Curriculum Planner? Did you make your own? What's your set up?

[acsnmama]

I'd like to make my own curriculum planner. I'm super picky though! I'm trying to use as many free resources, rather than buying downloadable planner pages from etsy or other sites.

 

I'm also having trouble figuring out what layout I should use! I found the one website (New Bee) with the cover designs and whatnot, I have a laminator, so that's covered, and I would likely buy some dividers to add.

 

What's your set up? Do you do daily, weekly, both? What are your favorite parts of your planner and why??

[Hunter]

This

that uses nothing but a folded up piece of large art paper is ingenious, and what I do.

[acsnmama]

Thanks!

 

But what about a daily planner or weekly?

[dbmamaz]

i have never looked at any planners because i'm happy with what i do

 

as i start to plan the next year, i just list each kid on a word document, list each subject, and then what i'm thinking of for that subject

 

at the beginning of the year, I make a spreadsheet with a tab for each subject. then each subject has a line for each assignment. the line has a blank spot (where i can check it off or put a completed date) and then whatever info i might need - book name, chapter number, pages, chapter name, summary, problems to do, whatever.

 

every day I log in to Cozi, an online planner. i have to-do lists for each kid (and one for our history readings). So i update the checklist with the next assignment from my spreadsheet, unchecking what they've checked (and leaving some things checked if we arent doing those today). My teen checks off things as he finishes them on his ipod plus, and I print the checklist for my 9 yo

[Five More Minutes]

Oh, dear. I'm an over-planner, so this might be a bit embarrassing.

 

I use Excel to map out the year on a monthly basis, writing in probable chapters or units that we'll cover for each subject each month. I use this year plan to give me an idea of how we're progressing, and to help me plan for purchasing. (I also use Excel to map out the full 12 years of school with ideas for future curricula, because I like doing that. I tell myself it isn't necessary, but it's a compulsion. I even colour-code it.)

 

I've made my own weekly 2-page fill-in-the-blank planner that I complete every Sunday with specific pages for each subject. If I plan in detail more than a week ahead, the wheels just fall off. Then I check things off as they're done, and use that to plan the next week. It goes in a binder, and I use a sticky tab to mark the week that I'm at.

[anmom]

I have a giant grid spreadsheet I made in word. Each subject is divided by Color. Pink are dd assignments, blue D's, white is for everyone. Attached to the back of that is a sheet with spelling words, library books needed, and supplies. I print it all out and place in a 3 ring binder.

 

I'm a little bit of a fanatic!

[sweetpea3829]

I have a three ring binder. I insert Word pages by week. There are two Word pages per week. The first one is for Language Arts. The grid is set up Monday - Friday across the top. On the side of the grid: Phonics, Reading, Grammar, Writing/Dictation/Spelling. The phonics and Reading boxes are divided in half horizontally. Top half is for my daughter, bottom half is for my son.

 

The second Word page is double sided. The top side is for my daughter and the flip side is for my son. The days of the week run across the top. Down the side, the categories are: Math Lesson (my hands-on lesson with them), Math Review (folder work), Math Drill, Word Problems, Logic/Visual Thinking/ Critical Thinking.

 

After the two Word pages for the week, there's a two-pocket folder insert.

 

Every month, I take my children to the closest indoor play center...it's about an hour away, lol. They play and have "gym time" and I plan for the next month. All work for a specific week is collected in that two pocket folder insert. One side for the girl, one side for the boy...lol. Each kiddo has ten folders M-F and then M-F again. So for next week, I have taken the work out of the pocket folder insert and sorted it into their daily work to do folders. I've also done the same for the week after that. This way, if I end up too busy next week to sort work into daily folders, I have a whole extra week to do it for the next two weeks after that.

 

When they have completed their assignments for a given day, I sort the completed work. Stuff that was completed with a dry erase pocket is collected in a folder and then re-inserted in whichever workbook it came out of (we remove the binding of our workbooks and three-whole punch them so we can use them with dry erase pockets so we can then re-use them with the Littles). Anything that was a consumable, I sort into a math folder, language arts folder, and Misc folder. Each kiddo has their own. AT the end of each month, I use the stuff in those folders when I update the kids' individual blogs, along with my notes from my planner.

