How did/do y ou keep track of things "done"

[SereneHome]

I am finally getting to a good rhythm/schedule with my oldest.

 

I am actually able to read additional books for history and science and we have been doing lots of poetry and other reading as well.  (yeah, it wasn't like that for awhile, but I am moving on)

 

I am finding all kinds of good materials - books, various experiments, etc.

 

I need some kind of organizational system where I can keep track of it all, so I can then repeat the sources with my other two without going through all the research all over again.

 

I've started various Excel spreadsheets, but I am not sure if it's the best way.  I keep his regular curriculum schedule in a notebook, but I haven't done anything too elaborate, just a simple outline for the year. 

 

Would love to hear how everyone else handled it.  Did you keep journals for each year with everything that was done?  If so, in what format?

 

I know many have blogs, but I am not interested in that at all.

 

thank you!!

 

 

[EmilyGF]

I use a paper planner, but use it to record what we do each day instead of future plans. It is less distracting than a computer (I spend so much time "optimizing" that I never get to recording).

[happypamama]

OneNote -- lists for what we are doing now, lists for the future, boxes to check off for each subject each day.

[texasmama]

I make daily/weekly schedules listing books and pages covered for history and literature in a simple Word document. That way I have a written and an electronic copy. I also make a list of all subjects and the curriculum used at the end of the year. I email myself copies of important schedules and keep them in a special email folder in case I lose documents in a computer crash.

[Spring Flower]

 I keep his regular curriculum schedule in a notebook, but I haven't done anything too elaborate, just a simple outline for the year. 

 

 

 

This is what I do and I think keeping it simple is fine. In addition to keeping a simple year outline, I type up a year-end reflection. (I've only done this twice so I'm no expert.) I start with language arts and type up a summary of everything we did for grammar, writing, reading, etc. I include any reflection on what was effective, what I would have done differently, and what I plan to do next year as a result. I set general goals for the new school year. I then do the same for math, history, science, and any extras. It doesn't have to be lengthy or elaborate. I've gone back and re-read my reflections many times. It is also a bit of a journal for my daughter to have when she is older so she knows the work she accomplished. 

[SereneHome]

I would love to do it in the notebook, but am wondering if it will get to be too much and too long....

 

Is "Onenote" an app or a computer program? 

[KarenNC]

I really liked The Homeschooler's Journal when my daughter was younger http://www.fergnusservices.com/, but switched last year to OneNote (which is a computer program and app) and I love it. It's working really well as a place to keep all my lists, ideas for possible future courses, bits I find while online, an inventory of my books and other resources, as well as our current schedules. i use it to keep a yearly and weekly planner with check boxes and, because it can be shared between devices, my daughter can check her work off on her computer and it shows up on my computer. I can access it from my Nook as well, which is nice.

[Cakes]

We use OneNote to keep track of everything to be done. I map out a few months in advance. (start of school to Holiday break, the new year to spring break, spring break to summer)

 

On the weekend I typically copy and past the week aheads work onto a word doc with boxes to be checked off as completed by DD. I file them when the week is over and the work is done.

 

Because I copy and paste into a word doc for the next week I can tweak anything that needs to be tweaked. As in next week DD has a heavy rehearsal schedule, I can remove a few things and add to the following week to balance things out as needed. 

[tiffaninichole]

I use Wunderlist. I'm too scatterbrained to use complex systems, so Wunderlist is perfect. Make a list on my phone, cross off things as they get done. Rinse, repeat. :-)

[Insertcreativenamehere]

I use Homeschool Planner - love it.

[happypamama]

OneNote is both! And it can be accessed online too! I have it on my desktop, but I also have it on my tablet, and it syncs automatically, regardless of which one I use (the tablet app is a tiny bit more limited but not significantly). And I can access it on DH's desktop via the OneNote website too. Extremely handy program/app!

[wendyroo]

I've actually just been writing it all down in a spiral notebook. I use one page (back and front) as a week. I put Monday and Tuesday on the front of the page and Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday on the back. I write everything down by subject and then by child if not combined. One line per subject seems to be enough.

