What's the most useful organizational tip you can give for home schooling?

[Runningmom80]

Or what has helped you the most?

 

I'm a total right-brained scattered mom.  I started a part time job this fall that I love, but it's wreaking havoc on my home school. I love posts about organizing, so lets all share what works for us!

 

 

 

My contribution, I came across this daily rhythm chart that I'm going to copy today and see if it helps over the next few weeks keeping us on task.

 

[pehp]

I am not sure that I can narrow it down to one thing, but primarily I would say having a to-do list each day (not just for school, but also for life) + a weekly routine that makes sense in terms of both school and cleaning = peace/organization in my household.  I can get more specific if you want, but that's probably my best general tip.  

[Slache]

I make a to do list every evening and do housework on a loop schedule so I'm never "behind". Once a month cooking and big meals that make leftovers are your friend.

[PeachyDoodle]

Planning the big picture before the start of each year helps me the most. I organize the year around our content areas, particularly history and literature. I make a chart to show what we will be covering each week in those areas. Then I make a weekly schedule that breaks down what subjects we cover on each day of the week -- we don't do every subject every day (math, history, science and lit are 5x/week, typing and logic are 2-3x/week, art and music are 1x/week) and we also have some mornings out of the house, etc. so I try to balance things so that we're not doing school late into the afternoon on any given day.

 

Once I have a big picture mapped out, it's easy to go through every 6-8 weeks and make up schedules for the coming weeks -- which particular lessons we will cover in each subject on each day. That gives me room to adjust if we get ahead or fall behind, but we still have a framework for the year overall.

 

But, I am pretty type A and like things organized, so take that with a grain of salt!

[HomeAgain]

Colors.  I am not a person who sees small detail well.  I tend to overlook things a lot.  When I color code them it's much easier for me to see what we're hitting or missing, what's coming up in the week, and where everything goes.  All math goes in purple.  All language arts in green.  Wonky schedule days are gold.  Bins, schedules..it's easier on me to have an 'at-a-glance' system instead of looking at a white and black list.

[Runningmom80]

Colors.  I am not a person who sees small detail well.  I tend to overlook things a lot.  When I color code them it's much easier for me to see what we're hitting or missing, what's coming up in the week, and where everything goes.  All math goes in purple.  All language arts in green.  Wonky schedule days are gold.  Bins, schedules..it's easier on me to have an 'at-a-glance' system instead of looking at a white and black list.

 

I'm very visual, so this is great advice for me!

[Critterfixer]

Everything in the same spot, every day, every time. I have a large pantry cupboard that holds all the school stuff. Everything goes back to its place at the end of study.

Writing a list for each boy and for myself on the whiteboard at the start of each school day.

[Mrs Twain]

I mark 180 school days on a year-at-a-glance calendar.

I allow 5 days off for standardized testing (required by my state).

I allow an additional 10 days off for sick days, snow days, or field trips.

That leaves 165 school days (33 weeks) to get our subjects done.

 

For each subject, I calculate how many pages or lessons I need to do either per day or per week to finish in 165 days (or 33 weeks).

 

As long as you get up each school day and do the required amount of work in each subject for that day or week, you will finish by the end of the school year. You don't need a weekly lesson plan or work folders any such thing to complicate your life. Just follow the calendar, do the work each day, and keep track of the days you take off for sick/snow/field trips/testing.

 

Halfway through the year, I check to see that we are at least halfway through each subject.

[fairfarmhand]

I've been working more and more each year, so I;m having to learn to systemically manage the house.

 

Meals are simple--crock pot meals on days when I'll be gone all day, meat+salad+starch on days when I am home. Just whatever I can do to streamline meals.

 

Cleaning--Every day COMPLETELY do at least one load of laundry, including putting it away. Stay ahead of dishes or use paper plates if you have a bad day and won't get to them. Do 20 minutes of cleaning every afternoon. (Everyone in the house should pitch in, the kids'll work in a designated area, but it's amazing what 20 minutes can accomplish with 2-3 people working diligently. Pick up and straighten the house before going to bed each evening so it doesn't pile up on you. Cleaning's easier if you don

't have to straighten stuff before you can scrub it.