 

In addition to the main binder, I also have a separate three ring binder for science with a similar setup. I collect and store planned activities, teacher's notes, etc in there. Same for History.

 

Works well for us, and was very cheap to implement.

[MerryAtHope]

I make my own Teacher Binder. This link to my blog has pictures and a full description, with a copy of my weekly schedule form, and links to some other resources used. Over the years I've gotten ideas and even forms from a variety of places (www.donnayoung.org is a great place to look), but I like to make my own because I find color motivates me.

 

Several features I like in my teacher binder:

 

My weekly schedule form is completely flexible. I can follow my typical plan for each subject, or I can change things up, without the planner being messed up. I simply write in whatever we did that day. If we take off for a field trip, I just write that sideways over all the columns.

 

I also customized my schedule form to be easily used with workboxes, which help keep us on track for our standard daily plan.

 

I have a tab for each subject in my binder, and behind the tab I keep my plan for that subject (if one is needed--some things like math are just "do the next lesson," but other things like history and literature, I like to have a one-page yearly plan that lays out the books we will use and when we will use them. I also have a place to keep grades for each subject I grade, and handy extras (such as information on the science fair and a schedule that breaks down what to do each week for that). Small answer keys are kept right in the binder behind the tabs; larger ones (math and so on) are kept in my Teacher Box.

 

Have fun getting organized! Merry :-)

[Ecclecticmum]

We use the folded up piece of paper - waldorf method - to work out yearly rhythms. Then I use loose paper from umm....A Little Garden Flower I think? Its weekly planning pages (since we use an eclectic method of stuff to remind me of what to do) then I have a pro-click bound book I printed with food & diabetes log charts and Learning Alongsides Natural Learning Journal as a log book.S

 

So:

 

Beginning Rhythms, Festivals, & Birthdays Calendar (schooling around these events) - A Little Garden Flower's Folding paper method (as seen in Hunters link I presume)

 

Planning out the week - We use a basic curriculum as a foundation and add on and change that as neccesary on a weekly planning bases, So I use the Planning charts from one of A Little Garden Flowers ebooks (as well as her festival planning pages, and monthly calendars to look a little ahead)

 

Weekly Logbook - Contains meals we've eaten, the kids diabetic levels, a notes pages and Learning Alongside Natural Learning Journal: http://learning-alongside.com/record-keeping-free-printable this is all a logbook (for after the fact) it allows me to look and see if we're honing towards a particular subject and ignoring others, and as a record of diabetic levels and meals for the doctor, so all our logs in one place, and the notes page, I put any problems with the kids, stuff I have to buy, or reminder things.

[Heidi]

I make a weekly schedule that shows what subjects we are doing each day and put it on the fridge. Then I make a daily checklist for each kid to check off when they finish the day's subject, which they put in front of their binders. Most of our subjects are do-the-next-thing, so no need to schedule them out. The subjects that I do schedule out so that I make sure I finish it before the school year is over (like science and math) I make a yearly schedule with page numbers needed to be covered each week, and stick it in my teacher's binder.

[Wheres Toto]

Okay, this is going to seem super involved and crazy but I'm a bit of an obsessive record keeper.

 

Most of our skill subjects are do-the-next-thing so don't require a lot of planning. I also found that life got in the way too much for me to plan a specific number of pages per day (the kids would work faster, or slower, or get sick, or....), plus I'm not required to keep track of anything. So, those are the things that motivate my planning method. We don't do the same things every day, so I made up my own planning pages using word and excel to make sure they match what I need.

 

First, I have an excel file where I plan out all our content subjects, mainly science, history and geography. One sheet is a list of the order in which I want to cover topics, another sheet is a grid listing resources for each topic. I have just about every science, US history, and world history topic listed with a column for spines, additional reading, videos/computer links, and activities - I've had that going for a few years already. The next sheet is game ideas for math and reading, then organizational ideas and what I'd do if I had my dream school room. The first sheet is for skill subjects (math and language arts) and lists what curriculum I'm using, and what I'm thinking about using.

