Have you ever found yourself ½ way through the school year (or school day!) juggling between keeping your preschooler busy, helping your middle school student write a last-minute paper for co-op, and finishing geometry with your 10th grader? Have you wondered about the merits of setting deadlines or how you will manage to finish the year? Using some planning strategies before you begin can help you avoid work piling in April, helping the whole family enjoy homeschooling.
Before You Plan: Key Questions to Set Your Homeschool Year Up for Success
Before you plug subjects into calendars for each of your students, it’s a good idea to think through some questions…
- Do you have subjects that you can combine for different kids? Maybe you all complete The Mystery of Science together, adapting as you go along. Do you read novels together, complete unit studies across several grades, build your history timeline together?
- Determine your curriculum for each subject for each student. Do you still need to order grammar? Grab that math book you saved. Take inventory of what you have and what you still need, so that when you plan, you can access everything.
- Decide how you’ll keep your plans. Purchase an inexpensive notebook or print your plans on loose-leaf paper. You might want to create an online calendar and give your student access.
- Do some big-picture planning. How many days per week do you school? What are your big goals? How many weeks do you have to work with in your school year?
To map out your curriculum plan, click here to read more from Karri.