 

Homeschool--My rock hard rule is to never get more than one week behind on grading papers. Choose some classes that the kids can mostly do independently. as much as I love curricula that is creative and incorporates printouts, projects, and library books, I just usually fall behind on planning that stuff. I know myself and I'll let it go after a few weeks.

 

Use the small moments of time. You can load or unload dishes or grade a paper while waiting for a pot of pasta to cook. Take advantage of those 5 minute chunks of time rather than wasting them on facebook or (gulp) WTM forums. Make a list of 5 minute jobs and tackle 2-3 of them in odds bits of time here and there.

 

Make a list before going to bed. I try to write down 2-3 5-10 minute tasks I can tackle first thing in the morning. This means that before we even start school or have breakfast, I feel like I've accomplished something. I also break my lists into morning/afternoon/evening tasks.

[Runningmom80]

I've been working more and more each year, so I;m having to learn to systemically manage the house.

 

Meals are simple--crock pot meals on days when I'll be gone all day, meat+salad+starch on days when I am home. Just whatever I can do to streamline meals.

 

Cleaning--Every day COMPLETELY do at least one load of laundry, including putting it away. Stay ahead of dishes or use paper plates if you have a bad day and won't get to them. Do 20 minutes of cleaning every afternoon. (Everyone in the house should pitch in, the kids'll work in a designated area, but it's amazing what 20 minutes can accomplish with 2-3 people working diligently. Pick up and straighten the house before going to bed each evening so it doesn't pile up on you. Cleaning's easier if you don

't have to straighten stuff before you can scrub it.

 

Homeschool--My rock hard rule is to never get more than one week behind on grading papers. Choose some classes that the kids can mostly do independently. as much as I love curricula that is creative and incorporates printouts, projects, and library books, I just usually fall behind on planning that stuff. I know myself and I'll let it go after a few weeks.

 

Use the small moments of time. You can load or unload dishes or grade a paper while waiting for a pot of pasta to cook. Take advantage of those 5 minute chunks of time rather than wasting them on facebook or (gulp) WTM forums. Make a list of 5 minute jobs and tackle 2-3 of them in odds bits of time here and there.

 

Make a list before going to bed. I try to write down 2-3 5-10 minute tasks I can tackle first thing in the morning. This means that before we even start school or have breakfast, I feel like I've accomplished something. I also break my lists into morning/afternoon/evening tasks.

 

These are great!

 

[MinivanMom]

The biggest thing for me is doing big picture planning in the summer. It really helps me to have content areas all planned out for a 36 week school year. I even make copies in the summer so that everything is prepped ahead of time.

 

The other thing that helps is having a schedule for shopping, cleaning, and laundry. I think just having a routine for when everything gets done makes it feel more manageable. 

 

Colors.  I am not a person who sees small detail well.  I tend to overlook things a lot.  When I color code them it's much easier for me to see what we're hitting or missing, what's coming up in the week, and where everything goes.  All math goes in purple.  All language arts in green.  Wonky schedule days are gold.  Bins, schedules..it's easier on me to have an 'at-a-glance' system instead of looking at a white and black list.

 

This is what I do. I even buy notebooks in the same color. For example, science is green so I color code science that way on our schedule and I make a point of purchasing notebooks and binders with green covers for written science work. 

 

I also have a "master schedule" that I keep posted above our organizational bins. It has the kids names across the top and the day broken into 1/2 hour increments down the side. It shows where everyone is at a given time (color-coded!), plus I mark where I am in red. Obviously we don't follow it exactly (real life isn't like that), but it helps me plan the overall rhythm of the day and what everyone should be doing at a given time. It also helps me visualize the big picture and be sure that I'm giving each child adequate one-on-one time.

[happypamama]

Eight million OneNote files and lists, all color coded and organized and tidy.

 

Seriously, if I need to know it, it's on OneNote.  Everything from school planning to Christmas lists (that gets a password, so kids can't peek) to to-do lists to chore lists to my grocery shopping template.  OneNote syncs via cloud pretty much instantly and can be accessed online, so I'm really never without it.

