Homeschool Organization--The Planner

I'm going to be doing a couple of posts on homeschooling, since it's the time of year we're looking forward to getting started up again. Now, I realize that these posts are going to interest only a few, but that's ok. If you're not a homeschooler, go ahead and skip it!

I love organizing. And I love teaching. (Just don't ask about the regular housework I also have to keep up on!) Jaron is entering 6th grade this year, so I've had a few years to work on and perfect a system. It's what works for us, and works well... and I'm hopeful someone else will benefit from what I've learned.

I always start my planning by deciding when I want summer break to start. I find it MUCH easier to get the kids to sit in the late summer than spring, so I like to be done in early May. Then I start counting backwards, adding in breaks and holidays as needed, to arrive at our start date, usually early August.

School year overview

Next I lay out our calendar of the months we're doing school. I actually draw out the calendars because it allows me to be a little more creative, but I've also used school year planners for students. Then I start writing in lesson numbers in their days, realizing that this is just a general guideline. We use a lot of Abeka, so we stick to their 170 lessons for the school year length, and I work in our other curriculum around that.

Our general weekly plan is science (Apologia) Monday and Tuesday, history (History Revealed) Wednesday and Thursday, and then a short day and/or art/field trip/finishing a hands-on project on Friday. On Friday we clean our school room for the weekend, and I plan out school for the coming week. That includes writing out the lesson schedule for the upcoming week, usually what's on the monthly calendar but not always since some break days we end up jockeying around due to doctor appointments, all day field trips, etc., that I couldn't plan for at the beginning of the year. I take this time to make sure we have the supplies we need for any projects and that I know what's coming up for each child.

My daily task list

A sample of a child's overview of what needs to be done for their grade that year.

Schedule of Bible class

History lesson plans

Science lesson plans

I also have begun a separate planner for Jaron, since he has a bigger variety in his curriculum and I want him to start being responsible for doing what he's supposed to be doing without as much oversight from me... eventually. Since I'm starting Candi with some preschool stuff this year, I need Jaron to start being more independent as I just won't reach around with all 4 children in school!

Jaron's planner above and below

We also have a sticker rewards system. For every day the child completes their work with a good attitude, they get a sticker and some "prize money". If they manage 5 or 10 consecutive days, they get more "prize money" as an incentive to keep things going well. IF I can get all my boxes checked during the week, on Friday once everything is cleaned and prepped for the next week I treat myself to a little something too.

So far I LOVE how this comes together. And that's my planner!

Homeschool post #2: http://lifeonhegehill.blogspot.com/2018/08/homeschool-organization-big-dreams.html
Homeschool post #3: http://lifeonhegehill.blogspot.com/2018/08/homeschool-organization-papers-papers.html