Organizing my HOD!

[MamaMary]

Now, I normally fly by the seat of my pants. I love that HOD allows that.., just open and GO! However, next year I will have a full load on my plate, so I am trying to prepare. I keep asking myself what I can do that will free up my time during the school year.

Let me tell you what I'm thinking about:

Using my plastic file box with the handle on top. I plan to put 34 files. (one for each week of Beyond) Inside each file I will put:

Spelling Words- I am using Start Write (in a large font) for the boys to practice their handwriting. I will type out 34 weeks worth of spelling words and place them in the file for the boys to trace and then they will cut them out and glue them to the index cards.

Copywork- Again using Start Write having them practicing their handwriting using their poetry.

Crafts or Activities- Putting any little items needed in a ziplock and then into the weekly file.

Grammar- Any Grammar activities I need to prepare for such as writing on index cards. Doing it ahead of time and placing under the week.

I go away the third week of June every year with 4 girlfriends. One of them has a riverhouse where we get away from computer, phones, TV and just bring our bibles and all our curriculum to spend the whole weekend planning out our year. This will be our 9th or 10th year doing it.

If you do something special to organize OR if you're thinking about it, share your idea's!

[inHistiming]

We will be using Bigger...next year with an 8 and 10 yo; using the extension pack for the older as well.

My plan is to write the spelling words on index cards ahead of time, too. DD has spent much time on Mondays waiting for me to do this so she can do her spelling!

I have also begun going through our books, and figuring out which reading level they are. Some have the level on the back already, and some I found at www.bookadventure.com. Does anyone have any other good ideas about how to find the reading level of a specific book? I still have several that are unknown.

I have already organized all of my HOD books on one shelf in our bookcase...ready to use next year.

We've bought some binders already, and page protectors, in preparation for the Science and History notebooking assignments.

I have a journal for each child that we may use for a nature book...I'm not sure.

I also have a binder for ds to use for his Igniting Your Writing assignments.

I bought a 12-volume set of the Audubon Nature Encyclopedia at our local library sale; $2.50 for the whole set! It was a half-price sale that day. I am even more excited about this because we will be reading about John Audubon next year in Bigger...!

I got two desks (free) at our local co-op for my older kids; they are the kind that the top lifts open. The kids can store their books in there. I couldn't pass them up! Now, maybe our dining table won't be quite as covered with 'stuff' every day?!

I put my Suggested Book List in a binder, inside page protectors, and it looks great. It is actually much easier to look at it that way! Thanks, Carrie, for offering this on the web site.

I attended an on-line convention with tons of speakers. I've been downloading the talks, and listening to them as I can. It was the best $ I've spent in a long time! I'm sure the ideas I get from these speakers will help breathe life into my homeschool.

I can't think of anything else right now. If I come up with any great ideas, I'll be back. I'm anxious to read everyone else's great organizarional tips!

[mom2boys030507]

I will be using Beyond and Little Hands next year.

I have all the books for Beyonds on one shelf with the Emerging Readers. Then I have all of our read alouds on another shell. I plan to make copies of the pages I need for Little Hands and put them in a file. When we finish up Little Hearts I will swap out the books in the School Room. I am also planning on writing out the spelling words on index cards and filing them in a Card box by week.

[inHistiming]

Bumping this up...because I can't wait to hear how everyone else does this, too!

[pjdobro]

Those sound like great ideas Mary! While you're at it, could you do one for me too? I would love to be organized like that!

[water2wine]

I enter the Bible verses into startwrite. We do the Bible verses for copywork more than poetry but will do some of the poetry too. I have my books organized and I did the mini library thing with categorizing by reading level and genre. I have gone through and linked some other character material by trait to Bigger. Just seemed like the perfect reason to finally use some things I had on the shelf. And then I have my current read aloud books and all the books we are currently using in the program in one wire basket. Other than that I have done nothing and proud of it. So far I find just having the books in one place and being able to find the actual program manual has really been all I have needed to make things run smoothly. I let Carrie worry about all the planing stuff. I just open and go. It already goes so smoothly I would be afraid to see what happened if I actually prepared. Hahaha!

ETA- Mary you know that I do love your organization and I am really just teasing right. I'm just fighting for my Betty buddy. Have I lost you over to the Olives?

[crlacey]

I try to look ahead for the week to get a feel for what we'll be doing. Sometimes I add in a craft on days that don't have one since my DD LOVES crafts. So we try to do them whenever we can since she seems to process the info so much better with a craft.
I also have all the LHFHG on it's won shelf with colored labels on the binding to make it easier to keep track of. (I do this with all the curriculum I have to keep it all straight.)

[happy@home]

I am still finding myself, but you ladies have some great ideas!

[joyfulheart]

MamaMary-- I LOVE your organization! I might have to "borrow" your method!

[SouthernMrs]

Hi Ladies,
I know I'm way behind in reading messages, but I just came across this old thread and had to ask a question or two!

