What We Do All Day- Homeschool Record Keeping: FREE DAILY TRACKING PRINTABLE

TRACKING YOUR HOMESCHOOL DAYS...

As I get deeper into this adventure of homeschooling my children, one of the dilemmas and challenges I have faced has been around how to record and what to record of what we do everyday. Here in South Australia we do have some government requirements, but I am not required to show what we did every day. However, as an eclectic homeschooler and also a Montessori inspired homeschooler I felt I needed some way to keep track of the work we’ve done- both for me to keep track of where we’re up to and to have a way to prove that I am educating my children if I ever needed to defend myself (unlikely, but I feel more secure this way). Also I felt I needed a place to make observations about my children and notes about learning gaps and needs and interests. But I NEED this all together in one place.

TRYING DIFFERENT METHODS

First I just tried a small spiral notebook, but I found this messy and although it worked for noting my observations, didn’t have space to record future lesson plans and it just felt a bit too unstructured to me. Next, I started using Montessori Nature Homeschool Planner pages--Overall I liked this method for recording. It was beautiful and easy to use. I would print out the Preschool Planning Sheet and have it on a clipboard and scribble down what each child achieved for the day and any notes I had as we worked,  but I found particularly some days, I didn’t even fill up a quarter of it. It was just too big, I felt guilty for wasting paper and printer ink. And then the biggest problem was the piles of filled in sheets that didn’t quite make it into the binder until I got around to it (And who knows when that will be!). Then these papers would potentially get lost and mixed up and the whole reason I was recording in the first place was nonexistent. I think the Montessori Nature planner would work fantastically for someone  who likes keeping electronic records. I love that the planner is editable so you can adjust it to what you need, but recording things electronically just doesn’t work for me, so I needed a different option.

MY DAILY TRACKING SOLUTION

I spent a bit of time thinking about what I actually wanted. I needed a place to write down the date, any plans for the day, records of what we did each day,  a place for observations for each child and notes on any plans for tomorrow or the future. Most importantly I needed it in one place and small enough that it was easy to access and actually use. What I’ve arrived at is What We Do All Day: Homeschool Records and Notes. 

So far this little record book has been working for me. I find I mostly use the “What we did today” section, but I do find the observation squares helpful and the “What’s next?” sections are useful on days when I’m thinking ahead. It also prompts me to think ahead, which is priceless. I haven’t found myself using the planning squares  much as I have found I usually write any plans on my household week at a glance sheet (From the Montessori Nature Planner, Weekly Teacher Plan 2 Page Spread) on Sunday when I try to plan the week ahead. I’ve decided to leave the planning area in my new record book though, however, in the hope that one day I’ll actually plan a bit more carefully. Mostly I find having the smaller pages bound together in small book has been the most helpful as it is all in one place and not as overwhelming for my brain.


YOU CAN TRY IT TOO!

 If you’d like to try my What We Do All Day: Homeschool Record and Notes book, I am giving it to you for free.What We Do All Day- Daily Pages PDF I’ve added a few extra helpful pages.What We Do All Day- Extras PDF Print off as many as you need of each page. Print pages double sided so it turns into a book. I would print a goal sheet for each student and enough “What we did today” pages to get you through your school year. Be aware this is in a "booklet" form when you are printing pages. Let me know if you have any suggestions for additional pages or elements that you think would help make it easier for your family to use. 

I recommend printing and then binding with some type of spiral edge at Officeworks for ease of use, or you could just staple it together. This what I have done at this point to save money, but I would like to consider a more professional binding for future years. 

However you plan and record your daily homeschool happening, I hope you remember the many fun activities and work that you’ve done and that you are able to see the incredible progress that your kiddos are making as they grow and learn. If you do choose to try my record system, please share, and I hope it will be a blessing to your homeschool. :)


Happy homeschooling and record keeping!

 



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