3x5 Card System
Back before we got computers and I started using an LMS for building and planning the kids' homeschooling, I used a 3x5 card system. As far as I know, it was an original idea. It worked fantastic to be able to know what objectives needed to be worked on at each grade level and each subject all the way down to knowing what would be done in any given hour of a home school day.
To the left is one of several 3x5 card boxes. Originally, I used a desk drawer, but it didn't take long to outgrow that. The tabs are the major topic areas. The blue cards contain the objectives, and the white cards are the activities themselves. These cards are pulled gently to make them release from their track and then they are placed in an over-sized sleeved photoalbum. Each column had one of the children assigned to it. The rows represented the time of the day. It was easy for the kids to go to the album and find their column and the row and to see if they would be teaming up with a sibling or with me for an activity or working on something independently. It kept us busy and on-task. If some surprise popped up and plans needed to change, we merely slipped the card(s) out of their sleeve and moved them to a new location in the schedule.
Below you can see the over-sized photo album and the card boxes that were useful for that particular day. Once the unit was done, I merely photographed the pages for a permanent record and refiled the cards.
To the left is one of several 3x5 card boxes. Originally, I used a desk drawer, but it didn't take long to outgrow that. The tabs are the major topic areas. The blue cards contain the objectives, and the white cards are the activities themselves. These cards are pulled gently to make them release from their track and then they are placed in an over-sized sleeved photoalbum. Each column had one of the children assigned to it. The rows represented the time of the day. It was easy for the kids to go to the album and find their column and the row and to see if they would be teaming up with a sibling or with me for an activity or working on something independently. It kept us busy and on-task. If some surprise popped up and plans needed to change, we merely slipped the card(s) out of their sleeve and moved them to a new location in the schedule.
Below you can see the over-sized photo album and the card boxes that were useful for that particular day. Once the unit was done, I merely photographed the pages for a permanent record and refiled the cards.
PowerPoint Presentation
Enjoy the little presentation below to learn more about the 3x5 system.
Card Examples
Here is a slideshow of the 3x5 cards in the Product Binder Set. These are generic, reusable projects that can be used for a wide variety of topics.
What I Do Now
I have fond memories of the 3x5 card system, but I don't use it any more. Now I use Moodle which is a learner management system. It has some fantastic tools for developing curriculum and staying organized.