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Jen Merckling

life.unimaginable

Get Organized — Homeschool Planner

(This post contains affiliate links. Read my full disclosure.)
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After 14 years, I've learned some simple tips for getting my home and homeschool organized, and I've created a planner to help you get organized too!

Today I’m sharing tools and the Homeschool Planner I created to help get me organized!  My hope is this comprehensive planner will help you tackle your own “to-do,” lists and help keep your homeschool planning simple, flexible, and organized!

Organization and Mental Health

For me—keeping organized is a big part of healthy living.  I’m prone to anxiety.  Also prone to stuffing things in drawers and closets! (Sort of a vicious cycle!)  But the less clutter—the more peace I feel.  So because it’s not my nature to be organized, I have to be intentional about my habits at home.

Establishing Housekeeping Habits

I go to the FlyLady for help—I’d be such a mess without her!  Her help and plans are totally FREE!  She will help you too—don’t get overwhelmed by all her website has to offer.  Start at the beginning, and jump in where you are!! (And as she always says, “You can do anything for 15 minutes!”)

I’ve been applying the FlyLady’s philosophy for nearly 15 years.  And for me, her system boils down to four basic daily chores… (HERE’S a post with more details about what I do and how to get started!)

1) Keeping the kitchen sink clean

2) Making my bed

3) Doing a load of laundry every day

4) Cleaning one bathroom daily (just wiping things down)

In addition, I try to follow her advice to tidy-up “hot spots,” for 15 minutes a day, and do a once a week “home blessing.” (AKA—dusting, vacuuming, windows, etc…for one hour.)
Here’s a peek at the printables I’ve created to help me work on those basic habits:

After 14 years, I've learned some simple tips for getting my home and homeschool organized, and I've created a planner to help you get organized too! This my Chore Chart!After 14 years, I've learned some simple tips for getting my home and homeschool organized, and I've created a planner to help you get organized too! Here's my Dinner Planning Guide!

After 14 years, I've learned some simple tips for getting my home and homeschool organized, and I've created a planner to help you get organized too! Here's my Grocery List Planning Page!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Utilize Lists and Your Calendar

Lists also do wonders for my mental health—decluttering my mind!  With 6 kids—my life would be a complete hot mess without utilizing my calendar and lists.

My husband spent about three years trying to convince me to use our computer’s calendar (which is synced with my phone calendar)…I wasn’t having any of it.  I just wanted my paper calendar—leave me alone!

But finally I caved and went digital.  Honestly, I don’t think we could manage without having the online calendar…If you haven’t tried it yet—I highly suggest you give it a go!  My favorite benefit—because it’s a shared calendar, my husband now has a clue about what’s going on around here!

Keep It Simple

So if you’re like me and organization isn’t second nature to you…I say keep it simple!  There is no way I could work within a complicated organization system.  Over the years I’ve come up with a simple way to organize my thoughts—and multiple to-do lists.  I like to keep it all on one page, and my planner comes with 8 seasonal style options!

After 14 years, I've learned some simple tips for getting my home and homeschool organized, and I've created a planner to help you get organized too!After 14 years, I've learned some simple tips for getting my home and homeschool organized, and I've created a planner to help you get organized too!After 14 years, I've learned some simple tips for getting my home and homeschool organized, and I've created a planner to help you get organized too!

 

 

 

 

 

 

Getting Your Homeschool Organized

After homeschooling for 14 years…sometimes I find myself flying by the seat of my pants.  Which is fine every once in a while (trust me—classroom teachers spend plenty of days winging it too). But really, I feel so much more effective and ready for the day when I utilize lesson plans.  Here are some of my favorite lesson planning tools…

For Pre-School and Primary Grades, I truly believe the main focus should be Reading (with Writing incorporated) and Math.  Everything else is icing on the cake!  Science and History can easily be integrated in gentle ways that connect to what your child is already excited and curious about!  Currently I’m using this planning sheet for my Kindergarten son (there are two different styles):

After 14 years, I've learned some simple tips for getting my home and homeschool organized, and I've created a planner to help you get organized too! Here is my Pre-K through 2nd Grade Lesson Planning Page!

For Upper Elementary and Middle School, I like a more comprehensive lesson plan—and one that begins to teach kids to be more independent and take more ownership of their work (read this post to see how that looks for my middle school daughter).  I’ve been using this style of planner for many years:After 14 years, I've learned some simple tips for getting my home and homeschool organized, and I've created a planner to help you get organized too! Here is my Lesson Planning Page!

And of course…most weeks things don’t go exactly as planned!  I’ve got a great planning/journaling sheet that helps me record what we actually did, along with any notes about student learning I want to be mindful of and document.  This would also be a great planning and record keeping page for families utilizing an unschooling approach to their homeschool!After 14 years, I've learned some simple tips for getting my home and homeschool organized, and I've created a planner to help you get organized too! Here is my Learning Journal Planning Page!

