how do you make sure you are useing all the cool materials you have gathered?

[momma aimee]

I have a lot of cool supplmental things, extra books to read, or puzzles and games, but i dfind as i plan 2 or 3 weeks out I am not includinging them.

 

DS2 pulled out a game today i had forgotten -- a locate animals on the globe type thing -- i am adding it in for next week.

 

So Now I am thinking -- what can i do, what do others do to make sure i rotate in more fun stuff (puzzles, games, etc).

 

Anyone?

[silliness7]

Make a time slot for it. 9-9:30 Educational Game/Puzzle

 

Then you will have the great joy of filling ithat slot up with all the fun things you can find.

 

If daily is too much you can slot it for however often you like. Maybe rotate it with Educational Videos 9-9:30 on M/W and Education Game/Puzzle T/Th

 

or once a week or whatever floats your boat. :D

 

I know this won't help much if you're not a scheduler. But maybe you are.:)

[lovelaughs_times_three]

Oh goodness....a thread that describes my problem! I get so excited when I find new materials that will help my kids learn! During the Spring/Summer I buy lots of great things that I can't wait to use. I must have been especially horrible about it this year, because I find myself with stacks and stacks of wonderful books, games, and fantastic materials! And I am trying to figure out how to schedule them all in. To be honest, I've been overwhelmed by it lately.

 

So, no help here - lots of empathy and I'm all :bigear:s!

 

:lurk5:

[Jenny in Florida]

Weekly lesson plans.

 

I sit down before the year begins and type up a plan for each week. I include notes to myself about fun and supplemental stuff I have on hand or that I want to make sure to check out from the library or do online that coordinates with whatever is being read or studied that week. That way, I don't get to the last two weeks of the year and start kicking myself for forgetting.

[ElizaG]

For natural science and geography, we have monthly themes that loosely follow the New Child Montessori schedule (split over two years, so 24 themes in all). We rarely do any of their suggested activities, though. Instead, I've set aside a couple of low bookcases to serve as a display, and each month my eldest and I search through our bookshelves and game cabinet for relevant materials to set out. I also have a secret "goodie box" for each theme, with special items like coloring books and flash cards, as well as children's work that was saved from the last go-round.

 

Other than setting up the display and helping with research, my contribution to this is minimal. I'll typically read a few books and present an art project or two. The children come up with the rest on their own. They seem to enjoy this a lot, and it satisfies my inner librarian. ;)

 

Educational materials that tie in with the 3 R's are kept together by subject on the curriculum shelves or in the game cabinet, depending on whether or not I want the children to have free access to them. They tend to get brought out when the children are at loose ends or having trouble with a concept. My goal is to do "handwriting lab," "language arts lab," or "math lab" at least one afternoon a week ( = free choice of activities from that subject area), and once or twice it has actually happened. :tongue_smilie:

[Spryte]

I'm using online planning software, and have scheduled in time slots for games and extras this year. I plan fairly loosely though, so I've just scheduled general slots. Some of the items are on-going project type items, so I've scheduled those in more specifically - I have a categories for math and science extras (games, etc), but also for MathTacular DVDs, specific online programs, etc. Those things can be bumped if we don't get to them, because they're not part of our core curriculum, but they are the fun things that my kiddo loves, so it's good to have them scheduled so *I* don't forget to keep the spice in our homeschool.

 

When I have supplemental materials that I've matched to curriculum, but am not sure when we'll hit that point in the material, I put sticky notes in the textbook/teacher manuals to remind me to gather the materials.

 

Not perfect, but it seems to be helping so far. We're only 3 weeks in this year, though!

[momma aimee]

Make a time slot for it. 9-9:30 Educational Game/Puzzle

 

Then you will have the great joy of filling ithat slot up with all the fun things you can find.

 

If daily is too much you can slot it for however often you like. Maybe rotate it with Educational Videos 9-9:30 on M/W and Education Game/Puzzle T/Th

 

or once a week or whatever floats your boat. :D

 

I know this won't help much if you're not a scheduler. But maybe you are.:)

 

ohhhhhhhhhhhh i am and a list maker too :lol:

[momma aimee]

I made a media tab in my OneNote folder, but you can make it in Word as well. I made a page for each subject we're covering then added a table for Books, Videos, Online Interactives and other links and other sources. That way when I get to that subject I go back through and order library books, add links to planner and I check for other resources.

