Practical Tip – Google Calendar

Here’s this week’s practical tip ~When I started planning my own eclectic homeschool curriculums to tailor-make each child’s education, I found Google Calendar such a practical help.

I must add though, that I use Google calendar only for planning and not as a daily/ weekly/ monthly tool, and I still prefer a paper printout for record-keeping, rather than enter it on the Google calendar.

Here are some benefits of Google calendar:

 

• Create a calendar for each child. (Create each calendar in a different color.)
• Enter all school holidays to create school terms.
• Copy your school calendar to any other calendar you create.
• Type in monthly themes/ topics/ subjects across the year. This quickly produces your year plan.
• Assign a color for each subject. (On the calendar it shows as a colored bar, on the printout it is a small rounded square of color.)
• Enter subjects as an event.
• Click for repeated themes or lessons – Google calendar offers daily, specific days each week, all work-days, weekly, monthly etc.
• In the “Descriptions” box, add lessons, chapters & pages to the basic lesson entry. It may be easy to type in the book title for all and then go back to each repeat lesson to add the specific chapter and page numbers.
• Also add website links, documents, files and notes for each lesson in the description box.
• Attach files. I love this feature as I can organize my downloads to each lesson and print out lapbooks, maps, pictures later when I prepare for the month ahead.
• Easily drag and move “events” to new dates when children “fall behind” or need more time on something.
• Teens with their own Gmail accounts access their own calendars and work independently.
• Calendars available for everyone when doing chores help collect library books, plan while at appointments or synchronize outings and family events.
• Under Tasks add further details for the day – complete and hand in a lapbook/ do a review or a test.  Tasks appear in a clear list next to a calendar.
• Reminders can easily be added in the edit form – either as an email or a pop-up.  (I chose a pop-up because I don’t want my inbox cluttered with reminders.)
• Print out the calendar.  You can select daily, weekly, the agenda, or monthly view, or even a specific range of dates.
• Completed calendars are the record of work!  Easy-peasy!

Read my full Google calendar posts ~

• Google Calendar Homeschool Planning
• Google Calendar Planning (follow-up)

Blessings to my Northern Hemisphere readers, as you plan and start your new school year!

 

 

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