Homeschooling, it is not for the faint-hearted I have
decided! It takes an awful lot of
planning in order to pull off a successful school year.
decided! It takes an awful lot of
planning in order to pull off a successful school year.
We use a wonderful curriculum from Sonlight. I love it.
I love books, my kids love books, and this curriculum comes with a lot
of books! It also comes with an in depth
schedule of when things should be read, what is supposed to be taught when,
worksheets, etc. However, for some
reason, I can’t seem to follow this wonderful plan!
I love books, my kids love books, and this curriculum comes with a lot
of books! It also comes with an in depth
schedule of when things should be read, what is supposed to be taught when,
worksheets, etc. However, for some
reason, I can’t seem to follow this wonderful plan!
I realized early on that the parent’s guide was just that, a
guide. It helps me to see all the notes
available about the stories we are reading, to have in depth information for
clarification purposes, and to see the scope of work getting harder and more
involved throughout the year. But, I
knew when I saw only one chapter of Charlotte’s Web being read each day that
our days would be a bit different than Sonlight’s. And that is OK!
Last year I made a printout of weekly sheets for both
kids. They are divided into
subject. Each week I go through the
schedule that came with the curriculum to see where we are. Then I write down what I expect us to cover
each week. It doesn’t need to be done on
a daily basis for me, because some days we will sit and read through 6 chapters
of the Boxcar Children, when only a few are covered for the week.
kids. They are divided into
subject. Each week I go through the
schedule that came with the curriculum to see where we are. Then I write down what I expect us to cover
each week. It doesn’t need to be done on
a daily basis for me, because some days we will sit and read through 6 chapters
of the Boxcar Children, when only a few are covered for the week.
On Sundays I will sit down with my notes from the previous
week, the schedule that comes with our curriculum, and then any extra books we
might have from the library. I go
through them all, and write it all down in these cute little boxes. Each box is a different color, and is for a different subject.
Then during the week we end up doing as much or as little as the kids have attention spans for. If Emma
wants to read 3 stories from her reader in a day, I let her even though I only
expect her to read one each day. Earlier in the week we tend to get a lot accomplished, and by the time Friday rolls around, we are mainly just reading stories.
week, the schedule that comes with our curriculum, and then any extra books we
might have from the library. I go
through them all, and write it all down in these cute little boxes. Each box is a different color, and is for a different subject.
Then during the week we end up doing as much or as little as the kids have attention spans for. If Emma
wants to read 3 stories from her reader in a day, I let her even though I only
expect her to read one each day. Earlier in the week we tend to get a lot accomplished, and by the time Friday rolls around, we are mainly just reading stories.
Throughout the week I make notes on the same sheet about
what we are doing, and whether or not we are adding in extra items. Often the kids will get really excited about
a specific topic, and so we might concentrate more on that topic and do less of
what is on my list for the week.
It ends up being a journal of sorts, which I hope will come in handy for when I put a portfolio together.
what we are doing, and whether or not we are adding in extra items. Often the kids will get really excited about
a specific topic, and so we might concentrate more on that topic and do less of
what is on my list for the week.
It ends up being a journal of sorts, which I hope will come in handy for when I put a portfolio together.
Overall, the planning sheets are so that I know we are going
somewhere, but I try to be flexible with what we are learning. There are a few things that I try to get done
every day; reading, writing, math. And
then the other stuff is extra. I want to
make sure I have good notes for the portfolios I need to make, but I don’t want
to stifle the creativity or excitement the kids have about a specific subject
because it is not on my list.
somewhere, but I try to be flexible with what we are learning. There are a few things that I try to get done
every day; reading, writing, math. And
then the other stuff is extra. I want to
make sure I have good notes for the portfolios I need to make, but I don’t want
to stifle the creativity or excitement the kids have about a specific subject
because it is not on my list.
Some weeks we do everything on my planning sheet, and other
weeks we will completely derail by Tuesday and move in a different
direction. Luckily, on Sunday, when I
sit down to write out the next week’s plan, I can take what we didn’t finish and
just move it ahead to the next week. I’m
sure this will change as the kids get older, but for now, when they are still
quite small, this works for us.
weeks we will completely derail by Tuesday and move in a different
direction. Luckily, on Sunday, when I
sit down to write out the next week’s plan, I can take what we didn’t finish and
just move it ahead to the next week. I’m
sure this will change as the kids get older, but for now, when they are still
quite small, this works for us.
How do you plan your
homeschool days? Do you have a specific
curriculum schedule? Do you ever deviate
from that?
homeschool days? Do you have a specific
curriculum schedule? Do you ever deviate
from that?
I would like to know where you got the awesome planner pages? They are just what I have been looking for!
The first two pictures are pictures of the parent's guide that comes with the curriculum we buy. The last picture is my weekly planning pages that I use for my kids. I will try and put something together to release to the public! 🙂 Thanks for reading!