The Hillbilly Homeschool Scheduler

Everybody needs organization, especially homeschooling families. I made the mistake a few weeks ago of listening to some more seasoned homeschool moms who obviously do not have ADHD, and tried to get myself organized their way. While I was on my semi-annual homeschool spending spree, I did something dumb: I bought a heavily detailed, though very pretty to look at, day-planner. Maybe this isn’t a dumb move for everybody, but for someone who is as, uh, free-spirited as I am, this was really an inexplicable purchase. I’ve never met an organizer that liked me back, no matter how in love with it I was.

I need flexibility. I need to not have to search through pages and pages of lists and calendars to figure out what’s next on the agenda.  I need randomness! So, after thumbing through this horrid planner for a few minutes I realized: I’m going to hate this! Too much planning, too many blocks of time to account for, too many different lists! Twenty bucks, right down the drain. All I got out of that planner was a few pages of shopping lists and chore cards that will be nice to have, though completely un-necessary. I’m going to be kicking myself for a long time over this one!

Taking into account what I do need, I realized there’s an easier way for me, and I never have to erase another poorly planned block of time again! You know those annoying refrigerator magnets that come in the mail, advertising a take-out restaurant, lawyer, or doctor’s office? Don’t throw those away! I’ve been saving mine for ages, just because I knew they had to be useful for something. I’m not a pack-rat, but I know a good thing when I see it! Finally, all that hoarding has paid off.

I used about half of my saved advertising magnets to make a Week-at-a-Glance calendar for our refrigerator. I made a tile for every activity or subject that I plan to cover. If we need to cover a subject three times per week, I have three tiles for that subject. That way I can move things around until they suit me, and if something doesn’t work out, I don’t have to feel bad because my beautiful time-plan didn’t go as expected. I can just move it and pretend that’s what I meant to do.

I’ll use the other half of my stash of magnets and our label-maker to make a prettier schedule if this works out the way I’m hoping it will. Look what a neat thing to have! This is our “plan” for next week. (My lesson plans go in a plain old spiral notebook. I do plan lessons–right down to the teacher’s script. No unschooling in this house, ever!)

I suppose I could just buy one of those fancy-schmancy pre-made magnet boards, but a) they’re expensive and b) they’re never exactly what I need them to be. I’m sure better mamas than I could make this beautiful, as well as functional, but I’ve never been very good that way. Until someone teaches me how to be all crafty and stuff, I’ll just have to go with the hillbilly version of homeschool scheduling. What do you think? Anybody else here just die a little inside if you feel like you’re on a rigid schedule, or am I weird?

I’ll let you guys know how it goes, and post updated pictures when I have a neater version of it!