I’m a planner and organizer. I like things to be neat and tidy (though hubby might disagree) and also for things to be easy to find and understand.
As a Florida homeschooler, I am required to keep a portfolio of Honeybun’s work and I needed a way to keep track of the work she completed. At first I was just going to write it all in a little notebook but after some more thought I realized how cumbersome and confusing that would be so instead I adopted a sticker recording method.
Because I allow Honeybun to select which tasks she wishes to complete each day (with certain things being required each day, week and month) I don’t need to “plan” in the traditional sense. I always know what work she will be completing each week but I since don’t know what she will do when, I don’t plan ahead but rather record behind.
I developed a series of “task labels” in which each subject is a different color. As Honeybun completes her work, I write what assignment she did on a corresponding label and stick it on the day, in the order she completes it. This way I can quickly see what she completed each day and easily look up when she completed a specific lesson.
I use address label sheets (30 labels per sheet arranged in 3 columns). I print out labels for all of her daily tasks on one sheet then cut them into individual columns for each task (spelling, reading and exercise) with 10 of each per page which is essentially 2 weeks worth.
I set up her weekly tasks to include 10 items so I can print each week in one column (and three weeks to a sheet of labels). These include her math, language arts, handwriting and research assignments.
Her monthly tasks fit two months per sheet of labels (with 4 each of art, science, foreign language and 3 “extras”)
I will end up using approximately 9 full label sheets every two months which I think it pretty economical (which is less than 1 package per calendar year).
For now I am using a spiral bound daily planner which will get us through the end of 2015 at which time I may invest in a refillable one if we continue homeschooling and using this recording method.
