1-2-3, Ready For Homeschooling

Now that is back-to-school time in the North Hemisphere, unschoolers and homeschoolers might also be preparing projects and activities. Even if you adopt a more eclectic style of homeschooling, being organized in your routine and materials will prevent stress and aggravation in your day.

An important part of getting organized is making sure you are in compliance with your country and state’s homeschooling laws. Whether the place you live in is more restrictive or flexible will have a bearing on what kinds of records you keep.

If you’re required more stringent requirements, a homeschool planner may be essential so you can easily create monthly or yearly progress reports.

These are also helpful if you’re keeping transcripts. Of course, if you enroll your child in a virtual school or certain “in a box” curriculums, you can opt to have records kept for you. It may be an option to consider, especially if you have a hard time with paperwork.

Homeschool planners help you keep track of textbook and workbook pages covered, projects completed, unit studies you went over, field trips attended, books read, and daily attendance. These are a good idea even for unschoolers who have to fulfill state’s requirements. You can purchase these online, or create your own. A 3 ring binder would work just fine, or you can search online for free homschool planning worksheets. However, if you’re required for more documentation, it might be best to go with a more elaborate system for your peace of mind.

Reducing clutter is important when you’re homeschooling. In order to minimize the clutter, assess your situation and figure out what system makes the most sense for your family.

You can organize art materials, paints, paper, pencils and erasers in smaller tubs or containers with lids so everything stays together. You can also store materials in a cabinet in the kitchen, a filing cabinet, a shelf, a large plastic container, etc – most of us already have these in our homes.

As a homeschooling or unschooling parent, you might find that a weekly review/planning session before you start your week could help learning happen more smoothly. What’s working well? What’s not working? Simple adjustments can be very helpful in getting back on track.

Remember that learning can get messy! Relax your standards a bit and be ok with messies. Don’t hamper your kid’s excitement for learning by expecting perfection when it comes to cleanliness. One way to minimize the mess is to take learning outside or to the library. If everyone’s getting messy and you need a burst of energy, pack snacks and head out for the day.

photo credit: mia3mom

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