Dr. Marie-Claire Moreau

Educator, Coach, Life Strategist

Magnetic menu planning board tutorial

Menu planning has grown in popularity in recent years and is a particularly favorite topic among stay-at-home and homeschooling moms.  In the blogging community too, women are always eager to share how they organize meal time and save money through meal planning.

So widespread is meal planning in fact, that today’s household managers need do nothing more than find a favorite menu planning blog or two and learn all of the tips and tricks they need to know.  As a bonus, most blogs also offer resources,which usually includes all of the printables needed to begin meal planning with very little effort.

In a previous post, I talked about Meal Planning for the Non-Planner.  {In future posts, I will be covering additional aspects of the meal planning process as well.}

menu board tutorial

Today, I’m bringing you a simple idea for those getting started using magnetic menu boards.  This is an easy one to build for those intimidated by some of the fancier designs, or who may not be as handy working with lumber and power tools.

This completely functional magnetic menu board  takes no time at all to build and looks pretty cute to boot.  It’s made from an ordinary dry-erase board that you can purchase for $20 or less plus some ordinary scrapbooking supplies you may already have in your craft/sewing room.  You can customize it to your taste or have the children help to make it with you, as I did (that’s why it is a carnival of colors!).

Directions:

Start with a dry-erase board like this one, the kind with the calendar grid already on it  (this one has a cork-board area, too, although that’s not really necessary):

Cover the magnetic white-board area with your choice of scrapbooking papers, neatly cut to the correct size.  Use glue-stick, rubber cement the edges, or use double-stick tape as I did here:

Now, add lettering or decorations of your choice.  I went with these puffy letter stickers found on clearance at Kohl’s, because they matched my paper perfectly:

but you can use any stickers or rub-on lettering to write whatever message you like.  I wrote this on ours:

Now, using self-stick borders, grossgrain ribbons and double-stick tape, or any other method you’d like, cover up any rough edges and finish up the general design.  I chose these self-adhesive borders that are so easy to stick on:

Once the design is completed, it’s time to think about your menu.  Type up a list of 30 or more of your family’s favorite recipes, using free digital images or any method you like. Print them onto card stock, laminate, then cut apart.

To make it easier, you may also print out some ready-made meal labels found for free on the web.  I found these at Heart of Wisdom and fell in love with many of the meal options.  But I also hopped onto my computer and made up some of my own, in the same size and shape as the ones I found on the web, to add in more of the meals my family loves:

I protected the menu cards from splattering food and sticky fingers by covering them with Avery self-adhesive laminating sheets:

and then I used a good pair of sharp scissors to cut them all apart:

For magnets, I chose a coil of adhesive magnetic strip, purchased at my craft store for $2.99.  I cut little sections of magnet to stick on the backs of each menu item, but individual magnets and drops of glue would probably work just as well:

Finally, use a dry-erase marker to enter the month at the top and place menu cards in the order in which you plan to serve them up.  I  added “Leftover Night” and “Clean out the fridge” cards here and there, and I also added a “Mystery dinner” night just for fun:

I also added an extra strip of magnetic tape to one of the edges of the board to hold the unused menu cards as they wait their turn:

If you make one of these, or have any other easy magnetic menu board idea of your own, SHARE a link in the comments so that my readers can check yours out.

Bon Appetit!

 

Marie-Claire Moreau, Quick Start Homeschool

 

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Workboxes

Everybody loves a creative storage solution, especially one that children can use all by themselves.

But what if the storage solution could also help with homeschool productivity?  Imagine how wonderful school days would be if all of the children always knew what do to next — and had all materials available right at their fingertips!

The Workbox System does just that. 

Workboxes are the brainchild of Sue Patrick, who coined the term and popularized the system.  In a nutshell, workboxes are pull-out drawers, plastic tubs or boxes that contain homeschooling lessons in the order they should be completed daily.  On top of that, each workbox contains everything the child needs to complete every task throughout the day.  How’s that for organization?  Sue’s web site and videos explain the system and the process in detail.

The idea of filling boxes with daily work isn’t exactly new — clever parents and school teachers have been using this trick for years.  What is new, however, is the level of organization and thought that has been put into this structured system — absolutely nothing is left to the imagination.   

With workboxes, numbers are assigned to the boxes and additional instructions are often attached with hook-and-loop tape as well.  When tasks require a parent’s help, that is indicated on the box, too.

Homeschool moms all across the country have adapted the workbox concept to suit their own needs and to fit in with their homeschool styles, budget and even decor.  A quick Internet search will return dozens of posts by moms who proudly explain and offer photographs of  their systems, usually lauding these clever little goodie bins and talking about how workboxes have literally changed their lives.  Hearing from other moms who have had success using workboxes can be especially helpful, since you’ll read about the benefits to using the system, the tips and tricks they have discovered along the way, and even about children finding special little treats and other surprises inside the workboxes as rewards for hard work throughout the day.

Take a look at some of these posts, and then find others on your own to see if a workbox system might work in your homeschool:

Homeschool Creation’s workbox system uses both cubbies and rolling carts in multiple posts about workboxes

Confessions of a homeschooler’s workbox system uses stationary carts and drawers as dividers between student desks

Heart of Wisdom’s workbox system using plastic drawers on wheeled carts

Crooked Creek Farm Girl’s workbox system uses plastic tubs on a table top

A Mother’s Journal workbox system uses fabric-covered, recycled boxes and chipboard tags

The Snail’s Trail workbox system uses tubs on closet shelves

[Photo 1: Joann Fabrics “Cropper Hopper”. Photo 2: Find on Amazon dot com or anywhere cubbies are sold. Photo 3: Sam’s Club “Cropper Hopper”.]

