Spiral Planner 2011-2012

I thought I would share with you my new planner for the 2011-2012 school year. I've shared many times about my planners and the transformation that's occurred with them. I even shared over at Heart of the Matter and my spiral planner has gotten some response over there. Now I suppose folks wonder if the plain spiral really has lasting power. It does! And I'm so pleased with it, I think I'll use them for my kids' assignment books in the future. More on that later. I did add a few things this year- things I wanted to be able to refer to as I planned more than anything else. I'll let the pictures explain.

My custom made cover- added to my statement about experiencing the extraordinary (usually in my signature on things I write at Heart of the Matter, etc). We like the everyday as well. Few paper & ribbon embellishments, printed on cardstock and laminated.

Inside cover has some clever thoughts from a few places including Simple Homeschool.

Here's our weekly routine. I adjusted it from last year's. This used to be taped into the front of my spiral.

From the Five in a Row Planner- just one page for my school calendar. We like to go from August to May.

These are from the 2009 Old Schoolhouse Planner when I was on the Crew. I will fill these in with unit studies for each month- a little long range planning option.

Composers List- again not really a form but a way to remember who to plan in since it's not a formal curriculum.

Same for artists- we have a slot in our day that rotates between art and music study, Latin, and nature study.

I made a list of the math concept targets for each of my three youngest kids- from the Math on the Level concept list. This way I can be sure and hit these over the year. Since I don't use a text with an order and scope and sequence, this puts everything in one place.

I typed up a list of math resources we own so I'd remember to use them as I plan out our MOTL lessons! Genius. We've been enjoying Family Math this week.

First day of school- see where I wrote the note about the Curiosity Shelf...in the margin?

Lesson pages- just a listing of who is doing what for each subject. I check what we finish and put an X by what we don't. I pick up the X tasks and add them to the next day. Yes...things get messy. I'm ok with that. Ultimately, what has a check was completed.

Sometimes I jot down ideas I see on the web- who needs Pinterest?

The other night when I finished binding it, I was so excited I thought sleep might not come! Dan didn't see the magic- "You made a spiral", he said. What is there not to get? This was a moment of office supply greatness! Is there an end to the possibilities when you can make a spiral and undo it if you mess up? I don't think so! I was even able to transfer over the pages I'd already started in a store bought spiral. It's all neat and tidy and there will be no blank boxes haunting me.I really cannot handle the unused boxes found in a typical planner and it does remind me that even when I taught public school I made my own planning pages. Interesting I'm just remembering that! How could I have forgotten, given that I am a planner and had immaculate lesson plans back in the day? I suppose I could take it a step further and make a simple form with the headings and breakdowns I use on them- just initials and subject names. Nah...that takes away from its simplicity.

Experience planning freedom! Go spiral!