DIY Homework Binders

Hello, my name is Amanda and I am a Pinterest Addict and my children have become screen addicts! ARGH! Don’t get me wrong I completely understand that our world is growing ever more technology focused and I am so happy that my children are tech savvy, but I find it so annoying that all they want to do is play with screen toys… the Ipads, the Wii U, the computer. When I tell them they have had enough screens and to play with one of the millions of toys they have (no seriously after three boys we have basically every toy on the planet), they whine and complain and then all they do is ask “how much longer until screens get turned back on?”

I was really hoping school would help with my screen over load, and it does to an extent, but at the school my children attend they do not give out homework until we are in grade 3 and even then it’s minimal. I have been looking for a way to help enhance my children’s learning from school, and to help them understand that learning doesn’t end just because the school bell rang.  If I can keep them off of screens in the process, PERFECT!

Then the light bulb went off and I created “DIY Homework Binders.” In our house from 4-430 is homework time. The kids had been working on home reading but needed more to hold there attention and fill the time. Also, my oldest is gifted and school work doesn’t challenge him so we are looking at challenging him more.  There are so many things he wants to study that it was all becoming a jumbled mess and he needed help focussing. My middle monster’s teacher has told me she suspects him to be gifted as well, but he doesn’t like putting the effort into showing how smart he is, so I was hoping to help with that. And then there is my littlest monster who really just likes doing anything the bigger brothers are doing!

I began by mapping out our week. We now have;

Math Monday – focus on math skills appropriate to each child’s math skill level. For us that means multiplication math sheets for Jaxon, addition and subtraction sheets for Owen and number recognition sheets for Rohn. I also mix in the odd color by number to keep things fun. You can find an endless supply of free printable math sheets by searching on Pinterest.

Tactile Tuesday – Focus on art and doing creative things. Jaxon is super logical and so struggles with creative endeavours, but I still think it’s important that he is exposed to them. Owen loves anything creative. Rohn loves anything messy. I typically choose one art project that all three could manage with me there to help out the little ones if/when they need it. This week we plan on making awesome ‘If I lived in a snow globe.”  I got the idea here.  Again a quick search for kid craft ideas and you are set!

Wordy Wednesday – focus on things dealing with words. Jaxon is a skilled reading currently reading at an 8th grade level so we had to get creative for him. He has decided to teach himself German and eventually ASL as well. Owen is working on sight words and letter sounds. Rohn on letter recognition. Pinterest is filled with amazing resources for this as well. One thing that has been a huge success with  my kids is BINGO DOBBERS. Print off a sheet of ‘find all the A’s’  like the one I found here or find the sight words like here  give them a bingo dobber and they are in heaven!

Theory Thursday – Focus in science. Fun experiments!! Again pinterest is my go to resource and has tons and tons and tons of at home science experiments to do with the kids. This is another time we all work together on one experiment and the kids just understand it at different levels.

Free Day Friday – This is the start of the weekend and so they get to work on anything they haven’t finished, or a new idea they have. A fun start to our weekend.

OK, that may sound like a lot of work, but really it’s not. I created boards on my Pinterest account and just store the ideas I come across on the proper board. Then I take an hour on the weekend to sit down and print off the worksheets I need and gather the supplies needed for the following week. Then they go into the binders so that when Homework Time hits we are all set and they just grab their binders and go!

I also included a goal tracking sheet that I found on Pinterest for each child. They set goals (with a little help from me) and once they have reached their goals, they get to go to our treasure chest and pick out little surprises or treats! Great motivator… although my littlest monster still refuses to use the potty! Another little extra I included was a book report sheet so that we can keep track of all the books we read these year.

My kids actually have started looking forward to “homework time” They like having different things to work on each day and it gets their minds moving away from screens! Ive learned that if I can keep them busy then they forget about screens for a bit!