 

I don't do a detail plan ahead (except content subjects) as much as I do a weekly plan and then record what was actually accomplished. I'm working now on setting up a planner for next year. I'm going to print out the pages, and get them spiral bound so I can use the book folded open to the page I'm currently writing on. I like this better than a binder since right now I'm using individual pages on a clipboard and it works much better for me. The planner will contain:

 

-a Weekly recording page - divided into three columns for Monday, Wednesday and Friday (the days we do most of our skill subjects). The top is for Ds and lists Spelling, Handwriting, Language Arts and Math in blue with enough space under each to write in what he does. Then Dd lists Handwriting, Language Arts and Math in purple. At the very bottom is room for notes. Enough of these will be bound in the binder to last a year.

 

-a Weekly recording page divided into two columns for Tuesday and Thursday. These will be copied so they are on the back side of the MWF pages. The top has space to record quick math and language arts activities for each of the kids (usually games or a quick drill), the rest is to record whatever science, history, field trip, etc. we have scheduled for that day (my actual lesson plans for history and science are done in word and kept on a clipboard near plastic bins that hold everything needed for that lesson).

 

-4 pages that are just two columns - one for date and one for Lesson - for Spanish, Art, Music, Literature/Read Alouds. Each has about 10 rows so there will be 4 or 5 of each page to last the year.

 

-a one page daily/weekly schedule showing what we generally do each day - MWF are Language Arts, Math, Spanish, Music and Art, TTh are Science, History, Geography, Projects, Game days, Field Trips, Holiday activities. Not special details, just general categories and how I try to have the days run.

 

-A full year calendar

 

-A tally sheet. I just started doing this in January - I put a tally mark for each day we do school. I'm not required to keep track but I like knowing for my own use. This is just a page divided into 12 boxes, each labeled with a month, with a circle in the corner to write the total at the end of the month.

 

-a Holiday/Special Event Planner - a page divided into 12 boxes, each labeled with a month, where I put in any holidays for that month that we may want to do activities for, any special events that will need to be added to the detailed weekly schedule.

 

-a 4-H planner - page divided into 12 boxes, one for each month, where I can make notes about what I'm planning for my Cloverbud group and what field trips I'm looking into.

 

-lined note pages for whatever.

 

-pocket folders for whatever.

[Tarreymere]

I have a template in Word with two columns. The first column has subject headings in bold, and under each subject heading is a list of the resources that I have chosen to use for each subject. I put those there as a sort of reminder to me when I make plans. Math has one block, Language Arts with subheadings for spelling, ect. has another block, and Science/History/Geography/Fine Arts/Health and Safety share a block, and Latin and critical thinking have a block. Phys Ed has it's own block and Current Events/Civics/Citizenship share a block. Each heading or subheading is followed by a list of resources for that subject. Science is done two days a week usually, history and geography are usually two days a week, and fine arts and heatlh and safety are usually at least one day. This way when the child looks over the list for the day there are five major blocks and two minor blocks (latin and critical thinking). If just seems more doable to them like that.

 

The second column in the template is blank. The templates are used for daily planning. I have an ongoing portfolio for each kid in Word and when I plan I go into that kid's portfolio and add in a weeks worth of blank pages and put the template on each page. Then I fill in the template with plans. I don't plan more than a week ahead because things get screwy, but I do keep one blank page as a sort of storage area for things I have 'cut' from the planning template because they didn't get done.

 

 

I have printed these out in the past for each kid, but I've got each kid trained to look for them on their kindle fires now (even the five year old who brings his list to me), so I shoot the week's worth to each kid's kindle. They get deleted during the planning phase for the next week. Hey, it saves ink. Oh, and I keep the whole thing (portfolios, blank templates, planning subfolder,) in dropbox as favorites so they are available on my tablet even offline. I do the actual planning either on my tablet or my laptop.

