What is a Mini Office?
A mini office is a particular application of lapbooks. Each child can make his own mini-office -- a lapbook filled with reference pages for his own learning. The sky is the limit on what you can include. Fill the mini office with the charts that your child needs -- maps, state abbreviations, penmanship models, clock faces, a multiplication table, or timelines.
The mini office actually helps the student move towards being a more independent learner as he looks up the answers to his own questions.
With a mini office, you have an individualized reference tool for each student! Cater it to your child's level and needs. Make a new one each term if necessary or make several -- one for each school subject. Pull out the math mini office when studying math. Or use the language arts mini office when doing a writing assignment.
Since the mini office is affixed to a file folder, it can be easily folded up and put away when not needed. But when the child needs to look up a fact, he knows right where to go -- to his mini office.
And because it's so small and tidy, it's portable when you want to "homeschool on the go."Images of Mini Offices
For more visuals, visit abc teach for a great PDF, complete with photos and directions for creating the file folder base.
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Mini-Offices from the Classroom
These links show you mini offices created by classroom teachers. These webpages are filled with colorful photographs that will demonstrate exactly what a mini office is.
Classroom teachers also use the mini offices to make a temporary study carrel, shielding each child from the distractions of the others in the room. Use a legal sized file folder for maximum height and privacy.
- Teaching Heart
- This site will explain mini-offices to you in detail and inspire you with all the great photographs.
- Mrs.Meachan's Classroom Snapshots
- Click on her links for full sized and half sized mini offices. You'll find printables and clear directions!
- Busy Teacher's Cafe
- It's all here -- directions, pictures, free downloads, and links.
- Reagan All Star Kinderbears
- Both photographs of completed mini offices and links to PDF printables.
The Mini Office Base
Smead Folder, Legal, 11 Point, 1/3 Cut Tab, Assorted Colors, 100 per Box (16943)
Amazon Price: $28.71 (as of 07/03/2009)
Although you could use large pieces of posterboard or cardstock cut down to size, most people use file folders for the base of the mini office. They are easy to find at your local "super store" and come in many sizes and colors. Consider a legal sized folder because you'll find so many things to include that you'll want a large foundation.
More Mini Office Pictures
This is a mini office for my 3rd grade daughter.
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Homeschool Mini Offices
Homeschooling families use mini offices as well! Visit these links for photos and how-tos.
- Math Lapbook (mini office)
- Wow! And wow! If you're wanting a math mini office, you MUST visit this link. This mom shares great photos of not one but two math mini offices AND gobs of links for free printables.
- Our Homeschool Creations: mini office
- If you need a blow by blow how-to from another mom, be sure to visit this page. She lays it all out and includes lots of wonderful pictures as well! Oh, and did I say that she's offering free printables for the mini-office right on this blog page? WOW! This is a "must click."
- Westward's Mini Offices
- This blogging mom shares the mini-office her children made. She herself made one for her youngest child.
- Fifth Grade Mini Office
- Another great example of a mini office complete with description and photos.
- The Daniel Academy's Mini Offices
- This link will take you to a photo slideshow with math and writing minioffices for various ages. Sure to inspire!
- Living Water Christian Academy's Mini Office Lapbooks
- This is an incredible LIST of what this mom will put in her children's mini offices. I read her list thinking, "Wow! That should be in the mini office! How brilliant!"
Her 6th grade daughter's mini office is quite advanced! In includes chemistry and the Magna Carta even! This is a great example to show that any grade level can benefit from mini offices. - Successful Homeschooling: Mini Office
- Colorful mini office pictures from Carletta.
Mini Offices Poll
New YouTube vids
Here are some wonderful YouTube videos showcasing minioffices! These are done by Valerie of Lapbook Lessons.
Printables for Math and Science
You'll have your own printables copied from the curriculum you use or favorite posters you already have. But these links may give you some ideas for other things to include in the mini office.
- Donna Young's Charts for Math
- Donna offers free hundreds charts in many varieties, multiplications charts, and addition facts.
- Busy Teachers Cafe
- Although many of these are worksheets, the money section is especially good for a mini office.
- Periodic Table of Elements
- This full color periodic table can be printed in several sizes -- letter, legal, and A4.
- Periodic Table in Pictures
- What a fun resource! An illustrated table to help you remember the elements.
- American Coins Chart
- Images of coins with their names and values. (Includes penny, nickel, dime, and quarter.)
- Math and Science Posters
- These are more advanced posters -- area and volume, symmetry, atomic orbitals, and more.
- Math Mini-Office Layout
- A handy document to download and print. This includes helpful links and layouts.
- Graphic Representation of Gallon, Quarts, Pints, and Cups
- This is a wonderful illustration of the Imperial system of liquid measurements.
- Our Solar System
- Page three of this PDF has a lovely full color column of all the planets in order. This strip would fit perfectly on a side panel of a mini office.
