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mommy4ever
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| Posted: June 01 2012 at 12:07pm | IP Logged
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Inspired by this thread, I've been working on my grade 4 planner. It has been really a breeze to do, perhaps because I am motivated.
I use nearly exclusively CHC, but as we are planning year round schooling, and tend to take breaks, or have days where we just don't get it all done, we really struggled with tracking in the planner.
I have everything done by subject. Each subject is broken down into 36 weeks. Week 36 intended to end mid-June. However, it's is not imperative to stick to it that way, since we start in the summer. By September I may be in week 6 for somethings and week 2 for others, but since it isn't all on one page, it won't matter. I won't need to keep marking with stickies to track. Each subject will be in its own section, and I check off each lesson as completed. I will be able to see if we are on track to finish by mid-June, and I'll also know when I'm getting behind and re-arrange our schedule to keep us more on track. I used the info from the existing CHC lesson plans, so I wouldn't miss anything, I just set them up in a different format. It also allowed me to include non-CHC curricula, French, Art, Social Studies and Math that we are using. It will really give lots of flexibility. I couldn't do it with out the CHC lesson plan though, they are complete and thorough, just wasn't suiting my family.
I also have any answer key's from various subjects, appendixes and tests set up in the binder as well.
Inspired by Jen, I have a lovely binder set up, it's pretty and appeals to me. I put an adhesive clear pouch in the front with a weekly planning guide, and a page protector as a front page that has our weekly schedule set up. Order is loose, overall, but the meat and potatoes of it is there.
Cover:
Inside the cover, planning guide
Tabs:
Math plan for 3 weeks
Science plan for 4 weeks
I am nearly done.... I have a French lesson plan to complete, social studies(doing Canadian curriculum instead of US this year). I want to set up a bible study plan for mom, and a spot to record prayer intentions. I haven't decided the last 2 might just have their own binder.
Since we are technically starting some grade 4 lessons next week! So we'll be building some 'cushion' for the days we struggle to get it done next year.
If anyone has any suggestions on what to add to make it more complete, I'd love to hear it! Even if it's 'just' for me..lol
__________________
Mom to 4,
1 graduated June 2012
1 in Catholic school
2 homeschooled(one considering art school!)
ardently praying for a new addition to our family.
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Mackfam
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| Posted: June 01 2012 at 12:26pm | IP Logged
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That was a lot of work, but your planner is lovely!!! I'm smitten with your cover design! So pretty...and one of my favorite color combinations!!! That was a great idea to break plans down into subjects by week so that you could just be *wherever you are* in a particular subject. How fun -- building planning notebooks!!!!!!!  And yours is so pretty!  Great job!
I've almost got my plans finished, too, mommy4ever! The biggies are done, and I'm just tying up some of the fun loose ends like finishing our Morning Basket plans for the term, and tidying shelves, setting out new picture book baskets. We start lessons in a couple of weeks! What a fun thread - sharing about pretty new planners!
I'm not really familiar with CHC plans, so I'm not sure what to suggest for additions.  I'm certain that you'll figure it out as you go though! It always works that way for me....as we live the year, I realize that something would be useful and I add it to a notebook.
Just lovely!!
Hooray for pretty new planners! 
__________________
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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mommy4ever
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| Posted: June 01 2012 at 12:35pm | IP Logged
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Thanks Jen, your office pics inspired me to make things pretty. Nothing some scrapbook paper and a little imagination can't fix :) Love pockets on binders :) I love the colors too. I have an unpainted kitchen... I was thinking of adding the blue and touches of red/orange to pop it. My house is totally neutral. Grey tile, grey walls, cream carpets(ick...going hardwood soon). Furniture is light tan and black, kitchen table is grey... need a little color! Mind you bedrooms are colorful.
I wasn't referring to CHC specific, or even school specific. More like, is there anything you love having handy as part of your planner? I thought prayer intentions would be great to have, as my time alone is first thing in the morning as I pull together the books for the day. And at times I'm on autopilot and can't recall it all. It could be something inspirational, thought provoking, practical. Not necessarily 'homeschool' related, just a nice addition.
BTW - what is a morning basket??
