studying the basic mechanics of the thing.
It has a webcam (I didn’t know how much I hated looking at myself until I started playing with this thing — my children look much better), microphone, DVD Burner and all the bells and whistles. You can check it out at www.hp.com. It’s the HP Pavilion dv9627cl Notebook PC. When my 7-year-old first saw it outside of the box, all she could say was “Whoa!” Even Mr. Danger who’ll be a year old in a couple of weeks hasn’t tried to touch it yet.
I'm a homeschooling mom with seven children: 3 human, 2 feline and 2 canine. I'm also the wife of one very patient husband who seems to like the role of ringmaster to our circus. I am a virtual assistant who enjoys writing, crafts, music and laughter. I hope you'll visit often. Please be aware that this blog is supported by affiliate links, although every link isn't necessarily an affiliate program.
Sue Patrick’s Workbox System is designed to help homeschoolers keep on task and work efficiently. She has various ways of accomplishing this goal that are practical and relatively inexpensive to reproduce.