 

Also, iCal helps me a ton.  I tell it to remind me once a week to check library books for those that need to be renewed, and I put all doctor, etc. appointments and meetings on it so it tells me a few days and a day in advance.  That pops up first thing every morning with a list of what is going on that day.

 

I do keep a monthly calendar by my fridge for putting appointments on, so that I can write them quickly while on the phone, but I add them to iCal asap.  But otherwise, paper has not been terribly successful for me.  But electronics -- that works for me.

 

For homeschooling, a bin for each child and a pencil box (or two, for those who have large colored pencil collections) for each child, no shared supplies.  Each bin has that child's notebooks, clipboard, and books in it.

 

And extra chargers.  I have one tablet and about four chargers for it, all in different places.  We have three or four chargers that charge other things.  It's worth it to me to spend a few extra dollars to keep chargers in the kitchen, by my bed, at my desk, etc. so we don't waste time looking for or moving them.

[Hobbes]

Planning ahead - any day when I'm making decisions on the fly gets chaotic.

 

So...

 

- Counting the number of school days in the year and dividing up curricula to fit those days. I made a sheet with that info for reference.

 

- Each week I make a one-page checklist for each child with each day's work listed (I reference the previous sheet to know what to assign). Then on every day, I know what we should be doing and we can calmly work through it.

 

- I have a chart on the fridge that shows our normal routine throughout the week.

 

- I made a one-page planner that has a box for each day. On Sundays I fill in the page for the next week... to-do lists, chores, supper plans, outing plans. I like being able to see it all at a glance and also to forget about a to-do item until the necessary day. It means that I wash laundry on Mondays, fold it on Tuesdays, and don't have to think about it the rest of the week, etc.

 

Those are the key tools that keep me on track. Several of them are ideas I adapted from my mother, who homeschooled five kids and was quite organized. Tried and true, I figured. :)

 

 

 

Edited to fix typos.

Edited January 19, 2016 by indigoellen@gmail.com

[Mystie]

Checklists for my kids - 

 

http://www.simplyconvivial.com/2015/teach-kids-to-use-checklists

 

 

Also, simple cleaning routines -

 

http://www.simplyconvivial.com/2012/securing-a-reasonably-clean-house-an-introduction

 

 

But the best thing for my sanity is taking a week off of school to catch up on errands/cleaning/projects every six weeks - 

 

http://www.simplyconvivial.com/2015/year-round-homeschooling

 

[Runningmom80]

These are all so great! 

 

We do have a master calendar that I instituted last year that really helped. 

 

I think I need to get some binders and sort some things for my kids.  We don't have a home school space, so stuff gets misplaced on a daily basis.

 

I'm also trying to get my ducks in a row for when my twins start HSing next year. 

[school17777]

Even though this tip isn't about homeschooling, it helps with day and therefore helps with homeschooling.

 

I plan my meals for the week in my head on Sunday based on what is in the fridge/freezer.  Then I am not wasting brain energy thinking about it during the day.

 

 

[fairfarmhand]

These are all so great! 

 

We do have a master calendar that I instituted last year that really helped. 

 

I think I need to get some binders and sort some things for my kids.  We don't have a home school space, so stuff gets misplaced on a daily basis.

 

I'm also trying to get my ducks in a row for when my twins start HSing next year. 

 

We have crates for each kid's school stuff and I have one for mine. I don't have a hs space either. The crates sit in the floor of the dining area where we do school.

[lllll]

nm

Edited February 2, 2016 by - 8 95

[theelfqueen]

So my immediate response to this (in my head) was :Turn off your  computer and get up -- but that applies to ME LOL

 

 

We have a master calendar and I have a big, fat Homeschool Lesson Planner... I am considering a paper planner but I feel like that's an unnecessary level of redundancy.

 

In reality, I'm following this to look for ideas. This is my first year homeschooling (With just my Muppet Boy) and next year we'll have both Muppet Boy and Little Guy at home. I've just gotten a groove working for Muppet Boy but I'm nervous about doubling up!

 

Edited January 19, 2016 by theelfqueen

[Runningmom80]

I think I'm in need of a teacher work day!

