How do you stay on track?

[hsmom]

I have tried the whole make a schedule and try to follow it. Then I end up not following it and "behind" then feeling like we keep digging in a hole. Then I try the no schedule it just doesn't go very well. It always seems life always throws something at us. Then I feel as if we are not getting done what we need to. Like we will get reading and math done then the rest gets thrown out the window. I hate it, yet we always end up this way.

 

I want to stay on track and motivated! I want to get the science, history, art and such done each week.

 

So, how do you make it where your days go smoothly and things get accomplished to the point you are satisfied with your progress?

 

I don't want to ruin my child, I want to make sure he has the very best I can give. Please help with any advice.

 

(Hopefully this was the right place to post this)

[TheCoffeeChick]

I plan out my each subject for the year not by date, but by session # (session 1, session 2 ...) That way these schedules are never behind or ahead. I use a template from Core Foundations and group them into 9 week sections (quarters). Then each Sunday or Monday morning I fill out (in pencil) a weekly planner for only the current week using my subject planners as guidance. My weekly planner template is from Donna Young, I use the ruled 2-page weekly planner. Sometimes I have to miss out on science for the day because something came up so if I can't make it up during that week, I'll just cross off the lesson we missed and make sure it is the first one written down the next week. Or other times DS is so into the history reading that he wants me to go on to the next chapter -- I'll just pencil it in and check it off in my subject schedule.

 

I won't finish each subject at the same time but that's okay, it's not like I have some sort of deadline I have to be finished by. :)

 

We mostly stay on track though, I have my weekly planner filled in and DS knows what needs to be done each day because I made him a daily check list that is laminated and he checks off with wipe-off markers. We have things like snack, lunch, and recess scheduled in, so he knows he gets a break when he gets certain things done. He also knows that if he is goofing around school will last longer into the day, which he absolutely hates. He wants his playing time! ;) Since I only have a 1st grader and preschooler, we really only school till lunch time, but we have had to go till 2 before just because DS was not staying on task. In the end though, if he really can't pay attention and gets too figgety, I tell him that we'll just pick up where we left off tomorrow and have him go outside to run around. He definitely needs an energy release to help him concentrate.

Edited February 7, 2010 by BramFam

[Veritaserum]

Workboxes have been the solution for us. :) Since we started using them, productivity has gone way up. I do it with bankers boxes (one for each child). I have file jackets with a clip art picture of the subject assigned to that folder (numbers for math a book for reading, etc.). I also have some mystery pockets where I put a puzzle or a library book or a little craft. The kids know that when they are finished with breakfast they are to get started on their boxes. On the front of the box I place a laminated tag (hung with velcro) that is identical to the clip art on the folder. When they see their boxes they know that they have assignments for math, handwriting, reading, etc. When they finish a subject, they take the tag off their box and hang it on their chart on the wall.

 

I have a separate box for group stuff (literature and history, among other things). I usually have them work for an hour or two from their boxes (this is often enough time for them to finish all of their individual subjects) and then we work for an hour or two on a group subject.

 

I've tried (and failed) at keeping to a pre-written schedule. I love the work boxes because each afternoon/evening I can customize our work load for whatever else we might have going on the next day. :)

[mom31257]

What has helped me is semester planning. I made a spreadsheet of the subjects across the top and weeks down the left column. I use this to list what chapters have to be done which weeks. I list lesson numbers or page numbers, etc. It really helps me to stay focused on what needs to be done by when.

 

I don't know what ages your children are, but mine like having their schedules. We do a modified workbox, but they end up relying on their weekly schedule the most. They both enjoy marking off the next thing and seeing that it is done.

 

I use Microsoft Works and don't know how to post a file, but I took the planner in this thread and tweaked it.

 

http://www.welltrainedmind.com/forums/showthread.php?t=133451

 

If there is something we don't finish, I try to do it sometime over the weekend.

 

You can get an idea of what we do on my blog in my sig.