 

 

During the actual day, I keep the Word pages for that day open on my laptop (tablet if we are out) and add in things that the kids do that i didn't plan ahead, like extra math pages or whatever they decide they want to do. That way I can capture things that they do that weren't planned. Things that don't get done get cut and pasted to the next day or to the storage page. At the end of the day I 'save' and move to the next page/day. I can add in photos as we go, or scan in some work if I want, and VOILA! at the end of the year we have a portfolio for the state (I"m in PA). Of course, I DO edit them before I turn them in. Last year I turned them in on a cd. I SO want to turn them in on something like a Hello Kitty flash drive........but Dh thinks we should stick to the cd.

 

I have separate Word pages for planning in each subject that I look over before I do each week's planning. I use those to add ideas to, to get ideas from, and to make sure we are on track with our goals. I keep those in a subfolder in the same folder as the kid's portfolios.

 

Then, I have a three ring binder. I like having a binder. In front is a calendar and a blank page to catch sticky notes. I have subject sections in there and I keep things like spelling rule lists, teaching ideas, Bloom's taxonomy cheat sheets, lists of literature, measurement conversions, Roman numeral cheat sheets, lists of suffixes, prefixes, writing prompts, graphic organizers, Dolch word lists, ect that I either have found useful or might find useful at some point. I guess it is my 'cheat sheet' binder rather than my planning binder. I do have a nice montly planner book in there too that i use for dr appts, field trips, birthdays, or daily events ect. Once it is that month those go on the big calendar in the front of the binder. My binder also has those file folder pockets, so I have a file for each kid with work I think I might scan in, and a file folder with our homeschooling stuff like the letter from the school district, and a file folder for stuff like flyers and brochures we collect when we go out and do things. It is a zip binder and I have my good pens in there, my sticky notes, my paperclips, my stuff. And my android tablet fits in there too. I wish it was the kind of binder that had a shoulder strap but it isn't. I'll probably crochet it a cover someday with a shoulder strap........

[Mom in High Heels]

I use a weekly planner from donnayoung.org. It's labeled M-F at the top and then I put our subjects in down the side. I also put our school name, the year and grade in the header. There's a place for a name (I put the week) and date at the top as well. I print these off and write our schedule for the week in pencil (very important for me!). I only plan 4 weeks at a time (used to be 8, but that required too much changing if we got off schedule). If I have curric that has something for each week, I separate those out and put them behind the week divider (1-36). I put all 36 weeks in a huge master binder, along with other worksheets, tests, instructions, etc (each behind their own labeled divider-history, science, grammar, etc). I have a small 1/2" working binder where I keep the current 8 weeks worth of dividers. Behind each one of these, I put my schedule and behind that are any worksheets, plans, info, etc, I need for that week. Even if I use a curric that has a plan sheet, I write it out on my schedule sheet just to make sure it doesn't get overlooked. On the schedule page, I write what lesson needs to be done that day, what pages of what books need to be read, and all the other little bits and bobs I need to know. When Indy completes a worksheet of quiz or whatever, it goes back behind the week's divider. At the end of the 8 weeks, I move the completed weeks back to the master binder, and move the next 8 to the working binder. Right now my working binder holds weeks 17-24 (we're about to start week 21).

At the end of the year, I remove everything, except the numbered dividers and stack all the paperwork, including the schedules, keeping everything in order by week, and put it in big accordion envelopes labeled with the school year and approximate grade level.

It sounds complicated, but it's really not and helps keep us organized.

 

ETA: I tried doing a planner on the computer, but I just couldn't do it. I like to write it out and be able to change things without printing out a new sheet. Also, I don't schedule our days by time. We start when we start, and we finish when we finish.

[weederberries]

I created a template in Pages on my Mac, but Word would work as well. It's a simple table. I'm teaching 2 levels (3 kids), some combined, and at least half of our curricula are "do the next thing." Texas doesn't require specific records, so I'm free to use a lot of short hand in my planning. I prefer things to be created and stored digitally, but I do print out my table for quick reference at the school table and because I'm frequently using my laptop for lessons during school. Also, having a printed copy helps my 8 year old son that needs to know I have a plan before he cooperates. ;-) I might draw arrows, cross things out, and make notes on this grid as we complete our actual assignments and work ahead or get behind. I rarely change the digital copy to match the actuals. I just complete the next week's chart and it is easy to see where the changes were made by our progress the next week.

