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Babs
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| Posted: Aug 06 2008 at 10:16pm | IP Logged
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I have finally made decisions on all of the curriculum we will be using this year for my boys. Unfortunately it seems that every subject is from a different grade or company so I am unable to just follow the plans for one grade/curriculum. I just got the Good News Planner and I have been sitting here wondering what to do next.
Can anyone explain how you actually plan. Do you write out what you do for each class, each day? Yikes. Watching organized people is like watching ice-skating. It looks so easy, but...
I would really appreciate any advice you can offer.
God Bless!
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Paula in MN
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| Posted: Aug 07 2008 at 6:59am | IP Logged
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There is truly wonderful planning information on the SCM website.
If I'm not using someone else's ideas  , I usually go through the book, workbook, etc. and decide what we will focus on, and then break it down into weekly segments.
__________________
 Paula
A Catholic Harvest
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mom2mpr
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| Posted: Aug 07 2008 at 7:10am | IP Logged
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I also use a mishmash of things. What has tended to work for me is to sit down about every 2 weeks and figure it all out. I write out about 11 days of work.
I usually grab ds's math book and LA. I go through and set up his lessons for a bunch of days. I know how much he can accomplish, what he knows, etc. so this is pretty easy. I write the lessons for each subject on one sheet of paper. So, for Singapore math I have a sheet of paper with lessons written out-for example, text pages 18-19(do problems), workbook exercise 7 on page 5. For LLATL I do the same and it has it's own piece of paper. There are no dates just individual lessons. These papers go in the cover of the book and voila, we just pull them out and see where we left off. After we have completed a lesson we cross it out.
Simple, to me, and it has worked. For our history I just use the SL guide and try to catch up for the week at the end of the week, before we move on.
As far as extra stuff(art, music, nature)-for us it is fun and not hard to do or fit in. I just need that planning help for the "yucky" subjects. Though, history isn't yucky.
Hope that helps.
Anne
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Babs
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Thanks for the suggestions. I will check into SCM's planning Paula. Maybe I will try small chunks like you suggest Anne. I have broken things down into 36 weeks so far.
There are nicely written plans for most of the things we will be using but they are all in different grades and by different venders and it is too hard to keep track of everything the way it is now. But to re-write everything in the good news planner (although I love this planner!) or a grade book seems like it would take a long time.
Does anyone keep track of their planner on a blog? I was just wondering if that might be easier.
I don't really want to write exact plans on exact days (or even weeks) because I know things won't go that way. I saw something about post-it note planning on someone's blog but now I can't find it. Does anyone do something like that? That seems like a good fit for us because we change things around to fit our schedule quite often. I have two older sons in school in other states so we do a lot of work on the go, or as the boys call it, truck schooling.
I really appreciate everyone's advice.
God Bless
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MrsM
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| Posted: Aug 07 2008 at 10:57am | IP Logged
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I'm pretty OCD about planning--I can't decide if that's a virtue or a flaw!  Anyway, I use a computer program for all our assignments (Homeschool Easy Records). It's flexible with assignment dates, and I can reuse it for different children--i.e., I'm using the same science assignments for my forth graders that I used two years ago with my now sixth grader. I can modify it as needed, which is the most useful feature for me.
I love the Good News planners for all the great info they include, but I don't have the patience to write everything down in everyone's planner. With four kids hsing it just took too much time for me.
__________________
Lynn in California
Homeschooling dd13, dd11, ds10, and ds8
Mom to Miracle Baby ds3
Mom to darling Elizabeth and Francis, held in Mary's arms and always in my heart
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Patty
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Another way to do planning that I think is easier than penciling everything into a grid planner is to make your own weekly lists on the computer. Actually, you make one list and then just write in page numbers, etc., each week. For instance, for math I would list the textbook and then Page ____ or Test ____. Even when books change...for instance using a variety of living books...I find typing it in easier than writing by hand. Just save it as a file on your computer and edit as needed. At the top of the list I put: Johnny, First Grade, Week of :_______________________ and then just write in the dates.
HTH,
Patty
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TracyQ
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I've recommended SCM's Planning Guide over and over this year, because after 13 years of homeschooling, it taught me very well how to plan our year out. This is the very first year I feel much more organized, and that I understand how to actually do this well for our family.
Simply Charlotte Mason Planning Guide and DVD
Sonya Shafer has helped me, an extremly visual learner to finally SEE and understand how to do this. She worked me through the planning, step by step, and it has blessed me SO much this year! 
And she does this even if you don't use the Charlotte Mason philosophy! We use it for our youngest (daughter), but use Trisms for our 11th grade son. So it works for ALL curriculums!
An excellent site you can use to learn planning for beginners is this one:
Donna Young's Planning for Beginners
Hope this helps!
__________________
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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fsuadamson
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| Posted: Aug 08 2008 at 4:20pm | IP Logged
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TracyQ wrote:
I've recommended SCM's Planning Guide over and over this year, because after 13 years of homeschooling, it taught me very well how to plan our year out. This is the very first year I feel much more organized, and that I understand how to actually do this well for our family.
Simply Charlotte Mason Planning Guide and DVD
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I have to fully agree with Tracy's recommendation. SCM has been a God-sent for helping me sychronize all my curriculums and or subjects with all my different aged kids into a smooth daily, weekly and yearly rhythm.
Once you get yourself organized and sychronized then you can use Homeschool Tracker (FREE program) to keep track of your lessons, grades and transcripts. I've just recently learned of a *Catholic* HST yahoo group to share files, which I am thrilled about!!
__________________
Leslie
dh Dave; dd19; dd17; ds14; dd12; ds9; dd7
Knotty Pines Academy
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4Real Forums : Planning and Ordering our Days
Topic: Planning?
