Our Family Learning Diary – Recording Our Homeschool Journey
Written by Lusi Austin from That Homeschool Life
Even before we began homeschooling, I started keeping a learning record. A collection of loose papers with notes on them. I can’t tell you why, but I know I did it because I came across the papers in a box in my shed recently.
My eldest (now 22) was 3 at the time and on this piece of paper, it says that we did an ‘underwater themed art activity’ . I wrote the song that we sang together and we played a magnetic fish game too. I think somehow I knew that homeschooling would be part of our life’s path.
This is our sixteenth year of homeschooling our children. I made a commitment back when I first started, that I would write in my diary each day. Well that lasted maybe two days!
The following year, I made a commitment to write it in a couple of times a week but the same thing happened. I just couldn’t keep up with it.
I used to get frustrated with myself and my ‘lack of self discipline’ until I lightened up and realised that I was imposing something on myself that I didn’t need to.
Instead, I decided to work with my neurodivergent ADHD brain and do it the way that came most naturally to me.
How I keep a family learning diary
The only way I can remember what we have done is by looking at photos. I am a visual person so a single photo can jog my mind and remind me of the learning that took place.
I group the learning photos into months in private Facebook albums.
I give the album the title: Learning From Life, then add in the month and year. This makes it easier to find later on.
After adding all the photos into the monthly album, I go to a café, order breakfast and coffee and have a learning diary date!
I look at my photos and under a month headline, I write down learning activities. I use subject subheadings which I then highlight and color-code.
Purchasing a lined notebook that does not have ANY dates or months in it, has been even more liberating for my brain.
What I Include
I like to think of our learning diary as a bit of a family record.
I try to include things that I’ll want to be reminded about in years to come. Examples of this are events we attended, people we caught up with, overcoming challenging seasons.
I also include learning activities, books we have read, recipes we’ve cooked together, etc.
Instead of just writing down something like, ‘we did a maths lesson’, I think about recording a child’s attitude. I might write, ‘X found the lesson on fractions challenging. There were some tears. So we put the bookwork aside, ordered a pizza and tried to tackle fractions in a different way!’
Excerpts from our learning diary entries of our homeschool journey:
July 2009 “Brett took E to hospital – croup. Kids and I had a relaxed day at home. We watched ‘The Zoo’, ‘Scrap Heap Challenge’ and ‘The Plague’ episode of Little House on the Prairie. Kids did some craft, drawing, imaginary play. S finished writing her fettucine recipe in her recipe book. I read the book ‘Jonah and the Fish’ to S & E. S was tested on her spelling list words. S’s friend M dropped over to show a bonnet she had. S showed her the one I made her for dress ups.”
March 2011 “Reading/Computer: L finished another 2 lessons on ABC Reading Eggs. He read 3 short books to Brett. Confusion with ‘this/is’ but kept trying. PDHPE: Running races. The kids were all good sports. E started getting upset when he didn’t keep up with the others. Still trying to work on that kind of attitude with him and talked again about being a good sport. S continued to read the Secret Garden and is up to chapter 18. L & E used cardboard to make themselves a mobile phone.”
August 2014 “History/Geography: The boys have requested we study WWI. We started by learning about ‘Old Europe’ and the causes of WWI. Identified Great Britain, France, Germany, Austria-Hungary & Italy on the globe. Read about the Triple Entente and the Triple Alliance and who they were between. Discussed colonies, empires and then the main causes for WWI: M (militarism), A (alliances) I (imperialism) N (nationalism). Kids coloured in a map of Europe at that time.”
These are just a few examples from over the years. Even now, reading them brings warmth to my heart and reassures me that I really have given my children a rich life.
Why I bother keeping a family learning diary
In my state, I have to show learning samples to my regulatory body. I do this in many ways, but I have grown to really LOVE our learning diary! It is something even my kids look back on as the years pass.
It also helps me remember. Life has been so full and busy for so many years and it’s easy to forget!
The diaries remind me of how nuanced our life throughout our homeschool journey and I’m grateful for that.
How do you record your homeschool journey? I’d love to hear! ~ Lusi x
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