Homeschooling and Schedules

One of the top three goals on the list of most New Years resolutions is to get organized. It’s also just as quickly pushed aside as the goals of ‘lose weight’ and ‘save more money’ because of our on the go lifestyles.

Families today are busier than ever. Without a schedule, without some type of organization, chaos could reign.

When you’re a homeschool family, organization is a must if you’re going to keep the paper tiger at bay. There are worksheets, tests, quizzes, projects, official forms and it’s easy, especially if you’re schooling more than one child to lose track of the paperwork.

Invest in some colored folders, one color for each child. Label the folder with the child’s name, the school year and what grade level they’re in. Put everything in the folder. If you use manila folders, they’ll hold about fifty sheets. When the folder is full, place a rubber band around it and store it in a file box.

If you’re only required to keep a portfolio of your child’s work, weed out what you want to keep as you go along so that you don’t have to do a huge purge and toss job at the end of the year. If you have a child in a high school level, you’ll want to be careful when saving paperwork as your child may need it to show a college.

To keep records of grades, buy a class record book from an educational supply store. These books help you keep track of school attendance days as well. Grade all papers as you go along rather than waiting for each semester or school year to end. I can promise that’s a headache you don’t want!

I hear quite often how difficult it is to keep the home neat while homeschooling. It doesn’t have to be that way. Little blocks of time add up.

Fifteen minutes every day can make a difference between being organized and being overwhelmed. In fifteen minutes, you can toss in a load of laundry, sweep a kitchen floor, load a dishwasher and make a bed. Try it and see if it doesn’t make a difference. Set a timer for fifteen
minutes and watch what you can accomplish!