record keeping when you don't have to

Shannon, our state requires no record keeping either, but I like to keep some records.  Here are some things I’ve come up with and use in conjunction with my “Planning Your Charlotte Mason Education” plan.  

Hope some of it helps, 

LillyLou

I have used a very basic system in the past. I used a cheap notebook (which are on sale now). On the left of the 2 page spread, I drew rows and columns. Rows are subjects which I assigned numbers and columns are for days. Then I could mark an X on the subjects covered on that day, for a quick view. On the right of the 2 page spread, I would journal about the work done and assign it a subject using a number code to correspond to the same number of the subject on my chart on that left page.

My new system uses an Excel spreadsheet and incorporates my schedule along with me writing in what was done. I put an X in the cell to indicate that it is scheduled for that day of the week. I circle the X when it is done and handwrite in that cell what we did. If it did not get done, I simply scribble out the X. I make notes at the bottom about our day like if we went to the library or had a play date or a field trip. Even though I use the computer to create the Excel spreadsheet, I do not use the computer to keep my records. I print it out each week and keep it with me during lessons to write on and store it in a paper file. I can print out 4 weeks at a time if I want to. I have the trouble with wandering on the computer, too. 😉 The Excel schedule helps with routine, but I can easily change things for the next week to better suit our needs. After 4 months of using it, I still make a few changes each month. This way each term can be changed easily to keep variety. PM me your e-mail and I can send you a copy of the first page to give you an idea. You would need to make it your own, since no one homeschools exactly the same.