With our new & much bigger schoolroom in the works I decided to give our new room a little country lovin'. This year (& hopefully several years to follow) we will have a western cowboy theme in our room.Here is our calendar:
Our Schedule:
This is a wipe-off graph chart w/ 3" squares. I used large post-it notes for the time slots & small post it notes for the activities (except with some of the Mustangs b/c they school together & it wasn't necessary to have one for each of them). I color coded the chart, assigning each of us a color (Me: purple, Taylor: pink, Tyler: orange, Mustangs: blue). I also used a different color for group activities - this helps the kids see what they are doing with me (purple), independently (their color), & as group work (green - just the boys, white - snack & lunch, yellow - big kids). I am trying to give Taylor more healthy choices & independence - so her schedule is movable - if she wants to start Monday with Math she can & then begin Tuesday with Bible - whatever she wants. I am just giving her timeslots & all she has to do is arrange her sticky notes. Tyler will eventually work his way to this independence, but he isn't quite there since he has to share my time with his brothers.
The Sherrif is in town!
Our Busy Bee system has been replaced with this:
Same concept, different theme.
*Please Note: I am aware that Sherrif is spelled wrong - I made these at 3am & blogger is not loading easily, so I have fixed my sign, but not the picture. Thanx!
The General Store:
Our School Store is changing a bit. I am still working out a few details, but here is the low-down.... We are still using an "If - Then" system for rules, but we are also adding bonuses & chores to the system. Here is our "General Store":
This chart isn't done yet either, but I will explain . . . To the left is a list of ways for the kids to spend their "Buckaroo Bucks" & "Cowboy Coins" & to the right are pocket for each of my kids to round up their cash in (it is their responsibility to keep up with their money).
"Buckaroo Bucks" & "Cowboy Coins":
We will still be using money as our "points," but now the kids will actually have money. Play money that is:
Our Chore Chart:
This chart isn't quite done yet either. I am going to add a list of their chores on cowboy boots under each of their pockets. When the chore is completed they put it in their pocket. At the end of the day they will receive cash for the completed chores that were done without us having to remind them. Each chore has a value based on the difficulty of the chore - we have 1 child that is very diligent & is an eager worker & another than constantly has to be reminded & thoroughly HATES chores, so this will hopefully show them that hard work pays off!
Rules: "Prize Money" & being "Disqualified"
This part of the system still needs some work. I don't have our Rules poster completed yet, but here are the rules with the rewards & consequences on each side:
*I will also be adding "Bonuses" for positive behavior & a list of consequences when our kids need to be "lassoed"
All My Outlaws Hang Their Hats . . .
I will be using this chart for "classroom" warnings:
Each of the kids' names are on a hat. Each morning they all start out in the "Good Dude Ranch" where Outlaws with GOOD behavior hang their hats. If a warning is given they have to move their hat to the warning column where I will try to "pull the reigns" in before they have to slide over one more column into the "lassoed" section where they will loose a privilege(s). *The lasso list also applies to chores that are not completed or are done with a bad attitude.
Reading Wall:
This chart hasn't made it past the idea in my head & buying the posters to put it on. I will be using these posters to make a reading Trail with either badges or boots. I will write the title of the books my kids will have to read independently this year with little prizes in the middle & a bigger prize waiting at the end of their reading adventure.
This is not Western, but since we are talking about what you'll find on our school room walls & the Mustangs aren't yet reading check out our new (VERY Awesome) Explode the Code wall hanging:
Cattle Drives:
We will keep record of our field
This doesn't go on the wall, but it fits with my western theme & is oh so cute:
One more cute western themed idea I have is to make the kids saddle bags out of brown paper sacks (& if I feel creative I might just decorate them) for their snacks each week using Totally Tots "Snack Basket" idea.
And that's all folks . . . until tomorrow -- scoot y'er way back over to see the progress Big Daddy is making on our new school room!