[Farrar]

Lists and systems don't usually work for me. They take upkeep and attention. I like lazy systems.

 

So our two main homeschool organizing things are:

 

1. Each kid has a box with all their workbooks, notebooks, current work, assignment book, etc. all just jammed in there.

 

2. Each kid has a box (it's actually a little shelf cubby) for finished work, notebooks, random pictures, anything they did and we're done with.

 

Every few months, I go clean it all out and reorganize it so chaos can encroach again. Having a "throw everything here" system that I really only have to pay attention to every couple of months really works for me better than an ongoing, must check off and keep things organized every day system. We've done different things to organize daily work, but the two most enduring systems were the simplest: write the day's work on the whiteboard at the start of the day and write the work in the assignment book at the start of the day. Easy peasy. No planning until that morning when I go, okay, what needs to be done.

[Runningmom80]

Lists and systems don't usually work for me. They take upkeep and attention. I like lazy systems.

 

So our two main homeschool organizing things are:

 

1. Each kid has a box with all their workbooks, notebooks, current work, assignment book, etc. all just jammed in there.

 

2. Each kid has a box (it's actually a little shelf cubby) for finished work, notebooks, random pictures, anything they did and we're done with.

 

Every few months, I go clean it all out and reorganize it so chaos can encroach again. Having a "throw everything here" system that I really only have to pay attention to every couple of months really works for me better than an ongoing, must check off and keep things organized every day system. We've done different things to organize daily work, but the two most enduring systems were the simplest: write the day's work on the whiteboard at the start of the day and write the work in the assignment book at the start of the day. Easy peasy. No planning until that morning when I go, okay, what needs to be done.

 

Yes, I don't plan in advance at all, and that's the easiest for me.  I write what he needs to do every day in his spiral.

 

I like the idea of having kind of in and out boxes.  We are kind of project based and I think that trips us up too.  There are papers everywhere.

 

[Runningmom80]

Our books are ALL over the place.  It's bad.

[birchbark]

I'm currently converting to composition books from binders = much less mess and filing work and storage space! A graph comp book for math and lined for everything else.

 

Student planners.

 

A streamlined subject load.

[theelfqueen]

If you're using spirals / composition notebooks; magazine holders are great for corralling them.

[Farrar]

Yes, I second comp books - spirals get tangled, binders are bulky and tear the pages. Both of them have benefits, of course (spirals lay totally flat, binders hold a lot in a smaller space and can be changed and reconfigured) but when you need simple, it's all about the comp books, in my opinion.

 

I stopped worrying about keeping the books in special places. I do semi-organize them sometimes, but mostly, currently in use school book in one shelf. Other things in all the other shelves. End of system.

[Hobbes]

I think I need to get some binders and sort some things for my kids. We don't have a home school space, so stuff gets misplaced on a daily basis.

 

 

We homeschool at the kitchen table. Each child had a bin for schoolbooks which is kept on a shelf in the playroom and brought to the table for work. I have a caddy full of school supplies (pencils, etc) and current read-alouds which I bring to the table as well. That covers just about all we need to HS daily and it is very compact. I keep extra supplies in the basement, where I can access as needed.

 

I much prefer it to having a whole room for school anyway... I like being able to work in the kitchen while schooling and I like having more of a play space available instead of a work area.

[Runningmom80]

Ive actually been thinking I'd love an art room instead of a homeschool room.

[Porridge]

We have a streamlined workbox system. I purchased two 12 drawer rolling carts - one for each child (though the younger one doesn't really need it yet).  

 

Each subject's books / notebooks go into one drawer. I print a daily checklist for my older child using Scholaric, an online homeschool planner.  

 

I take about an hour every weekend to update the upcoming week's lessons / checklists.  

 

The nice thing about the drawers is that even a 7 year old can keep their school materials organized, so I can always find what I'm looking for.

 

I don't do full year in advance planning, because we school year round and if we finish one thing we just roll into the next one without waiting for a new official school year.  However, I have a big picture idea of what we're going to use and what the rough structure will look like, so that I just need to fine tune things in my weekly planning sessions.

