I will only have 3 children left in our homeschool for the 2020-2021 school year. As I have been planning, I still find myself writing my oldest son's name on the list for monthly planning, adding his initial in the daily schedule, and adding a 4th copy of novels to my cart for book shopping online. How strange it is to imagine a school year without him. I am excited to see what his future holds and where his passion takes him. For now, he is still home and working until we move back to Washington.
The first step in my annual planning is to figure out what classes we will be doing and which curricula we will use. There are so many great publishers and incredible options for curriculum out there. It can easily become overwhelming. I have a plan of what I hope to do for all 12 years of school with the children (which usually changes each year, because we live real lives). I use that as a guide when I am making decisions about the next classes we will complete. Whenever I am making a decision on what to use for a subject, I read many reviews on blogs, search it in hashtag form on Instagram, and watch reviews on YouTube. There are so many points of view that it makes it easier to get a feel for what the curriculum is about and which child it might work for. Finally, I check the publisher if I am not already familiar with them, so that I understand the perspective it was written from.
This is one of several planning sheets available for free from the delightful blog, My Joy-Filled Life. To see more or subscribe and download for free, click HERE. I have most of my elementary and middle school lists written in a very messy notebook.
Once I have finally decided what courses will be covered, I begin planning my weeks and months. I choose which days I will cover each subject to balance our routine and allow for our busier away from home or co-op days. Because life happens and I can never seem to keep every subject on schedule every single day, planning in a traditional planner doesn't work for me. Having the dates on the planning pages is a pressure that almost paralyzed me during stressful years. I will discuss my year-long lesson planning in another post.
No matter what courses we end up choosing, I almost always purchase the majority of my curricula from Rainbow Resource. They have great prices, and usually have exactly what I am looking for. I have had more success with their website than with Amazon for homeschool purchases. I have never had a negative experience with Rainbow Resource. The very best tool they have is their live chat. Trained curriculum specialists will answer any questions you may have as well as help you narrow down options that might be best for your particular children. You even get a copy of the chat afterward if you forgot any of the suggestions. Seriously, the people on the chat know their stuff, and they are patient, kind, and never pushy. I highly, highly recommend you check it out.
Blessings,
Blu
Planning Series
Day 1: Planning Courses
Day 2: Planning Each Subject
The first step in my annual planning is to figure out what classes we will be doing and which curricula we will use. There are so many great publishers and incredible options for curriculum out there. It can easily become overwhelming. I have a plan of what I hope to do for all 12 years of school with the children (which usually changes each year, because we live real lives). I use that as a guide when I am making decisions about the next classes we will complete. Whenever I am making a decision on what to use for a subject, I read many reviews on blogs, search it in hashtag form on Instagram, and watch reviews on YouTube. There are so many points of view that it makes it easier to get a feel for what the curriculum is about and which child it might work for. Finally, I check the publisher if I am not already familiar with them, so that I understand the perspective it was written from.
This is one of several planning sheets available for free from the delightful blog, My Joy-Filled Life. To see more or subscribe and download for free, click HERE. I have most of my elementary and middle school lists written in a very messy notebook.
Once I have finally decided what courses will be covered, I begin planning my weeks and months. I choose which days I will cover each subject to balance our routine and allow for our busier away from home or co-op days. Because life happens and I can never seem to keep every subject on schedule every single day, planning in a traditional planner doesn't work for me. Having the dates on the planning pages is a pressure that almost paralyzed me during stressful years. I will discuss my year-long lesson planning in another post.
No matter what courses we end up choosing, I almost always purchase the majority of my curricula from Rainbow Resource. They have great prices, and usually have exactly what I am looking for. I have had more success with their website than with Amazon for homeschool purchases. I have never had a negative experience with Rainbow Resource. The very best tool they have is their live chat. Trained curriculum specialists will answer any questions you may have as well as help you narrow down options that might be best for your particular children. You even get a copy of the chat afterward if you forgot any of the suggestions. Seriously, the people on the chat know their stuff, and they are patient, kind, and never pushy. I highly, highly recommend you check it out.
Blessings,
Blu
Planning Series
Day 1: Planning Courses
Day 2: Planning Each Subject
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