Record Keeping for Homeschoolers

Keeping records for each school year is important forbook or on the back of your daily logbook. Include
different reasons. They'll help you to monitor yourthe book title, author or publisher and you may want
child's progress, keep track of lesson plans andto give a brief description of how the book was
become part of a portfolio for college entry. Recordused.A home school portfolio may be required by
keeping will help you to meet short and long-termyour state but even if it's not, it is useful when
goals for your school year. They will help in planningapplying for colleges and for an annual evaluation of
your lessons and help keep you on track during theyour child's progress. The portfolio can include
school year.Write a list of all the books and materialsanything related to your child's education. This may
you use in school and keep with your records. Youinclude lesson plans, logbooks, worksheets, test
might want to include a list of books and materialsresults, writing assignments and book reports. Field
you find interesting to research for later use intrips taken, special events, experiments, scrapbooks
school.Lesson plan books come in many styles. Theof projects and artwork should also be a part of the
most popular have the weekdays listed across theportfolio. Although most homeschoolers do not keep
top and places along the sides for the subjects. Yougrades, you may find them beneficial. After grading
can easily create your own lesson plan book using ayour children's papers, record their score in a grade
ruler and paper then inserting it in a three ring binder.book, available at a teacher supply store. Every six
Your local teacher supply store should also carryweeks, use a handheld grader, such as E-Z Grader to
simple lesson planning books. This type of recorddetermine the average grade of each subject. By
keeping helps to plan out your curriculum on a weeklyknowing their grades, you can determine any
basis.A daily logbook is like keeping a diary or journalweakness your children may have in a particular
for school days. It is used for writing ideas orsubject and can now help them to improve their
activities that your children participated in each day.grade average.Most children like receiving certificates
You can buy a logbook for homeschoolers or justfor good grades or just a good job done well. They
use notebook paper and place in a binder. Write briefare available for almost every situation such as
descriptions of the school day events and also includepreschool, reading, science, honor roll and more.
the date. If a school day doesn't go as planned, thenCertificates help build your child's self-esteem by
a daily log will help you to keep track of exactlygiving them a feeling of accomplishment and pride in
what was accomplished that day. Have your childrentheir work. It also shows them the progress they've
keep their own daily log if they are old enough tomade in the school year.Keep all your records in one
write down the day's projects and activities. This willbinder for easy access, using tabs to separate by
help them to retain what they learned and will helptopic, subject or by child. Be sure to check with your
them with their writing skills.Some states require a liststates regulations for record keeping before you
of the books, curriculum and materials used by eachhome school to make sure you follow their
child, every school year. Simply record each itemrequirements.
used in that week in either your weekly lesson plan