I’ve shared A LOT lately on my Home Management plans & organizing, & I’ve posted bits & pieces of my homeschool planning, but since some of you are in full planning mode I thought I’d give a complete overview of the crazy process I go through each year. This year we started earlier than ever before, so my planning time was very limited, but here is how I do it:
Curriculum.
I always have a running list of curriculum that I love or would like to use in the future & I’ve also made a long-term overview of curriculum plans (of course always subject to change). This process is fairly easy for me.
- I start with the core subjects, listing each kid & then the subjects I want to cover for the grade they will be entering. Then I list the potential choices or already selected curriculum for each subject.
- Next, I move on to group studies. Typically this is History & Science. For our history studies I follow a chronological timeline (with a year of world history or geography at the end of each rotation). Selecting curriculum has been fairly easy to decide on since we’ve used Winter Promise. Science is a little more complicated, as I don’t have long term overview. I usually debate over the topics I’d like to cover, then explore the option, review & compare the curriculum I have it narrowed down to & then make a final decision.
- I also ask my kids opinions on some subjects. I’ll show them possible option & ask which they would choose. This year I let Tyler pick our Spanish curriculum & decide between the 2 curriculums I had narrowed down for science.
- Book lists. I start making book lists with online & book resources & curriculum suggestions.
This process is easier some years than others, depending on the success of our choices with what we currently used, my kids needs/struggles, etc. Usually, I start reviewing curriculum in March & April. I read blogs & homeschool reviews (Cathy Duffy is a great source) for any new considerations or problem areas. Next, I make my list & include the price if I purchased it new. Then I begin to search for used curriculum (online & at homeschool stores that carry used curriculum) & I hit up the sales at our local homeschool retail stores. If I find a good deal I purchase it. Typically, my buying time is during April, May, & June. I try not to order anything new until the last minute. However, our homeschool convention is in May & I usually drop a pretty penny (or more) there. I always have instinct buys – curriculum I fall in love with & can’t leave without, but I also save money on curriculum I know I won’t be able to find used & purchase there to save the shipping fees. Plus, there are some pretty good “convention sales” that make the purchase worth it!
Once I have the majority (if not all) our curriculum purchased I begin to sort through it & “get to know it”. I read all the teacher’s guides, the introductions & notes to parents, & take a few notes myself.
Yearly Calendar.
Our school year consists of 36 weeks – 4 days a week. This year my annual planning was much different than past years since I decided to do a 3 on - 1 off rotation. This basically means schooling for 12 weeks & taking 5 weeks off, but when you consider family plans, holidays, & seasonal events it gets a little more complicated. Plus, I had to work in time to have a baby. I usually start my calendar planning by marking days &/or weeks I know we won’t be able to do school (holidays, birthdays, other commitments). Then I pick a start date & begin planning in 4 month blocks.
Looking at the first 3 months (17 weeks) of our school year (July, Aug, Sept), I begin to plan, numbering (**in PENCIL) each week. I consider any holidays that may fall during that time or any other interferences that would cause us to not be able to school. Next, I pick 1 week to take off during our 3 months on. This “term” I chose to use our week off at the very end of our last month & combine it with the month off we would be off anyway. So instead of having 1 week of in the middle, I chose to have 5 consecutive weeks off (the last 2 weeks of Sept & the first 3 weeks in Oct).
*I plan the entire year. BUT, I also will re-evaluate the plan after every 4 months, making adjustments as needed.
Planning the next 4 month block (Nov, Dec, Jan, Feb) was not as simple. I had holidays & bad weather to consider. I decided to school all of Nov (we will only be off Thanksgiving Day since we don’t have any holiday traveling plans this year). However, we’ll only school the first full week into Dec, (using 3/5 weeks off during this planning block). Then we will school all of Jan & Feb without any time off.
*This left me with 2 “extra” weeks to work with. If I feel like we are getting burnt our, we will use them, but I’d much rather save them to add to the next block of time during prettier weather.
The last 4 month block (March, April, May, June) was pretty simple – pretty weather, few holidays, & no births to work around! Most likely we will take our “free week” off during March, school all of April, & the first two weeks of May. This will give us 2-3 weeks of wiggle room & possibly 7 consecutive weeks off during the best weather. Plenty of time for vacations & planning the next year :)
Lesson Plans.
First, I decide how may days a week I want/need to do each subject. Since we are on a 4 day week, most subjects are daily. Depending on the work load, science is typically 2 or 3 days a week.
Next, I begin to break in my Well Planned Day planner & assemble my homeschooling binder. (*I will add a follow up post of how I use my planner)
I start my lesson planning with core subjects (simplest to the more detailed) – spelling, math, language, Spanish, grammar, Bible/character, & writing. I leave science & history for the last. (**I will also add a follow up post of how I plan our Winter Promise History lessons)
I color code my lesson plans per child &/or level. I will never ever use a permanent marker or pen for lesson plans ever again. While planning, I also take into consideration & make notes for supplements, movies to add (*I add any movies that were recommended to our Netflix queue), field trips & even snack ideas.
Goal Planning.
