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Homeschool Organization – Preschool/Kindergarten Free Morning Routine Flip Cards

June 6, 2015 | 14 Comments
This post may contain affiliate links. For more information, please see my full disclosure policy.

Homeschool Organization

Homeschool organization is something that should be fun. Even the sweetest littlest homeschooler deserves fun and cool organizing tools. Look at my other tips for how to homeschool kindergarten.

And this is one organizing tool that I wished I had when my boys were in the preschool and Kindergarten years.

It is only after training them that I can look back and see what would have worked and teaching homeschool organization starts from the very beginning.

Guess what? You get the benefit of what I know now and I am so excited to share these morning routine flip cards.

Mr. Senior 2013 following his rouinte @ Tina's Dynamic Homeschool Plus. Homeschool Organization - Preschool/Kindergarten Free Morning Routine Flip Cards

{I surprised Mr. Senior 2013 as I caught him following his routine and hanging up his shirt. He was 3 years old here.}

The printable is based off the chore or routine that my boys did or that I was training them to do.

Too, I moved away from calling them a chore chart because it was more of training my boys to follow a routine.

I wanted them to see what came next in the morning and learn to follow it.

Though I used many chore charts on the wall, a flip card on an “O” ring was a much better idea because they flipped the card as they were finished and were ready for the next day.

Hang the O ring cards on a hook in their room and not much wall space is required.

Homeschool Organization Preschool Morning Routine @ Tina's Dynamic Homeschool Plus

23 Things that can be included in the Morning Routine for a Preschooler or Kindergartener

Look at these things that a preschooler or Kindergartener can do to help around the house and create a routine too.

It’s the best way to start teaching homeschool organization. This is the age that most kids love to learn new things and want to help you around the house.

Again, all of these are based off my chore charts I created through the years and I have added my list here for you.

make their bed
toilet paper call or refill the toilet paper roll or add more underneath the cabinet
get ready for the Bible read aloud
hang their clothes up
water the plants
computer time
feed the dog/pets
practice or listen to music
brush their teeth
empty trash baskets
fold their clothes and put away in the drawer
eat breakfast
put their books away in their bookshelf
put their toys away
sweep
set the table
take their dirty clothes to the laundry room on wash day
fold clothes
help wash dishes or work outside
change out the hand towel in the bathrooms
dusting
unload part of the dishwasher
wipe down counters, walls and/or baseboards

With all this being said, I did make the mistake of making my list too big each day.

I learned that 5 things to do each day was enough to help train my boys.

So I created these flip cards with only five spaces on each day.

Creating Routine Flip Cards for the Littlest Homeschooler

Here is how to use them:

I created 2 sets of flip cards so that the days can be mixed and matched for more than one child.
There are 7 days with the names of the days of the weeks.
At the top of the card for each day is a happy face for them to mark off if they completed the routine. There is a sad face too but hopefully you won’t need to use that picture.
There are two pages of pictures for you to cut out and glue on the correct day.

One reason I didn’t add the pictures to the flip cards is because the routine changes each day.

Also, when my boys were that young and ready to climb in my lap, we would read aloud first.

Bed making didn’t come until after they ate breakfast and brushed their teeth.

Each child is different and your routine is different from mine because you know your child.

So you choose which 5 things that you want your child to do each day. One day they may begin with watering the plants and the next day you may want them to take their laundry to the laundry room on wash day.

After you print out how many of each page that you need, glue them on each day of the week and laminate it.
Then punch a hole and put it on a O ring. The beauty of this is too that your child can hold it and walk around with it. Then flip it to the next day and they are ready for the routine of the next day.

This is what I have found ideal after I trained my boys and it is what I would have preferred.

I was only able to do this with my last son but then again, my printable skills were not so hot then, but I still created it.

I hope you can use the printable I have now made and will enjoy many years using them.

Download the free printable routine flip cards here.

Hugs and love ya,

Also, check out:

Free Homeschool Curriculum Cover – Purple Haze Color

May 11, 2015 | 8 Comments
This post may contain affiliate links. For more information, please see my full disclosure policy.

Each year, I am determined to continue to add free options to the 7 Step Homeschool Planner for free homeschool curriculum covers.

Too, I always have my favorite colors each year, but realized I haven’t added any purple covers luv lately. It is one of my favorite colors and I want to give you more options for when you have a purple haze moment.

So today, I have the free homeschool curriculum cover, purple haze color.

Curriculum Pages for Planner

Also, because I am determined to keep your planner unique looking each year, I try to keep the homeschool planner covers in multiple colors of the same shade.

I will be adding more purple luv as I go along.

Download purple haze free homeschool planner cover here.

Remember, I do my 7 Step Homeschool Planner for YOU and for ME and I always take requests.

If you have a color mood and don’t see the color you are wanting this year, you can always recommend it.

Though I am not always sure I can do it, I will sure try though I do like to take my time with each form.

I hope you like the new color.

If you want to start building your free 7 STEP HOMESCHOOL PLANNER, look at the step below to get cranking one out.

