The latest trend in homeschooling is something called workboxes. I love the idea. I love the concept of being so very organized. Having your student "know" what's coming next and knowing..."how much more do he has to do!" I also like the fact that you pull out all those learning tools, games and activities-which you bought and just never have time to use. However, the suggested idea is to use small plastic containers. Honestly, I can't live with that much plastic staring at us all day long. So, I went to Dollar Tree and purchased pretty floral bags. On Sunday, I enjoyed filling them. I enjoyed knowing school was all set to go. I even hid them from my darling, obedient son. I was excited to pull them out Monday morning... thinking, "gosh...he's going to be thrilled!" Well, he wasn't thrilled. Maybe I put too much into each bag. Maybe I got to carried away with unused workbook pages. Maybe I used too many bags? Of course, everyone else kids use 12! Our day ended completing all twelve bags...yet, the joy of homeschooling had zapped our spirit. There was the spontaneity. No rabbit trails. Very little communication. At the end of the day... our homeschool had no depth. It felt to schooly. It occurred to me that, if I had my act together..."I could" make Charlotte Mason/unschool/unit study, workbags.... But for now, our old method works... which is, choose a living book and build everything around that. This week, it's Ann Frank...upon reading, Tommie learned that Ann's dad worked for a pectin powder company. So, I pulled out my box of pectin and we discussed. Also, copywork, handwriting, spelling, grammar and dictation came from it. And, geography. Tommie also wandered off to pull out a WW2 book and enjoyed looking through it... and narrating things he's learned. He was able to have lunch at Subways with Grandma, today. He took a Horizons Math test. And, we went on a nature hike. We also watched a dreamy video of Ireland. One I had picked up at Goodwill for a dollar.

I am sure the workboxes or workbags would be a wonderful plan, if you had several children. It just didn't feel right for me.