Mini Office with Three Sections
This mini office is for my daughter during 4th and into 5th grade. It's larger than her third grade one because her reference needs are greater now. I loosely divided it up into three parts -- language arts on the left, science and math in the center, and history on the right. Everything I used is linked here on this page.
Language Arts Related Printables
- American Sign Language
- Look for the links near the bottom for two finger spelling alphabet charts -- one is B&W drawings, the other is photographs of hands.
- Morse Code Chart
- Dots and dashes in a simple printable chart.
- Handwriting Printables
- Several penmanship styles are offered. Print an entire alphabet for your child's mini office.
- Braille Alphabet Card
- National Braille Press offers a PDF braille alphabet printable.
- Roman Numerals Chart
This simple chart will be a handy reference for the Arabic equivalents of Roman numerals.- Parts of Speech Sheet from Scholastic
- This parts of speech reference sheet includes definitions and examples.
- Punctuation Chart
- A basic chart with period, question mark, exclamation mark, quotation mark, comma, parenthesis, colon, semi-colon.
- Slightly More Advanced Punctuation Chart
- This chart would be for the child who already knows the basics but needs help with the less commonly used forms of punctuation: quotation marks, apostrophe, parentheses, colon, semi-colon, slash, hyphen, and comma. This is a full sheet poster. Print it 4 up for a mini office.
Other Printables
- Outline Maps
- Nice PDF files with names of countries. Print by continent or the whole world.
- Nicolas Academy Printables
- Scroll down for "Printable Charts" in the areas of math, science, and social studies. These charts should be saved as images and then printed. Charts include presidents of America, planets in our solar system, states and capitals, and many more.
- Music Basics
- A great printable for students learning to read music!
- Books of the Bible List
- I made this PDF for my daughter's mini office. It has two charts -- Old Testament and New Testament-- listing the books of the Bible. They are long and skinny for fitting well on the sides of your mini office.
- Days of the Week and Months of the Year
- Two more simple charts I made. They include the abbreviations.
- Posters
- These attractive PDF miniposters may be just what you are looking for! A few highlights -- shapes, multiplication chart, Presidents of America, weather wheel, food pyramid, maps, math strips.
- SparkleBox
- Free teaching printables for lots of topics, all in PDF format!
- State Abbreviations for USA
- Notebooking Pages offers this nice freebie PDF with a long column of all fifty states plus their official two letter postal abbreviations. (It prints four columns per sheet.)
- American Wars in Chronological Order
- This is a very short list of just the most important wars -- Revolution, Civil War, WW1 & WW2, etc. listed with dates in order. (I made this for my daughter's 4th/5th grade mini office and thought I may as well share with you.)
Creating the Mini Office
For younger students, most mothers would create the mini office for the student. But for an intermediate elementary and higher student, why not let her create her own? Of course, you will want to guide her choices. But let her design the layout and decorate it. When she has some ownership in it, she will be more likely to use it each day.
Reproducible Reference Materials
The World Reference & Map Forms
Amazon Price: $16.99 (as of 07/03/2009)
Used Price: $4.57
Lift-the-flap Timelines: American History
I have this book and find its reproducibles really ingenious! Photocopy them onto cardstock for extra durability.
Amazon Price: (as of 07/03/2009)
Used Price: $45.54
Math Fact Book: Grades 4-8 (Notebook Reference) 2nd Edition
Amazon Price: $3.95 (as of 07/03/2009)
Used Price: $2.16
Reader Feedback
If you create a mini office and post the photographs on the Internet,
please leave a link here!
Others will benefit from your ideas.
If you have any comments or questions,
please feel free to post them here as well.
ElizabethJeanAllen wrote...
Great lens!
I never would have thought to use a lapbook for reference material.
Thanks for sharing
Lizzy
Posted May 03, 2009
aj2008 wrote...
This is a great lens with tips not just for home schooling but any parent who supports their children's studies. I am thinking that we ought to create a mini-office for both our girls as it will definitely help them be more organised with their homework - this will undoubtedly help both of them, but particularly Lizzie who struggles with being "organised". She is mildly dyslexic so "organised" is a slightly alien concept to her, but she is working very hard at grasping it!
Posted March 26, 2009
chris wrote
WOW... the sparklebox link was the best for me personally....
Posted March 21, 2009
Tipi wrote...
Home schooling is an every growing trend and having a mini office for the children was something a I did for my kids. It sure helped them to be more motivated and productive. Great lens!
Posted January 28, 2009
marsha32 wrote...
I bought the materials today and we've been printing off stuff...she seems really excited about making her math office...and hopefully will then want to continue and make them for other subjects. (can you tell me exactly how to put the file folders together?, we can't seem to figure that out)
Posted January 26, 2009
ngio64 wrote...
I never hear of Mini-offices! We are going to be busy making some! Thanks!
Posted January 18, 2009
by Jimmie
Hello! I am a homeschooling mom who loves to teach and learn. I love the flexibility of Squidoo lenses for showing off our homeschool projects. Bloggi...
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