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alternative to CM Organizer?
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I started our one month trial of the CM Organizer last week and so far I enjoy it, though I am still struggling with some of the constraints/figuring out how to make it work with the least amount of set-up time.
I had thought of not even trying it for a month because the price seems entirely too high, but I justified to myself that IF it really does prove to be this valuable, it is worth it. I’m doing what I can during this month to show myself that by paying the $100 a year I’m really getting a service that is more than just a clean looking check off list.
I’m also exploring alternatives for planning/record keeping that may work for me. So far I have not had success. I never do end up jotting down what we did at the end of the day/week (and even if I did, my method didn’t allow me to look back easily and gauge what we’ve actually accomplished), I gave away my last planner book bc it was set up the way I wanted and I stopped using it, I’ve not found anything I made myself to be useful for more than a few weeks.
One thing I really like about the Organizer is that after I do a little planning, it tells me what is on tap for a particular day. For some reason that seems to make it more likely that we’ll actually DO it. And I love that it is not tied to a particular day so if we decide to do something else one day, the assignents just get bumped. I looked at http://www.amongstlovelythings.com/2011/10/color-coded-progress-lists.html that was referred to on another thread and thought that I may be able to pull from this idea something that will work for me, though I work on a much smaller time line (weeks instead of a year at a time). That’s my closest non-Organizer lead right now.
I guess I’m wondering if anyone has a system they are using that may seem like it could work for me and would be willing to share. I need something simple to use (and also aesthetically pleasing) that will allow me general planning (curriculum, books, resources), a checklist for the next assignments, and an easy way to look at it to see what we have done in the past year. I have two 7yos homeschooling and we just started doing academic-type work this past January.
Thanks!
Shannon
I merged several ideas from folks on here from similar threads a while back, added some of my own, and this is what I came up with: I have a weekly planner page for my oldest (the younger two don’t read well yet, they’ll get one later) and a similar one for myself – I made several copies and have them in the front of a binder and can add more when I run out. Then I have a excell spreadsheet for each book we are doing with each lesson and a checkbox and date spot to write in (though someone else’s idea of copying the table of contents is much easier – I always try to complicate things!) after that so that I can check off and date what all we are doing (a.k.a. my record book). I also have book list pages for differnet subjects (like history, read alouds, science, etc.) where I have all our books listed (or we write them in when we find new ones) that we can check off and track what all we are reading.
I tried to attach a picture of these two pages, but I can’t figure out how – if someone can explain to me please do!
This to me was as close to the SCM Organizer on paper as I could get – and then at the end of the year there is a record of what all we have done for my files. In my weekly planner page there is room for notes. I will try to explain what they look like since I couldn’t attach a picture. I divided them both into two columns – school and personal. On my son’s at the top of the school column I have a weekly checklist with all his subjects listed, with the amount of time to set his timer for, by each one and then M-F checkboxes for them. Below that I have text boxes with lines to write in with the following headings: history books I am reading this week, science books…, biographies…., fun books… ON his personal column I have a similar weekly checkoff box with all his chores/personal responsibilities. Below that I have text boxes for the following: Prayer requests, memory verse, catechism ?s, character trait for the week and then a space at the bottom for notes (and I printed lined paper on the back of this for any other notes he may want to jot down. My page is a similar setup with school on one side personal on the other. ON my school weekly checkbox I have all our family subjects and what I do with the little two. My text boxes below that are for the different read alouds (history, literature, etc) we are doing that week and a box for each child for me to jot down what I need to work on specifically for him. ON my personal side I have my daily/weekly chores/things I tend to forget. Below that I have text boxes for: prayer requests, what is going on this week, and a box for notes. I’ll be glad to email you the file, just PM me!
I just noticed you said “two 7yos” – twins? my younger two are identical boys that will be turning 6 in May 🙂
I have been a faithful user of the Organizer for several years, and it is well worth its price, in my opinion. I had a brief stint with pencil and paper and found I was constantly frustrated by erasing and re-writing. To me, the folks at SCM have already done such a fantastic job of putting together this Organizer that I don’t need to reinvent the wheel to save a few bucks. If God gave them the ideas and resources to make the Organizer available to people like me who do not have time to “figure it out on my own”, I’m happy to pay them what it’s worth, both for their time and energy in coming up with the idea and the daily maintaining of it.