[christielee7278]

Workboxes have been the solution for us. :) Since we started using them, productivity has gone way up.

 

Same here. Before the workbox system, we were struggling to get the basics done. We are doing much better now!! We were using a file folder system but I just bought these to use instead for more room. It is going even better than using the file folders. We are getting so much accomplished even art, fun lapbooks, and craft projects!!

[Wildiris]

Someone else posted on a similar topic today. Did you look at that thread?

 

After 14 years of home schooling this is what I have done and what is currently working, but remember everyone is different, so you need to find what works for you life.

What I've done: Plan, Plan an entire year in a teacher's plan book. Wrote only in pencil. One for each kid. Worked OK. Always felt behind, this depressed me.

 

What I do now: On the computer I made a table with cells. Columns for subjects and rows for days of the week with one page holding two weeks worth work. I plan two weeks in advance. Most of the time I rewrite the last week of the previous two weeks to fit into the next two week block We are always falling behind. This method keeps us on track. This method is primitive by most standards. I print off blanks and fill in what we need to do with a pencil. I really want the computer put away during school hours. I get sucked into the computer the way some people get memorized by TV. Hours pass and I don't know where they go.

 

Before the school year I look at everything we need to do and divide it up into quarters, or sometimes semesters. I try to reach those goals.

 

Good luck!

[texasmama]

I use SL for the history, read alouds and readers, and I am pretty dependent on the instructor's guide. We do the four day a week program, leaving Friday as a catch up day when we need it. We do a lot of extracurricular activities (sports, piano, co op classes and game days with Papa) so we have two "heavy" days and two lighter ones to accomodate our extracurriculars. My goal for the boys is to do math, handwriting, Bible and spelling most days. I am fine if we hit three out of four. I do read alouds and language arts every day, but if we run out of time, I just double up the next day to catch up on the history read alouds. I don't know if that is helpful to you since we are using the SL instructor's guide, but it is a system that works well for us and has a fairly predictable rhythm to it, which works for all of us. At the same time, it is flexible enough for the weeks when we need that.

[Halcyon]

i have been trying to find the best way for us, and here's what working for us now: we have a modified workbox system (using files) and every night I figure out what subjects I want to cover the next day. We do math and 2 LA subjects at least each day (choosing from grammar, writing, spelling, vocabulary and reading comp--writing has to happen 4 days a week) and i do history 3-4 times a week and then Art, Science, Logic 1-2 times a week each.

 

I look and see what we've completed thus far during the week (if it's monday, it's like a fresh start!) and whatever we need to do the next day to keep up is what we work on. We have soccer on Tuesday mornings and oceanography class every other wed morning, so I need to work around that, so I like having the flexibility to plan the night before.

 

I set a timer for each subject: 30-40 min for Math, 15 min for writing, 20 minutes for Vocab, and so on. Art and Science tend to be an hour each, so I know I need to think carefully when I want to do them! We have a lot of afternoon activities 3 days a week, so I usually save them for our less busy days. We try to work no more than 3 hours a day on seat work.

 

we did work from a hard-core 'must follow this' online curriculum before this (for 3 years) and I must say, I don't know how I did it as long as I did. Now that I've changed our approach we're ALL much happier.

 

Some days, I find it helps to do Art or Science or whatever subject tends to get short shrift FIRST, rather than waiting til Math and LA are done--then we don't skip it. It's like working out--if you wait til the end of the day, it's not as likely that it's gonna happen ;)

Edited February 7, 2010 by Halcyon

[hsmom]

Same here. Before the workbox system, we were struggling to get the basics done. We are doing much better now!! We were using a file folder system but I just bought these to use instead for more room. It is going even better than using the file folders. We are getting so much accomplished even art, fun lapbooks, and craft projects!!

 

I already have some of those, too.

 

So, what you just put each days lessons, activities, etc. in each drawer and move drawer to drawer through out your day?

[Veritaserum]

I already have some of those, too.

