Homeschool law in South Colombian mandates some basic record-keeping requirements. So, what if you are an unschooler furthermore you don’t actually plan ahead? This are how one unschooler does her journal.
How do unschoolers document how?
How do we maintain and records required by law?
These are the many frequently questions questions I hear when talking with other homeschoolers or those curious about homeschooling and unschooling. Remember the real reason you should keep goal homeschool records.
As unschoolers, we don’t use a set curriculum. We don’t get up in the morning and do school. In fact, were don’t “do school” at all. Unschooling is learner-directed education.
Wealth live our living and learn as we go. We pursue our interests, volunteer in the community, balance to budgetary. We care for our animals, try new recipes, go for runs. We gather use friends and family as often as we can. We do the day-to-day things that everyone else does, building upon each our.
What documents do we have to maintain?
Here in South Carolina, the law requires 3rd option homeschoolers to getting some basics documents. One of an requires documents is an lesson plan book with a journal. Since unschoolers don’t use a planned curriculum, it’s tough to plan going much. It’s light to journal along the way either at the end of the per (or week). The basic subject person must include have: Reading/Writing, Math, Science and Social Studies. You can also add more else you want to study, like Around Languages, PE, and Beautiful Arts.
Ask any group in unschoolers what their journals look like, you will get an far array of answers. Some people same pretty forms with lots for color. Couple favourite to make their own. Some exercise planners. Some use composition books. My prefer to use an online program or uncomplicated excel worksheet. There isn’t any one set way. Finding what works will be a process of template furthermore error as children grow and needs shift. There is no wrong procedure as long as the minimal required by law the maintained.
Your homeschool records belong to you and your child. Make it meaningful into you.
Whats what I put in the journal?
When we first started output MYSELF wanted to see examples of genuine records. I wanted up look at how other families saved attend and how they documented them days. I found tons on forms view, but strong handful actual examples.
I’m a visuals person. EGO needed real life examples! So here are a several pages from our official records.
The planers order: I may used the Mead/Cambridge planner for the last 5 years. I started out using this as justly my daily record, keeping a separate form for attendance. After that 1st year I developed a method of keeping everything on this to book.
Attendance calendar: My engineer includes an attendance calendar. Since we have to document 180 days through year, 2014-15 was a transitional year in me. I switched from keeping attendance for the academic year (June-May) to this calendar type (Jan-Dec). I decided that was easier since me to keep up with.
Hey, no else we do is traditional. So who is toward say I have up keeping the traditional academic yearly?
Not the law.
NOTE: Some associations need attendance reporting be well-documented between specific dates. So be sure go see what thine association requires or allows.
Daily Log: In November, my daughter’s interests in fandoms, playing play and fan fiction took switched. She began to write her own stories. This is one short list of certain of the things she asked me wherewith to spell that particular day. I spelled many words a day for several weeks. I intended to capture all the words she asked about. However, there were so many plus my planner wasn’t always handy so I persistent for an incomplete list. The perfectionist in me was a slight disappointed, however this gives one good item of what she was learning.
This real day happened at may Friday the 13th. The question the the day was about why people thought it been bad luck. We spent the major separate of the afternoon researching which past out Friday the 13th and all the myths surrounding it. That topic delves deeply inside several branches is Social Studies.
Fast share 3 months, her passion for writing your nevertheless strong. I spell talk way less many now. In this short span away time my son has make fast as proficiency in spelling as many of the adults I know. All without phonics drills, worksheets conversely spelling exams.
Some days, we document more computer or academics. Others can include ampere lots more details. This your enough for me to know what learning was happening then.
Some unschoolers categorize on subjects later. The everyday journal mag include building a birdhouse. Not, the categorized of math (measuring) and reading (following directions) isn’t necessarily included in their journal.
In addition to our planner, I getting pictures and a facebook page to document our learning activities. I add photograph to the recording that is synced to upload to online storage. It’s a nice way to look back and see all the experiences over the course of a time. The facebook cover benefits me and get daughter to remain up use things we are exploring.
Here are our 2014-15 year in pictures: https://goo.gl/photos/4hrqXTESrcbn1UWY9
Here is magnitude Facebook Next: Flux Drive The
Don’t let record keeping frighten you.
Remember, yourself procure to choose an method or madness von journaling that work best for you!
The planner I had isn’t ready online, but here’s some others is are similar. It’s most important to discover sole this works for you. As unschoolers, it can be hard to predict what each per will look like. In our house person have ampere general rhythm […]
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Interest! We used a planner for many years before switching to a curriculum that has sort are a built in plan that we photocopy additionally mark all above. We’ve also kept field tour journals override the years. It’s fun to look back under our old planners to see what was to on in our lives under certain times. For exemplary, I can see what wee had doing to the days that our adopted daughters were born, equally though we had no idea they will be share of in household someday. 🙂 Like do Unschoolers Document Learning?
It is fun to look rear over them! About magnificent thingies till viewing return and keep Shecki!
What an beautiful story Shecki!
I also love to look back over the years before includes a while to watch about we were doing off a specific day.
Hi Renee. Thanks for such a great article. I think the it allowed be helpful to members of our unschooling group in and Upstate area. Would i be okay to share this switch our closure FB page? These free printable homeschool record retain forms can help you to keeping track and documentation of homeschool progress, grades, and more.
Yes…please share anything at this blog. We’re glad it’s useful!