Homeschool Binder

Homeschool binder, what’s that?

Well, it’s essentially a binder of everything homeschool but everyone’s looks a little different. When I first started homeschooling I had no idea what a Homeschool Binder even was.. or what needed to go into it. I was searching Pinterest for how to organize and keep all of our records together and I happened across this blog about, well, putting together a homeschool binder. I read lots of different blog posts about homeschool binders and what to put in it but what I found was that it pretty much depended on your state laws and your preferences. So from that blog I put together my own homeschool binder that has since been moved into a big Happy Planner and I love it! Below I will share what we have in ours to kind of give you an idea of how I keep things organized.. or organized ISH. LOL.

I break mine into sections to make it easier to find what I am looking for. Here are the supplies that I use to make mine easier to use

• TUL Notebook Paper – I use this to jot down any ideas I have for lesson plans, unit studies, projects, etc.
• TUL Discs – I use the 2″ discs for my binder because I have a lot of stuff in mine and it gives me room to add more to it.
• TUL Folder Divider – I use these as folders for anything I need to keep but don’t necessarily need to put in my binder. I mostly use it for worksheets Autumn has done that I need to look over.
• TUL Tabbed Divider – I use these to separate my sections.
• HP Calendar Extension – I used to just buy a new planner when I ran out but I have been just buying the extension pack that is 6 months long. I  jot down our weeks and days off each month in the monthly view. I use the weekly layouts for writing down any homeschool related things I need to do (print off worksheets, etc). The link is not the actual extension pack that I have this year.
• HP Decorative Cover – These are just different covers that you can buy to replace what came on yours or to use to make your own planner like I have. Again, the link is not the size or cover I use.
• HP Bookmark – I use this to make it easier to go to the week/month in the calendar section so that I can find the current week we are one to see what I need to do. The link is actually their dashboards which would do the same thing, but mine are more narrow like an actual bookmark. I just could not find the product to link it.
• HP Paper Punch – This makes it so that I can print anything off Pinterest or wherever and punch the paper to fit onto the discs that I use.

Now that you know what I have used to make my homeschool binder let’s break down what’s inside.

Important Papers – This is where I keep everything I have to turn in to the state for records. Each of these (besides the letter from the county) I make two copies of.. one to keep and one to send in to the superintendent.

• • NOI – This is our Notice of Intent to homeschool letter. It basically says “For the school year _____ I wish to homeschool ________ and here is how I meet that requirement ______” You can find these online or sometimes your state homeschool website or state education website will have a form you can print and fill out.
• • List of Subjects – In Virginia we have to provide our county with a list of subjects we will be covering in our homeschool curriculum. It doesn’t need to be what books or resources we will be using.. just a list of subjects.
• • End of Year Assessment Results – At the end of every year we are required to test our children and send in the results.
• • Letter from the county – This is just a letter saying they approve our NOI and I keep that each year with her other records.
• • Attendance – I am not required to send this in. I keep it for myself to make sure that we are meeting the day/week requirement for the year. We have to do 180 days/36 weeks of schooling a year.

• Extra Papers – This is where I keep additional copies or worksheets we will be using over the course of the year.
• Finished Papers – This is where I keep any worksheets or projects she has completed outside of our normal curriculum. I also keep completed reading logs in this section.
• Sophia – This is where I keep any worksheets that I have printed out for Sophia to do. When they are completed I move them to the back of the section. Next year or the year after I will move her into her own binder/planner.
• Notes – This is just lined paper that I jot down any ideas I have for projects, field trips, etc.
• Calendar – Like I said earlier I use this to keep track of what week we are in and any tasks related to homeschooling that I need to get done that week.

Thanks for reading up on how I keep my binder organized and what I add to it. Remember, there are LOTS of ways to do this and if yours doesn’t look like mine THAT IS OKAY! Every homeschool family does things differently, there are different laws in every state/country, and we all have different ways of keeping our shit together.

Until next time…

xoxo