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Connections
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| Posted: March 28 2009 at 11:36am | IP Logged
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Although there are seasons where using the plans of others is what works best, I was recently reminded of the invigorating feeling (when the season is right) that comes with making real learning plans for my own family.
Thanks to Elizabeth and everyone here for the inspiration to make that happen!
Whatever type of planning season each of you are in, I hope it is a wonderful one!
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Blessings,
Tracey
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Mackfam
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| Posted: March 28 2009 at 2:09pm | IP Logged
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 I love this time of year as well, Tracey. Making plans, tweaking plans, carefully considering, thoughtfully choosing, weaving in the liturgical year with everything from teatime to history, absorbing and marking catalogs, making post-it notes projections for the year...it all gives me the feeling of connecting to the year, to each of my children's needs. I love living the plans....and I love planning!!!
Happy planning days to you, Tracey! May they be filled with a pastel variety of post-its and pens and pretty papers and lovely baskets of new books full of promise for the new year!
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Jen Mackintosh
Wife to Rob, mom to dd 19 , ds 16, ds 11, dd 8, and dd 3
Wildflowers and Marbles
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domchurch3
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| Posted: March 28 2009 at 4:58pm | IP Logged
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Mackfam wrote:
| I love this time of year as well, Tracey. Making plans, tweaking plans, carefully considering, thoughtfully choosing, weaving in the liturgical year with everything from teatime to history, absorbing and marking catalogs, making post-it notes projections for the year...it all gives me the feeling of connecting to the year |
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post-it notes projections? I'd like to know more about those, please.
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Daniel's wife and mother to two children on earth, Bernadette (6 yrs old) and another child due in Jan 2009.
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Mackfam
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Post-it note planning:
You can do this in a variety of ways...
I made a grid on a big piece of paper. Across the top list the subjects you want to cover for the year - every one, whether it's for your preschooler or your high schooler. Down the left side make a horizontal column for each child you have and also one that says family learning. Then fill in with post-its (different colors for different children and a different color for family learning helps easily see who's doing what...but you could also differentiate with highlighters or markers...or even stickers). This lets you see with the post-its if you're planning way too much in one area, lacking in another, how much you can cover with the whole family. It's an easy way to get started and envision the big picture.
Originally the idea came from Sarah at Plainsong, but Colleen at Footprints on the Fridge has a very nice post up showing how she uses it as well.
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Jen Mackintosh
Wife to Rob, mom to dd 19, ds 16, ds 11, dd 8, and dd 3
Wildflowers and Marbles
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Cay Gibson
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| Posted: March 28 2009 at 6:41pm | IP Logged
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It reminds me a little of what the Maxwell's do w/ MOTH planning. Perhaps not as rigorous? I like the flexibility of this immensely...and the color-codes. 
And Tracey, yes, the reason real learning plans work so well is because they are meant to fit our families and not have our families fit the plan. 
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Cay Gibson
"There are 49 states, then there is Louisiana." ~ Chef Emeril
wife to Mark '86
mom to 5
Cajun Cottage Under the Oaks
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Mimip
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We are planning down here in Miami too. We have our "Teacher Evaluation Day" coming up in April then we are actually planning a planning day. We are going to pair up with another Mom within our homeschooling group and take care of eachother's kids while we plan. June 2nd and then June 4th we will do the same planning day but Mom's will only attend one day while the other Mom watches your kids and then the other day we switch 
We are so excited!
Jennifer, I thought I was the only nut with the color coded post its  Ha ha for me!
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In Christ,
Mimi
Wife of 16 years to Tom, Mom of DD'00, DD'02, '04(in heaven) DS'05, DS'08 and DS '12
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hmbress
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| Posted: March 31 2009 at 7:50am | IP Logged
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Jennifer - is there an advantage to planning with the post-it notes rather than on the computer? After you complete your plan, what do you do with it? Do you hang it up as a visual reference, or enter it into the computer?
Thank you! This is very interesting.
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Heather Rose (ds13, ds10)
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Mackfam
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| Posted: March 31 2009 at 4:04pm | IP Logged
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hmbress wrote:
| is there an advantage to planning with the post-it notes rather than on the computer? After you complete your plan, what do you do with it? Do you hang it up as a visual reference, or enter it into the computer? |
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I do both, actually....post-it planning first, then detailed planning on the computer.
Post-it planning just helps me *see* how much I have in mind, and if it is even close to a realistic plan. It's pretty general. I like working with post-its first because I can see a visual sticky in front of me...and I can move that sticky around, or pull it off the year's plan entirely, or overlap another sticky with it...I'm just a very visual person and working this way helps me see and work things out in a visual way. I have taken it a bit more specific in breaking out books to be read for literature and history over the year - I can have a gigantic list of historical fiction I want to read, but if over half my year is spent with books from the 10th century, and none of my reading springs from the 3-5th centuries that leaves a big hole. Or, let's say that I have gotten carried away with the number of novels I think can be read in the span of one semester, adding each title to a post-it note allows me to make sure that there is balance in my planning. I can see where I might want to nurture a writing project (and drop a few post-its under that section with some essay ideas), an area that could benefit from more hands-on (and drop a few post-its under that section that remind me to check on materials), etc. Post-it note planning helps me see the overall theme of the year and steward both my time and resources best on paper before I start spending $$$.
Computer plans...After, looking at the year on post-its, I make some purchase plans (...most people would make library lists here, but my library system is deplorable, so I begin searching with my list in hand at used book stores well before the summer starts...). Then, once books are in I start mapping out my plans in iCal (an Apple/Mac based calendar program). I like planning this way because it sets up a rhythm for the year, but I can tweak it as I move through the year. For example, my iCal lesson plans from the beginning of the year look very different from my lesson plans today. But, the basic rhythm is still the same, I've just learned over the year to accommodate various needs and challenges in different (and hopefully more efficient) ways, and as I do, I tweak my iCal plans a bit. I print one or two weeks at a time, so I don't get too far ahead of myself.
Then, I write down the super detailed notes and the nitty-gritty in pencil on my iCal plans that I print out.
There are a MILLION different ways to plan, and I've only given you the details of how I do it...but in a nutshell, post-its are for my general year overview visualization and then I use iCal for my detailed, day-to-day breakdown (I think google calendar can do the same basic thing as iCal, but I'm not sure...anybody know?) I keep my post-it planning sheet in a file in my file folder system and at the end of the year it gets rubber banded to the top of the children's completed work and filed away.
Did this help at all, Heather? Did it answer your questions?
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Jen Mackintosh
Wife to Rob, mom to dd 19, ds 16, ds 11, dd 8, and dd 3
Wildflowers and Marbles
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stellamaris
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| Posted: March 31 2009 at 5:13pm | IP Logged
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Jennifer-I love your post-it planning idea! Just what I needed to throw myself into planning for next year! Anything is possible with post-its ! Thanks for the inspiration!
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In Christ,
Caroline
Wife to dh 30+ yrs,ds's 83,85,89,dd's 91,95,ds's 01,01,02,grammy to 4
Flowing Streams
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hmbress
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| Posted: April 01 2009 at 6:13pm | IP Logged
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Yes Jennifer, that helped - thank you.
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Heather Rose (ds13, ds10)
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4Real Forums : Planning and Ordering our Days
Topic: Real Learning Planning is Invigorating
