Planning--how do I keep up with all this?

So many people, especially those just starting out, struggle with how to organize and plan.  What does that physically look like?  My system is just that--my system.  It works for me.  You will have other needs and preferences, but maybe this will give you a good starting off point or some ideas you can pick and choose from.  You are welcome to use all of these ideas, none of these ideas, or pick and choose as it works for your family.

To begin with, I separate by grade level and by year of the WTM cycle.  I have a folder for each grade level and a binder for each WTM year.  In each grade folder, I break my plans for the year into 36 individual weeks--math, language, foreign language, logic, art, anything else that is grade specific.  I don't put a lot of detail here.  I just divide out the curriculum or resources into an even flow over the course of the year.  I build in lighter weeks around holidays and toward the end of the year as I can. 

In each binder, I lay out my rough plans for grammar stage, logic stage, and rhetoric stage history/literature and science.  Typically, this is a chart with a range of weeks (say week 1-4), a topic we will study during those weeks, Kingfisher pages related to that topic, SOTW chapters related to that topic, and additional resources I might have collected related to that topic.  See my post on teaching history for more detail.  I do not break these plans into what I plan to cover each week in particular.  It is a rough guide.  I tend to make these plans at Christmas the school year before, but normal people could do this planning over the summer-ha!  I keep these binders and grade folder intact and on my shelves so that when the next child comes to that grade, I can just pull out the folder and tweak for his/her specific needs.

Storing curriculum--I have shelves where I keep grade-specific curriculum in order.  At the beginning of each set, I put the grade level folder so that it is easy for me to distinguish.  I also have a shelf (or 2) for each year cycle of WTM with history, literature, art, music, and science resources related to that specific year. 

Throughout the year then, we do 4 weeks of school and take a week off.  We complete 32 weeks between the middle of August and the middle of May.  I spread the remaining 4 weeks out over the summer as we have time, to complete a full 36 weeks. 

I use those break weeks to do my specific planning for each child.  I take their folders and write out a workplan (see my post on workplans) for each of the next 4 weeks with what I expect each child to complete in each subject over the week.  I can go through each subject quickly because I have a list of each one in the folder with my year-overview plans.  I can also evaluate if a child is struggling somewhere or if something isn't working.  During those break weeks, I also decide how to divide up the history/lit/science plans I have over the 4 weeks and write out those plans.  This break week is great for gathering any supplies we might need for history or science, going to the library or ordering books to read, field trips, appointments, educational movies, or any other ways to solidify the learning we have just completed.  It gives my kids a chance to re-charge and process the previous 4 weeks, and it gives me a chance to get caught up on everything in my world.  This is by far one of my favorite homeschooling decisions.  Some people take a break after 5 or 6 weeks, but work it out over a real calendar. With Christmas break in the middle, you finish about the same time regardless.  4 weeks is about what it takes my kids to start acting like they need a break. I want them excited a learning at their peak.

I often use free resources like the ones you can find free on the Donna Young Printable website to create my lesson plans.  I love paperwork and organizing though.  You might not.  You might just want to create a simple word or excel document to lay out your plans. 

I don't keep grades until my kids enter high school, so I don't do a lot of record keeping for the younger grades, but I do keep their workplans and each month evaluate their progress.  See my post on high school to learn more about how I record keep for those years. 

This system works for me and makes my life easier with lots of kids and repeating grades every other year with a new kid.  I do not want to re-create the wheel.  In a couple of years, I will be to the point that I have grade level folders for all grades and I only have to re-evaluate for specific kids each year.  Almost there!