Homeschool Mom Binder (Planning and Record Keeping)

[@iamjamiexlee]

This is perfect!!! I am committed to this planner. This will be my first year homeschooling and this is exactly what I am looking for.

[@countrygirl13131313]

All paper and pen! I love it!! Thanks so much for sharing these. I've tried online calendars and planners for all other areas of life and I only ever last a couple of days.

[@iliwilli19]

This is the best video I've seen on HS! Thank you so much!

[@JanelleKnutson]

You're welcome!

[@AARDERCO.HOMESCHOOL]

I love your Attendance planner page! It is so simple !

[@JanelleKnutson]

I'm all about keeping things simple. ;)

[@kathrynparker6428]

You are such an encouragement to me! I'm homeschooling 5 and this year oldest begins 9th grade. Thank you for your heart and letting us walk with you!

[@FoothillsFamily365]

Thank you, thank you, THANK YOU!! I've been using the same planner for 7 years now, and I've come to the realization that I needed something that I could personalize to each child that isn't overwhelming! This is perfect! The videos helped me immensely in setting up my binder and tailoring to our family 😊

[@JanelleKnutson]

Yay! I'm so glad it was helpful for you!

[@This_Holy_Chaos]

I do a lot of very similar tracking for our 7 kiddos, but I’m going to reorganize a bit to get some more order into my binder. One thing I have figured out is a master week plan for my entire crew on one sheet of paper (front and back) to keep me sane and not having to always flip back and forth every week. Saves my sanity SO much.

[@shalon4jc2]

Love this .... thanks Janelle. Keep doing what your doing. You are giving such great reviews and insight into homeschooling. God bless you😘😇

[@JanelleKnutson]

Thank you. :)

[@NiniGirl]

Thank you Janelle, I just bought the bundle and have printed it out. I love it!! Thank you. We are starting HS with both my kids and this was perfect! Cannot wait for the next video on HS forms. Thank you for all your wonderful work. It is most needed. God Bless You!

[@moniquefuselier7711]

Great video! Looking forward to the high school video.

[@myajumalife]

Love it! So organized!

[@estrellaakastar5118]

Love this! Thanks for sharing..off to buy the printable pack. It's exactly what I was looking for and I can't wait for the high school video!

[@sajmt1414]

Great video. I'm looking forward to seeing the high school part.

[@littlenikki5698]

Hi Janelle! I love your homeschool mom podcast on spotify! And your KZbin videos are great too! Thanks for the great content. God bless 🥰

[@JanelleKnutson]

Thank you for listening and watching. I hope they have been a help and encouragement to you. 😊

[@tiffanyharris7695]

Im so excited to see the high school record video once its up. My son is 7th grade but already taking foreign language and high school level courses and I am wondering how/when i should start recording things for credit. Love all your videos !!

[@AlishaGarciax]

This video is exactly what i was looking for. Ty

[@JanelleKnutson]

Yay! Glad it was helpful.

[@ReginaCordoba]

New subscriber! I am a mom of 2 and I homeschool!

[@JanelleKnutson]

Welcome! Thanks for subscribing.

[@homeschoolmomof2707]

Thank you for sharing! I'm also interested in seeing your video on high school! I have one year to plan and I want to be ready! :-)

[@rosieboss7871]

Very good! Thanks!

[@thismiamimama427]

Hello, and God bless you and your family. I wanted to let you know that when i went to your website to purchase the pack. I saw you can click on each document to sample. But when you click on it, it opens up perfectly, and on my phone, i can just down that template and print it for free without purchasing it. I even printed one to check, and it came out full page. I scrapped it because i will purchase it first. But just wanted to inform you to see if you can somehow change the viewing feature or add the word sample in red across each one so it can not be used/printed without purchase. Sorry for the long message. Hahaha... "‭‭Galatians‬ ‭6:10‬ ‭ESV‬‬ [10] So then, as we have opportunity, let us do good to everyone, and especially to those who are of the household of faith."

[@JanelleKnutson]

Thank you for your honesty. I am aware of the issue but don't have the bandwidth right now to correct it so just hoping most people will be honest and pay for it. I tried to keep the cost low so anyone can afford it. Hope the forms help you in your homeschool. :)

[@thismiamimama427]

@JanelleKnutson Thank you!!! Yes, with 4 boys, I believe it's going to help to further organize me and make everything just a little smoother. 🥰🙏

[@nbobrick17]

These are the best homeschool records I have found! And I love the way you organize. At the end of the year, do you file your forms as-is (handwritten), or do you retype everything?

[@JanelleKnutson]

Glad you like them! I just file them handwritten. High school ones I will retype before submitting transcript to colleges.

[@nbobrick17]

Janelle Knutson Thanks! And that totally makes sense about high school.

[@RJfuntime7]

Do your children go into your mom binder to record their stuff or do you record it?

[@JanelleKnutson]

I record it in my binder. But in the past I have had teens record it themselves in their own logbooks (My Student Logbooks from Edutaters) and then I went once a month or so and transferred into over in to my binder.