Step 1. Choose a Pretty Front/Back Cover
Step. 2. Choose Calendars/Appointment Keepers
Step 3. Choose Goals/Objectives
Step 4. Choose Lesson Planning Pages Right For You!
Step 5a. Choose Unique forms JUST for You!
Step 5b. Choose MORE Unique Forms JUST for You!
Step 5c. Choose MORE MORE Unique Forms Just for You!
Step 6. Personalize It
Step 7. Bind it! Love it!

Homeschool Lesson Planning Pages – Glam Update!

April 28, 2015 | 10 Comments
This post may contain affiliate links. For more information, please see my full disclosure policy.

I am so excited about the new fabulous look for the homeschool lesson planning pages that I have been working on.

I just had to give you a sneak peek of what I will be releasing soon if you are preparing to make your homeschool planner.

It has been quite a few years since I used my original classic layout and it has been great for many years.

Too, I have been wanting to update my original classic look for a while. However, during the years I had so many other forms I needed like for high school and other subjects that I had to put this on my long term goal list.

I am tickled to be able to tackle this project this year.

A few updates to the original classic are:

It will all now be in color. Oh yes, yippee.
I have spaced the writing lines more evenly.
Too, I have added columns to the content area in case you want to break down and jot your notes for each subject in a more organized way.
I left a space at the bottom for notes in case you wanted to expand on one subject or if you just wanted to jot down some comments.
At the top right, I added 4 boxes that can be used for a quick list or for a to-do column. In addition, if you live in a place that requires more stringent record keeping, the columns allow for you to track by weeks.
At the far right at the top, I kept the lesson number but made them bigger.
Also, every 5 lesson plans, I changed the color of the Lesson Plan Numbers so that you could easily see when you covered a typical school week of 5 days.
Under Lesson Plan, I put a space for the date if you want to pen it in.

A few things I did not change because they have worked timelessly over the years are:

It is still ONE lesson per PAGE planner. I do not care for weekly planners that take up one or two pages when I need more room to write. Weekly planners have their place, but in homeschooling, I find we need more room.
It is still undated. This means it will be a ONE time purchase.
Too, you are never behind on an undated planner because you school the days that fit your family. Just fill in the dates as you go.
It still has a space to use with 3 kids. Again, not because I only like three kids, but that seems to fit the space best. Remember, if you have younger children, you can easily divide off the sections to include them. The workload will vary with the ages of your children, so two children could easily share one space.
The basic subjects that are the same year after year are filled in too.

I will be offering it as a package, which means I have some other goodies that will come with it.

I hope to have it ready by next month as I really dawdle when I make forms because I want them to be not only beautiful but powerful to use.

I can’t wait to share it with you.

Hugs and love ya,

The Dos and Don’ts of Homeschool Objectives

April 27, 2015 | 3 Comments
This post may contain affiliate links. For more information, please see my full disclosure policy.

Knowing the dos and don’ts of homeschool objectives boosts your teaching ability. Also, look at my page The Dynamics of How to Homeschool Easily and Smarter for more tips.

Homeschooling objectives for me have never really been about meeting the legalities of homeschooling but it has been about plotting a course.

Today, in the dos and don’ts of homeschooling objectives, I am using my homeschool objectives for fourth grade writing to show you what I did one year.

The Dos and Don'ts of Homeschool Objectives @ Tina's Dynamic Homeschool Plus

Before I do that though, I want you to understand that unlike the pressure the educational world puts on public school teachers, we do not have to use complicated language or try to mimic some fancy formula.

You need breathing room to plan for your own unique family and not some institution.

Too, arming you with details are important in helping you to move forward.

Key to understanding objectives is knowing how they relate to goals.

Goals and objectives are two different things though similar in purpose. They both chart a course.

Goals are general plans. However, objectives are clear steps to reaching a goal and are more specific when you need them.

Look at my copy of my objectives for Mr. Senior 2013 when he was in fourth grade.

4th Grade Writing Objectives in Homeschool @ Tina's Dynamic Homeschool Plus

First, I didn’t have my 7 step homeschool planner that I do now with useful forms so I kept a black hardbound book and wrote my specific objectives in it.

Too, I wrote a few personal notes on it about my oldest son’s writing and because I am not looking to embarrass my son when showing you my work, I whited out a few spots.

Look at my dos of homeschool objectives:

Do list your overall goal. My goal was to have him write 3 paragraphs by the end of the year.
Do be specific to list the time allowed. I would allow 40 minutes for writing each day.
Do list the specific outline or steps to accomplish the objective. I noted what I knew then as the 4 stage process of writing.
Do list things to remind you of what not to do. I wanted to strengthen his writing skills and hone in on changing his sentence variety that year by encouraging him to not always use “I” to start a sentence. Varying topic sentences was another point to focus on for the year.
Do list what will be new that year. I was going to try out a planner or graphic organizer that year.
Do list your resources or curriculum help. I was using several resources at the time, but there were some writing examples in Rod and Staff that were more significant to me to follow that year. This was part of my action plan to getting my objective accomplished.
Do list other helps you will create or find to accomplish the objective. I created a checklist for him to check his writing.
Do individualize the objectives for your kids and for the year.

