Planning Ideas for the Homeschooling Year
Here are some ideas for organizing your school calendar.
By Kristen Kindoll
Schools may be out and the pools are open, but it is not vacation time for homeschooling parents or even for many traditional teachers. Many teachers are busy toiling in classrooms to prepare for the next school year, and homeschooling parents are doing the same. Choosing curriculum and planning the schedule are keeping homeschooling parents busy this time of year. While it may be difficult to figure out how much time to allot for each subject, a little pre-planning will help ensure that the school calendar is in ship shape for the coming year.
Homeschooling Parents Have to Build in Flexibility
While traditional teachers have new faces to greet at the beginning of each school year, their course material course remains somewhat the same. However, homeschooling means that everyone in the family is moving to new coursework. Planning for the unfamiliar can be difficult. Allowing extra time for flexibility will be helpful. Schedule some extra days for remedial and catch-up work. I have found the best planning tool to be a large desk calendar. The bigger boxes are perfect for notes. I keep it near my desk so I can refer to it often and look ahead.
Tracking Progress and Keeping Records
By plotting out each month before you start schooling, you can keep yourself and your students on track. It is also a great way to record what you did with your students and when you did it. I try to keep up with my book keeping and hour tracking, but sometimes life happens. With a little pre-planning, I can account for my family’s slower and peak times. Subjects that I think will take more time can be placed on the calendar when we have fewer activities. November and December are busy with the preparation and activities, so we focus on the easier subjects.
Using Subject Blocks
We found block scheduling to be helpful. Alternating subjects studied by month motivates us, but also ensures we get a break. When we tried to do every subject each week, it became too overwhelming. While I want my kids to be challenged, I do not want a stressed, harried family. Most years, our workbooks for grammar and math are finished by the end of December.
- Block 1 is grammar, poetry, literature, art, music and foreign language
- Block 2 is math, history, geography, science and science biographies
When plotting out my year, I refer to the curriculum. I allot two weeks for each subject. This past year, I set aside a month for the Civil War because of its scope and breath. Grammar and math are done daily. These subjects provide a strong foundation, while stimulating the mind muscles to start rolling in the morning.
We begin each new school year on Labor Day and conclude on July 31st. We usually take a break in August or get a head start on harder material. The spring semester is usually devoted to tying up loose ends. Our family tends to be busier in the fall and winter months so I schedule accordingly. While it may be hard work, I get excited about planning for the school year. What follows are two tools to aid in planning.
Planning Tools:
Calendar templates are a great way to use your own printer to organize. This one has each month listed for personal use. Students could also fill out what they would like to do as a way to have input in their own education.
This template provides a way to access many ideas at one click. The subject tab breaks down per subject. Each subject is taken to more specific learning objectives.
