Planning 101- 5 Day Blog Hop

Welcome back to Day 2 of our Schoolhouse Review Crew's 5 Days of Homeschool 101!   Now that you have chosen the curriculum, what's next? How about a little planning! This is the part that excites me.  I live by calendars and schedules and the challenge of planning excites me.  Hey, it's the little things that bring us joy, right?  Panning your homeschool calendar is much like putting together a puzzle.  It may take a little patience and some rearranging, but in the end, a beautiful thing comes in sight! Promise! So where do we start? Grab a calendar!  Most curriculums account for a 36 week school year, so go ahead, circle and number your weeks.  In pencil, of course.  We all know that the best laid plans get derailed sometimes.  If you school year round, you have a little more flexibility.  If you follow more of a public school calendar then you will need to find one online and copy it.  The past few years we have followed a Sabbath school schedule, doing school for 6 weeks and then taking a week off.  That has to be modified occasionally due to holidays or unexpected events, but on a whole it has worked well for us.   Make a chart!  While we do not follow a strict hourly schedule, we do plan our day out.  By having a chart visible with the days' plan on it, your child will know what to expect and when.  We list things like wake up, breakfast, start time, lunch, quiet time and dinner.  We keep a separate family calendar with any appointments and re-occurring events such as lessons on it, but this chart stays in the school room so your child can see at a quick glance what they should be doing and what is next.  If you like a more detailed plan, Managers of Their School and Managers of Their Home are great resources from Titus 2 Ministries.  In our early years of schooling little people, those books helped me maintain my sanity. Use the syllabus!  Thank goodness many homeschool curriculums out there come with a daily schedule.  If that is the case, all you have to do is follow that schedule and you are good.  If not, you will have to do a little math to figure out the pages or lessons you have and the weeks you have to do them in.  A little division later, you should know about how much you need to cover each day or week. Find a notebook!  Last year we decided to write all of our assignments in a plain notebook.  After years of using fancy planners and such, we have found this way to be the easiest for us.  Each week I simply write out all of the subjects in the child's notebook and the corresponding assignment.  When they are done with that assignment, they add a sticker or a check mark so I know they are done.  Easy peasey! Done with your planning?  Time to get started!

Blessings,

Curriculum 101- 5 Day Blog Hop

Welcome to Day 1 of our Schoolhouse Review Crew's 5 Days of Homeschooling 101!  We look forward to having you this week and hope you will be blessed by the many posts that will be linked throughout the week!  Feel free to link up as well!
Whether you are a brand new homeschooler or one that has been in the trenches for years, curriculum is probably the biggest thing you will worry about each year.  Even after 18 years of homeschooling and graduating two already, it is still the area I ponder the most.  After all, it is a decision that can affect how your kids do, how well they learn, and really, determine what your year will look like.   I have written several posts on choosing curriculum, as well as one on what we will be using this 2017 school year, but let me remind you of a few points.  After all, this is all about Homeschool 101, so let's keep it simple!
Do your research! - There are a lot of school materials out there.  A lot!  Before you go buying on a whim, or spend way too much money at your homeschool convention, take a while to look around at what there is.  Gather catalogs, look at websites, read reviews, and ask your friends.  
Know your student(s)! - Every person has a different learning style.  Some, like my oldest son, are auditory learners.  Some, like my youngest daughter, are kinesthetic learners.  Others learn best by reading or doing.
Make it fun! - Yes, school is hard work, but even public school teachers have a little fun sometimes.  Play games, do word searches or sing songs.  Choose a few subjects that lend themselves to more fun.  Your child will still learn and you will have fun together at the same time.
Don't be an over achiever! - Yes, we all want our kids to be smart and succeed, but let's face it, not everyone is going to be the next Einstein.  And no, we cannot do everything.  Trust me on this one, there are so many amazing curriculums out there that it is easy to get carried away and try to fit them all into your day.  After all, we would not want our kids to miss out on any opportunity. I am here to tell you- don't do it.  Right, son?! ;)  Over planning your day is a recipe for not only burnout but also disaster.  And probably a little rebellion.  Focus on core subjects, add a few well thought out extracurricular courses and let the rest go.  Your child will thank you!
Know the laws! - Oh yes, and then there's THAT!  The government still dictates what we do in most states.  Unfortunately, each state is different.  Some require you to maintain immaculate records, others require annual testing.  Regardless of the requirements or what we think about them, it is our obligation to follow the rules.  By following the rules now, you can save yourself a lot of trouble later!
With a little bit of patience and planning, you CAN have a successful school year.  Homeschooling may not be for everyone, but if God calls you to it, He will bless you through it!
Make every moment count!

Blessings,