 

The Book table had the title of the book, the author, the subject it relates to, the location (library, our bookshelf, Amazon, grandmas...), and I check it off as he used it.

 

The Video table had the title of the movie, the subject it relates to, the location (Netflix, DVR, Online, etc.), and if we watched it.

 

The Online table has the link, the subject it relates to and if we used it.

 

Other Resources table has generic titles so I can add things like board games and anything else I find along the way that relates.

 

I've found this is working well because as I'm doing searches online or just going through stuff in the house I can add it to the list for future reference. I forget so many things in my bookmarks, it's just not working for me anymore.

 

 

you so so right, i foget so many bookmarks and so on and find so much COOL but "not yet".

 

OneNote? is that set up like Excell? I can see doing that in excell -- a SS for each subject and a sheet for book, net site, etc --- i am not great at excell but can see that.

 

OneNote is easy?

 

??

[momma aimee]

For natural science and geography, we have monthly themes that loosely follow the New Child Montessori schedule (split over two years, so 24 themes in all). We rarely do any of their suggested activities, though. Instead, I've set aside a couple of low bookcases to serve as a display, and each month my eldest and I search through our bookshelves and game cabinet for relevant materials to set out. I also have a secret "goodie box" for each theme, with special items like coloring books and flash cards, as well as children's work that was saved from the last go-round.

 

Other than setting up the display and helping with research, my contribution to this is minimal. I'll typically read a few books and present an art project or two. The children come up with the rest on their own. They seem to enjoy this a lot, and it satisfies my inner librarian. ;)

 

Educational materials that tie in with the 3 R's are kept together by subject on the curriculum shelves or in the game cabinet, depending on whether or not I want the children to have free access to them. They tend to get brought out when the children are at loose ends or having trouble with a concept. My goal is to do "handwriting lab," "language arts lab," or "math lab" at least one afternoon a week ( = free choice of activities from that subject area), and once or twice it has actually happened. :tongue_smilie:

 

I like this -- but i have a 5 and 3 yo -- so i have to keep most of it out of sight and make it 'adult interaction' only. so out of sight, out of mind -- for the boys and MOMMA :lol:

[momma aimee]

thanks everyone -- i am starting to form some ideas.

[anissa]

I put all the resources for that year's study on one bookshelf. I organize by subject. I also will make notes to myself in plan books or even right in the teacher manual to use/read some great resource.

[Greenmama2]

I put all the resources for that year's study on one bookshelf. e.

 

I think I need to do this. I have the out of sight, out of mind problem too :001_huh:

[Lily_Grace]

I use an excel spreadsheet for mine. At the beginning of the year I go through the curriculum and type it out subject by subject. Then I make note of anything that we have, and input it in the spreadsheet next to the subject. As I write out the weekly schedule I check back to see what we have available and put it on the shelf.

 

Our activity books especially get used this way. I go through and write down the page number and activity so I can do things like match up the experiments in Milestones of Science with either the history or the science he's studying.

[ClassicMom]

The OneNote idea is great! I have a ton of sticky notes in my lesson plan book as to what I was going to throw into the workboxes. OneNote would be much simpler! I totally forgot about it!!

 

Thank you! :D

[thescrappyhomeschooler]

Weekly lesson plans.

 

I sit down before the year begins and type up a plan for each week. I include notes to myself about fun and supplemental stuff I have on hand or that I want to make sure to check out from the library or do online that coordinates with whatever is being read or studied that week. That way, I don't get to the last two weeks of the year and start kicking myself for forgetting.

 

I do this, too.

[cathmom]

I'm going to try Sue Patrick's workbox system, in part to solve this problem.

[Dobela]

I add them to my lesson plans. But most of all, I just don't buy as many for dd as I did for ds. By limiting the number bought, I am more likely to use what I have.