 

In my table, I have a column for each school day as well as a column denoting the resource I use for each subject. Our subjects are denoted in rows. Each subject generally gets 2 rows for my two different levels - the top row for my younger student and the bottom for the older two. As I plan for each week, I fill in the grid with the assignments and cues for me about direct-teach lessons. The grid acts as a reminder for me during lessons and is not intended to be a complete lesson plan. If a particular lesson requires more preparation or detail, I generally make notes in Evernote or in a document on my laptop. I do print this grid and collect previous grids in a binder. The current week's grid slides nicely into the clear cover of the binder for reference. I've attached an example of this chart below.

 

 

As I plan for each week, I surround myself with all of our curriculum resources and dig through my additional books. I mark the curricula themselves for extras. For instance, I highlight any books that I own from the Literature and Corresponding Reading sections in the Story of the World guide. I note in pencil which of those books are available at my library (I check the online catalog and reserve them at the same time). Then, when I revisit this unit in future years with a younger child, I'll have all of those notes still available to me. I only plan 1-2 weeks at a time (because life catches up with us), with the exception of history because I must reserve the books from the library 4 weeks in advance.

 

 

I have this planning table and create an Independent Work Contract for each student that lists the assignments they can complete while I teach one-on-one. This is simply a document of two columns. I list the name of the workbook or resource, the Lesson or Week number and then have a series of 5 bullet points underneath with specific page numbers or denotations for a day's work. They can check off each item as they complete it and store it in their folder. At the end of the week, their contracts go into the same binder with the grid. The binder acts as simple record keeping system, similar to a classroom lesson plan book. It would be the first resource I would find if someone from the state asked to see proof of our schooling.

 

Lisa

[MommaOfalotta]

I came across the New Beginnings website and their free curriculum planner. They have awesome step by step instructions for builing your own curriculum planner. You get to pick and choose between the free templates they have.. I also have used Donna Young templates. Its a matter of personal preference really, on how you have yours set up.

 

This is the second year Ive made one and its very easy and very inexpensive plus you get a custom planner thats perfect for you

[mom31257]

I made my own planner one year, but I found I really didn't need as much as I put in it. Here is a link to a description of it. I've designed some other planning pages, though. I found that I could make my own pages better than finding something somewhere else.

 

Planner for multiple children

Weekly Checkoff List

Weekly Planner 1 page style

Weekly Planner 2 page style Page 1

Weekly Planner 2 page style Page 2

[redsquirrel]

I tried printing out pages etc, etc. Hey, you find what works for you and you stick with it, lol. This year I think I found it. I bought one of these for each kid:

 

http://www.amazon.com/Roaring-Spring-Teacher-Planner-Assorted/dp/B0006OL4ZA/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&qid=1359851718&sr=8-4&keywords=teachers%27+daily+plan+book

 

I got them at Staples and they were half the cost as what is listed on Amazon. I spent a total of 15$ for two of them. I got one green and one blue.

 

Down the right hand side I have the subjects. Across the top are the days of the week. It is a big two page spread for each boy. It is perfect for all my notes and making each lesson complete. There is also space for reminders for each week (like library books to get for next week).

 

For the year, I know where I want to start and where I need to be at the middle and the end of the year for each subject. I plan the day to day lessons about 6-8 weeks at a time. If I get to far ahead I have to revamp too much. If I am going day to day then I get lost and confused. By giving myself about 2 months of lessons I can more easily adjust, add in more work, drop resources etc.

 

The weird thing is that it is on paper. I tend to be a digital girl, but for some reason we need a book that we can hold and pass across the table, write on etc. It works for us when nothing else really has. I also like the large format. No more cramped writing etc. This has plenty of room. It is a real workhorse of a planner.

