Let’s be a little more specific: What’s in one of my homeschool organization e-books? Lots of helpful information for you! The e-books run about 20–30 pages each and include photographs, examples, and additional resources. My easy-reading style provides step-by-step instructions for organizing your homeschool, your papers, your portfolios, and your schedule. If you’re an aspiring author, you’ll find everything you need to polish your manuscript (short or long) in From the Editor’s Desk before you send it off to an editor! Afraid that my methods won’t fit your style? Don’t be! My goal is to make homeschool organization accessible for everyone! I suggest many different ways to accomplish this and encourage you to find what works for you and your family.
All e-books can be purchased on my website, www.bethanylebedz.com, or at www.CurrClick.com (search for LeBedz Publishing).
Let’s start with a little summary plus a quick peek of what’s in each e-book:
Organize Your Homeschool
Does it take you half an hour to find the grammar book each morning? Do the kids take five minutes to find and sharpen a pencil? Many people ask, “Why bother to organize? It is too much work!” That has an easy answer: organization equals peace and consistency! In addition, I think that it is much less work to teach in an organized space than to try to find space and tools to teach every day. You reap what you sow: sow peace and efficiency into your homeschool to reap peace and effectiveness. This e-book shows you how to set up an organized homeschool space, even if it's your kitchen table. You'll discover the top ten tools and how to use them. You'll finally be able to tackle the mountain of art projects and math papers. You'll learn how planning ahead can save you time and energy without being restrictive, and more.
Bethany’s Top Ten Homeschool Organization Tools:
1. Bookshelves
2. Binders
3. 3-Hole Punch
4. Baskets and/or shoeboxes (cardboard or plastic)
5. Various small containers
6. Letter stacking trays
7. Calendars
8. Lesson planner
9. Timers
10. Trash can
Purchase the “Organize Your Homeschool” e-book to find out what to do with all these tools.
Tame the Paper Monster
Have papers taken over your desk? Do you have to throw magazines, newspapers, and old invitations on the floor to find your couch? How often have you forgotten to make brownies for youth group or to sign a permission slip for a field trip? Learn how to Tame the Paper Monster once and for all. In Taming the Paper Monster, you’ll discover what papers need to be saved and which ones can be tossed; you’ll learn the secrets of setting up an effective, customized binder or filing system that you’ll actually use. Organizing guru Bethany LeBedz lets you in on all these secrets and more.
Tackling the paper monster requires a PLAN and PERSISTENCE. It can be done, I promise! In fact, my husband recently discovered that there is a floor in his office after all. So, how does one put paper in its place once and for all? Read on for an adaptable plan to put your P.A.P.E.R.S. in their place that you can start implementing right now (Plan, Arrange, Persevere, Essential, Regular, Self-Discipline for a Sane System).
Demystifying Homeschool Portfolios
What does a hard-working homeschooling mom do with all those 3-D projects, art papers, grammar workbooks, math tests? Keep everything? Yikes! Throw them away? Horrors! When Grandma’s fridge is full, there is an alternative that can make both the savers and the throwers happy, believe it or not. The solution is to make a portfolio to showcase a selection of each student’s best work throughout the school year. Learn the whys and hows of creating homeschool portfolios. Discover creative means of preserving and documenting non-paper items. Receive step-by-step instructions and encouragement along the way, whether you’re just starting or have twelve years’ worth of stuff to sort.
The easiest way to manage a portfolio is to work on it all along, but it’s never too late to start. My preference is to take the daily binders about once a month, choose papers to go into the portfolio, and trash the rest, unless they’re needed for a later test. Older students who have final exams may benefit from having some of the papers not needed on an everyday basis sorted and put into another binder that is kept on a shelf for future reference.
Pre-Plan for Your Best Homeschool Year Ever
Learn how to plan your curricula and time in order to have your best year ever. Learn how to write your own lesson plans and make your own schedules. Discover the freeing power of time management. Bethany LeBedz, veteran homeschooler, provides tips and handouts to maximize homeschool resources without restriction.
EXAMPLE Daily Schedule
Time/Day | Monday | Tuesday | Wednesday | Thursday | Friday |
8:30-9:00 | E – Memory & Handwriting | E – Memory & Handwriting | E – Memory & Handwriting | E – Memory & Handwriting | E – Memory & Handwriting |
9:00-9:45 | E - Math | E - Math | E - Math | E - Math | E - Math |
9:45-10:30 | E - Bible | 9:30-11- M - science class | E - Bible | E - Bible | E - Bible |
10:30-10:45 | E – Recess M - Math | E – Recess M - Math | E – Recess M - Math | E – Recess M - Math | E – Recess M - Math |
10:45-11:30 | E – History M - Math | E – History M - Math | E – History M - Math | E – History M - Math | E – History M - Math |
11:30-12:00 | Latin | Latin | Latin | Latin | Latin |
12:00-1:00 | LUNCH & RECESS | LUNCH & RECESS | LUNCH & RECESS | LUNCH & RECESS | LUNCH & RECESS |
1:00-2:00 | E - Grammar & Reading | E - Grammar & Reading | M & E - P.E. Class | E - Grammar & Reading | E - Grammar & Reading |
2:00-2:20 | E – Spelling | E – Spelling | E – Spelling | E – Spelling | E - Spelling |
2:20-3:00 | E – Science | E – Science | E – Science | E – Science | E - Science |
From the Editor’s Desk
New authors, find out what to expect the first time your manuscript crosses an editor’s desk. Learn insider secrets to making a good first impression; discover the difference between proofreading and substantive editing. Seasoned freelance editor and writer Bethany LeBedz covers these topics and more in her e-book From the Editor’s Desk.
Clear, Concrete, Simple, Parallel
In addition to making sure that you use proper grammar and that you use your words properly, it’s important to learn to use clear, concrete, simple, direct language. Don’t use ten words if five will do. Don’t show off loquacious when your audience reads at a talkative level. Avoid sentences that begin with there is/are, it is, and the like. Make your subjects perform the action instead of having the action done to them (that’s called using the active voice instead of the passive voice). Parallel construction uses a similar grammatical form for each segment of a sentence or a paragraph. Place modifiers (either single words or phrases) as close as possible to the words they modify. The above elements produce writing that flows naturally. They cause “aha” moments for readers, which is what you’re aiming for, right?
