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Angel
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Do any of you use checklists with your middle-elementary aged kids? (Say grade 4-5-6?)
If so, how do the kids use the checklists?
Do you make your own or use prepared lesson plans?
If you make your own, how do you work this time into your own day, particularly if you have lots of little ones to take care of?
--Angela
Mom to 3+2 
Three Plus Two
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Patty LeVasseur
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Angela,
I write up a general checklist that lists the subjects that I want covered each day as well as the chores. I keep it as a word document on my computer and print it out at the beginning of the week using a different color paper for each child and myself. I have found that the only way that I can have any time for anything other than school is if I tell the children that I am only available at certain times. So they start school at 9, but I am not available for help until 10. I stay in my chair with a seat next to me called the "help chair" where a child sits if they need help. The chair is gone and so is my help at 1. Before I did this school was taking us all day and into dinner time. Now the kids have to figure out what they will need help on and get that done before 1 and save the easier things to do later.
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Patty
mom to four blessings
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stefoodie
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I use a system similar to Patty's. We print out checklists at the beginning of the week. Lessons that "need Mom" have to be done preferably by lunchtime. If need be, I am still available 'til 4, but no more lessons past 4 (except for the highschooler who works on most of her own stuff anyway). I ran into the same problem where the kids would put off lessons 'til later in the day, then it's dinnertime and we're still doing them.
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stef
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Leonie
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Do post its and pieces of paper count? 
We list any have tos for the day on a post it or on a piece of apaper or, if I am very organized, in the message book. My youngest son (10) likes drawing check boxes for himself to tick off.
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Leonie in Sydney
Living Without School
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lapazfarm
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I do mine on post-its and scraps of paper also. It seems disorganized, but it actually works better than having a set list. Schedules never seem to get followed, but a checklist for a day works very well. My ds thrives on variety and I guess so do I.
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Theresa
us-schooling in beautiful Fairbanks, Alaska.
LaPaz Home Learning
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marihalojen
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You know, the post-it/scrap paper route really seemed to work better for us in previous times than the system we are using this year. I thought seeing the whole week at a time would motivate Marianna to get to the end since she could see the end, iykwim? But I think she worked better just having a list of things for the day (vs. the week).
I'm really getting in the mode to revamp, but I am forcing myself to wait till after the holidays. Fresh start in the New Year and all that. 
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~Jennifer
Mother to Mariannna, age 13
The Mari Hal-O-Jen
SSR = Sailing, Snorkling, Reading
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JenniferS
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I tried to plan our days a week at a time, and it overwhelmed all of us. I still look at the week for myself, but I make a "plan"(checklist) for each day. FOr me, it works best to make a plan for the following day each night before I go to bed. I do have a checklist printed off for each kid to check-off their daily assignments as they do them. It's a form I found at chartjungle. THe kids like checking off each subject as they do it. I think they feel a sense of accomplishment. We are generally done with our formal schoolwork by 1:00(the younger kids even sooner).
Jen
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Carole N.
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I purchased a small student calendar for my ds (13) and dd (11). They fill in all of their outside activities at the beginning of the week (piano, soccer, etc.). Each day we list the subjects that should be covered that particular day. This works very well with my dd, but my ds tends to be a bit lazy (is this a teenage thing?)
I am looking for new ideas.
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 Carole ... in Wales
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Willa
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We've done it different ways. Sometimes I write the day's work in a small composition book or spiral. That doubles as a record-keeper for me so I can look back on it.
Other times I have used a checklist when most of the work they were doing was "do the next thing". There were spaces to check off when the work was completed, Monday through Friday.
My kids haven't ever done well with the calendar type checklists where assignments are written out each day.
Recently I designed a small form -- a quarter size daily checklist that I can hand out to them each day. That seems to be working well. Because it's daily it doesn't discourage them like a weekly one.
Oh, and it doesn't take very long at all because I've filled in general instructions like "Story of the Church page_______" and I just have to fill in the blank with page number. If we are doing something where the instructions are more complicated I write "Talk to Mom" and relay the directions verbally.