My family is in the middle of a big remodel, and we’re finding out quickly that it’s often better and easier to pay someone else to do a job that, sure, you could do yourself, but it might not look right, you might not be pleased with it in the end, it will probably take more time that you thought, and it will usually cost more in the end because you pay for your own mistakes. For example, we paid someone to come and paint our kitchen. Now, am I able to paint? Yes, of course. Could I have done it on my own? Sure. But, it was worth it to me to pay someone to do it because kitchens are harder to paint than most rooms in a house, it would have taken me a lot longer than it took her, and I had a hundred other things on my plate to deal with. I’m happy with the end result, and it was truly easier and better for me to pay someone to do it for me than it was to do myself. I see the Organizer the same way, if that makes any sense.
The Organizer also keeps my desk clean, because it’s all on the computer! LOL That’s aesthetically pleasing to me!
Blessings, and I hope you find what you want,
Lindsey
Lindsey, I do agree that if the Organizer is worth the price, then I will be happy to pay the price. But I also want to vet it well during this month trial to make sure it truly is worth the price, which is by far more than any planner/organizer I’ve seen yet.
While I like the clean look of it, I can’t afford to use it simply because it is pretty and gives me tidy reports (that I love!) It needs to also save me organizing time and keep me focused on my own intentions in homeschooling so we progress more intentionally than I would otherwise do. It certainly has the potential to do that and maybe if I can figure out some of the challenges I’m having in using it, I’ll be convinced. I have about three more weeks to do that! But while I’m also spending all this time and thought energy on planners/organizers, I want to also make sure I’m not overlooking something I can do myself.
Thanks for your positive words for the Organizer! And good luck with your move!
shannon
Shannon, would you mind explaining some of the constraints and issues you’re experiencing? I’d love to help you work out the kinks so that you can get the most out of your free trial!
@Shannon, I hope you find something that works for you, too. I have been on hiatus w/ the Organizer by accident, and I am truly regretting it! IF I was computer savvy-ier than I already am and could make great looking checklists, spreadsheets, and the like, I would do that but it’s just not gettin done. And now I can see where they have already done the hard work for me and all the time I’ve been trying to pull ideas from everyone’s great ideas (and they are great, no denying that!) have been wasted.
I truly get the financial side of it, but the time I have spent on creating a checklist has been so unproductive, for me. Now, there are some ladies on this forum who can do wonders (lindafay has a great checklist/doodad also) but I just can’t, (but if you’re one of that can do it, then I say go for it)…I need to renew my subscription asap before I lose anymore time, LOL.
Also, I figure we pay Netflix $7.99 a month, or something like that, and I can say without a doubt that it does not make my life easier just to be able to watch movies. But that’s just me, my dh would say otherwise, LOL.
I’ve posted this before, but just updated it and hope it’s a helpful explanation of how I’ve used a “paper version” of the CMO. With just a note: I tried the CMO for almost a month when we decided to drop our dialup Internet service. We only have Internet through spotty iPhone signal in the middle of nowhere. So, at this point, it would be too frustrating to attempt using the online option (which I loved, BTW.). that’s when I started reading about using the Table of Contents if books and texts in a fashion similar to the CMO. If you need to be off for whatever reason, there’s no need to erase and rewrite plans. Just pick up from where you left off.
I have a weekly chart in the front of a 1″ binder. I took cues from the sample weekly/daily type schedules on the SCM site. It’s not an exact copy of any of them, but looking at each, and taking our “away from home” activities into consideration, I came up with a workable routine. Sticking to it means accomplishing so much even though we try to stick to the CM style short lessons (with the exception of Bible…we spend the most time on Bible and history together.)
Mornings begin with Scripture memory, hymnology, and GOAL studies. This takes 30-45 minutes. My chart says introduction on Monday and review T-F.