I just recently posted on how I set our homeschooling goals each year, but basically this consists of: individual, short-term, & long term goals. This is honestly more for ME than the kids. This is not every.single.thing. they HAVE to know – just an idea of what they may know. I create this list mostly from using our curriculum’s table of content, browsing the lessons, & a little from the “What Your __ Grader Needs To Know” books.
Supplies.
Time for more shopping! I’m usually pretty familiar with our curriculum & have a good idea of what supplies we will need. Most of our hands-on projects are with science & history & both the curriculums I chose have wonderful supply lists. I make a core list of all the supplies we will need for projects, plus any other basic school supplies the kids, our school room, or I will need. And the shopping begins. I typically shop at Walmart, Target, & Staples for these types of supplies. I’m not super picky about having EVERYTHING for the entire year, but by making 1 core list & shopping for it all – gives me an idea of the items that are going to be more difficult to find. I do try to have everything for the first 6 weeks – 12 if possible.
Copies.
I am fortunate enough to have the option of using our church printer. I usually spend an afternoon at the church making all of our bulk copies. It is soooo much easier to make copies in advance (as much as possible) rather than stop in the middle of a lesson to make copies. Things just flow much better when I’m totally prepared. It never fails that I forget something or overlook it. Grrr.
Filing.
Last year I made files our daily work for each week & subjects. I stored all the future copies for each subject into it’s own folder. Then each week I put all the copies or extra worksheets in the folder of the day the kids would need it. 
This year our curriculum was much more complicated & had LOT’S of printouts so I added weekly files. I don’t file the ENTIRE year – just the first half. This is where all the copies that I make at the beginning of the year go. If for some reason we don’t use all the copies for that week, I just leave them in that weeks folder so I can save them for possible future use the next time we use the curriculum. One of my friends even files supplement books they will be using for that week into her weekly files. I often leave myself reminder notes for upcoming weeks – especially if copies weren’t made in advance. The subject folders hold printables that don’t have a specific week to be completed, paperwork or ideas that I come across for the year & supply lists or reading lists for that subject.
I still kept my daily folders, but I added a few more (To Do, To File, To Copy, To Read, & Lists)
I can’t wait to show you more of my new filing bag!! I love it so much it deserves a post of it’s own. More on this VERY soon!
Kids Binders, Workbooks, etc.
I try to color code as much as possible. The kids each have their own binders, markers, colored pencils, pencils, paper, & toothbrushes (just checking to see if your still with me). I sort all “their” items out on each of their desks. Some of the more frequently used workbooks go under their desk, they typically keep their binders on the floor under their desk (won’t fit in the desk cubbie), & other bulky or less used items are on the shelf above their workboxes.
The kids binders store most of their finished work or work-in-progress. Tucker & Trevor’s binders are much simpler than Tyler’s. I made homemade dividers & placed them in the order we typically complete our subjects each day. Their binders have Science, History, United State, Spelling & Language Arts. Tyler’s binder is similar, but he has separate binders for his U.S. work & writing.
I am seriously considering pulling apart their workbooks & creating daily dividers in their folders, at least some of the subjects. I’m still debating on this or not.
Schedules.
Coming up with the perfect schedule used to be so “fun” for me. But the reality is that each day is different. Some days we start with the individual work & core subjects, other days we start with the group studies. It is nice to have an idea of how long our day will be - a start/finish time (*This changes frequently too with season & depends greatly on if there is a pregnant mama that doesn’t get much sleep, or a nursing mama that had frequent interruptions throughout the night, or a mama with a sick kid, or . . .you get the point). Some days certain subjects take longer or are done quicker than planned, but I still like to have a gauge or time frame for each subject. This seems much more helpful to me than a minute by minute schedule. The only times that I really try to stick to is our start time, snack time, & lunch time. I really like getting an early start, but this is not always possible. We finish when we finish, but we have to eat! LOL
Monday I’ll be sharing “A Day in the Life . . .” this will give you a much better idea of how things roll around here!
Our school {barn}
By the time all of this is done our schoolroom is a disaster! And is in major need of attention. I’ll spare you the nitty gritty details of how I attack the chaos there, but I will add that each new school year I try to focus on one or two particular areas I’d like to improve. This year my focus was the arts & craft/writing centers. Next, I plan to focus on a language arts & geography center.
Look for the following posts soon:
- How I use the Well Planned Day Planner
- How I plan our Winter Promise curriculum
- My Favorite Homeschool Supplies
- My Filing System
- The Student’s Well Planned Day
- My Weekly Planning
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![Tucker_thumb[1]](file:///C:/Users/Tiffany/AppData/Local/Temp/WindowsLiveWriter-429641856/supfilesEE669F6/Tucker[3].jpg "Tucker_thumb[1]")
![Trevor_thumb[1]](file:///C:/Users/Tiffany/AppData/Local/Temp/WindowsLiveWriter-429641856/supfilesEE669F6/Trevor[3].jpg "Trevor_thumb[1]")
![Truman_thumb[1]](file:///C:/Users/Tiffany/AppData/Local/Temp/WindowsLiveWriter-429641856/supfilesEE669F6/Truman[3].jpg "Truman_thumb[1]")
![Taralyn_thumb[1]](file:///C:/Users/Tiffany/AppData/Local/Temp/WindowsLiveWriter-429641856/supfilesEE669F6/Taralyn[3].jpg "Taralyn_thumb[1]")
