Roadschool Organization: Create a System for Your Learner
Roadschool 101: Organize your Learner. I have one number and two words for you. 3-Ring Binder.
I’ll admit to buying all kinds of crazy notions over the years to organize all kinds of everything. I’ve bought all kinds of gadgets. I’ve used all kinds of creations. I’ve copycatted all kinds of must have organizational systems from all over the internet. A 3-ring binder always comes to mind when I start any kind of project to arrange parts of my life.
Sometimes I use 3-ring binders as a temporary plan of attack. These jobs usually call for a smaller, light-weight binder. If I am tackling a long term project or keeping long-term records, I search for a bigger, heavy-duty version of this solution.
When I started to homeschool last year, I purchased 2-inch view-binders for each of my kiddos. Each of my little scholars personalized a cover sheet and slid it in the top-loading page protector in the front of the binder. They loved it because it was theirs. I loved it because they eagerly filled it with all the papers they completed during our first year of roadschool.
When it came time to go back to the chalkboard, so to speak, I put a little more planning into the binders. I purchased (4) Heavy Duty 3-ring binders in each of my kid’s favorite colors from Amazon. Next, I created a cover page for each of my kids that documents their age, a current picture, and details about them such as favorite color, favorite foods, etc. I also interviewed them with a list of questions like “What do you want to be when you grow up?” and “What things are you most excited about learning this year?” I typed their answer word for word after each question. Having this cover sheet will be a great memory keeper. Each one of my kids love the spotlight of themselves on the cover.
I used a set of 10 index dividers in each binder to separate the different parts of each of my life learners roadschool. I also put extra notebook paper in the back of each binder so they can always find paper easily. Along the way, I’ve picked up or made help sheets for each one of my roadschoolers based on what they are learning.
Most importantly, I print out a an assignment schedule that gives them a broad view of what I hope they will accomplish over the next few weeks. I do not require them to stick to this schedule like glue. The new me is more flexible and if one of my life learners goes off on a tangent, so be it. He just reflects what he’s doing on his assignment schedule and we roll on.
This system works great for the roadschool crew aboard our rig. All the papers and projects are stored in one place. We have even stored our finished lap books in there. (Although, if we complete many more, we may have to move them to their own 3-ring binder.) When it’s time for one of my kids to hit the books, they grab their binder and a few supplies and they are off on the road to learning.
I’ll talk more about the rest of our roadschool and how we organize it, later this week. Stay tuned to our Roadschool 101 series from Road Trip Teacher where we like to Learn Something New Everyday!