 

So, what you just put each days lessons, activities, etc. in each drawer and move drawer to drawer through out your day?

 

That's essentially how a workbox system works. As I said above, I use file pockets in a bankers box because I have too many kids to do a set of drawers for each. :)

[Mandy in TN]

1. Use those workboxes. Another modified workbox devotee.:)

 

2. Decide what is a priority and make sure that you touch those subjects in some way each day. (Even though we are not studying Latin, reading LCC really helped me with this!) So, at 5yo let's say your priority is phonics instruction and math. If that is all you make time for because you want to go to park day, then don't sweat the rest of it.

 

3. Let go of feeling behind. Just keep swimming. Open workbox number 2, take out what is inside, and pick up where you left off.

 

HTH-

Mandy

[Osaubi]

I was having issues getting the project/fun type stuff done. So I started making setting aside one day for only projects/lapbooks/crafts. Since most of our project stuff relates to school in some way I try to review with them what we have gone over while we are working.

 

I have also started a 6 week on and 1 week off type of schedule. On the off week I ask the kids what they would like to do or learn about and we focus on those things. This week is our off week so we will be doing a horse unit study, extra history projects by request, playing chess, and a couple of science experiments. We will also be reading any books that we may not have gotten to the previous 6 weeks.

[Tidbits of Learning]

I have tried the whole make a schedule and try to follow it. Then I end up not following it and "behind" then feeling like we keep digging in a hole. Then I try the no schedule it just doesn't go very well. It always seems life always throws something at us. Then I feel as if we are not getting done what we need to. Like we will get reading and math done then the rest gets thrown out the window. I hate it, yet we always end up this way.

 

I want to stay on track and motivated! I want to get the science, history, art and such done each week.

 

So, how do you make it where your days go smoothly and things get accomplished to the point you are satisfied with your progress?

 

I don't want to ruin my child, I want to make sure he has the very best I can give. Please help with any advice.

 

(Hopefully this was the right place to post this)

 

This is for your k'er right? When my ds was in K, I would print out the edwardian style schedule on Donna Young. It has little circles to check off. If we didn't get to something, I would move it to the next week. I scheduled out 1 week in advance. http://donnayoung.org/forms/planners/go09/f-school-pdf/edwkruld.pdf

This worked well for me and I could look at a week at a glance.

I have also used the class lesson planner by christian liberty press that had great suggestions in the front of the book about how to schedule for the year and how to divide up the materials you are using for the amount of time you will be doing school for the year. I really love the suggestions and the how to schedule section as well as the calendar and the homeschool forms. However, it wasn't grid style in the actual scheduling section so I wind up using homeschool tracker plus on top of my class lesson planner.

Homeschool tracker plus has an assignment calendar that I can print out and check off everything to make sure that I complete it. Plus I can give a week's assignment sheet printed to the kiddos without fear that my whole year of scheduling will wind up with drink spilled all over it. :tongue_smilie:With just the CLP lesson planner I have never really utilized their individual assignment sheet, but they do have one. I find having the whole year scheduled out really makes me want to stay on track.

I use a mixture of the CLP lesson planner and the homeschool tracker plus during the week. I, too, am one to get sucked into the computer so I print out all my calendars and assignment checklists on the weekend and input any grades or extras in after school hours. I also have my CLP lesson planner scheduled out and mark off the assignments as we do them each day.

With me, it also took the realization that I would need to keep records as they got older and needed a report card each year. I have to say I was much more off schedule in pre-k and k than I am now with my 1st, 3rd, and 4th grader. It is just too hard to play catch up when they are in the higher grades if you get behind more than a day or two.

I would have to say though that moving from scheduling out a week or two in advance to scheduling out for the year has been the most helpful for me to really see the year ahead and to stay focused on our goals.