 

Here's a sample of how I lay out a day in the book. Here's 11/13---

 

Math - Xtramath, Red-p.131-135, Tom-Lesson 62

Penmanship- Red - p. 42, Tom- p.61-62

Grammar- Red- Lesson 47, Tom- Lessons 55, 57

Spelling - Red- I 7 test, Tom- science, most, clothes, through

Latin- Prima Latina Lesson 14 continued, Doxology quiz

Manners - 2/17 When you have a babysitter

Bible- Luke 5:1-11

Read aloud - Voyage of the Dawn Treader Chapter 9

Logic- Red- Mindbenders p. 10

Science-5 Kingdoms Lab#1: Classifying Critters

 

I have my curricula listed in the front of the notebook. I usually plan a week ahead, but do everything in pencil. I have the rest of November and December planned, but I've already done a ton of erasing...thus, the joy of the pencil! I have to admit though I've always been a pen and paper kind of gal. I'd much rather page through a notebook than try to remember where I logged something on a spreadsheet. I tried spreadsheeting it at the beginning of the school year and quickly abandoned it.

 

 

Off Topic...

Do you teach "Manners" from a particular book or program?

 

Thanks,

Wendy

[wendyroo]

365 Manners Kids Should Know by Sheryl Eberly. The book is directed at parents, but I change how I read it to the kids so the narrative is directed at them. I also screen for age appropriateness. My kids don't need dating manners yet. ;)

 

Thanks.

 

Peter is on the spectrum and needs a lot of explicit, concrete social skills instruction.  This looks like it could really show me how to break that down into manageable steps. 

 

Wendy

[SereneHome]

I've actually just been writing it all down in a spiral notebook. I use one page (back and front) as a week. I put Monday and Tuesday on the front of the page and Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday on the back. I write everything down by subject and then by child if not combined. One line per subject seems to be enough.

 

Here's a sample of how I lay out a day in the book. Here's 11/13---

 

Math - Xtramath, Red-p.131-135, Tom-Lesson 62

Penmanship- Red - p. 42, Tom- p.61-62

Grammar- Red- Lesson 47, Tom- Lessons 55, 57

Spelling - Red- I 7 test, Tom- science, most, clothes, through

Latin- Prima Latina Lesson 14 continued, Doxology quiz

Manners - 2/17 When you have a babysitter

Bible- Luke 5:1-11

Read aloud - Voyage of the Dawn Treader Chapter 9

Logic- Red- Mindbenders p. 10

Science-5 Kingdoms Lab#1: Classifying Critters

 

I have my curricula listed in the front of the notebook. I usually plan a week ahead, but do everything in pencil. I have the rest of November and December planned, but I've already done a ton of erasing...thus, the joy of the pencil! I have to admit though I've always been a pen and paper kind of gal. I'd much rather page through a notebook than try to remember where I logged something on a spreadsheet. I tried spreadsheeting it at the beginning of the school year and quickly abandoned it.

 

I am the same way, but for some reason I am not doing a good job writing down all the books that we are reading and all the things we are doing.

 

I don't know if it's my lack of organizational system or it's getting to be too much to write everything down

 

 

[purpleowl]

I keep track of different sorts of things in different ways.  I have a spreadsheet in Excel with subjects across the top and week numbers on the left, and I put in what I hope to accomplish in each subject in each week.  I have documents for history and for science where I've gone through our library's online catalog (before our year started) and recorded books they have that fit with each week's lesson, so I can request them ahead of time and use them when we get to that week.  

 

Something that might be helpful for you: I have a Google form that I use to put in books DD has read or that have been read to her; when I click submit, the info goes into a spreadsheet on my Google Drive.  The spreadsheet is searchable (Ctrl F), so if I'm trying to remember whether she's already read a certain book or when we covered a certain topic, I can just search the spreadsheet.  Here is a sample version of the form, showing the things I have on DD's, but you can make yours have whatever info you want.  Oh - and every week before we go to return library books is when I usually enter things in. :)

[SemiSweet]

I use OneNote for everything. I have a planning section and then an agenda section, with a checklist. I tried a couple of the different online planners and found this to be much more practical, it's basically like a pen and paper method because you can do it anyway you want.