Donna Young's Blog

Donna,
I want to thank you for your wonderful website. Your forms have all been tremendously helpful to me, made me think of many things I would never have thought of! I was really pleased to find your 6x5 grids, which I wanted to use one daily for a six week block to target some of my son`s speech sounds that need correcting (I am a speech therapist as well as homeschooling...). But I discovered it is actually 5x5. Still, very helpful, but six weeks worth of grids would have been great. Thanks!

— Marcia Petucci · Sep 15, 10:20 PM · #

Marcia, thank you for letting me know about the 6x5 grid. I will fix that right away.
It is fixed:
http://donnayoung.org/forms/planners/grids.htm

— Donna Young · Sep 16, 01:18 AM · #

Hi Donna,

I downloaded your Grades and Attendance yesterday. I LOVE it.

I just wanted to let you know that it works almost seamlessly in "Numbers" which is the Mac version of Excel. It looks a bit different (tabs run down the left side rather than across the bottom), but I can label each table with the subject name which makes entering grades a snap! The only adjustment I had to make was to highlight the entire area where the daily grades and tests are entered and change the format to fraction (otherwise, it thought I was entering a date). With that one small change, the formulas that you have entered work perfectly!

Thank you so much for such a wonderful program!!!

~Michelle

— Michelle in TN · Sep 16, 12:23 PM · #

Michelle, thank you for telling me how Grades and Attendance works with Numbers. I am going to link your comment on the G&A web page so others who use Numbers can read what you did to make it work.

— Donna Young · Sep 16, 01:14 PM · #

I am new to homeschooling this year. Just wanted to thank you. There is so much to learn and the forms you have are so useful! Thanks so much for sharing!

Donna Thornell

— Donna Thornell · Sep 22, 11:07 PM · #

Donna

I need an attendance and grade form with 15 subjects. Do you have one or can you tell me how to add 3 subjects to your 12 subject one.

Thanks

Sharon

— Sharon · Sep 26, 09:13 PM · #

Sharon, I have one that has 16 subjects. It is on the drawing board to be made into a single subject co-op grader of sorts, but currently it is still in the typical one-child grader format. You can download it here:
ZIP file of 16 subject grader

— Donna Young · Sep 27, 12:21 AM · #

Donna

Thanks so much This will work GREAT!

Sharon

— Sharon · Sep 28, 06:42 PM · #

Donna,
I love your website. I use a lot of your materials in our homeschool, and my kids are loving it.
Thank you for creating this site for those of us who would rather create a curriculum than go a little crazy at the fair!
Leah Jones--mom to 5!

— Leah · Sep 29, 12:40 PM · #

I was wondering if you could come up with a printable checkbook register - that would actually fit in a checkbook. I had one that I had been using, but the site seems to be down. All the other ones I am finding will not fit in my checkbook.

— Linda Harrell · Sep 29, 08:27 PM · #

Thank you so much for the printable calendars! I am using them to schedule my studies for the Bar Exam, and it saved me so much time! God bless you

— Tania · Oct 4, 10:28 PM · #

I just wanted to say thank you. I`ve used your site, off and on for five years now. When I took a turn from unschooling to more formal stuff with my daughter last year it was your site that helped me make the transition and your forms that provided the backbone of my organization. You`re one heck of a woman to do this for all of us out here in the homeschooling world. Thank you!

— Dawn · Oct 5, 10:14 PM · #

Thanks for the very helpful calandars and other info also :-)

— Bert and Minerva Lundy · Oct 7, 03:16 PM · #

Donna, hi; Your website is utterly FANTASTIC! I am a retired Master in Administrative Education with a very,very bright three year old grand daughter that I have worked with since she was six weeks young. I started by lullaby time singing the alphabet softly in her ear to the tune of Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star and the numbers 1 through 10 to a song I heard on a tape. Now, at three she knows her letter sounds and is reading some. I came across your website and I am floored with the wealth of information you have placed here. This is absolutely the greatest! I certainly, will refer your website to those who need to and wish to be enlightened. THANK YOU, THANK YOU!
Question Will you in Math post division, place value, and problem solving?

