keeping (part 2): school

HOMESCHOOL LOG

The process to develop my homeschool log took several years, and it has changed much in that time.  I had used assignment books and other planners, for both my children's assignments and my own plans.   I found the 2018 CMEC Summer Retreat , which I attended before our first year using the CMEC curriculum, to be incredibly helpful for working through some of the nitty gritty details. That first year, I used the CMEC's log book excel sheets for my log, formatted to my children's books and timetable.  I kept everything in a binder and tweaked it until I could envision it in a notebook.  The next year I transitioned to a notebook, but I still had to fiddle with the formatting until I settled on this version.  I really like the A4 sized French ruled notebooks that I got here.  There are several sections:

Attendance (only because our state requires a record)

Term Logs, where I record what we actually accomplish.

Weekly Record

The list at the top is most helpful during the first few weeks of a new term.  Each book or lesson I'll need to pre-read or account for is there.  Once the term is going, I can generally refer to the previous week's spread to keep me on track.  Also on the double spread are spaces for our morning meeting pre-reads, for lists of things I'll need to do before lessons (print outs, etc.) and for reflections or questions that come up in the course of the week.

There are sections for term reflections, where I record my children's growth, what worked, and what didn't; form meetings, which the CMEC holds virtually each term (and had done so before the pandemic); and planning and ideas.

NARRATION LOG

I record (on my phone) and then write T and G's oral narrations into separate notebooks, in addition to the notebooks that they keep for themselves.  They really enjoy looking back on their schoolwork over the years.  I do, too!  I've seen so much long term growth, that it has been worth the time and effort. 

FORM NARRATION NOTEBOOKS

In order to inspire my students, I sporadically make entries into notebooks alongside them.  Sometimes a child's reluctance transforms into industry if we work together, but not always.  I have one particularly stubborn student who refuses to narrate occasionally, no matter what I do!  My notebooks.  The kids' notebooks (and I really can't say enough wonderful things about the Riverbend Press notebooks!  They're very high quality.  We go through about two narration notebooks per year.)

Form 1A Lower

Form 2A Lower

NATURE JOURNAL

When people hear "Charlotte Mason" one of the first things that springs to mind is the nature journal.  After several years of working in the same soft-cover, large format, inexpensive journals, I purchased these nicer, hardcover notebooks.  The paper is perfect for brushdrawing and sketching, but here's where I confess that I don't do much of that in the field or from life.  I need a table and silence (and a still subject) to get the results that my perfectionist heart craves.

Finally, something new for next year--a pre-reading notebook.  I have long admired Celeste Cruz's notebooks (How does she get them to look so beautiful?).  Quite a lot of trial and error goes into my own to make them remotely organized and useful, let alone share-worthy.  In previous years, I pre-read weekly, which got to be a slog come February, or fell by the wayside when our evenings became full during Lent.  In short, it was a source of weekly stress and dread.  Last summer, I pre-read the entire first term at once and recorded my lesson plans, etc in my log book.  That helped immensely with the first term, but I ran into trouble if we skipped a lesson, took longer than expected on a reading, or switched books.  For Terms 2 and 3 this year, I tucked a folded piece of paper into each book for recording lesson thoughts, and pre-read each book, a term at a time, during my breakfast reading time.  I would then transfer my notes into my large log book on a weekly basis.  Very flexible, but I am annoyed at all the paper floating around!  

Now that I've worked out a pre-reading system, and know approximately how much paper each book needs.  I feel a little more confident of being able to record it all in a notebook (and be satisfied with it). :)