Homeschooling Essentials: Planning Tools

I'm excited about joining in on the 5 Days of Homeschooling Essentials Blog Hop sponsored by the Schoolhouse Review Crew.

Day Three:

Today, my topic contains info regarding "Planning Tools"

I'd like to discuss with you on how I organize my kids school work and to share a lesson planner I designed for my son to keep track of his daily school work.

In years past, I would find myself making copies of schoolwork as we went through our school week. I then would also find myself forgetting to make a copy when it was needed that day. Last year I decided to do a little preplanning over the Summer month and make this file folder below.

I color coded each quarter.
1st Quarter-Pink
2nd Quarter-Blue
3rd Quarter-Red
4th Quarter-Black

Using these colors, I found file folders to match. 9 for each quarter, in all four colors.
I then labeled each folder with the Weeks 1-36.

I then went through all the work that was needed for the year and make copies of everything that they would need to work on that couldn't be done in the book. I then filed them in the appropriate weeks folder.

Each week had two manilla folders inside. One marked with a B and the other with a C, when I was homeschooling both of my boys. Each of their work went into the manilla envelope with their initial inside the colored weekly envelope.

To keep things organized I took a calendar and marked the weeks in appropriate colored circle stickers so I would know what week I was on and what quarter we were working on.

This helped me streamline our homeschool with two children last year. I just needed to grab that weeks folder, pull out their individual ones and hand them their work. It was great not needing to scramble for copies..

After my paperwork for the kids were organized, I knew I needed to streamline their lesson planners. In years past, I would just copy their needed assignments into a spiral bound notebook, until I decided it was putting a lot of work on me to write down each subject every day/week.

I decided to design my own, since I couldn't find a readymade one on the market that would work for what I was looking for.

I made this below.
 

Hubby designed the emblem which is for our school. Then with the child's name, year and grade

I made labels on the dividers (which match the colored folders I use for filing for each quarter)

Lesson Planner (YEAR)
Day of Week_________Date________ Week___of 36

On the left side is the name of the curriculum being used already typed up on each page and a blank space for me to write down the days lessons.

I divided this book up into four sections (4 quarters) with the appropriate amount of pages for each quarter plus one extra per week in case work was not complete for the week there was an extra page for 'homework' over the weekend

I had it spiral bound with a back hard cover and plastic protective cover in front for durability.

This is my second year using this system and love it. I fill it out by quarter which works out great. I only need to work in it 4 times a year. I check his work daily since I give him a check line for him to check off his work each day. I look it over and he moves on..

Tomorrow I will be discussing the curriculum we are using this year for grade 6. Check back to take a peak....

Do you have a special system you use for your homeschool? I'd love to hear about it. Leave a comment.. Thanks 

Don't forget to check out the other wonderful ladies that have participated in this week's Homeschooling Essentials to see what they've shared... I'm including 9 of the 89 that are participating below.

 Lisa @ A Rup Life

 Jordyn @ Almost Supermom

Jenn @ Teaching Two Stinkers

Crystal @ Crystal Starr Blog

 Jennifer @ Chestnut Grove Academy

 Brandi @ Brandi Raae

 Wendy @ Simplicity Breeds Happiness

 Jodi @ Insane in the Mombrain

 Kym @ Homeschool Coffee Break 

Click on the link below to see the other blogs participating at:

 5 Days of Homeschooling Essentials Blog Hop