Scripture verses are listed 11/term on three pages. Once memorized, I check them off.
I only have a page with a list of hymns (1/month) for the year. I made a copy of each one from a couple of hymnals to keep behind this page. Check off at the end of the month.
GOAL. 3 pages with 12 weeks each listing the book/chapter for each week and exam note to self on week 12, 24, and 36.
Geography, Timeline, and Family History studies are next daily M-TH. The pages for geography have the headings pulled from the SCM guide for once a week. I only read about geography aloud on Mondays (guide lists it on Wednesdays) because I like to include a quick map study review daily during the week using our CC maps which are kept in page protectors following the term lists.
We use the Veritas Press timeline cards for review and short discussions. Our eldest daughter is keeping a permanent BOC based on these VP cards. I keep a list of the card headings in my binder as a quick reference.
We are following the SCM module 4 quite closely with a few substitutions/deletions based on what I had in our library, could get at the local library, or ordered for the year. So, my pages are just a list of headings from the SCM & Famous Men’s guides. I also list the CC history sentences which I divided across three terms. Once memorized, I put a check by them and we review occasionally.
For French, I just follow the curriculum guide for lessons using Mission ABC. When we finish it, the guide for Mission Monde will take this place.
Poetry has sadly been neglected for the most part this year. We are beginning again this week using Rod and Staff’s Poetry Practice every other week. We read poems from Favorite Poems Old and New as the mood strikes.
Fine arts includes a T or TH time slot that’s short, but provides more fine arts study than most schools ever dream of including on a regular basis. One week fine arts lands on T, the next its on TH. Only one lesson per week I refer to Discovering Great Artists, Drawing Textbook, and Classical Music for Dummies and a list of six “Composer’s” studies (Gregorian Chant, Solfege, Dona Nobis Pacem, Vivaldi, Handel, Bach, and Haydn.) ( I only created one list for the year with 36 lessons for the year. I’m rotating it as follows: GA, Draw, GA, Composer.) Again, just checked off when completed.
Family Literature is where I keep the list of family read alouds that tie to the time period. The TOC for books with chapters could be kept here if that makes planning/tracking easier. I jotted a note of approximate the week to begin each. Some are picture books, others are literature in the grades 7-9/10-12 suggestions list. Check off when read.
I only have our younger two dc’s science in the notebook (CC memory work for cycle 2 and a list of experiments, 1 every third week. VanCleave’s 201 Awesome Experiments.
Next is the list of assignments for our Writer’s Block Co-op which meets on Mondays. This is the only list in the notebook with specific dates to keep me on track. I teach the class, so it’s a good way to remind myself to study the lesson over the weekend. After today, we only have one more assignment meeting (next week) and a party the following week. Yeah! A finished curriculum!!! ;0)
The back pocket of the binder is where I’m storing our 2 youngest DC’s plans through their “tentative” graduations. (2018 & 2024, eek!). I planned these out using the suggestions on the SCM YouTube videos and planning your CM education suggestions discussed on this forum. This one page for each child is absolutely the most important step I’ve ever taken while Homeschooling. I did not do this with our older three DC. Now, I “see” where we are going and rarely, if ever feel the need to search and plan. When we are nearing the end of a particular subject/time period, all I have to do is gather the titles fir the next time period/subject and I’m finished. We rarely use textbooks, so I pull titles from the SCM guides (free and modules) and All through the Ages, by Christine Miller. I have second guessed what I’ll use for the most recent of modern times because there is such a lack in the most recent times, but God will work that out when we get there. Today has enough on the to do list. 🙂
Hth,
Becca<><
This would be my system of choice if I stopped wanting to pay for the CMO. I think it’s done by one of the wonderful ladies here, though I can’t recall who.
eawerner – thanks! I was trying to find that page and couldn’t find where I bookmarked it! That is pretty much what I am doing with my weekly pages at the front. The reason I wanted a weekly planner page is so that we can see what all we are trying to accomplish for the week in all areas (school and personal – the two overlap so much anyway) so that we can see our short term goals (not just aimlessly checking off a list), see what we are accomplishing, where we need to revamp/work on more the next week, and then have the long term goals (the TOC checklist) in the back to see the bigger picture. We are both so visual, this seems to help us both very much. And he does very well with a checklist, having the weekly one helps not use so much paper (we tried the daily one in a page protector with a dry erase, didn’t work for us).