 

We spent a lot of time on "chore training" with the kids about a year and a half ago. Now there is minimal whining when it is chore time and the kids complete their chores quickly. We don't have set chore time but it would probably help if I instituted that too...

 

[Sahamamama]

My #1 useful tip: After the children are in bed for the night, and the house is organized and settled, decide what you want to do (or aim at) for the following day. Figure out what your students can do as Independent Work, what they need to do as Tutor Time, and what you want to achieve as Group Work. Then, determine what other obligations you have for that day (chores, meals, pets, appointments, therapies, activities) and figure out how the day will best "flow." What can you reasonably do in a day?

 

Consider if anyone is sick, or what the weather will be (and if that impacts your plans), and what the general energy level is of everyone involved. Will your husband be home or away? Is anyone coming to visit? Are there interesting activities that were not on your original plan, and do you want to drop everything to incorporate them? Think about what your children seem to need most for that one day -- rest? exercise? a solid academic day? creative projects? play time? social outlets? healthy meals? fresh air? snuggly read aloud? Using all this information, formulate your template for the following day.

 

Type and print that list, as many copies as you need to distribute (or send it to your Kindle). In this way, you will have organized your thoughts on paper when the house is quiet (assuming it is at night?), and will thereby avoid the inertia of a morning of trying to figure out what to do next. If that list is ready as soon as you wake up in the morning, you can still ignore it, if you want, but at least it's there to go by.  That way, you don't have to figure out what to assign your people while waiting for the "morning fog" to lift. FWIW, I almost always make the first thing on the list something that is scripted and/or relatively brainless for me. LOL. Like CLE Math or FLL Grammar. Just open and go. Coffee takes time, you know?

 

My #2 useful tip: Go to bed earlier than this. :blushing:

[Sahamamama]

Colors.  I am not a person who sees small detail well.  I tend to overlook things a lot.  When I color code them it's much easier for me to see what we're hitting or missing, what's coming up in the week, and where everything goes.  All math goes in purple.  All language arts in green.  Wonky schedule days are gold.  Bins, schedules..it's easier on me to have an 'at-a-glance' system instead of looking at a white and black list.

 

:svengo: I do the exact same thing!

 

Math

English

Bible

Science

History

Geography

Latin

French

Music & Art

Handicrafts & Home Skills

 

Ack! Even in my signature line! :svengo: A kindred spirit! And I thought I was the only one!

Edited January 20, 2016 by Sahamamama

[abba12]

My tip is a little different to most and many here wont agree, but for MY family it is absolutely vital

 

Limit the number of subjects you do per day.

 

Whether it's loop schedules, block schedules or combining subjects into a "Subject", limit them! Transitions are distracting, jumping from one subject to another is inefficient, and spending time chasing books and teacher guides and finding pages and orienting yourself into the material is all time and overwhelming, and when we feel overwhelmed we stall, do things slowly and generally feel unmotivated and uncomfortable.

 

Now, I personally take this to an extreme (as a homeschooled high schooler I generally only did two subjects per day, but I'd spend 2-4 hours on each at a time) but it can be balanced too. I see some homeschoolers trying to do variations on the below

 

Math - 30min

Reading - 30min

Spelling - 10min

Grammar - 10min

Writing - 30min

Latin/Foreign Language - 30min

Science - 30min

History - 30min

Art - 30min

Composer Study

Poetry

Memorization

Read-Alouds

OTHER STUFF

 

Whereas my schedule, if I was doing all these subjects (which I'm not)  would look more like

 

Morning Basket (read aloud and memorization plus ONE OF composer, poetry, and other stuff, each day. All done in one sitting, at once, as a single "Subject")

Math - 30 Mins 

Reading - 30 Mins

Spelling OR Grammar - 15 Mins, alternated every 6 or 9 weeks, 'double' workload.

Latin/Foreign Language - 30 Mins

Science OR History OR Art OR Writing - 2 hours focused time, loop or block schedule

 

Done this way, a child is only doing 6 subjects per day, for more focused time on each. Some of these could be combined even further but that takes a certain type of student/family to be able to, most students need to do math, language, and spelling/grammar daily. 