[cassafraz]

I created a template in Pages on my Mac, but Word would work as well. It's a simple table. I'm teaching 2 levels (3 kids), some combined, and at least half of our curricula are "do the next thing." Texas doesn't require specific records, so I'm free to use a lot of short hand in my planning. I prefer things to be created and stored digitally, but I do print out my table for quick reference at the school table and because I'm frequently using my laptop for lessons during school. Also, having a printed copy helps my 8 year old son that needs to know I have a plan before he cooperates. ;-) I might draw arrows, cross things out, and make notes on this grid as we complete our actual assignments and work ahead or get behind. I rarely change the digital copy to match the actuals. I just complete the next week's chart and it is easy to see where the changes were made by our progress the next week.

 

In my table, I have a column for each school day as well as a column denoting the resource I use for each subject. Our subjects are denoted in rows. Each subject generally gets 2 rows for my two different levels - the top row for my younger student and the bottom for the older two. As I plan for each week, I fill in the grid with the assignments and cues for me about direct-teach lessons. The grid acts as a reminder for me during lessons and is not intended to be a complete lesson plan. If a particular lesson requires more preparation or detail, I generally make notes in Evernote or in a document on my laptop. I do print this grid and collect previous grids in a binder. The current week's grid slides nicely into the clear cover of the binder for reference. I've attached an example of this chart below.

 

 

As I plan for each week, I surround myself with all of our curriculum resources and dig through my additional books. I mark the curricula themselves for extras. For instance, I highlight any books that I own from the Literature and Corresponding Reading sections in the Story of the World guide. I note in pencil which of those books are available at my library (I check the online catalog and reserve them at the same time). Then, when I revisit this unit in future years with a younger child, I'll have all of those notes still available to me. I only plan 1-2 weeks at a time (because life catches up with us), with the exception of history because I must reserve the books from the library 4 weeks in advance.

 

 

I have this planning table and create an Independent Work Contract for each student that lists the assignments they can complete while I teach one-on-one. This is simply a document of two columns. I list the name of the workbook or resource, the Lesson or Week number and then have a series of 5 bullet points underneath with specific page numbers or denotations for a day's work. They can check off each item as they complete it and store it in their folder. At the end of the week, their contracts go into the same binder with the grid. The binder acts as simple record keeping system, similar to a classroom lesson plan book. It would be the first resource I would find if someone from the state asked to see proof of our schooling.

 

Lisa

 

[cassafraz]

Can I just say thank you for posting this? Since we have decided to homeschool for sure (we had been considering and praying for a long time) I have been spinning my wheels. I am a planner through and through, but for some reason I have been completely overwhelmed. What would our day look like? How would I keep my head above water? I have seen a lot of different planning examples, and nothing has rang true for me, I felt that I would be recreating the wheel if I didn't find something, but looking at your example, even though it seems to be far ahead of what I will be doing with my son, made me feel better. So, thank you for sharing.

[Irishmommy]

I created a template in Pages on my Mac, but Word would work as well. It's a simple table. I'm teaching 2 levels (3 kids), some combined, and at least half of our curricula are "do the next thing." Texas doesn't require specific records, so I'm free to use a lot of short hand in my planning. I prefer things to be created and stored digitally, but I do print out my table for quick reference at the school table and because I'm frequently using my laptop for lessons during school. Also, having a printed copy helps my 8 year old son that needs to know I have a plan before he cooperates. ;-) I might draw arrows, cross things out, and make notes on this grid as we complete our actual assignments and work ahead or get behind. I rarely change the digital copy to match the actuals. I just complete the next week's chart and it is easy to see where the changes were made by our progress the next week.

 

In my table, I have a column for each school day as well as a column denoting the resource I use for each subject. Our subjects are denoted in rows. Each subject generally gets 2 rows for my two different levels - the top row for my younger student and the bottom for the older two. As I plan for each week, I fill in the grid with the assignments and cues for me about direct-teach lessons. The grid acts as a reminder for me during lessons and is not intended to be a complete lesson plan. If a particular lesson requires more preparation or detail, I generally make notes in Evernote or in a document on my laptop. I do print this grid and collect previous grids in a binder. The current week's grid slides nicely into the clear cover of the binder for reference. I've attached an example of this chart below.