I do want to say that I LOVE the SCM Organizer – but budget was moving me back to paper – also what I mentioned above, I felt like we really needed the weekly visual and some of the other things that just worked better for us. I just wanted to clarify that it isn’t that we don’t like the SCM Organizer or think it is great 🙂 this is just working better for us right now.
I have charts for our weekly routine (school, chores, menu). I keep this in a separate binder. The study routine chart is just a routine, not specific pages. That way, I don’t erase/rewrite. The chores stay quote the same, except for the “zone” I’m working in for my chores, not the kids’ chores. IF I stick to our simple menu plan, my stress level and budget both stay sane. 🙂
The kids have the TOC of their math books printed in front of their math binders to keep them on track. I mark the 1/2 and 3/4 way points as markers for them to gauge how much farther they have to go in order to complete a level. The youngest has a chart that shows her daily subjects in order they are studied, but no specific page #s. It looks similar to the schedule planning charts in the SCM planning info./Levison’s CM schedules. She puts a sticker over the subject upon completion. It might seem like a waste of paper, but it’s a great motivator for her at 6. It shouts accomplishment! 🙂
I like keeping it simple. Without only subject titles, we never feel behind/ahead. We just keep learning.
http://mysouldothdelight.wordpress.com/2012/06/20/planning-and-keeping-records-for-a-school-year/
Mentioned above, is one of the resources I checked out while deciding how I’d make my binders. It’s quite similar, but I’m not tech savvy enough to share pics, etc. ;0)
Becca<><
to Lindsey~
Here is something that is confusing me about the Organizer. I have entered SotW v 1 to do on Mondays. We are using the CD and have listened to it many times – currently every day in all our free time – over and over – my children’s insistence. I am focusing their listening on one chapter at the beginning of the week (then letting them listen to what they want the rest of the week) and then following up with supplemental reading during the week. I have scheduled The Usborne Internet-Linked Encyclopedia of World History also for Mondays, reading the pages that correspond to the chosen chapter. That works. Now say I have five supplemental books to go with this week’s chapter. Ideally I’ll just have all five books out and available for them to choose which they want to use. Some may be read in one sitting, some may take several days to read. Right now I’m just entering them for Tuesday of that week, and then finding them as ‘not scheduled for today’ when we read them later in the week. Maybe if I put them all as ‘T/W/Th/F’ they will show up all week until they are done? I haven’t tried that but wondered.
And then the next week we’ll have the next chapter of SotW and Encyclopedia of World History on Monday with that week’s own set of supplemental books. I tried to enter a future week’s supplemental starting after we read one of the prior week’s supplemental book. I think it worked but if that designated book isn’t the last we read, the next week’s books show up as time to read which I don’t want. Maybe it will work if I just hold one book I know they will like back to be the last one of the week?
I like to be able to schedule these supplemental books several weeks in advance because many of the books have to be obtained through interlibrary loan so I need the advance time to get them ordered. But it seems so messy to get them entered correctly. Seems like I need to have them written on paper in order to enter them correctly, but then why use the organizer if I have a paper list anyway.
I’m very much a paper and pencil person but I’m trying to change that so as to save resources. I even bought my first ebook – Boy of the Pyramids! I don’t prefer reading off a screen but I’m hoping it will become more natural over time. I say that to just recognize that I’m dealing with my own growth in learning how to feel comfortable with planning and organizing on a screen instead of paper. Lots of learning going on here! 🙂
I hope something here makes sense. It can be hard to give these kinds of details in paragraph form. I also appreciate all the other suggestions people have given for me to consider. I haven’t had time to really study them but hope to very soon.
Best,
Shannon
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