I'm going through my Beyond manual now and trying to figure out what to use for the poem copywork, spelling copywork, and Grammar sentence that is to be copied. Are ya'll going to use individual handwriting paper for each lesson or are you going to get a composition book and just add to it for each copywork day?

Also, I do like the idea of having the spelling words pre-printed as I also struggle with getting them written out when needed. Can you print directly onto index cards from a computer? We use the BJU precursive for handwriting and I have that font on my computer. I would love to be able to print these out using the dashed lines.

This would work for the weekly Bible verse too! Hmmm... I've got to figure this out! LOL!

Oh, and MamaMary, you mentioned adding in the poems to StartWrite(?). Are you typing this out so it can be traced over? Sorry to ask, but I'm not familiar with the Startwrite program....

Any other organizing or Do Ahead tips that can be recommended for Beyond are very welcome! My health is not at peak at present and I'm trying to get anything I can do ahead done this summer when I have a good day.

Any help appreciated!
Thanks!
Charlene

[MamaMary]

Hi Ladies,


I'm going through my Beyond manual now and trying to figure out what to use for the poem copywork, spelling copywork, and Grammar sentence that is to be copied. Are ya'll going to use individual handwriting paper for each lesson or are you going to get a composition book and just add to it for each copywork day?

Hi Charlene, I use individual paper. Startwrite is a program where you type out what you want your child to trace and it prints as a handwriting page. We then throw them in page protectors. Next week I will add this to my week in review:D

Also, I do like the idea of having the spelling words pre-printed as I also struggle with getting them written out when needed. Can you print directly onto index cards from a computer?

I plan to print them in a large font in my Startwrite program, print then have my boys trace and cut. They then glue or tape them to their index cards. I have not started this yet

This would work for the weekly Bible verse too! Hmmm... I've got to figure this out! LOL!

Exactly!

Oh, and MamaMary, you mentioned adding in the poems to StartWrite(?). Are you typing this out so it can be traced over? Sorry to ask, but I'm not familiar with the Startwrite program....

Yes, I am keeping it simple in the beginning. Eventually I will leave a space under each line so they can trace the top line and then write on their own on the second line.

Any other organizing or Do Ahead tips that can be recommended for Beyond are very welcome! My health is not at peak at present and I'm trying to get anything I can do ahead done this summer when I have a good day.

Really you don't have to do any of the things I'm doing. It really is an open and go program. If I had to add anything it would be to add a sticky note with supplies for the hands on projects.

[SouthernMrs]

[SouthernMrs Quote] Also, I do like the idea of having the spelling words pre-printed as I also struggle with getting them written out when needed. Can you print directly onto index cards from a computer?

MamaMary wrote >>>>I plan to print them in a large font in my Startwrite program, print then have my boys trace and cut. They then glue or tape them to their index cards. I have not started this yet

This would work for the weekly Bible verse too! Hmmm... I've got to figure this out! LOL!

Hi MamaMary,
Thanks so much for the suggestion! I asked my dh about this and guess what?!? I have all of our Beyond spelling words printed directly onto the index cards now!! Yea!! I did it in WORD and all it required was to reset the type of paper to a custom size. I printed on blank 3x5 cards, so we're all set! Now I'll be working on the Bible verses.

I still have not decided about the poems yet. Whether to type them up with our BJU Precursive font or to just have ds write into a composition book. Last year it seemed like we were really drowning in loose papers (my dd is horrible at putting her things into her notebooks, but we're working on that!) and ds had phonics pages and math papers everywhere!
I'm hoping to cut down on the paper clutter this year.

I just wanted to pass along my success at your suggestion.
Thanks again!
Charlene

[water2wine]

[SouthernMrs Quote] Also, I do like the idea of having the spelling words pre-printed as I also struggle with getting them written out when needed. Can you print directly onto index cards from a computer?

MamaMary wrote >>>>I plan to print them in a large font in my Startwrite program, print then have my boys trace and cut. They then glue or tape them to their index cards. I have not started this yet

You can put them in Startwrite and print them on heavy card stock then if you have a paper cutter just cut them to cardstock size.

[MamaMary]

[SouthernMrs Quote] Also, I do like the idea of having the spelling words pre-printed as I also struggle with getting them written out when needed. Can you print directly onto index cards from a computer?

MamaMary wrote >>>>I plan to print them in a large font in my Startwrite program, print then have my boys trace and cut. They then glue or tape them to their index cards. I have not started this yet

You can put them in Startwrite and print them on heavy card stock then if you have a paper cutter just cut them to cardstock size.

Duh?! What in the world was I thinking? Thank you Brenda!

[water2wine]

Here are some other ones you can do that are the actual index cards that are printable on your computer. I found them in 3x5 and 4x6 size.
Here are printable index cards. That fit in them if you want to print spelling words on them etc. http://www.shoplet.com/office/db/ESS63504.html