 

 

As I plan for each week, I surround myself with all of our curriculum resources and dig through my additional books. I mark the curricula themselves for extras. For instance, I highlight any books that I own from the Literature and Corresponding Reading sections in the Story of the World guide. I note in pencil which of those books are available at my library (I check the online catalog and reserve them at the same time). Then, when I revisit this unit in future years with a younger child, I'll have all of those notes still available to me. I only plan 1-2 weeks at a time (because life catches up with us), with the exception of history because I must reserve the books from the library 4 weeks in advance.

 

 

I have this planning table and create an Independent Work Contract for each student that lists the assignments they can complete while I teach one-on-one. This is simply a document of two columns. I list the name of the workbook or resource, the Lesson or Week number and then have a series of 5 bullet points underneath with specific page numbers or denotations for a day's work. They can check off each item as they complete it and store it in their folder. At the end of the week, their contracts go into the same binder with the grid. The binder acts as simple record keeping system, similar to a classroom lesson plan book. It would be the first resource I would find if someone from the state asked to see proof of our schooling.

 

Lisa

 

Ooo, can you share your template? I would love to be able to put that on my iPad! So awesome!

[weederberries]

Can I just say thank you for posting this? Since we have decided to homeschool for sure (we had been considering and praying for a long time) I have been spinning my wheels. I am a planner through and through, but for some reason I have been completely overwhelmed. What would our day look like? How would I keep my head above water? I have seen a lot of different planning examples, and nothing has rang true for me, I felt that I would be recreating the wheel if I didn't find something, but looking at your example, even though it seems to be far ahead of what I will be doing with my son, made me feel better. So, thank you for sharing.

 

 

You're welcome. I'm happy to share it. I tweak it each year. Last year, we only schooled 4 days a week, so our grid looked much different, but this is an easy way for me to see what we can accomplish in a week. It's not very detailed or especially meaningful to anyone else, but it's all I need.

 

Lisa

[Irishmommy]

I used the step by step planner from newbeehomeschooler.com

I had never had my own paper planner before. I had always use printouts from HST+, but after almost six years, I have decided that I need to write something down or it doesn't stick in my brain! My optimum would be a written one and then I could put what we actually accomplished into some sort of table...like Lisa's;)

[weederberries]

Ooo, can you share your template? I would love to be able to put that on my iPad! So awesome!

 

 

Yes, let me try. I'm new to the boards and just found the ability to add attachments, which would have been a lot easier than what I did to add those to the post above. ;-)

 

Will you be able to open a Pages Template or do I need to find a way to convert it to something else?

 

Lisa

[hsmom27]

 

This is mine. I like color.

[weederberries]

I tried to attach the file here, but am unable to attach this document type. If you'd like me to share it with you, please send me a message with your email address.

 

Irishmommy, it's on the way to you!

 

Lisa

[stm4him]

I love this free planner from Timberdoodle.com. I use the first page about twice a year to plug in all their curriculum and figure out how many lessons/pages/chapters they need to complete per week. I do it at the beginning of the year and at for our summer supplements. On the second page I type out their daily/weekly checklist. There is a place to type in the dates but I leave that blank and write that in so I can just make a bunch of copies. Then they just check off each time they do what is on their list. I put the things we do together and the things they do alone and the things we do one on one all on there. In the supplements section I type in the things we only do once a week. At the bottom is a place to write in or type in additional reading. For now I am leaving it blank so they can write in what they read in free reading time but I may actually put their free reading topics in instead if I think that helps them. I even make one for the little ones so I can keep track of what we did or didn't do. There is a place to write in the pages or lessons but I use it more to write what week we are on in the curriculum or what the topic is for their notebooking pages, etc. I suppose I could write in goals for what lessons to cover for math. I also use that space to write what literature book they are reading that week. It is so easy and I can go in and change it any time, which I love. I only make copies for a few weeks at a time in case I change something. Here is the link:

