Homeschool Organization 

Adding Structure

When I think of homeschool organization, I think of structure, peace, and tranquility. I don't see a mad hunt for the science book with the cool experiment. I see my child with pen and paper in hand ready to work.

To have a successful learning experience we need to organize our time and school stuff.

Planning

Even before you start to plan you might want to know more about teaching your child. Here is a list of books that will help you learn about home education.

Then you will want to develop a plan. What are your goals for each of your children? How do you want to accomplish those goals? What does each child need to learn? Write down your ideas. Then find some curriculum that will help you teach your children.

When you are developing a plan it might be good to think about why you are teaching your children. Think about how education you children at home will benefit your family and the community.

Take into consideration any unusual circumstances that you know will come up this year. Maybe you are expecting a baby or you are going to move to a new location. I think that it is important when scheduling our homeschool to plan extra time so that my family can adjust to life changes.

Also there are different seasons in a family's life. In the beginning you will have preschoolers and other young children. Your school day will be short. So you will need to adapt a schedule that fits your life situation.

I start planning before I start a new year.  I am always assessing during the year to see if my plan is working. Sometimes I need to change the way I am teaching or find a new curriculum.

Scheduling Your Time

After you have developed a general plan you will want to make some lesson plans  for each subject and child. A lesson plan is like a schedule. Lesson plans give you an idea of how much time each subject will take for each child to complete. They also help you keep track of any other books or materials that you will need.

Some families like to use planning notebook to keep them organized. You can place a calendar and a daily schedule  in your notebook.

You can also keep your homeschooling goals and lesson plans in your planner. If you do not want to make your own, there are several that are made especially for parents that teach their children at home.

Children can also benefit from having a planner. When children know what assignments are due children can better plan their day. Most office supply stores have school planners. The Old Schoolhouse also makes one for children. Or you can make your own by writing when assignments are due and placing it on a calendar.

Another way for children to stay organized is to give them a chart.  The chart can list school assignments, chores, and outside activities.

Materials

Homeschool organization also involves sorting books, papers, and other materials so that they are easily found. This will save you time.

Books can be kept in a bookcase. Instead of buying more bookcases sort your materials. Each year look for reference materials and textbooks that you are no longer using. Then sell your used books.

Your Home

If you have the space a schoolroom  can be a benefit. You can keep all of your papers, books, and other materials out of the living room or dining room. This could be important for children who have special needs.

Children who have special needs usually do better when their environment is organized. Help keep your home clutter free.

Where ever you do your schooling it is important to also keep your house clean. To organize who cleans what make some chore charts.

Records

School papers can also be organized  into yearly scrapbooks.

By looking in your scrapbook you can see what your child has learned. We need to keep some records of what our children are learning. The information can help us plan next year.

Plan for Emergencies

No matter how well we have done our homeschool organization we can have a bad day. We shouldn't fret, with a little planning even our bad days can run smoothly.

Emergencies can happen. We need to plan for them. One day you might be ill. Or an older family member might need your help. There are several ways that you can provide activities for your child.

Give your child some books that he can read on his own. Let him do games or other educational activities on the computer. There is software that you can download if you do not want your child on the internet.

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Homeschool organization can help us know what needs to be done and where supplies are keep.

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