— JOANN ROBBINS · Oct 7, 04:12 PM · #

hi donna, i do not know how to thank,you your web is so useful to my spl.kids with whom i work.i teach day and dates with your calendars, i give them prewriting and writing skills with your resources. i use your other calendars for recording. i am a spl. educator and i will request you to make a monthly calendar with wide spaces for me to type time and the childs name and to schedule the class. it will be of great help to me. god bless you for your services

— raji · Oct 9, 01:03 AM · #

This is my first year homeschooling and I was very thankful when God led me to your web site. Thank you, you are a true blessing!

— Christine King · Oct 11, 07:54 PM · #

Hi Donna,
I love all your forms and especially the grading. I appreciate the Saxon grading form and was wondering if it is possible to put it in a .doc format so I can edit it as our book is a little bit off from the one you made. Thanks for putting this site together. it is been so helpful!

— Julie · Oct 13, 09:30 PM · #

Donna, your website is really fantastic! Thanks for the calendars and printables, they really help us!

— yunie lou · Oct 15, 03:28 AM · #

Donna,

I am using the 6-week weekly journal and I always have problems seeing all the type that I type into the boxes for each day. The first word is slightly indented, but the rest of the type is clipped off. I have tried to "outsmart" the Excel program by changing the wrapping, but that doesn`t work either. I am using a Mac, so my Office 2004 is the Mac edition...is that the problem?

Other than that, I love having the schedule printed out for myself and my son each week. It just looks "off."

— Marty McIntyre · Oct 15, 04:07 PM · #

Donna,
I am absolutely your #1 fan! I`ve been homeschooling for 14 years and using your site for most of that time!!! it is always the 2nd site I recommend to "newbies"; the first being HSLDA :-)

You calendars are wonderful and versatile ~ I use them both for school and my home business planning.

Thank you, thank you, thank you!!!

Your new look also allows people to see the breadth of your interests. "Learn something new every day" I always say!

The only problem I have is that I am tempted to tarry too long, when I should be getting back to school

Pat

— Pat Fenner · Oct 17, 11:51 AM · #

Hi Julie, I have the doc version of both of them and I will add those to the grading web page as soon I can.

— Donna Young · Oct 17, 02:35 PM · #

Thank You Pat!

— Donna Young · Oct 17, 03:38 PM · #

Marty, you could be right about the problem. I have no way to check that since I do not have the same computer set.

Is there a way to manually force a line break in your Mac office 04 Excel program?

In the windows excel program, a manual line break can be forced by holding down the ALT key and pressing ENTER.

— Donna Young · Oct 17, 05:07 PM · #

Donna, I just found your site while looking for homeschooling forums/sites and am AMAZED at the wealth of information you have here for homeschoolers!

I am trying to find homeschool sites where I can legitimately publicize a GO FISH learning game for kids that I created with digital scrapbooking: a GO FISH game about Sarah Palin`s ALASKA. I want to be careful not to spam forums and such. Do you know of any sites that offer free ads?

Blessings on your ministry here to homeschool families . . .

Karen Collins

— Karen Collins · Oct 29, 06:01 PM · #

Thank you so much for creating the blank calendars! I am a kindergarten teacher and I have the children decorate them as a Christmas present for their parents. They turn out to be VERY cute, personalized and FUNCTIONAL for the parents. You`re a life saver!

— Becky Smith · Oct 30, 12:18 AM · #

Donna - you are amazing and your site and all the information on here is incredible! Thank you so much for doing all of this - and sharing it with others for free. You spread the Grace of God and Bless us all. Thank you and God Bless.

— Tara · Oct 30, 05:41 AM · #

cannpt hear the audio file but I would like to thank you for a free site that is REALLY FREE.
Thank you

— rosemary · Nov 5, 03:09 AM · #

Your grocery list is the best anywhere, bar none!!! Thank you!