Block scheduling

Block scheduling is a way to schedule everything that needs to be accomplished daily for every member of the family in your charge.  Though it may not work for everyone, some of the most productive and successful homeschooling families schedule in “blocks” — usually 30 – 60 minutes at a time.  See if it can work for you, too.

Block scheduling begins by making a list of everything that every member of the family should accomplish every day and then finding a way to squeeze it all into one giant scheduling puzzle.  It’s isn’t as hard as it sounds…here’s how to create one of your own:

For starters, with block scheduling, begin with the assumption that everything must be scheduled, using either 30- or 60-minute blocks of time from waking up in the morning until bedtime at night.  You’ll schedule homeschool subjects, outside activities, social events, and everything you and your children do during the week.  You’ll also schedule meals and snack times, outside time, nap time, chore time, reading blocks, TV or computer time, baths and showers, and everything else your family does, too.  Even babies and toddlers can be scheduled to some degree.

Next is to juggle all activities until they fit (eliminating any that don’t), and writing all activities on a giant grid, calendar, white-erase board, computer spreadsheet or other display that is posted prominently somewhere in the home. 

Finally, family members should be trained to follow the block schedule.  It may take some time, but eventually everyone in the family will know what is expected at any given time of day.  Never again should children question what to do, because every block of time is displayed — along with every childs’ assigned activity – during every time block on the schedule.  (Non-readers will need help with this part.)

When the chart is ready, look it over and see what a typical day for every family member looks like.  Look for places where children can work together, by charting the same activities at the same time.  Also look for places when children can spend time apart, to give every child quiet time of his own.  Think of what mom’s (or dad’s) day looks like, too, making sure that the primary homeschooling parent isn’t needed in too many places at once.  Be sure to give parents time to make phone calls, pay bills, plan meals, check email, and other things that are important to them, otherwise there won’t be time for these things on the chart, either.

Sound excessive?  Think of it this way:  If something isn’t on the schedule, how can it possible get done?  It’s that simple.

View a sample block schedule HERE.  Watch THIS VIDEO and THIS VIDEO to hear more tips and get a glimpse of how its done.

A checklist system for teaching

Most everyone has heard of checklists.  Checklists of chores. Checklists of bills to pay.  Checklists of everything from groceries to the lumber needed to build that new deck out in the back yard.

But what about a homeschool checklist — a list of everything you’d like your child to learn by graduation day?  That can work, too.

A checklist isn’t a lesson plan.  It isn’t a curriculum either.  A checklist is actually a detailed list of everything you hope to teach, or everything you want your child to learn, from preschool all the way through 12th grade or even beyond.

Checklists can be organized by age, by year, or by grade if you want them to be.  But they don’t have to.  In fact, a true homeschooling checklist is organized by subject, and items are checked off as they are mastered, no matter when and how that occurs.

Parents can make checklists for anything they’d like a child to learn in homeschool, from sewing complex garments suitable for wearing to mastering all of the ideas traditionally covered in high school chemistry.  If the educational goal can be put into words, and the individual objectives required to reach that goal can be put into writing, a checklist is born! 

Using pencil and paper works fine, but taking advantage of computer software or online list-making tools and free list-making web sites makes the process much easier. Checklists may also be purchased, such as the excellent example you’ll find HERE.

Cute and clever storage: the curriculum bin

Not every student has a dedicated work space with a desktop or bookshelves to store homeschooling materials.  That means that books and other materials need to find a home somewhere else.  This portable solution means they can be used anywhere in the house. 

I can’t take credit for this idea as I borrowed it from some mommy blogs that featured storage ideas some time ago (and can’t find the link any more – if it’s you, please let me know so I can give you credit).  But I think it’s sweet enough to share and practical enough that anyone can at least come away with the idea of organizing of a child’s homeschooling materials in one place.

Organizing things in this way is not only pretty, but serves a practical purpose.  When everything that is needed for homeschool is all in one place, there is no wasting time searching for missing books, pencils or calculators.  Plus, with a designated place for books and materials, children always know where to put items away once schoolwork is done.

Starting with an ordinary milk crate, like the sturdy ones found at office supply stores, choose some fabric ribbon you think your child will like (let the child choose).  A 3-yard spool from your favorite craft store will be more than enough to decorate a single crate. 

Weave the ribbon around the crate in any pattern you like, then fasten it in the front in a knot or a bow. You can even hide the ends if you prefer. 

Then, attach some letter stickers or use permanent marker to spell the child’s name on the front of the bin.  You can also print (and later laminate) names printed using your favorite computer program, or attach a cardstock tag as shown here:

Loading the bin is something that you and your child should do together.  Round everything up that your student uses on a typical school day, and allow her to place everything inside her new bin.  Don’t forget simple things like pencils and rulers, either, and come up with a decorated holder, zippered pouch or other way to store these essentials inside the bin as well:

Get as creative with this idea as you like.  The point is to keep everything in order and handy when your child needs it for school on Monday morning. 

If you like, you can send in a photo of your curriculum bin – I’ll put it in a future post!