 

For the record, for my family our schedule is Math/Logic, Language Arts, Elective, and Reading. That's 4 blocks, and that's it. Math is daily except one day a week it is swapped entirely for logic. Language arts includes daily spelling, but then is writing (we plan to do analytical grammar in the future), so there's a couple of books happening here but it's done all at once as a single 'subject' which helps with transition. The elective includes subjects like art. composer study, poetry, specific science/history topics etc along with subjects like engineering/robotics or psychology or cooking but condensed from a year long subject into a 6 week 'unit', upon which an hour or more is spent per day (some, like art and engineering, are done once or twice a week for a full afternoon instead of daily). Reading is all assigned by me (they can read their own books outside of school time) and is all classic literature or living books, and is the entire basis for our science/history right now, so that's a large chunk of our day and learning. But, my kids have always had good attention spans and take after my husband and I, preferring to focus deeply on a single topic than chop and change all day. This definitely would not work for every family!

 

Still, even a family that likes variety can benefit from limiting the number of subjects done per day to allow better focus and be less overwhelming than a list of lessons from 20 different books. See, this is why the CM style of reading would never work for me lol, I couldn't read 4 pages from 6 books every day!

 

 

[abba12]

:svengo: I do the exact same thing!

 

Math

English

Bible

Science

History

Geography

Latin

French

Music & Art

Handicrafts & Home Skills

 

Ack! Even in my signature line! :svengo: A kindred spirit! And I thought I was the only one!

 

For younger it's

 

Reading

Writing

Math

Logic

Electives

 

and for older it's

 

Language Arts

Math/Logic

Electives

Reading

 

Much simplified since we do less subjects and older has everything divided into four 'blocks', but yes, I colourcode too

[ikslo]

Create a routine. I always stop at the library Monday after work (when my favorite librarian is there).

Get significant other to do the grocery shopping.

Buy extra towels and underwear or whatever to not have to do laundry during the workweek.

[HS Mom in NC]

Academics: 36 week hanging file folder system with lesson plan chart
 

The school year is planned out and ready to go by the first day of school.  Summer is for planning, copying and filing. All read alouds/assigned reading books related to history are purchased (I buy used from amazon's 3rd party sellers for $4 so I don't have to go to the library or pay late fees)  and the spine gets a sticker with the number of the week it will be read. Each subject's print outs get their own color and matching, labeled binder to put completed assignments in. No more planning on weeknights or weekends. I have chart of what is supposed to be done each week in each subject because life happens and sometimes things can fall through the cracks. 

Note* Phonics and math are not scheduled, they're "do the next thing" subjects that require mastery before moving on and that can vary dramatically from child to child and concept to concept.

 

Household Chores: Chore Rotation Chart

 

All the daily and weekly chores are divided up and listed on the master calendar for the month and rotate between us.  Each weekly chore is assigned to a weekday so no more weekly chores on weekends and the house is company ready by Friday afternoon.  We relax on weekends. School first, then chores, then free time.

Meals: Weekly Meal Plans and Scheduled Grocery Shopping

 

With all of our outside activities grocery shopping needs to get done for the week during one trip. I save the meal plans and their matching grocery lists and reuse them.

[In2why]

The kids have a crate that holds their current books and work that they can carry wherever we are schooling for the day. We have a main bookshelf in the living room that holds reference books,library books, and other books I pull for interest and then in a.closed bookshelf in the rarely used dining room I keep future materials and books we own but aren't currently working on or reading. The bottom cabinets hold manipulative, art materials, board games and stuff. That is about the extent of my organization. I have tried lists, charts, and what not, but I usually give it up from neglect.

[nobeatenpath]

I only have one kid so maybe this doesn't work for others but - I find not being strictly organised actually works better. It took me awhile to get to this (I love planning and being organised) but of course if something changed - when we could take a break, someone got sick, extra appointments etc. - shifting the schedule got hard. So we have subjects we do every day, and things we try to do every week, and just work through the program/curriculum. Something like this:

 

I don't do full year in advance planning, because we school year round and if we finish one thing we just roll into the next one without waiting for a new official school year.  However, I have a big picture idea of what we're going to use and what the rough structure will look like, so that I just need to fine tune things in my weekly planning sessions.