— Ruth · Nov 8, 12:43 PM · #

Hello Judy,

Using the typeable version of the calendar, increase the table width of one of the calendars.

Then select the visible cells of the calendar and right-click and choose to distribute the columns evenly.

Then repeat that on the remaining 11 months.

— Donna Young · Nov 12, 05:36 PM · #

Hi Donna,
Loved your lists and calendars. Do you have a calendar for `daily`? The kind that has each of the hours in bold, then 3 lines signifing each of the 15 minutes. People could decide on am or pm if it is for 12 hours or just use the 24 hour one. This would be good for shift workers.

Ex: 1________
________
________
________
2________ ecerta...

— joy · Nov 14, 12:27 PM · #

Hello Joy, I do not have one quite like that. The closest thing that I have are `timers` on this page in Household.
http://donnayoung.org/household/fullsize/timers/index.htm

— Donna Young · Nov 15, 06:45 PM · #

Donna,
I have used your site for several years now and it is sooo helpful. Being a creature of habit, I have become quite dependent on your tools. This past summer, when I was headed to print my calendar for the next school year, I was not able to find the calendar I have always used. The one that spreads a month across 2 vertical pages with an area on the right hand page for notes. Is it hiding someplace. As I age, my eyesite is really missing the larger squares that are available on the 2 page spread.
Thank you again for all you have and continue to do.
Carole

— Carole · Nov 16, 06:17 PM · #

Carole, that sounds like the block planner in the household section. Here is the link if you want to take a look.
http://donnayoung.org/household/fullsize/block/index.htm

— Donna Young · Nov 16, 06:30 PM · #

Dear Donna,

I am new to homeschooling and would like to join your group. are there any classes that my kids could still get involved in? If not, are there any social groups we could participate in so my kids can make some new friends? My daughter Fiona is 9, my son Sean is 7 and my son Hugh is 3.

Thank you,

Julie Daugherty

— Julie Daugherty · Nov 26, 03:46 PM · #

Hello Julie,

At this time I do not have an online homeschool group.

Another way to meet homeschoolers is to locate your state`s homeschool website. That can usually be accomplished by an internet search or you could start with this web page: http://www.home-school.com/groups/

From there, find out if there is a group near you and if there is, attend a few meetings. Some groups have park days (or play days) for the children and most organize field trips.

— Donna Young · Nov 29, 06:17 PM · #

Hi Donna, What a great website! I`ve been on it for over an hour and have gotten some great ideas.

Now, the reason why I stumbled onto your website - My daughter has made her Christmas list, which only has 3 items, the top item being a cardinal feather. When I Google cardinal feathers, your blog about the cardinals in your yard pops up! Would you be willing to part with a feather to help make a young girl smile?

Please email me if we can work something out.

Thanks! Nancy


I did not keep the feathers.
- Donna

— Nancy · Dec 2, 01:32 AM · #

I love your Website. I am always looking for some kind of form and you just about have them covered. Keep up the good work.

Thanks

— Judy Hill · Dec 5, 07:36 PM · #

Donna - you are an absolute genius! I have been using the FlyLady system for a while now, but the control journal that I made for myself using her system was full-sized and bulky. Thanks to you, I now have my routines, calendars, grocery lists, meal planners and everything in the half-sized planner. Like I said, pure genius! Thanks so much!

— Gina · Dec 12, 04:28 PM · #

Hi Donna,
I printed out the high school course study checklist you made. I am on the homestrech now but this will help me make sure I crossed all my t`s and dotted all my i`s .
Your forms always help me sort it all out.
Thanks,
Lisa

— Lisa · Dec 15, 07:37 PM · #

The Ruled School Calendar is my all time favorite!! It helps me organize, reevaluate and reorgainize I would be lost without it.
Thank you so much.