 

http://www.timberdoodle.com/v/pdf/schedules/TimberdoodleBlankCurriculumSchedule.pdf

 

I also have my own binder that I keep with all the specific plans I have typed up for the year. I have one tab for general information where I put our schedules (yearly/weekly/daily), a scope and sequence for all grade levels preschool-6th grade, materials list, etc. Then I have tabs for math/logic/languages (since not much planning goes into those), one for language arts, one for memory work and enrichment, and one for read aloud and Bible. The language arts tab has the most because I actually have my lesson plans in there by week and a typed out sequence for our phonics program. I also have a literature list by grade level. In the memory work and enrichment tab I mostly have our yearly topics and book lists as well as notebooking requirements by grade level and what level or mastery or type of practice they need to do by level so I know what to expect for each of them. In my read aloud and Bible tab I have our read aloud book lists and our basic Bible study procedure.

 

I have other binders that I keep old typed up or handwritten plans in just to look back on our homeschool journey and I have one where I save articles about homeschooling that I really love.

 

What I have found really works is to have a lot of things be on a do the next lesson plan or automatic number of pages per day so that it is easy to just keep going without a lot of record keeping (unless it is absolutely necessary, in which case I'd train my kids to write the dates on all their pages). For all other things I have found it easy to have a weekly plan. I put everything for our main school year on a 24 week schedule to line up with our CC weeks. Even if we get behind it is easy for me to either just keep plugging away at the week I'm on (and have an idea how far behind we are) or to just keep a running list of what we skipped to come back to at the end of the main school year (which for us is in April). For everything else we have a basic weekly routine:

 

Day 1- CC Day

Day 2- History Highlights, 1 Timeline Card, Science Lab(s)/Project(s) (History review and free read)

Day 3- 2 Timeline Cards, Science Card(s) (Science review and free read)

Day 4- 2 Timeline Cards, Geography (Drawing Maps) (Geography and Math review and free read)

Day 5- 2 Timeline Cards, Fine Arts (Latin and Grammar review, Fine Arts and Grammar free read)

 

Light Day- Nature Study and Bible (Bible review and free read on both topics)

 

This dictates our review topics for memory work and our free reading topic(s). I can write in our weekly topics but they know the sequence of the subjects. So at the beginning of the year (and usually halfway through as well) all I need to do is print off and file any pages from CC Connected, make our song playlists, order notebooks and school supplies, order workbooks, and order living books to match our studies. I already know which curricula to buy because that is all planned out. I have a basic list of school supplies to use and some booklists ready to go for the three cycles. If I need to go to Staples and laminate cards or blow up maps or anything like that I go do that as well. I do another round of this kind of planning as we get ready to do our summer supplements.

 

As we go along I file their papers in their binders (one for math, one for language arts, one for memory work, one for enrichment, one for Greek and Latin). At the end of the year I throw away papers we don't want to save and put each child's papers or binders in a banker box along with any completed workbooks and notebooks. They have one folder where I keep a week's worth of their math and phonics worksheets on the left and the sheets for the current day on the right. Everything else is either a notebook, a workbook, or a binder so I have very little loose paper around.

[Irishmommy]

Thanks Lisa, I was able to open it in pages on my iPad! It will totally rock to have one both places - on paper and electronic!

[Ecclecticmum]

Oh, and even though I am not using it anymore (although, I am thinking of tweaking it to use this year), I should add my previous planners:

 

BABS the Binder System - Obviously a binder based system, sonlight-inspired planner pages

Planning & Organizing - File Crates - Based on Dawn's System

Lesson Planning (with Sonlight P3/4 & P4/5) - Not sure what the new Sonlight cores for those are called

SOTW Correlation Chart - Correlates SOTW, Child's History of the World, Little History of the World, History Odyssey Ancients L1 & Myths, Maps & Marvels. Downloadable file.

 

I tend to forget the stuff I put on my blog, lol. I realized I also have the HWOT cheap alternative, links & downloads, and a DIY Health & Safety curriculum I could of been linking people to in the past when I answered questions *rolls eyes*.