One thing a lot of homeschoolers wonder about other homeschoolers this time of year is:
How do you plan for the school year? How detailed to you get in your planning for the upcoming school year? Do you have yearly goals? Monthly goals?
I like to have a general idea of where we’re headed at the start of each school year. I plan our school calendar with days/weeks off. We may not always stick to the calendar exactly, but it helps to have an idea of when we’ll be doing “official” school days so that we get our 180 in by mid-May.
I don’t do detailed yearly plans, but I often have a basic idea of what I’d like to cover or where I’d like to be in certain books. For example, I might know that I want to do a unit on elections in November or that I want the kids to be at a certain point in their math books by Christmas break.
I will often have the first month planned by the time we start school, just because I’ve had some extra free time, but during the school year, I don’t like to plan more than two, maybe three weeks, ahead. If I do, something is sure to happen to derail them.
So, what about you? How do you plan for each upcoming school year?
Kris is the sweet-tea-drinking, classically eclectic, slightly Charlotte Mason, homeschooling mom to her three Weird, Unsocialized Homeschoolers.
photo by steakpinball
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{ 4 comments… read them below or add one }
This is a most helpful and comforting post! We will start homeschooling for the first time this fall. I have all the basic curriculum, but I haven't "scheduled" the year yet. I was wondering how precise I would need to be and getting a little nervous thinking about it. I feel better now! Thanks!
I have not planned a thing yet! I always thought I'd do themes or unit studies, but my daughter's interests change so quickly.
Like Marci..I am a new homeschooler and although I like to be organized I am really conscious of over scheduling. One of the things that really attracted us to homeschooling is the ability to be spontaneous and change our learning plan if a great opportunity arises. So your post is a great way to reinforce the idea that organisation is good but only to a point:-)
The only planning I would need to do is with History and Science, since our Reading and Math are curriculum sets. We have a few things the kids know they want to get in next year, like the Civil War and Rocks and Minerals, and a study of New Hampshire, but we usually just go with the flow and do whatever we are interested in at that time.