S/O All of the organization and planning threads

[Country Girl]

I've been pretty happy with the way our planning and organization has gone in the past. However, we are getting busier, the kids have more school to do, and I love to plan! So, I've been watching the various planning and organization threads trying to see if there is a method out there that might help us out. But, not to miss out on any of my possible options:D, I wanted to ask people to list the all of the different ways that they plan or organize. Once I have a list, then I can do a bit more in depth research on each method to see if one is right for us. I'll start with a few that I've seen discussed recently:

 

Filing

Workboxes

Loop scheduling

[jetzmama]

Looking up loop scheduling now. Just started lapbooking & we're loving it, not sure that really falls into the 'organizing' category, though. Looking forward to the wisdom on the posts!

[Satori]

I've read up on all these different crazes, and just today posted on my blog a brief summary of my plans, I'm taking the best of all of them, but making it more my style. So I'm taking bits of workboxes, filing/crates, loop, and using online scheduling.

 

I want to plan far ahead like with the filing, but need more flexibility. I want to use some semblance of workboxes, but not entirely. I am prioritizing everything and doing my own kind of loop (actually didn't read too much about that, so maybe I am following loop). But I need the flexibility of online scheduling, so no matter where I'm at (on vacation), I can see what's happening in any given week. I can also make changes very easily. We're only first grade, so I imagine I'll be tweaking a bit still as we go.

[Guest mrsjamiesouth]

I do file folders for workbook stuff, I have one set of 36 weeks for each child. I also use workboxes, I have the traditional shoe racks.

I have a "book basket" with the current week's books inside, and I have 3 plastic tubs with the rest of the year's books. I have another basket with our current library books, that way we don't lose one.

I bought a large letter box from Michaels to keep finished workbook pages for the day. After we finish our work the boys will go play and I will check over all their work. In the afternoon they will have to correct the problems they got wrong. Before the next morning I pull out my file folders and restock the workboxes. I also did plastic baggies with labels 1-36 and put all the supplies for the week inside.

 

I rotate the workboxes between independent and mom assisted work. I do have a "schedule" on the wall with times of subjects, but I am not strict about following it. This year we have a 5th grader and a 1st grader. I will have the 5th grader start school at 8:30 and the 1st grader won't start until 9:30, that way I get an hour of instruction with my oldest before he starts independent work. My goal is to finish by 1pm.

[Closeacademy]

Here is my Organizational tab at my blog.

 

Some of the ways that I have seen people plan include:

 

open and go/Just do the next thing

workboxes

file box method

loop schedules

binder method

schedules and books on a bookshelf

 

I have links to resources on workboxes, binder method and file box method on my blog as well as links to things on planning and chores.

 

Hope this helps.:001_smile:

[patchfire]

I use a binder to store it, but it doesn't look anything like the binder systems mentioned above. I think of it as the spreadsheet/table method, one per subject or sometimes one per resource per subject (a la language arts). Everything is broken down into 32-36 weeks or 165-180 days, in a spreadsheet or table. I do have to transfer the information to dd's planner & my plan book for ds each week.

[Country Girl]

Thank you everyone for chiming in! I love to plan and love seeing all of the ways people have organized their school days and year. I'm think I'm starting to formulate a plan in my mind of how I can use what I like about last year and incorporate a bit of new stuff to make our school year run more smoothly. I haven't completely fleshed it out yet, but when I do I'll try to share.

 

Thanks!

[coffeegal]

I use crates here. Each school-age child has their own crate with all of their school supplies in it. I have a crate with TMs, and math manipulatives for ds 7. The older boys have planners to write down assignments and comments from me. I have a planner to make notes of what what I need to check on the next time dc and I sit down together. I'm also seriously considering returning to color coded pencils. We have more arguments over pencils...:001_huh:

[dcjlkplus3]

I plan out the year (in advance, but probably not done by the time we start school) on an xcel spreadsheet that I made to look like a traditional paper lesson planner. I use it for planning/recording SOTW, science, WWE, FLL and math. I plan each week a little more specifically as I get to it (on a different spreadsheet)

 

This year I am making spiralbound notebooks for history, science and handwriting in the hopes of having those things be a little more open and go.

[johnandtinagilbert]

I'm kinda of a mix.

 

I lay out my TOG in file folders and include everyone's copies in each week. We have an intro. time and I hand everyone their materials (everything they need to function for the week) all assignments marked. (file folderish)

 

I place library books in bins marked per level and I place post it notes on the LG books so they know which days to read each book for independent study (workboxish)

 

I mark dates in their math workbooks so we can always keep on track, but I don't have to pull apart all those pages. I use post it notes to tell them when they have tests or practice pages from the text book.

 

I design schedules and checklists on the computer and put them in sleeves so we can mark them daily.

 

Non-readers get laminated cards w/ pictures and envelopes so they can move from the TO DO envelope to the COMPLETED one.

 

Older students get lesson plans for their courses in a syllabus fashion and they complete their work according to their syllabus.

 

I have a planner I designed that incorporates what I need to teach daily, then I pencil in daily assignments one session (7 or so weeks) at a time.

 

I also pencil in TOG, my responsibilities, in my planner each Sunday night for the week to come. I sometimes do 3 weeks at a time b/c that's our rotation (2 TOG-weeks every 3-calendar weeks).

 

Everybody has a cubby space and specific notebooks.

 

All supplies are in labeled boxes.

 

I save websites with specific titles so they know when and what they need from each bookmarked site.

 

I choose reading lists over the summer, as well as, make all copies for big subjects like TOG and science.

 

I color code subjects...everyone uses green for science, white for language arts, etc.

 

Yes, I am anal retentive, it seems to be necessary to faciliate this large family. :D I think I had this many dc just so I had the excuse to be my a.r. self!

[Night Elf]

After trying several different things over the years, I have settled on the traditional teacher's planning book method, except I make my own sheets. I type in the subject/program names as titles in each box across the top, and then print out 10 so I can plan 10 weeks at a time. I prefer writing the plans in pencil because it's much easier to change if needed.

[Chaqar]

I use lindafay's Daily Checklist (a blank template) along with a Weekly Term Schedule modified from CharlotteMasonHelp.com.

 

My planning must get done in the summer or it won't get done at all. With these tools I am able to plan out the basics for each week and I can fine tune as time gets closer.

 

http://www.charlottemasonhelp.com/2009/07/organization.html