Organization is something I am constantly working on. I really need to stay organized when it comes to school, or things just don't happen. I prefer to do unit studies to textbooks. I never learned much from textbooks and I think unit studies are more fun and you get more from them, but they can also be more work depending which route you go. There are many excellent Unit Study programs out there. I have used Weaver and I know Knonos is also good. I however like to come up with my own areas for study. That's not to say I do all the work, I pick things from here and there and incorporate them where I think they will be most beneficial.

If you are new to home schooling you may be wondering what a unit study is. Basically a unit study is the studying of a topic that incorporates the majority of your subjects. For example if you were to take the topic of Native Americans you could incorporate your reading, writing, science, history, art, music, grammar, physical education, and maybe math (you can incorporate math for younger children however most people use a text book for math in the higher grades). Unit studies are also good when you have to teach more then one child. It saves on preparation time for you because you can plan for all your children at the same time just make some assignments more challenging for your older child.

I follow a four-year study plan that covers all of history and the major topics of science. This plan then repeats it's self so each child will have had each topic three times, once in elementary, junior, and high school. If it works out right you should only have to do major planning once, then when the topic comes around again just add to it for your older child.

This year we are attempting to school year round, four days a week. I find my children do better when the schedule is the same all the time. We are a little more relaxed in the summer. Most school districts require 180 days of school. With this plan we can take three weeks off at Christmas and an additional twelve days when needed. Some weeks we do school five days, others it may be less. So far it seems to be working well.

Here is the four-year plan I'm following. It is set up for September to May. I just extend the time frames to fit my schedule, which gives you more weeks for each unit.

Taken from "Home Schooling Today" Vol. 6, Issue I, Jan/Feb 1997 pg. 28

Now, how do you organize all this? Well here is the plan I have come up with that seems to work well.

First I went through and made a file folder for all the topics we would be covering over the four years. I filed these alphabetically in either a science or history section of my file drawer. (I also made a section for the health topics our state requires us to teach each year.) In these folders I place any papers that I come across that pertain to that topic. For example I had received some animal cards in the mail (you know, they give you the first ones and try and get you to buy more each month). So I threw those in the folder for Animals. My grandmother gave me a bunch of postcards and flyers from places they had visited so I filed them in Geography. If I come across a lesson plan that I might be interested in using, that also goes into the file.

Now when the time comes to prepare for the unit, I purchase a three ring binder and label it for that unit. I put everything I have accumulated in the folder, into the binder. I use clear plastic sleeves for things I may not want to have holes in. Then I go through and make my plans for that topic. After we have finished the unit, the binder goes on the bookshelf until the next time it comes around to do it again in four years. I will then put anything new I come across right in the file until it's time for that unit again (unless the folder gets too full, then I'll transfer everything over).

I have also designated a couple shelves on my bookcase for unit study books. I shelve these by units too. All the animal books are together; ancient history books are together, etc. This way I can go right to the shelf and find what I'm looking for.

I hope this will help you as you prepare and organize your unit studies. I have recently discovered many places on the web that have lesson plans that you can down load. I am in the process of putting these sites together and hope to have them available for you soon so stop by again. There are a lot of neat things out there for us to use, so keep your eyes open. If you have come across a site that has lesson plans, e-mail me the address so I can check it out.