[@XwynntopiaX]

This was the best video I've watched on recordkeeping, especially with a highschooler. Great job! Are you using the same system for 2021?

[@JanelleKnutson]

Yes, I am still using the same system!

[@gayemarianesfox2405]

I agree, this is really helpful and I’m encouraged!

[@jarettnicole]

Great video! However one question, how do you set up the weekly lesson plans? Week by week, as you go, or all at once?

[@JanelleKnutson]

I’m a week by week planner but then I adjust often throughout the week as needed.

[@neishawiley6672]

Love this video! Thank you so much!!!!

[@super.speak.juniors.3280]

Thank you for making this video. Very useful.

[@JanelleKnutson]

Glad it was helpful!

[@RegalCandy]

This is very helpful. Thank you very much.

[@Amenhomeschoolers]

Thank you for this video and I look forward to the highschool video. Do you keep a binder for each child with their grades, etc., or put them together in one?

[@JanelleKnutson]

I keep everything for the year in this Homeschool Mom Binder and then transfer everything over into my record keeping system at the end of each year. Here is a video on how I store records: kzbin.info/www/bejne/rXzTd2qNfL55qKs

[@crystallanderos9315]

Thank you for sharing!

[@nancyhansen7103]

Thank you this is so helpful.

[@tonettekremer5680]

I have a high schooler and looking forward to the upcoming video.

[@BookZealots]

When is a class weighted? And I had heard (or read?) that colleges prefer unweighted grades. ??? But I don't know. I'm looking forward to your high school grading video. =)

[@JanelleKnutson]

You are correct that colleges prefer unweighted grades but this is actually referring to the calculation of the GPA. For example, most schools give a 4.0 for an A and 3.0 for a B. They might give an honor course a 5.0 etc. However, other schools weight their grades and give a 3.75 for a B. This just ends up muddling up the GPA (grade point average). You can read more about why weighted grades (for GPA calculation) is not a good idea in this article: www.homehighschoolhelp.com/blogs/why-i-do-not-recommend-weighting-grades However, weighted grades to determine an actual grade for a course is okay. You are just saying that one aspect of the course is more important than another. For example. you want to make tests worth 50% of the grade, projects 40% of the grade and assignments only 10% of the grade. You want your student to know that they need to do the assignments because they are a part of their grade but you also want to make it clear that tests and projects are the most important aspect of the course. HSLDA suggest grading this way (but also suggest not using weighted grades for GPA). It's a bit confusing but hopefully that helped clarify it a little for you.

[@moniquefuselier7711]

@@JanelleKnutson , thank you for the explanation.

[@BookZealots]

@@JanelleKnutson Thank you for that info and the link. =)

[@noramcnabb1361]

Honors and APs. The way we find GPA is to add together your percent grades and divide it by the number of classes you take. If it’s an honor or ap you find the unweighted gpa, but find the gpa again multiplying the weight given by the grade, do that for every class, and divide by number of classes as normal. It makes more sense. For example if my unweighted GPA is a 96, my average letter is an A

[@Dreblueskies]

What about long term plans? Do you plan for a year then break it down? Thanks!

[@JanelleKnutson]

I schedule out how many days we will do school and when we will start and (hope to) finish. I break up the curriculum into quarters and try to complete a fourth of the curriculum by the end of each quarter so we don't get too far behind. Detailed lesson planning is done weekly. Although, there were a few years where I planned out an entire years worth of work but I realized I adjusted it so much throughout the year that it wasn't worth the time spent planning it all out. I also plan out a rough outline of what the high school years will look like for each of my teens. It gets adjusted as the years go on but it is helpful to have a plan that can be adjusted.

[@Dreblueskies]

@@JanelleKnutson Thank you so ver much for the detailed response. Planning has become my biggest obstacle. This is very helpful. Please consider a video on this 😊 I think planning is a very common sense approach is lacking on KZbin, believe me I have looked.

[@gayemarianesfox2405]

I’m wondering if I should be logging every voice lesson for the year? I make note of them in my planner. I just don’t want to do double record keeping. I pulled mine from a charter after 9th. I’m adding her voice lessons for credit myself since I couldn’t with the charter. Should I go back and write in every date this past year? 😫 I will if needed for credit. Thank you, you help me so much!

[@JanelleKnutson]

If you are making note of her lessons in a planner then you should be fine. The transcript will just list the course title and the grade. Course descriptions (should you decided to write them since they aren't necessary) just need a short description. The only reason for keeping track of the lessons is for you to make sure she did enough to count for a half or full credit. Of course, every state requirement is different so make sure you are complying with your state homeschool laws. Hope that helps!

[@gayemarianesfox2405]

@@JanelleKnutson thanks for your response. It helps a lot, thank you! I do love to be organized and everything 🙂

[@pinkorganichorse]

Can I get just the family attendance record? You're a genius!

[@JanelleKnutson]

I don't sell the attendance record on it's own but it does come in a smaller Planning Sheets Pack that is currently only $4.99. www.janelleknutson.com/product/homeschool-planning-sheets-pack/

[@pinkorganichorse]

Perfect. I had already purchased a different planner but like this attendance sheet. I like your smaller pack. I may get it. Good job.