 

 

All our materials are kept on a bookcase next to the computer. Our dining room table - the table where we do work - is nearby. I find having everything in the same room makes it easier to just get stuff together and go. We have a different shelf for each subject area, and books and materials always get put back where they came from. That way we can find what we need straight away.

 

My son has said he would rather do things 'every day' (which for us is 4 days a week, maybe soon 3) than just concentrate on subjects one day each week  but for longer. His reasoning is that if he only does stuff once a week (maths, science, latin) he forgets it by the next time he gets around to it. Also we don't find transitioning from one subject to the next during the day difficult. So again, different kids might not work with this so well.

 

My big thing this year is record keeping. Under the UK system we don't actually have to submit records anywhere, but I want to keep more detailed records of work than I have been, so I am using evernote for that. And also big picture planning - what hoops do we need to jump through over the next couple of years if he wants to apply to university? This means organising what official testing/subjects need to be covered and when.

[LivingHope]

We mostly use composition books and one subject spiral notebooks, the ones that go on sale in August for ten cents. A lost notebook or two in the morning was our number one obstacle to starting school on time, so I needed a quick fix. (School books tend to be put back in the bookshelf...I just needed to corral the notebooks).

 

This year I bought each child a plastic expanding file with 7 pockets to hold notebooks. Each pocket stores one notebook per subject (or loose papers such as cardstock for nature journals, math worksheets stapled for the week, copywork and map print outs). At the end of the week, each child picks out favorite pages from their schoolwork expanding file and slides them into page protectors in a binder. This has also helped with my prep for the next week too because I can just print and stash any necessary print outs and papers together with their spiral notebooks.

[Monica_in_Switzerland]

My single biggest tip?  Meal planning.  Followed closely by throwing a load of laundry in during breakfast.  If I can get those two things done, life just rolls more smoothly.  

 

As far as physical organization goes, I've got a system I'm happy with in our shared space living room/dining room/kitchen-homeschooling table.  I'll try to take a picture...

[Monica_in_Switzerland]

So this behind-the-couch table is from Ikea.  On the top shelves, there is a bin that holds a ream of computer paper for all creative needs, the green box holding pens, pencils, tape, blah, blah, another cubby for a similar bin, and a fourth cubby with some books that needs to be reorganized to hold my morning basket books.  

 

In the larger sections underneath, there are coloring books and craft idea books, then the stacked in-box style boxes, dd's on left and dd's on right, one shelf per subject.  Each also has a magazine rack thing for additional items.  Fourth large section holds scrapbooking paper, construction paper, and math manipulatives on top.  

 

This is a really easy system to use, though looking at it, I can see I need to update some of the cubbies a bit.  

[purpleowl]

Two things that work well for me:

 

* Spiral notebooks for checklists for each child.  A few minutes each night to write out the next day's lists, and then it's very clear what each child needs to do.  They feel ownership of their day because they can decide when to do what (with some constraints, like "subjects X and Y need to wait until your brother is napping").

 

* A binder for me, divided into subjects for each child.  I print out the next 20ish lessons at a time for a given subject, and then I just flip to the subject and get out the lesson.  Then each girl has a binder for her completed work (DD#1 puts stuff in by herself; for DD#2 I put stuff in because she can't quite manage opening and closing it).

[MrsRobinson]

The most useful thing for me is the dishes. I MUST start the dishwasher before going to bed at night. Then I MUST unload it first thing in the morning so I can load it through the day and avoid piles of dishes in the sink. For me this sets the tone for the whole day, homeschooling and otherwise. If this is the only thing that is kept up, I am ok. Even getting behind on the laundry and having all the laundry baskets full or overflowing doesn't derail my day like a sink full of dirty dishes does.

[Monica_in_Switzerland]

It's interesting how many of us find that the scaffolding of a smoothly running household is actually our biggest boost in homeschooling organization.  Something about having the brain-space to deal with schooling because we know the home is humming along... I dunno.  :-)

[Hilltopmom]

My biggest help is STAYING home!