You can grab all the planning pages we just talked about—plus more (27 total pages) to keep your home and school running as smoothly and simply as possible!
Subscribe here to get your instant download and get printing!

Free Planner When You Join the Jen Merckling Newsletter

FREE HOME+SCHOOL PLANNER! Subscribe today and recieve 27 pages: lesson planning, home organization, lists, and more!

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Here’s to planning and getting organized!

With Love,

Jen xo

P.S. You might also LOVE my extended planner & calendar!  It has even more helpful planning pages…Especially made for Homeschool Moms & available in MY SHOP!

After 14 years, I've learned some simple tips for getting my home and homeschool organized, and I've created a planner to help you get organized too!

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Filed Under: Encouragement, Family, Homeschooling, Lifestyle, Organization Tagged With: Affiliate, get organized, homeschool planner, Simple Habits

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Hello! Welcome--I'm Jen! I've got 6 kiddos (including sweet twins) --lots of laundry and always dirty dishes! I've been Jason's wife for 26 years, a mommy for 24 years, and a homeschooler for 20+ years...I'd love to be friends. ♡

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This is the loveliest book…💗🪶🪺 Perfect This is the loveliest book…💗🪶🪺
Perfect for the changing seasons, bird lovers, & a bit of history!! 
(Thanks to @readaloudrevival for the recommendation!) 🥰
We can be reluctant to "count" activities that did We can be reluctant to "count" activities that didn't come in our packaged curriculum as "school". 

❤️But so much counts...(I think it may all count??)

(I honestly have a hard time trying to think of activities that don't count as education!)

🎨Here's just a few: swimming, ballet, soccer practice, nature walk, going to the playground, coloring, cutting, video games, reading books together, cooking, chores, dress-up, video creation, poetry writing, imaginary play, documentaries, vacations, the grocery story, Sunday School, camp, museums, legos, collections, lunch with friends, planning a party, and the list goes on & on...

 👀 Watch for the learning that is happening all around you! 

🌻Life is an amazing teacher & there is so much to learn! Our kids know that instinctively--we can trust them to be curious. We can become curious again...
I like to start the year with Language Arts lesson I like to start the year with Language Arts lessons, Math, & one other subject...

(And Language Arts can have lots of parts--so I gradually add in pieces as we gain some confidence in our routine.)

It's okay if you don't have it all figured out on day one, week one, or even month one! Give yourself time to get comfortable with your curriculum.

When I taught elementary school--we spent so much time just going over routines that first week of school! But in homeschooling--we can just bypass all that... 

🥳(Yay for freedom to potty & snack when want--and no thanks to practicing how to "line-up" for 20 minutes)! 

Even once our routine is established--we RARELY do all subjects every day at my house. 

🔥Breaking free from traditional school is more than the leap into homeschooling...It's also breaking free from our ideas of what education looks like, where & how it happens, & how much time formal instruction takes. 

It takes time to make that paradigm shift--give yourself grace as you grow with your kiddos!
Please don't feel like you have to complete lesson Please don't feel like you have to complete lessons in your curriculum exactly as they are written...

You are the boss of your curriculum--make it work for you! 

Sometimes we doubt ourselves (and sometimes fear messing up this huge thing--our children's education)! We trust that the experts who have written the curriculum know  best & therefore  we must follow it perfectly...like a recipe for perfect education. 

But remember...often the best way to cook is to look over the recipe & then make adjustments to fit your personal tastes & needs! 

The same can be said of curriculum!  Use it as a guide--a help...But trust your gut! If your child is struggling & done--it's okay to stop for the day! 

It's okay to skip lessons, skip sections, skip problems--you know your child. You know what they need & you know their limits! 

Enjoy the process & create a beautiful education & life with your kiddos!
This Week in my Homeschool Lesson Planner… FAQ This Week in my Homeschool Lesson Planner… 

FAQ: How do I use the blank weekly list pages? 

💗🤓So I love making lists! In addition to the blank lesson planning spread, I included weekly planning pages that give an overview for the week & all my lists! This week my own plans included meal ideas, work projects, & subjects/actives for my kids to loop through—like copywork & music!
 
#homeschoolplanning #homeschoolmom
I've created a Homeschool Lesson Planner perfect f I've created a Homeschool Lesson Planner perfect for planning, organizing, & building consistency! 

12 Months, 52 Weeks Undated Large Monthly Calendar & Weekly Planning Spread--Start when you want & plenty of room for personal & homeschool needs! 

Link in Bio!
#homeschoolplanning #homeschoolmom #homeschoollifestyle #homeschoolplanner #organizedhomeschool

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