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AMDG
Willa
hsing boys ages 11, 14, almost 18 (+ 4 homeschool grads ages 20 to 27)
Take Up and Read
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Leonie
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lapazfarm wrote:
| Schedules never seem to get followed, but a checklist for a day works very well. My ds thrives on variety and I guess so do I. |
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Thats us exactly - I have an idea of where we are going over the week and month but daily checklists for us allow for spontaneity and kids' input. Plus the post it checklist goes anywhere and (almost) stops me nagging. 
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Leonie in Sydney
Living Without School
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Leonie
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Angel wrote:
| If you make your own, how do you work this time into your own day, particularly if you have lots of little ones to take care of? |
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Angela - I just saw this part of your post.
When my kids were littler, with olders school age, I sometimes wrote up the post its the night before my bed. I would stick them on the fridge or breakfast bar for the boys to find in the morning - and they could add in their own things. We didn't do post its every day - some days were just maths and chores and going out !
A few years down the track, we switched to getting together while I fed the baby - not the early morning feed, more 9-ish.Or after our morning walk. We'd read aloud and write a post it for the day, a couple of days a week.
Now, I/we just write the post its on the mornings we are home.
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Leonie in Sydney
Living Without School
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Leonie
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Meredith and Cay have good blog posts on Grab Bag Days as an occasional alternative to checklists -
Grab Bag Day - Meredith
Garb Bag Day Advent - Cay
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Leonie in Sydney
Living Without School
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TracyQ
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I also do a daily checklist, as opposed to a weekly one. That way, if something doesn't get done one day, it is circled, and moved onto the next day.
For our high school boys, I'm just using a 5 subject notebook with each section being one quarter, and the extra section for reading lists, movie lists, website lists, whatever extras we need.
So far, it's working out well, because it's all in one place, as opposed to all over the place like other years.
I may do this in binder form next year, making the binder for daily checklists clear ahead of the time school starts, and separating the quarters with an index tab divider. That way, it'll still all be in one place, but I can re-do anything I want. I like this method of just using one notebook page per day, because it has a LOT of room for me to write everything out, and I can be very specific, something with high school boys that I'm finding I really need to be (and they thrive on).
Blessings,
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Blessings and Peace,
Tracy Q.
wife of Marty for 20 years, mom of 3 wonderful children (1 homeschool graduate, 1 12th grader, and a 9th grader),
homeschooling in 15th year in Buffalo, NY
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ALmom
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Well, we use a check list. It is organized daily so the child only has to look at one day at a time, but it is planned for the week with one day written on a page. Ie the child has 5 pages.
I make a point of working primarily with a different child one day per week, though, of course, I will assist anyone who has a question. The weekly mom meeting is basically a review time (make sure that I'm caught up on making any corrections, seeing patterns that need more attention, talking to the child about what they like and don't like, what is working, etc.)
It helps the child if they have a weeks worth of work put together as that way they don't feel like they are waiting around for me - but I do it in terms of a daily checklist so they don't have to break things down in a day, though they are free to tweak and do more in one day, less in another. Then on discussion day, I will discuss old work and create new assignments with that child. We make the checklists at that time - one day on each page.
The child keeps their work in one binder with page dividers for each subject area. I got a 3 ring binder that has the clear plastic pocket on the outside (intended so the child can decorate their own binder). We use this pocket to place the lesson plans, that way they don't get lost, misplaced and we don't waste hours looking for lesson plans, work, etc. As the child does the work of the day, he checks off work done, and then places it behind the next days plan until the week is done. By this time, I'm going over material with him if I haven't already.
If things go really well and I get to more than one child per day for work, then I may get to the child sooner, but we both at least know that we will work together at least once per week. I do answer questions, direct work, etc. throughout - but usually that is in one or two of the most difficult subjects or the ones that I know the child needs help with, whereas this once per week meeting, we cover everything.