On weeks we have daytime co op or daytime 4H, or doctors appointments, or orthodontist, etc... Things don't get done- schoolwork slides, laundry piles up, take out gets ordered, it's bad.

 

I'm trying hard to schedule dr &'other appointments at the end of the day (,the latest spot they'll give me) so that we can get our day mostly done before heading into town.

[Kuovonne]

I have a "checking station." It is three bins.

 

When a kid finishes anything that needs checking, it goes in the first bin.

When I see stuff in the first bin, I know that I need to check it.

 

After I check it, if there is stuff we need to go over, it goes in the second bin.

 

If everything is correct and there is nothing to discss, it goes in the third bin

for the kid to put away.

 

This way I can tell at a glance if I need to check anything, and if

I need to go over anything with any kid.

 

The kids can also tell at a glance if they need to do more on a

subject of if they are truly done.

 

Ideally, all three bins should be empty by the end of the day.

 

Before I implemented this system, I wouldn't know if something was

ready to be checked. Even if a kid said something was done, the book

could be anywhere in the room, often hidden under a pillow.

[Runningmom80]

It's interesting how many of us find that the scaffolding of a smoothly running household is actually our biggest boost in homeschooling organization. Something about having the brain-space to deal with schooling because we know the home is humming along... I dunno. :-)

Oh I totally subscribe to this theory!

[My3girls]

OK, my dh is so not seeing this thread. Y'all are amazingly organized.  My house is always on the brink of disaster, and I only cook 3-4 times a week.  Yikes!  As for homeschool, we have assignment notebooks that I write in every night for each girl.  I include all schoolwork, appointments, and chores.  For my younger girls, I have weekly folders.  I have the binding cut off any workbooks like SpellWell, FLL, etc... and divide the pages up into 36 folders.  I, also, print out any pdfs such as Math Mammoth and RSO and put those sheets in the folders as well.  I did this for my older dd, but it didn't work out so well for her with Figuratively Speaking, WWS1, and Analytical Grammar so ditched it. 

[Ellie]

When you've been out and about, and the car is full of stuff, clean it as soon as you get home. Every.single.time. Make all the children bring all their stuff in. You bring your stuff in, too. :-) It will take less than five minutes.

 

When you bring groceries into the house, put them all away. Right now.

 

When the dishwasher (if you have one) is finished running, empty it right now. And if you handwash the dishes, put them away as soon as possible, and always before you go to bed at night. You will love getting up and coming out to a clean kitchen.

[Monica_in_Switzerland]

When you've been out and about, and the car is full of stuff, clean it as soon as you get home. Every.single.time. Make all the children bring all their stuff in. You bring your stuff in, too. :-) It will take less than five minutes.

 

When you bring groceries into the house, put them all away. Right now.

 

When the dishwasher (if you have one) is finished running, empty it right now. And if you handwash the dishes, put them away as soon as possible, and always before you go to bed at night. You will love getting up and coming out to a clean kitchen.

 

One of my goals for the year is to switch to unloading in the evenings instead of the mornings.  I always feel rushed, unloading, cooking, and loading virtually simultaneously.  If the dishwasher is empty already, I can go right into cooking.  No stress.  :-)  Or so I hope.  :-)  

[fourisenough]

My number 1 tip is: treat it like a job. I get up, shower/dress, & give my house what I call the "Hotel Maid" treatment every morning. Dishwasher is unloaded, coffee pot emptied, dirty breakfast dishes loaded, counters wiped down. Beds are made, clothing picked-up, bathroom tidied, and a load of laundry started. I CANNOT begin schoolwork until my home is ready.

 

Further, I don't accept any distractions during the day: appointments, errands, social visits, and any other out-of-the-house stuff is done after our school day is complete. School work is all pretty much do-the-next-thing and requires little planning, BUT I do keep a cheap paper planner for each child to list specific work to be done by week, filled-out by Sunday evening for the following week. That's it. Keep it simple and it all gets done. The more complicated your plans, the less likely they are to be carried out on a long-term basis.