It’s Beginning to Look a Lot Like Back to School, Part I

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I have a secret… The two real, honest to goodness reasons I homeschool is so that I can collect books and so that I can plan all kinds of fun learning experiences for my children. So at the end of the day it’s all pretty selfish, lol! But it is my favorite time of the year: planning for the upcoming school year! I get very giddy about this, the smell of new planner, the books towering around my desk, the ideas (good and bad), but mainly seeing a whole new world come to life. A whole new world of discoveries, wonders, inquiries, experiences and so much more. But how do I build this world? How do I plan this dream school year?

Where to start?

I start with the person, by considering each of my children. I spend some time with where they are at in life in general, not just in school, what each needs, where they want to go and how I can equip them to get there. Each year will be different because children change, they grow up, their interests shift, their emotional situation changes, our home life changes. So I spend time praying and thinking about each child. I grab a piece of paper and I write down anything and everything pertinent to that child: age, interests, difficulties, struggles, what brings her joy, what she is curious about,  learning style, emotional state (trust me, that matters a lot with teenagers). I do a brain dump, then I highlight the most important factors. Once I know where my child is at in life, I can move forward.

My children’s input

Once I know where I am going I have a meeting with each child. It usually only takes a few minutes, it’s very informal, especially in the early years. Later on it grows into a bigger discussion on vocation and preparing for “what’s next”. “What’s next” has been different with every child and is always a new path to navigate.
During this meeting I ask each child what she would like to do in the coming year. It can be anything from a special book that she would like to read to a craft or hobby she would like to pick up. Nothing is out of the discussion. I write these desires down and always do my best to incorporate them in our school if possible. After all, it is their lives too and they should be able to have their say.

Time

Every year is different. Life’s ebb and flow makes it so that every year I have to re-evaluate our time. This year I will be working part time outside the home and we will be watching my grandson while his mama works full time. These are two very big factors that will be impacting our home education day and rhythm. With a toddler I always try to fit as much of the one on one time with my students during nap time/quiet time. We also take turns playing with the youngests and being fully present with them. My work schedule is going to be a little more difficult to work with, but since it is not daily I am hoping to come up with a plan for the days I work and the days I don’t.

Our year’s theme

Every year I choose one overarching theme. This theme will guide all of my other decisions, except for the 3Rs that remain steady. Our theme usually comes from one of three different topics: history, geography or science. I try to circle back from one to the other in a balanced way but history usually wins and science loses. Again, this is one of the reasons I developed A Daily Picture Book in our home: to fill in the gaps in other areas, but even that is history centered, lol! Everything takes place in time, which is why history is so important. This year history wins again. We will be studying the Age of Discovery and Exploration, with some physics added to it.

The 3Rs

We use Saxon math, reading goes from All About Reading to reading aloud daily to mom to a book list to select from for independent reading. Writing ebbs and flows a lot but we mainly use narrations as our writing staple. If we use a curriculum at all it usually is Brave Writer by Julie Boggart and IEW by Andrew Pudewa. We keep coming back to these two very frequently. We love Brave Writer for the flexibility and how we can use it in so many different settings. IEW is wonderful for a strong foundation to do pretty much anything we want with writing.

Activities

Another major factor to consider is the impact of co-ops and other outside activities. I have come to realize that, for our family, home is what works best. We have tried co-ops several times and it never works out for us. I really wish it did, as it would be a wonderful opportunity for my girls but they are often too far, or require too much commitment. Most of our hobbies are homebound hobbies that do not require outside commitments and that also is a blessing, especially this year with the need for me to work outside the home. I don’t think I could juggle one more thing. Sometimes, home is best in many, many ways.

The actual planning

I am a paper and pen girl all the way! Again and again I have tried to plan on apps and online, every time I get back to pen and paper. I will type out the final result but the rough draft is always on paper. Which turns out to be a great thing, since I can’t delete anything, I can still refer back to ideas that were rejected and switch things around.
Ideally I would have a few days of peace and quiet to plan, but that is not the reality. So I fit my planning in the nooks and crannies of our days. I don’t like leaving the house to plan, as it is easier for me to have quick and easy access to past years, books and other materials in order to plan. After 18 years of homeschooling I have so many habits, resources and favorites that I’d rather use, that home is the place to be.

Wow, it takes a lot longer to write it all down than to actually do it. Next week I will walk you down the nitty gritty of planning and putting everything together to create a year that fits not only the requirements but that also enables us to live life to the fullest, to explore new worlds, to rekindle old loves and discover new ones. Home education is a lifestyle rather than something “we do” on top of life. Therefore it has to mold itself to our life and current circumstances. Only I can make that happen, just like only you can make that happen in your home.
Love,
Mattie