This system also helps me with record keeping requirements for my state. When, we go over the week together, I fill out that child's attendance record, etc. and have avoided the "oh my record reviews are coming up, where is ... and the child is desperately hunting for something dated to prove that we did do school on said day."
Now, I know I'm a bit odd in this forum as I have never been able to "do school" with more than one child at a time. Some of this is due to wide spacing between children; having high schoolers and toddlers and a wide difference in abilities between some of the most closely spaced children. Some of it has to do with my inability to focus on more than one thing (or person) at a time. So this system works for us.
I do have lesson plans from various sources from which I gather ideas and a general frame - but we modify significantly. I like having the meeting once per week as this allows us to adjust for needs that crop up - or a project that we want to spend more time on, etc.
Janet
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Angel
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Thanks for all the experience! I have gotten a lot of good ideas.
The reason I posted the question was because my 10 yo has started getting frustrated with school again, and after we had a long talk about it, he requested a daily checklist. Since I'm not very organized and I spend a lot of my time chasing little ones who rarely sleep, I'm afraid this request made my heart rate increase.  I'm calming down a little now. But it did make me realize how much he really needs more structure than I'm giving him. It looks like I'm going to have to do more planning in the first place instead of doing so much by the seat of my pants.
--Angela
Mom to 3+2
Three Plus Two
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Angel
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lapazfarm wrote:
| I do mine on post-its and scraps of paper also. It seems disorganized, but it actually works better than having a set list. Schedules never seem to get followed, but a checklist for a day works very well. My ds thrives on variety and I guess so do I. |
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My 10 yo seems to have two warring needs: he needs variety to keep him interested, but he can't function without routine. Trying to walk the line between the two often feels to me like walking on a tightrope.
--Angela
Mom to 3+2
Three Plus Two
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Willa
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ALmom wrote:
Now, I know I'm a bit odd in this forum as I have never been able to "do school" with more than one child at a time. Some of this is due to wide spacing between children; having high schoolers and toddlers and a wide difference in abilities between some of the most closely spaced children. Some of it has to do with my inability to focus on more than one thing (or person) at a time. So this system works for us.
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I'm the same -- and for probably the same reasons.
Wish I could do more multi-level but it never seems to work out the way I'd like it to.
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AMDG
Willa
hsing boys ages 11, 14, almost 18 (+ 4 homeschool grads ages 20 to 27)
Take Up and Read
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Becky Parker
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Janet,
I still can't figure out how to do quotes here but I just wanted to say the whole idea of a weekly meeting sounds like it might work better here than what I an trying to do now. Meeting with each child daily is my goal and I get so frustrated when "life" steps in and I can't get to each one. I think I'll give it a try after Thanksgiving!
Blessings!
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Becky
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Becky Parker
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Angel,
Could you take a little time at first to make out a checklist then each day all you would need to do is fill in the page numbers? I think just a list of each book the child uses (whether daily or not) would work. Then all you have to do is jot down the page numbers and maybe a word of explanation. My ds who is 5 also NEEDS routine. I have to admit I'm the one that gets bored and it is really hard for me to keep to the same plan day after day. He gets bonkers if there is a change in the plan though. Sometimes that's okay, but I have to force myself to be consistent most of the time.
Blessings!
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Becky
Wife to Wes, Mom to 6 wonderful kids on Earth and 4 in Heaven!
Academy Of The Good Shepherd
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Karen E.
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I'm late here, but I use a dry erase white board that hangs on the wall in our kitchen.
My kids love to know what's in store for the day, so they check it every morning. I try to write up our plans for the next day after they are in bed. It is very general -- it might say, "Math" rather than "Work on pp. 24-28 of your Key to ... book" but that works for us.
The nice thing about "one day at a time" is that it does meet those warring needs that you mentioned, Angela, for both variety and routine. Each day might be different, but mine like to know what to expect from the day as they approach it.
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Karen E.
mom to three on earth, and several souls in God's care
Visit my blog, with its shockingly clever title, "Karen Edmisten."
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4Real Forums : Living Learning
Topic: checklists