— Lisa · Jan 4, 02:58 PM · #

Thank you, Donna, for sharing what you`ve created. We are truly blessed by your hard work and generosity. :-)

— Stacey · Jan 16, 07:41 PM · #

Great website, wonderful useful forms. I especially like the half page items.

Am looking for a form that covers "things my family should know" or items like insurance policy names and numbers, bank accounts info. etc.

Anyone know of a location or can you do that for us too Donna?

— Connie · Jan 20, 10:31 PM · #

Almost forgot - anyone know of a good hole punch for halfpage use - the seven hole type? One I bought is too dull to cut the paper.

— Connie · Jan 20, 10:34 PM · #

You are welcome Stacy. :)

— DY · Jan 22, 09:26 PM · #

I have one similar to that on the site-cd. Not quite though, it is mostly important phone numbers and other things such as allergies and medical information.

Dare I announce this? I hope to make a whole new half-page set. I could add that type of form to my list of styles to make for donnayoung.org.

— DY · Jan 22, 09:32 PM · #

I also wish I knew of a good 7-hole punch.

— DY · Jan 22, 09:33 PM · #

HI Donna,
Thanks for the cool new DY button:) I just put it up.
Lisa

— Lisa · Jan 24, 10:51 PM · #

Donna,
What a wonderful thought - new set of half page items. You are the best! I do look forward to it.

I do not mean to be morbid asking about a page for things a family should know in the event of the death of a loved one.

My precious daughter died last December and now my mother is in the advanced stages of Alzheimers and has had a stroke. She cannot tell me where some things are. She had told me originally a lock box but I believe in the earlier stages of Alzheimer`s she moved things and cannot remember. If families had a form with the information needs can be cared for even before the original documents are located.

Just for your consideration. Thanks.

Connie

— Connie · Jan 26, 07:05 AM · #

You are welcome Lisa. And thank you for using the button. :)

— DY · Jan 26, 04:27 PM · #

Thank you so much for providing such wonderful resources! I love your website!! I am trying to print a copy of the typeable header green vertical calendar for August 08 through 09. I keep getting an error message that states that the link appears broken. Can you provide any suggestions?

— Wil · Feb 2, 07:01 PM · #

Hi, Donna. Thank you so much for this website...it is a great help to me as I homeschool my boys. I am looking for flashcards that have 1 hour = 60 minutes, ect...do you have those on here and I just can`t "see past the mustard"?
Thanks!

— Mickelle · Feb 2, 07:05 PM · #

Donna, Just a note to say thanks for telling folks about my Veggie Planting Slide Chart, and sending them to our site. Our customers are telling us you sent them.

Clyde
Clyde`s Garden Planner

— Clyde Majerus - of Clyde`s Garden Planner · Feb 12, 11:27 AM · #

Thank you for asking about that file. The link was broken. It is fixed now.

— Donna Young · Feb 16, 09:06 PM · #

Your seeing is fine. I do not have flash cards like that.

— Donna Young · Feb 16, 09:07 PM · #

I love the Edwardian 6-day weekly planner. Do I remember wrong or wasn`t there a Journal page to go along with it some years ago? I really would like a set in the same font, call me silly but I really feel inspired by the "old-fashioned" script.

— Monica Carlsson · Feb 21, 01:01 PM · #

Hello Monica,
There is a journal that matches it, but it is not online right now. it is a different journal style though, it is divided into 5 rows and has two columns.

Sometime this year I am planning to upload two sets that uses an old fashioned script: Edwardian and Alexia. I currently have a file started containing the Edwardian planners and I will redo all of them. When I finish with them and upload them, they will be placed in the section: Homeschool Planner > Sets
http://donnayoung.org/forms/planners/sets.htm

— Donna Young · Feb 21, 05:49 PM · #

I just want to say thank you. Every year, I attempt to place my children in public school hoping that it will allow me to work from home more and tend to my toddler but each time with the 2 oldest, situations keep occurring that remind me why they do not need to be there. I have 1 graduate and a now 7th grader that I just pulled out of public school yesterday. I have saved this site to my favorites and so grateful that I did. Thank you again, I could never have successfully educated the now graduate nor my new student with you or your site:). Peace and blessings to you.