[Mom0012]

I have weekly checklists for each of my kids. The checklists have everything on them that I want to get done for school as well as a few chores. At the beginning of the week, I "X" off anything we will not be doing that week, but I am pretty diligent about making sure everything else gets completed. The kids know they must have everything done for the day before they have any screen time in the evening. This really motivates them.

 

Interestingly, the one thing I do not put on the checklist -- art -- never gets done.

 

Lisa

[choirfarm]

Mine are older, but what I am doing this year has finally worked for me to keep me on schedule. I print out a monthly calendar for July through June for each child. I then pencil in the schedule: TOG week 1, TOG week 2, Chalkdust 7.4 etc. I put in the breaks I already know about. Then I put in a catch-up week every so often. That is what has helped with my syllabuses as well. For English I, I put in a catch-up week every quarter. It may not happen the week I put it there, but it gives me breathing room for life. I put each assignment in a different color: math is blue, science is red..though with Module 7( that is all I put.. I give myself 2 weeks for each one with three for November and December or testing..) I check things off as we do them and can see how we are doing. We've had 109 days of school after starting in July. My oldest is set to finish Geometry early as he is going much faster. He is barely behind in Chemistry, not really but isn't much breathing room left there. We are right on schedule for TOG and ahead in Logic. My middle room is right on schedule for math, way behind on science, right on TOG. It helps to look.

 

Christine

[Closeacademy]

First, I do do a "big picture" schedule to see when I may need to reorder curriculum but then I pretty much toss it out the window and don't look at it again.

 

Then I just schedule things by the week. If we don't do something that week, we can do it the next week. I used to worry all the time that we would get behind and then I realized that all that stress was not worth it and was really taking away from this special time that I have with my children.

 

As for fitting in all the subjects, I try to stay flexible and at different times we do different things. We concentrate on math and language arts then use other methods for the other subjects. Some of the methods we have used:

 

do a little each day (can be stressful and overwhelming)

concentrate on 1 subject each week (science one week and history the next)

alternate days (science 2 times a week and history 2 times a week)

 

As for art, we do that in our free time. I keep all the supplies on hand and we bring them out to use when we have an afternoon at home. My children also spend a great deal of time drawing on their own and I have drawing books on hand for them to use if needed.

 

Music is lacking simply because my oldest has extream prejudice toward certain music genres and no one really has any talent. So sometimes we talk about and listen to music (mainly on the internet) but it is not a real subject in our home.

 

Hope this helps.:001_smile:

[Chris in VA]

I agree with scheduling in some catch up days.

 

Because most of my curriculum is open and go, like Saxon, SOTW, and Rod and Staff, I don't have a ton of planning to do. I want to complete the curriculum each year--so if there's 130 lessons, I have 130 days to get them done. Now, with SOTW, I will not be able to complete a whole year because we are behind, but I'm not stressing about it.

 

I look thru everything every few weeks and write a little schedule--not by time, but by day. If we get off a few days, I either do a couple of lessons in one day (if the curriculum allows--this is easy with grammar and occasionally math, but not SOTW), or just re-write it on the schedule. Because I haven't used a fancy notebook/plan book, it doesn't bother me to scribble out and rewrite.

 

That's the key for me--I hate to feel behind and I hate to mess up a "pretty" page. By just using a piece of notebook paper stuck on the wall (I'm very, very visual), I can tweak as we need to, and it provides some incentive for staying on track. Lists help me if they are clear and not too detailed.

 

Here you can see my list/schedule for Jan-Feb and Feb-March. I highlight what we've done. We are a little behind in some areas, so I crossed out what we can't get done and tweaked on the second sheet. By only doing a few weeks at a time, I don't have to rewrite a whole year. (You could use a computer program the same way, but I need it right in front of me instead of on the computer.)

 

I'm a little embarrassed to do such a low tech thing, but it's working.

 

Also, I find I will always do math, so if I am behind or haven't gotten to something during the week, I do it FIRST. Most of my energy runs out before lunch. I have to work with what I've got instead of what I want to have.