__________________
Mom to 4,
1 graduated June 2012
1 in Catholic school
2 homeschooled(one considering art school!)
ardently praying for a new addition to our family.
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Mackfam
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| Posted: June 01 2012 at 12:55pm | IP Logged
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mommy4ever wrote:
| Thanks Jen, your office pics inspired me to make things pretty. Nothing some scrapbook paper and a little imagination can't fix :) Love pockets on binders :) I love the colors too. I have an unpainted kitchen... I was thinking of adding the blue and touches of red/orange to pop it. My house is totally neutral. Grey tile, grey walls, cream carpets(ick...going hardwood soon). Furniture is light tan and black, kitchen table is grey... need a little color! Mind you bedrooms are colorful. |
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Sounds wonderful! We are in the midst of house painting here....and have been for an embarrassingly long time!
mommy4ever wrote:
| I wasn't referring to CHC specific, or even school specific. More like, is there anything you love having handy as part of your planner? I thought prayer intentions would be great to have, as my time alone is first thing in the morning as I pull together the books for the day. And at times I'm on autopilot and can't recall it all. It could be something inspirational, thought provoking, practical. Not necessarily 'homeschool' related, just a nice addition. |
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** I do like having some big picture plans in each child's notebook - keeps me pointed in the right direction even when I'm in the middle of living out the details.
** I like places for articles (mostly Parents Review articles) that detail specific skills/habits I'm working on with that child.
** I like having a calendar so I can make note of historic anniversaries we want to work into our days.
** A place for attendance and planning - I'm smitten with the prettiness of the Donna Young Colonial Planner for this year.
** I keep pockets and places for post-its to land because throughout the year I invariably scribble lists of Shakespeare plays or Chemistry ideas that will not be useful at all for this year....but WILL be useful for the next years.
** I like keeping a science scope and sequence in my notebook so I can keep up with science topics covered.
** Liturgical Year references, and especially the Holy Father's intentions for the months of the year so we can include them in our prayers.
** I have REALLY been glad that over the years I kept receipts and invoices - not for books...but for office supply/book maintenance type things. I may really, really LOVE a particular mylar book cover....but there are GAZILLIONS of diffferent ones out there, so if I order something like that, I keep invoices in a sheet protector and make notes on them so I know what I ordered and where to re-order from.
** I like keeping lists of suffixes/prefixes/root words in my notebook...I know, it probably sounds SUPER- -GEEKY....  ....but it's really helpful in dissecting some words as part of studied dictation lessons. You can find these free all over the internet.
** I keep planning tools like tables and charts that help me plan out how many pages to schedule or how many books to schedule.
mommy4ever wrote:
BTW - what is a morning basket??
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Morning Basket
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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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Maryan
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| Posted: June 01 2012 at 1:16pm | IP Logged
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Great job! 
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Maryan
Mom to 6 boys & 1 girl: JP('01), B ('03), M('05), L('06), Ph ('08), M ('10), James born 5/1/12
A Lee in the Woudes
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pumpkinmom
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| Posted: June 01 2012 at 3:55pm | IP Logged
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mommy4ever-I do just about the same thing to organize our CHC plans! When I first started homeschooling I just worked out of their planner, but we use different math and with other subjects added in, just doesn't work anymore. Your planner looks great and I have nothing to add! I use the Well Planned Day for my calendar, for logging hours (state law), and telling me what subjects we are going on each day I have school planned. I bought the matching binder to put all the lesson plans in with my calendar, but I don't know if it will all fit. (I may have made a mistake with this purchase, but I was overcome by all the pretty design. )
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Cassie
Homeschooling my little patch of Ds-14 and Ds-10
Tending the Pumpkin Patch
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mommy4ever
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| Posted: June 01 2012 at 4:41pm | IP Logged
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lol... I hear you on pretty things... I love pretty stationary ;)
I see I'm not the only one that is adapting things to make it work :) I love CHC, but the planner, as thorough as it is, and as much as I like the plans laid out, it just wasn't flexible enough for us.
__________________
Mom to 4,
1 graduated June 2012
1 in Catholic school
2 homeschooled(one considering art school!)
ardently praying for a new addition to our family.
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4Real Forums : Planning and Ordering our Days
Topic: Setting up my planner