— gmc · Feb 25, 02:52 PM · #

Thank you GMC and you are welcome. :)

— Donna Young · Feb 26, 09:35 PM · #

I do not know where to begin...
This is a great site. I have been homeschooling for 23 years and
my youngest is now in 11th grade. We were independent for many years, but even support groups did not have the resources I needed. The forms, lists..I created by hand when we first began and have gradually computerized our school.
I am going to send your site info to my niece and other homeschoolers, beginners and those in the thick of it. It is an amazing resource.
We are doing apologia chemistry and considering Physics. Where are you located?
Thank you, so much.
P.S. I was loking on-line for a grade calculator and found the site...you`d think, after all these years :0

— BarbaRA · Feb 28, 02:10 AM · #

HI Donna:

I am trying to print the half-sized calendars and to-do lists, but nothing happens. I have Vista -- could that be the problem?

— Stacey · Feb 28, 07:56 PM · #

I do not know what could be wrong. Usually I tell those who are having trouble printing from the web site to download the file to their hard drive and print it from there.

— Donna Young · Mar 1, 04:27 PM · #

Hi Barbara, thank you for writing. :) I live in east Tennessee.

— Donna Young · Mar 1, 04:45 PM · #

Hi Donna,
I am very thankful for your website and the tips you have included. Our household has been homeschooling for about 13 years and about a year ago someone offered me this site as a reference. It is a really helpful all rounder for me to keep things well presented and in order. You have offered a wealth of detail at the ease of the computer.

I greatly appreciate that you have put in so much time and effort for those of us who are needing some sorting out to end each week without concern that something has been left out.

Kind Regards,
Judy

— Judy McDougall · Mar 17, 05:37 AM · #

Hi, Donna--such great forms & organization of your day! However, I can`t imagine getting everything done that you do, before coffee!!! Do you have a suggested morning schedule for non-morning-people, such as myself? Just imagine that you die every night, and wake up comatose, then gradually "boot up" as the "morning pain" ebbs away, and clearer thinking begins with coffee. (I also can`t imagine cleaning multiple toilets, sinks, & laundry so early in the day.) :) Do you actually disinfect/totally clean every toilet daily? Should I? Is ther a way to spread these things out in the latter parts of the day?
Also, I thought a database format for this would be wonderful (tho I can`t make them myself), so that one does not have to find so many places on the page to keep on track--it would simply print each item on each relevant day...on say, a weekly or monthly calendar (list or box format).
Challenged, but growing,
Mimi B

— Mimi B · Mar 19, 02:31 PM · #

Marty, you could format the box to "shrink to fit." This would make it all visible. As long as it is a close fit, it won`t be too minimized & would still be readable.

If you enter a lot & therefore could not read the shrunken text, you can always either expand the box (drag the outline for the whole row or column), or do a "merge & center" command to combine the box with an adjacent one.

Finally, you could try printing your page in landscape, if things are ging cut off on widthwise, rather than lengthwise. Hope some of this helps!

(Excel I know...but not Access databases, which seem so useful!)

— Mimi B · Mar 19, 02:36 PM · #

HI Mimi,
Change the schedule! My list of things (which is outdated) is just there to fill in space, sort of like an example, maybe a bad one. ;) Make it suit how you do things. Reschedule (or drop) all the morning chores if you`d rather not do any then. :)

I do not thoroughly brush and disinfect the toilets every single morning; that is now a once a week job. What I do in the morning is wipe the toilets with Clorox wipes every morning or just about every morning. I do not always get to everything. :)

— Donna Young · Mar 20, 06:55 PM · #

Hi Donna! I love LOVE the calendars and planner and everything, but I have a question: What program do you use to create the calendars? I use your attendance calendar, but I am really needing one that is divided into trimesters... Sept-Dec., Jan-April, May-August. Unless you happen to have one of those buried in your hard drive somewhere... :) Otherwise I thought about trying to make one myself. Do you use Publisher? Excel? Word? (Photoshop is more my familiar area!)
Can I pick your brain? :D Thanks!