[brownie]

The boys need to be seated by 8:15, ready and morning chores done, or they get an early bedtime. I make a week's checklist in excel for each kid. We try to get done by noon, but if we don't, we do the remaining important things in the afternoon. Also I leave Friday very light so if we're getting behind, it bumps to Friday. Until the boys are done with their work for the day (and chores) they don't earn their 15 minutes of video/computer play time.

 

Brownie

[8filltheheart]

I have weekly checklists for each of my kids. The checklists have everything on them that I want to get done for school as well as a few chores. At the beginning of the week, I "X" off anything we will not be doing that week, but I am pretty diligent about making sure everything else gets completed. The kids know they must have everything done for the day before they have any screen time in the evening. This really motivates them.

 

Lisa

 

This is very similar to our approach. Everyone knows what must be completed daily. It is pretty inflexible unless there is something completely out of our control (like a little one being sick enough to consume most of my day). Even then, we make it up either a little/day on subsequent days or over the weekend.

 

We cannot afford to let "life" take over our educational objectives b/c it would constantly. It takes self-discipline on my part and the understanding/cooperation of my kids to ensure that academic work is a "life" priority.

[Mandy]

Wow, it sounds like you got a lot of great advice on how to organize and set up the lessons. I use a method similar to some of those listed, so I won't address that. I would like to say, however, that I have found that no matter what type of schedule I use, things never stay on track if I don't do a few simple things to help me actually follow through with my plan. When I do these things consistently, we are able to work the plan I have put into place and we have stress-free days of learning.

 

Here are the things that have helped me:

 

 

• Have the children's work written out in some way, so they know what is expected. I also indicate by color on their sheet what they can do independently and what they need to do with me. This way, they can get started working on their assignments if I am working with someone else.
  
• Get up before the kids and prepare myself. I take a look at their assignment sheets and see what they need from me in order to have a successful day. (Do they need their VP tests laid out?--things like this) I also check to see who will need my help in which subject, so I can budget my time. When making the weekly schedule, I try to make sure that I arrange things so that I don't spread myself too thin on any given day.
  
• DO NOT answer the phone. This is a big one for me. I am on leadership of our HS co-op and get lots of calls. When I answer the phone, I always talk longer than I should and the kids get off track. They have unfinished work at the end of the day, because I was not available to go over things with them in a timely manner.
  
• Keep outside activities that happen before 3:00 p.m. to a minimum. This is another big one for us. There was a time I was overly involved in "enrichment opportunities" outside our home way too many time each week. These were great, worthwhile experiences, but they happened to often. Now I am better at picking and choosing, saying no when I feel they would put too much stress on our lives. The three-hour Friday morning 4-H sewing class that lasted 8 weeks had to be passed by, for example.
  
• Limit email time--*see phone:)
  

 

In a nut shell, when I focus on the school day and do not allow outside forces to worm their way in, we do much better. I am not crabby. The stress is reduced. The learning is fun. When we do this, we stay on track and have time to do those truly exciting things that come up. (Both my kids and I got parts in The Best Christmas Pageant Ever that was produced by our local children's theater. The schedule was intense for a time, but when the opportunity came up, we were able to say "yes" because we had said "no" to other things along the way.)

 

I hope this helps.

 

Mandy

[MamaT]

I take the summer and plan the entire year. I plan by week so that I have all 36 weeks planned out before school starts. On Sundays, I give the kids their schedule for the week. We have a daily schedule that is always the same, except for Fridays. Fridays is art/music, projects, and catch up. If there is anything that hasn't been done for that week it is caught up on Friday.

 

My kids are involved in time intensive activities (for example, my 10yo dd is at gymnastics for 17-20 hours a week). They know if they fall behind activities will go. School comes first. I am diligent to make sure everything for each week is completed. This takes self-discipline on my part. I find if I make my expectations clear and non-negotiable they buckle down and get it done. It is my job to make sure they stay on track and they understand that school gets done no matter what.