Great Organizational Tool

I am a huge planner.  I know that if I don't plan, nothing will ever get done - especially in our homeschool.  I have purchased The Homeschoolers Journal, made my own Excel sheets, used Donna Young's printables to make my own notebook, etc., etc.  Each of these has been a blessing to me in different season's of my life.  I must say, I loved the Homeschooler's Journal, but I now have too many children to really make it work efficiently for me.  If you have just 2 or 3 children in school, you might want to look into that excellent resource.

However, I have recently discovered Homeschool Tracker Plus.  To date, this is the best method for me, by far.  I am into day10 of my $5 30-day trial and I think I'm going to spend the $45 more to purchase the program for keeps. 

Everything is in the computer, but I can print out assignment sheets made up directly from my lesson plans.  I type in the subjects with what I want to cover on certain days and...WHALAA!  

Well, with a 300-something page user's manual, maybe not quite so "whalaa!"  Getting to learn the program is probably the biggest draw-back.  I'm the type of person who learns by doing and it's taken me a few hours to really figure things out.  However, I can go to the site any time I want and watch how-to videos or look at a pdf file of the manual.  I would also recommend becoming a part of the discussion board.  I couldn't figure out how to edit the grading chart but after going back and forth with the creator of the program, we have it figured out.  What a HUGE help having someone there who knows the program and actually answers your questions almost immediately!

If you have several children or high school students, I would suggest you give this program a look-see.  Tell me what you think.  And, if you get a chance, tell them you heard about Homeschool Tracker Plus here at Teaching Mommy.

A Quick Summary of the Last Couple of Months!

It's been forever!! No we haven't decided to send our kids to public school. Or private, for that matter. Though, we've thought about it at times.:)

We've just been crazy busy. And having fun.

We finished Rome ages ago and completed the Middle Ages a couple of weeks ago. LOVED our end of unit feast. We ate roast chicken, rolls, salad with herbs and fruit tarts. YUM!! We were entertained by minstrels, jesters, a couple of miracle plays, and the readings of poems and essays done throughout the unit.

Can I just say how I LOVE my husband for his participation in our craziness? These feasts are a ton of work, but we both agreed that our kids learn so much from the "doing" part of school. Eric is a huge encourager and it helps the children look forward to surprising daddy with all of our festivities.

We are now studying The Renaissance & the Reformation. I am looking forward to giving my children a closer look at some of the true heroes of the faith. We are studying astronomy for science and we are all looking forward to a visit to the planetarium & science museum in a couple of weeks.

The food is awesome in this unit. We learned about Italy last week and enjoyed a wonderful Italian meal. Not to mention we discussed that sardines were first caught off the coast of Sardinia - so, of course we had a bit of a treat that day as we delved into a can of sardines. YUM! (well, the kids loved it, anyway). That same day, we discussed the Milky Way in science. What better way to make it memorable than by washing those sardines down with Milky Way bars?

Today, we studied Germany. Dinner was bratwurst, sauerkraut, potatoes, salad, and a delicious Black Forest Cake for dessert. Who knew that Germany has the Black Forest region which is known for its cherries? I love that I am learning right along with my kids!

On top of all this fun school at home, we have been busy with our homeschool co-op. This was our first year and we've loved it! Our last day of classes is this Thursday and it will be followed by a curriculum fair and a presentation about our co-op. We are very much looking forward to that.

I have also been taking kids to the library for book discussion groups 3 Thursdays/month. The girls go to an American Girls group while Mike, Katrina, and Seth go to groups appropriate for their age groups. We have loved being a part of these groups.

FYI - I do preview the books my kids are assigned before they read. This month, I have had to turn down 2 of the books. The wonderful thing is, the kids are still allowed to take part in the group. Their part of the discussion is just why they didn't read the book. I hope they don't just say, "because my mom wouldn't let me." They have an opportunity to be a witness. Please pray that they will politely tell the truth with conviction. What a great education!

It is late and this mom has much more to do. So glad to stopped by. I hope to talk with you again real soon!