[Mrs Twain]

I do two things:

 

First, as others said, I make a time slot for it. Unless it is in the schedule (either designated for a certain amount of time to do once per day or once per week), it tends never to get done.

 

Second, concerning resources that I have bought which will not fit into my schedule this year, I add them to my Word document running list of resources that I will consider using for next year. Sometimes (actually often) I overbuy history resources. I have a few books that are great but which I don't have time to cover this year. I type those onto my list for next year's considerations. When I start planning for next year, I will use my list to help me pick resources to use what I already have. That way I won't forget to use things.

 

I also put all of my extra resources that I haven't used yet or want to use again in one area on my bookshelf. That way they are easy to find--not spread around the house in different locations.

[Lang Syne Boardie]

This was my method when my children were younger:

 

If it was something I considered to be part of the curriculum or to be used at a certain time, I penciled it into my schedule.

 

If it was something nifty and educational but kind of random, like Snap Circuits or a fingerprinting kit, I put it in a shoebox in a closet. I had many shoeboxes, some with educational toys, some with art or craft supplies, and some with special books.

 

And then two afternoons per week we had a "Shoebox Hour," and the children could go and choose the shoebox they wanted that day.

[kalanamak]

Once a month I go through the bookshelves, bins and closet. I dust/clean/put away while I do it, and make sure there is clear labeling and that things are put away with "like" things (e.g. my chemistry bin has the gloves, the candles, the borax, etc).

 

As I'm doing this, I "think it". E.g. "the human body puzzle is under our plastic model". I literally mutter this in my head.

 

:bigear:

[Tohru]

When ds was younger, we did Sue Patrick's workboxes.

 

Everyday I'd put the regular things to do in the workboxes and used all those extras to fill the remaining workboxes. My friend did the same thing. It was amazing how much of our resources (games, books, crafts) the kids actually got to use :)

[RahRah]

For each subject I have a list of what we'll do through the year, in the order we'll do it - like lesson plans, but not by day or even week - just in chronological order from start to finish.

 

For things we already have, I added those in to the list where they belong - books, science kits, art projects, etc. As things I've ordered arrive, before I put them away, I add them to wherever they go on the list - that way when we get to that lesson/chapter/subject/theme, I know what I need to pull out so I don't forget!

[momma aimee]

Yep. It's basically a virtual notebook. I wrote an article about it on my blog with some free alternate software. Here's a link. I'm hooked!

 

I set up ds laptop with a shared notebook and put all of his timeline and maps in their own notebook. Now he can copy and paste images and text he sees online about a certain person or event without printing.

 

this sounds cool, can't vait till i have time to sit and read it -- thanks.

[CalicoKat]

Workboxes! Rotate some of the cool educational toys and puzzles weekly or daily depending on interest.

[woolybear]

This was my method when my children were younger:

 

If it was something I considered to be part of the curriculum or to be used at a certain time, I penciled it into my schedule.

 

If it was something nifty and educational but kind of random, like Snap Circuits or a fingerprinting kit, I put it in a shoebox in a closet. I had many shoeboxes, some with educational toys, some with art or craft supplies, and some with special books.

 

And then two afternoons per week we had a "Shoebox Hour," and the children could go and choose the shoebox they wanted that day.

I like "shoebox hour". I might add that in. I was thinking of adding discovery boxes to our weeks, but our schedule looks too full as it is. However, if I schedule for the afternoon when we are done I think that might work well.

[momma aimee]

:lurk5: anyone else?

[momma aimee]

anyone else?? :lurk5:

[matrips]

this year, I have two time slots (at the end of our core material) that are "Pick One", and I have a list of four supplemental resources for each (one for each day we school at home). They need to pick it the day before so I can be ready. (Like today, one of the picks was Art Project, so I had to prepare an art project for them to do). So far, so good.

 

Last year, we were more workbox heavy, so I put the supplemental resources in their workboxes as a fun box.

 

Either way, we use stuff alot more than if I had no plan.

[momma aimee]

i know this is an old thread. but i wanted to reread it and see if anyone else had anything to offer ;)