Once our curricula choices were made, I had to plan out how we were going to use them. To lay out our weeks, I use Google Calendar. I started using this a couple years ago, and it fits all my needs perfectly. I like that I have access to the calendar anywhere as I have it on my phone and PC. I can also give anyone I want access to it, so my husband can always check to see what the plan is for the week. Changing plans is also a cinch. Just drag and drop things to different days/weeks.
I made a specific calendar for our homeschool plans. That way our homeschool plans don't get mixed in with all the other things going on (like church activities). I copy some events from our family calendar to the homeschool calendar if it's necessary for planning purposes (like Holy Days). I number each week and mark off any days that we know we won't be schooling (Thanksgiving, Holy Days, Dad's days off, etc).
For each curriculum, I create an event - either by the day or the week, depending on how detailed the planning is - and type in the chapter/unit title. In the details page, I change it's color (if desired) and type in any extra information I need to know for that plan. In history, I'll add in the books I plan to reserve from the library, websites we'll use and/or movies we'll watch. The details in science include the experiment names and the supplies needed.
I usually do this for 6-8 weeks at a time for each subject. It takes a bit of work, but most of the curriculum I use doesn't need a lot of planning. Most of it is done by the week, as we focus more on a routine than a detailed schedule. Any curriculum that is open and go and doesn't need advanced prep work I don't put on the calendar. This simplifies the process a lot more.
Google Calendar really gives me the organization I need without making me feel like I've got to have it all figured out. There's no erasing if our plans change and I can be as detailed or vague as I want to be!
How do you use Google Calendar (or any online calendar)?
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