[@tamaragraham2692]

I love this set up. What size binder did you use?

[@JanelleKnutson]

I believe it is 1 1/2 inches.

[@carmenoliver8147]

Looking forward to your high school video. 💗

[@aliciahowze4809]

When I order will it come though the mail, or can I just download and print after purchase.

[@JanelleKnutson]

@@aliciahowze4809 your purchase will be a pdf that is sent to your email that you can download, save to your computer and print off as many as you like.

[@InkDiaries]

Love this video! Do you keep your lesson plans? Or do you throw them out at the end of the year?

[@JanelleKnutson]

I toss them. Every year and every child is so different that it doesn't really help me to look over old lesson plans. Some states may require you to keep them but the states I've lived in don't so I just toss them.

[@InkDiaries]

Janelle Knutson that makes sense. Thank you! We homeschool privately here in California and it’s pretty relaxed. I have a few planners that are just collecting dust. I keep them mostly because they were expensive lol I really love your forms. I’ll definitely look for them in your shop!

[@Brn1174]

Where can i get docs to keep track of everything im required to? Im in Ca, im homeschooling my 4 & 5 boys. Pls/ty.

[@JanelleKnutson]

I created my forms when I lived in CA to meet all their requirements. You can grab them in my shop: www.janelleknutson.com/shop/ Also, make sure to check out the CHEA website for information on what you need to do to homeschool legally in CA. Regulations change and they always have updated information. www.cheaofca.org/ Hope that helps!

[@debVan1363]

If one child is sick do you still do school for everyone else? How do you mark that? I used an attendance sheet like this before, but with 4 kids, it was hard to track who was sick and who did school when you got into the middle of the year. :( Love your binder, I use something similar I made. :)

[@JanelleKnutson]

I use my family attendance record for the younger ones and then the individual attendance record sheets for the older kids to keep track of the days they do school. Usually, if someone is sick, the younger ones don't do school as I am caring for a sick one.

[@bethany1275]

Janelle, first of all...thank you! I have a question for you... How do you file this info if any after the school year has ended? I want to have a record of attendance each year along with grades ofcourse. Also, of topic some...how do you do your child's grading/report cards? If you could answer this when you have time I would be so thankful. Bethany Boyce

[@JanelleKnutson]

Here's how I store homeschool records: kzbin.info/www/bejne/rXzTd2qNfL55qKs

[@iamjamiexlee]

What size paper did you use?

[@JanelleKnutson]

standard 8.5x11

[@valerieromero3157]

Hi Janell, for your 9th grader do you make her a separate planner for her where she has her own weekly lessons/assignments or do you keep her specific deadlines in your planner?

[@JanelleKnutson]

I put the deadlines in my own lesson plans (as a reminder to me to check in on how she is doing) AND I have a sheet (one per subject) with the entire year's deadlines on it. She keeps the sheet of deadlines in her binder with the appropriate subject. I write the deadlines on a lined piece of paper in pencil since I know they will get adjusted over the year. :)

[@beckycartledge9719]

Are you using student logbooks this year???

[@JanelleKnutson]

Yes, my kids will each have a My Student Logbook.

[@beckycartledge9719]

Would you mind doing a quick check in video about those and how you set up this school year?

[@reneec3186]

I ordered the packets and they will not print normal size and as I go change printing options and troubleshooting, says file is corrupt. Are you able to mail my order?

[@JanelleKnutson]

So sorry for the trouble you are having. Email me (by replying to your order) and we will get it all taken care of!

[@reneec3186]

@@JanelleKnutson okay, just sent🙂

[@AriCan02]

Do you do thIs this for all grades? Are records legally required? New psa momma, I really have no clue. I’ll be Beginning 1st grade this coming school yr.

[@JanelleKnutson]

I use my Homeschool Mom Binder for all my school age kids but only keep grades for middle school and high school. Different states have different requirements for records that need to be kept. HSLDA has more information on what is required for each state. hslda.org/legal

[@pinkorganichorse]

If I buy, can these be edited so that I can input my information on the computer rather than by hand?

[@JanelleKnutson]

They are PDFs to print off. Not editable.

[@logosrhemalego]

When you are through one academic year, do you keep the record of the year in a separate binder to accumulate over the years? Do you do this for each child or just one binder for all?

[@JanelleKnutson]

One binder for everyone. When the school year is done, I transfer things over to my Record Keeping System. I did a video of it here: kzbin.info/www/bejne/rXzTd2qNfL55qKs I toss lesson plans but keep the other records.

[@grace52775]

Very useful information, but I'm getting too many commercials! There's not a quarter of a minute in between commercials! 😒

[@JanelleKnutson]

I’m so sorry! KZbin automatically added in ads to older videos awhile back and I haven’t had the time to go into each video and manually change the ad setting.

[@grace52775]

@JanelleKnutson thanks for letting me know, and thanks for your videos. You've helped me get my homeschool together for my children. I hope you're doing well. (I saw your health update video) God bless you and your family!

[@lillahigdon771]