Do you use a school planner?

[MistyP]

This year we have just kind of "winged" it. I had both of the girls in LHFHG with doing K & 1st grade options. DH was doing school with the girls for 2 days a week for a few months because of me having to work. On the days I worked I wrote out what they had to do on a sheet of paper. I just followed the manual on the days I have been home.

However, next year we will be doing Beyond with 1st & 2nd grade and also LHTH with 2 & 4 yo. I will probably be using Bigger guide for 2nd grade math and then Drawn into the Heart of Reading.... Does it help to have some sort of a homeschool planner when using HOD with multiple manuals? They are very well laid out but I guess I am trying to figure out how to make our next year run more smoothly with adding in things the different things....

So....what do you do? Any tips for a "newbie" homeschooling mom?

[my3sons]

We don't use a school planner, but I do count out the school days the best I can before the year starts, and make a general plan like this so we finish within the time I want to:


In the day to day, we begin with a daily schedule, and then move into a routine following the order of the schedule (but not necessarily the times) instead after about a month. As far as using an actual planner though, HOD's daily plans are so mapped out and easy to use that I haven't had to do that, though I know others may enjoy that.

In Christ,
Julie

[mamayi]

I use a planner for various reasons. The main one being that I am using the Beyond guide with a 1st and 2nd grader and it helps me keep track of what each one should be doing for LA and math in particular. I write down which spelling list each child is doing and we use Rod and Staff math so that's what I keep track of in the planner.
I also write in the extra things that are specific to our family's needs - (like I write down the vision therapy that my son has to do daily, the weekly PE emphasis or life skill I want to teach my dc, what day we're going to the library or on a field trip) If I don't write it into our schedule it usually doesn't get done!
The Beyond guide is our main "planner" but then I use a separate one just to keep myself on track with the other things I need to do. (I am a former ps teacher so part of it is how I am used to being organized.)

[smithdonnajo]

I love getting the planning and scheduling ideas. I have not a "teacher" bone in me, so I have to pick it up where I can.

Do any of you write notes in your Teacher Guides? noting the date you did it, or how you modified it?

If so, then, you want to use that guide with a younger child in future years, do you erase your notes and write new notes?

I guess using the planner might eliminate the need to write in the TG...

Thanks,
Donna Jo

[Tansy]

have used my books for 2 kiddos,
I have written in them as I go. I never used a planner.

Tho I had a dilemma how to differentiate my notes from dd1 to dd2... how to tell what got done!!
A set of stamper markers came to my rescue. I use a stamp to show dd2's progress. I date the stamp in the corner and then stamp each activity as we go and write my notes across the stamp. I have a lovely strawberry or princess crown stamp to choose from lol!
It's working for us.
Tansy

[3musketeers]

I do use student planners. Rod and Staff carries these great individual "Student Daily Records and Assignment Book".
I buy one for each boy. It has a great place in the front for marking attendance and recording grades for just that one student. Then I write all my kiddos daily assignments in the book. It does take extra work to copy them from the HOD guide, but I use it as a way for me to look through our upcoming week and prepare myself. My dss then use there assignment books to do there lessons. They read through what they need to do and check it off. Then I check it at the end of the day to be sure all is checked off.

I also write in my HOD guide. I make notes for the next time I use the guide. (I.E. how to do an art project more efficiently, etc.) I also write the date in the corner and check off my boxes myself, when I have completed my part. I also circle anything we did not have time to do so I can remember to do it tomorrow.

That's what we do around our house. Hope that can be of help.

Cindy

[GinainMD]

I don't use a planner per se. To me the tg is the planner for the most part. If I have a list of things to accomplish in a day, I feel like I rush through just so I can mark it off the list and sometimes feel dissappointed if I don't finish everything on my list. However, I do use a notebook, full size binder type, to write down what we actually accomplish each day. I also include photos, brochures from field trips, bulletins from plays they participate in etc. I also keep a running list, for each girl, of the books that they read. I have found that this helps me when I feel like we haven't "done enough school work" I can look back and see what we did accomplish. Also, if my children do something "educational" that isn't a part of HOD or what they may be using at this time, I have somewhere to keep track of everything. HTH

[blessedwith2]

We are required to keep a log of activities in our state, so I use a planner...I've tried a lot of different ones in the past, but my absolute FAVORITE one is called "The Well-Planned Day". It can be used for more than one child, has report cards, progress reports, space for meal planning, perforated shopping lists, a plan to read through the Bible in a year, encouraging articles and SO much more! It is also BEAUTIFULLY designed and in color! (Can you tell I really like it?)

I usually just write the unit and day numbers from each HOD guide I use in the planner and check off the box for the day when I'm done. It also works great if my hubby does the teaching for the day, (if I'm working) because he can just refer to my planner for which day we're on in each guide.

By the way, there is a pre-release special for the 2010-11 edition of the Well-Planned Day until March 31. Visit the website for the Well-Planned Day for details.

Also, if you're a member of the Homeschool Buyer's Co-op, (which has a free membership) you can purchase the printed planner through their Group Buy for even less than the regular price of the PDF version! (The PDF version is also available at a reduced price.) You can also get a one year subscription to the "Home Educating Family" Magazine for only $5! (The magazine is published by the same family that publishes the planner.)

Hope this helps! God bless!

[billswife]

I made up my own assignment sheet for my kids. It is a full weeks worth of assignments. They get a copy and I have a copy. They like to know what they have to do and cross it off when it's done. We do a different math, language arts, and some science. It helps me keep track of all of that. I save all my copies for the year in a binder--just in case I would need them later.

[MistyP]

Thanks for all the help and suggestions.

The Well Planned Day looks very nice, love the pretty pages SO....I just talked myself into buying it I think it will be perfect for what I need.

I don't want to copy everything from the Teacher's Guide to a Planner, I pencil in stuff right now (however be using it eventually for at least 4 kids!) but was thinking that it may help keep everything in order with each book or what DD #1 is to be doing from the next book! I found Donna Young's Homeschool Planner http://donnayoung.org/forms/index.htm and you can print off whatever pages you need for free too.

[funkmomma71]

I use a planner to help stay on track, I don't like writing in the guides. It's also helpful for dividing up the Storytime books into 20-day chunks, which is super important because my daughter is always begging for me to read more, I just point to the planner and say "that's all that's planned" and she lets it go. We're also in different spots for reading and math, that is all in the planner and easy to keep track of. DD is in AWANA so that is at the top of our planner, and it gets done! Essentially, if you plan to add anything in, have kids in different places or just like having extra accountability than a planner is the way to go. BTW, I use the planner from Donna Young, they're great and most are available in Word so you can tweak them.

[crlacey]

I do write in my guides. I use a purple pen for DD. Then when DS comes around, I'll use another color for him. At first, I didn't write in the guides and it was a lot of work to copy all the info or to have two sources to refer to since I had no idea what Unit 20 Day 3 actually covered.

[Sharon]

I just ordered the Well Planned Day through Homeschool Buyers Co-op for 50% off. The sale ends 3/31. It's a great deal and a great planner!