Homeschooling Schedules

Organizing Homeschool with WorkPockets

When you write a homeschool schedule, how do you make sure that you actually carry it out?

Having a well thought out daily homeschool schedule is no guarantee of success. As the day's activities get in the way, it is easy to feel overwhelmed.

A brilliant system for organizing homeschool work and activities is the WorkPocket system.

I have found that using this system helps me plan each day better - and helps me schedule those projects and ideas that I keep meaning to get to 'someday'!

Making Homeschooling Schedules Work

The idea of the WorkPockets was to have a visible, easy to use system that enabled my children to see clearly what needed to be done each day.

We also needed a way to remind us to get to those activities that we keep forgetting about - you know, the books that sit on your bookshelves. The fantastic 'educational' modelling kit that you keep forgetting is in the cupboard! The list of ideas you have collected in your Homeschool Ideas Daybook.

I made the pockets myself using pockets from an old photograph album. I taped them together and hung them on the wall. My pockets will take 5"x8" index cards - although I have a stack of smaller cards from a Scrap Store (see Cheap Homeschooling)that I am using at the moment. I use one 10 pocket wall-hanging for each child.



I find the WorkPockets system works well with the Time Out Schedule that we use. It helps me review each day what we have done, and plan and accomplish more Homeschooling Ideas with the children.

Ideas to Get You Started

Hang your pockets in a place near your 'homeschooling' work area. This will make it easier to see what's next, and what's left to do.

Make a large stack of cards in advance. The larger stack you have, the better you can 'try out' the system and see if it suits you. All you need to do each day is review yesterdays cards, and add fresh ones to the pockets.

As well as your homeschooling schedules, look through your bookshelves, cupboards and computer links for all the resources and activities that you have wanted to do, but never quite got around to using.

Keep the activity on each card short. Break down your homeschool work into small pieces - Do 1 page of math, read 1 chapter of your current book, work for 20 minutes on your lapbook, play on XXX website for 15 minutes.

If your child can't read use symbols to help them understand what they need to do.

Keep a stack of cards to hand, for when you get a brilliant homeschooling idea!

Have a separate place for used cards. Re-use those that are regular activities, and keep the old cards for your records.

We have really enjoyed using this system with our homeschooling schedules and activities.

Have you tried it? Let me know how it works for you, or read how it worked for another homeschooler!

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