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Homeschool organization
Homeschool schedule organization is a popular topic. I use spiral notebooks as a day planner for my children. There are many things swirling around in my head that writing it on a random piece of paper gets me in trouble.
When I started using a spiral notebook for my daily schedule and scratchpad I became a bit more organized. On the other hand, if I can’t find the notebook it doesn’t work.
I have a desk calendar that has a month at a glance for appointments. However, I seem to need a long list of chores, website stuff, and other things that change from day to day. I write out my daily list the night before or early in the morning and can carry over anything that didn’t get crossed through the day before.
These are the steps I take
- write out what I need to accomplish that day.
- make notes on any phone calls or emails on the bottom half of the paper.
- keep a reminder of any info I need to gather for a meeting.
- I write down any ideas or concepts that crossed my mind that day.
- finally, cross off the task when completed.
Homeschool Planning:
Each of the boys has a spiral notebook for their daily work. Each night I write out their work for the next day. They cross or check it off and then I know if they have any carry over when I write out the next day.
Also, the boys have a spiral for each of their subjects to do their work in. My boys can really make a mess of a pile of papers so containment is my strategy. If it can be done in the notebook, it is.
The next level
I read a post on Post It notes scheduling and I loved the idea. The boys’ daily planners are still spiral notebooks. First, I staple a printed copy of their work for the day out of their curriculum in the notebook. Second, I write the other work that needs to be done on the right side. Then the next page will be Post It notes of extras that need to be done or repetitive items that can keep moving forward when complete. Some extras may get moved to a different day depending on what is happening.
However, I do not stress about moving the Post Its to another day. I am using an actual curriculum this year. Oak Meadow is what both boys are using and I will type out their weekly lessons a month at a time to help them adjust to how their weekly lessons are laid out in their books.
The payoff
It may sound like a lot of work to you, but I have discovered that my fly by the seat of your pants personality needs structure and so do my kids. Our life has an overall structure, but our day to day can change quickly. I am a pen and paper gal. I don’t know how to do spreadsheets and I think that writing them down allows me to not overdo what I ask of them.
This year we start our convention travel in March and will finish in July. It takes us several days to recover from each trip. We have had weddings and funerals and ups and downs called life this year.
It is difficult to keep a hard and fast schedule. It is all education though.
Notebook goals
Reading, writing, and arithmetic has to fit in there somewhere. If I can have that written down for them, they have what they need to get done, even if it isn’t on that specific day. I have been overzealous in my daily schedule in the past. Focusing on what I want my boys to know before they leave my home is important.
What do you want to impart to your children? It may be history, great composers, art, geography, or world culture just to name a few. Family traditions, cooking, hunting, and a long list of life skills. It will vary greatly with each family which is what makes home education so wonderful.
Keep on track with homeschool organization
I am hopeful that my homeschool schedule organization with post-it notes will help to keep us from veering off track. However, nothing, not even a nicely written schedule will keep us from a walk on the trail on a beautiful day or a dip in a local spring when the mood strikes!