— Dawn · Mar 30, 04:51 PM · #

Dawn, I use Excel.

Which attendance calendar do you use? The 2-page or the green one?

Do you need a 3-page calendar? Or a 1-page with a format that runs each 4-month group down in a 3-column format? (can you tell I like calendars :) )

If you only need a one-page calendar that starts in September, there is one among the blue and white group on the school calendar page:
http://donnayoung.org/calendars/school-calendars.htm

— Donna Young · Mar 30, 10:27 PM · #

I use the 2-page one that has six months on each page. What I need is a 3-page calendar with four months per page, two per column, just like the one I am using now. So it would be set up for trimesters rather than semesters. I love this calendar, btw, it just doesn`t exactly fit what we do! :) Do you have one? I guess I am like you because I like calendars too!

— Dawn · Mar 30, 11:33 PM · #

Dawn, I could add a few rows to the 2-page calendar to make one like that.

— Donna Young · Mar 31, 09:21 AM · #

Thank you!!

— Dawn · Mar 31, 10:00 PM · #

You are welcome! I am glad that you ask me about the calendar.

The 3-page calendar is roomy enough to use for a new planner set that I am working on. I`ll use it for the attendance/school calendar for the new set.

Let me get one of the files and link it so anyone who wants to have a look, can:
3P-C-Calendar

— Donna Young · Apr 2, 09:04 PM · #

Hi Donna,

Thank you for having a wonderful website with so many useful printables that make homeschooling a little easier and more organized.

I have used many of your blank forms for our end of the year evaluation the past couple of years and enjoy the convenience of your blank forms for organizing all the material.

What I really wish you had and I have been unable to find anywhere and can`t figure out how to make is a thirteen month school calendar with ruled lines for notes and have the option to pick the beginning and ending month. For us, and probably other homeschoolers, having the option to choose which month (not just June or July) would be a boon since some of us have a different year end month. Ours is usually May. Also, having a 13 month calendar is helpful since our start date is usually not on the first and ending on the last day of the month.

Is this type of calendar something you would be likely to offer in the near future. I sure could use it for our portfolio evaluation in several weeks.

Thanks again.

— Kalia · Apr 20, 04:01 PM · #

Kalia, that sort of calendar can be accomplished with a spreadsheet. I`ll put it on my list, but can`t say when I will get around to doing something like that. I have a very long list.

— Donna Young · Apr 25, 02:25 PM · #

Thank you.

— Kalia · Apr 26, 09:00 AM · #

I was brought to your website by a friend. I have to thank you from the bottom of my heart!! I just started homeschooling back in January 2009. My friend told me about you in March. I do not know how I even did it so far without you. You are a blessing to all homeschool families. Thank you so much!

— Kristy Perez · Apr 27, 02:37 AM · #

Hi Donna,

LOVE YOUR SITE! You have done a fabulous job! I have a question for you but do not see an email address on your site. How does one ask you a question? Also, do you have some place to purchase some of these things you offer? I feel you should be compendated in some way for all the work you have already done. Thanks for all your help. Please let me know where we can email you questions. Thanks again.
Debi

— Debi · May 26, 04:40 PM · #

Hi Debi, normally I can be reached from the feedback form at http://donnayoung.org/to/feedback.htm, but occasionally I close the form when I have no free time. It is currently closed now. I am up to my eyeballs in work.

— Donna Young · May 27, 02:58 PM · #

Hello! Do you have lesson plans for Apologia Physics? I’ve looked thru the site and see for Biology, Chemistry and PS, but no Physics. Have I missed it? Please advise! Thank you!

Yes, on the co-op page at http://donnayoung.org/apologia/schedule.htm#phy2

— Hope · Oct 7, 03:19 PM · #