MORE FOURTH GRADE HOMESCHOOL CURRICULUM ACTIVITIES

Look at my don’ts of homeschool objectives:

Don’t try to follow public school by using educationalese.
Don’t worry about it being right or wrong from a public school point of view, grade or age. It is right because it is the road map for your child.
Don’t try to be too specific if you don’t need to be. I only used my 4th grade writing objectives because I was very specific and wanted to show you a detailed list.

Goals and objectives can quickly become intertwined in homeschooling and that is okay.

Sometimes, you just don’t need such a specific plan.

Just remember the main difference between general goals and homeschool objectives is that objectives have 2 parts to them to make them more specific.

The first part is explaining what will be accomplished for that term, which could be a semester or year and the second part is explaining how it will be done.

If you were writing objectives, for example, about history and wanted to keep them general, look at this one.

To introduce and become familiar with the world of Ancient Civilization. This will be done through hands-on activities, role playing, timelines, making time period recipes, lapbooking and living books.

Again, noting what I was going to do and how I will accomplish it was all that I needed that one year.

Even simple objectives are meaningful and significant.

The dos and don’ts of homeschooling objectives are making them fit your use for whatever school term you need.

Do you find drafting homeschool objectives an easy part of homeschool planning?

Also, look at how homeschool objectives can easily be made for unit studies too.

6 Ways to Organize Your Homeschooled High School Teen

April 17, 2015 | 7 Comments
This post may contain affiliate links. For more information, please see my full disclosure policy.

Organization is not something we should just learn our self, but it’s a blessing we need to pass on to our homeschooled high school teen.

6 Ways to Organize Your Homeschooled High School Teen @ Tina's Dynamic Homeschool Plus

Look at these 6 ways to organize your homeschooled high school teen.

1. Dedicated space.

Source: PBteen

There is nothing more important to helping your teen stay organized than having a place for “it all”.

From the time they start learning to drive until the time they graduate, they have a mounting amount of things to take up their space.

Like you, they too need to know that when they put something away, somebody else will not move it.
Having both a dedicated space to store their items and to study at will help them to learn to manage their space.

2. Coloring is for High School.

If you have a teen that loves to organize, then something that makes a young organizer get giddy is a not only a new set of high lighters, but a color coordinating system.

I allow high lighting in books at any level if it will help my boys retain their information.
Yes, I know the book won’t have any resale value, but I am foremost concerned with teaching my boys a method to study.
They are all visual learners and so having an easy system for remembering new words and key points when studying is one I encourage.
Finding answers to questions happens when the answer is highlighted or underlined.
Too help them develop a code for each color.
For example, we used green for new words, then reviewing material becomes a snap.

3. Written or Digital Planner.

Though I love techie things, I found that having a paper planner or just even a daily checklist if a planner sounds cumbersome to a teen was a better fit for us than a digital device.

Student Planner 15 min increments editable 1

Student Planner 15 min increments editable 2

(2 Page View for the Student Planner – Tracking in 15 minute increments.)

I managed my boys’ time on line and because being on the internet was something they could not do in private, we found it easier to manage their time through easy paper checklists.

4. Subject Balance.

Taking their notebooks, planners or checklists with them in their bedrooms gave my kids time to look over what they actually did versus what we planned.
Like us, they can over plan.
Learning to balance the time they spend on each subject is critical to keeping the flow to their day balance.
High school is the time to learn to organize subjects differently.
For example, like a lot of college or upper level subjects, they may tackle one or two subjects intensely and then move on to others.
What matters is what is accomplished at the end of a semester or at the end of however your track a school term.
Let them try different approaches to organizing the approach they take to school subjects while they live with you.
That is the time to see whether a creative idea works or not.

5. Paper Management.

Mr. Senior 2013 came up with his own system of managing pages for assignments for the week.
Actually, it was a perfect example of how our children will model our behavior if we put forth a bit of effort.
He adopted a system I had used for years, which was pulling the pages out of a workbook or printing them off for the week from the internet and placing them in an organized bin.

Homeschool High School Student Organization @ Tina's Dynamic Homeschool Plus

One of the reasons I fell in love with this system was that it showed my kids what was expected each week and they could get started quickly without waiting on me to present their work to them for the day.
Nowadays, they call it a workbox system, but I still love organized bins that hold weekly assignments.
They are super compact if you are short on space and everybody can access them and see what is expected each week.

6. Supplies Matter.

Get your teen excited about an organized lifestyle by providing them with cool supplies.

Whether you’re starting a new school year or want to get your teen excited about organizing, sleek and snazzy supplies can infuse a crush for organizing.
One or two snazzy pieces to organize their supplies will give them a kick start to organizing.
In a world that teaches that we constantly need more of everything to be happy, our teens will be faced with the same decisions about trying to keep their lives clutter free.
Organize your homeschooled high school student now because organizing chaos never worked.
Organization at the high school level is not only the beginning to successfully learning how to follow a workable schedule but to mastering the skills needed for savoring life.

What about you? How do you organize your teen for high school?