Through the years I have been asked many times how I do it all. As a homeschooling mom of a large family and a business owner, it can be a challenge. One of the keys to success is getting an early start on planning for the next school year. Next school year we will have 5 children who fall under the compulsory education laws. This means we are required to submit paperwork to our local school district for these children. Two of the five are in high school and one of the younger ones is very advanced. In addition to those 5 we will have a child who has special needs start Kindergarten plus a preschooler. Planning is going to be crucial for next year, which is why I start the process in February.
What better time than February to gather information and study up on the options? It is cold and snowy outside. I am homebound quite a bit. There are no gardens needing tended, picnics to attend, or a busy season looming. For our family, it is the perfect time to plan. I start by evaluating the current school year. What is working? What is not working? Are our goals being achieved? Next I think about what the next year will hold. What things will change in our family? Are we planning a lot of traveling? How old will the youngest child be? There are many things that can impact a school year. With all of this in mind, the next step is to prepare each student’s plan.
I like to start with my high school students. HSLDA (www.hslda.org) has some really good information on what courses to take for the type of diploma your student wants to achieve. My high school students are working towards a college prep. diploma. I did up a high school plan chart in a spreadsheet. I list out the courses they plan to take for all four years of high school, including the curriculum or materials they will use for the course. Plans do change as we go along but at least it gives us an overview of what the high school years will look like. It helps us make sure each student achieves the goals we have laid out with them. February is the time we tweak that plan.
My middle grade students tend to be the easiest to plan for but we still make adjustments along the way. Next year we plan to use Learning Language Arts Through Literature for the first time. (It came as a surprise to me that my husband had already added it to our website. We have talked about it for a long time. I informed him of the other wonderful materials Common Sense Press has to offer so look for them soon!) I usually have discussions with my students about what they liked and didn’t like about their school work this year. I take all of it into consideration when making decisions for the next year.
Next year we have a challenge we have never faced before, a gifted child. My son will be starting 1st grade. He already knows how to add and subtract multi-digit numbers, simple multiplication, counts to 100 etc. He has been reading for a while now. He is learning to write his letters this year. If anything, he is on par in handwriting. Everything else he excels in. It is a real challenge to find the right mix of materials that will challenge him. I would love to hear from my readers who have gifted children. Any advice? What has worked well for your child in the younger grades?
On the other end of the spectrum we have a child who has special needs starting Kindergarten next year. I am looking at using Kumon books to start with. We hope to have those added to our website soon. I like them because they are simple and each book focuses on one skill at a time. We have used them with our gifted student but I think they will work equally as well with our other son who will need to take a much slower pace.
As my plan comes together for next year, I will begin ordering in all of the materials and curriculum we need. The piles will grow as I work to enter in the year into the lesson planning software we use, Homeschool Tracker. It is a lot of work and sometimes takes weeks to accomplish. In the end, it is worth it to have the whole year’s lessons entered in. Each Monday morning my students can simply print off their work for the week and off they go. A lot of planning makes for a smoother, more successful school year.
How do you plan for your homeschool? Do you have any time saving tips? Remember to send me your insights and suggestions for a gifted student.
That’s my two cents for today.
Blessings, Kristen
