April 5, 2010
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Annual Homeschool Planning
Every April, after the tax refunds have come in… when the weather warms and the windows fly open and everything feels fresh and exciting and new… when the new catalogs start piling in… I quietly begin planning the next school year. It’s a time for me to reflect on the current year, having completed three quarters already. It’s also a time to revisit overarching goals and dreams. It’s a time to remember what this homeschooling journey is all about. And at it’s most basic it is a time to dream of what is possible, and let go of what is not.
As I look back over this year, I am so proud of what Sebastian has accomplished… of what we have accomplished together. We’ve established a firm, yet flexible school routine. We both know what to expect from each other each day. I no longer have to stand over him, peering over his shoulder as he completes each assignment. Our day is now broken into two distinct parts, “school time” and “homework time.” School time is our time together when I read aloud to him, teach him new concepts, review with him, and go over his assignments. Then he has “homework time” when I give him a list of assignments for each subject and set him free to do them in the order he wants and in the time he needs. This distinction has helped our relationship so much. He pays better attention during his lessons and he takes more responsibility for his assignments. And having him working on his own for a couple of hours a day frees me up to work with Xander, who needs more one-on-one attention.
I am so grateful for the Sonlight instructor’s guides. They’ve really been key to keeping me on track this year. Even when we’re “behind” I know exactly where we are and where we’re going and how long it will take to get there. I never feel pressured or burdened over planning and keeping track anymore. Last year I tried so hard to create my own curriculum and while Sebastian did learn a lot, in the end I felt as if I didn’t do enough because I hadn’t kept up with all my well-laid plans. This year I decided to stick to “just Sonlight” and that was the best decision I could have made. After three quarters of the year, I’m still right on track and haven’t had to skip anything important. I’m now confident in the instructor’s guides to direct our next steps. And that confidence makes me less afraid to supplement and add to the curriculum with materials that I want to use. I know that the spine is there, solid and strong, so now we can branch out in our studies without fear of missing anything or collapsing under the weight of it all.
And that’s what’s important… letting the structure work for you, rather than you trying to work within the structure. Structure and routine aren’t supposed to box you in, but rather free you to have the time to do what you want to do. The routine and the structure allow us to have time for art and music and nature study, things that seem to get lost in the shuffle when we’re not keeping up with the routines. So one of my goals for the coming year is to keep up with the routines, maintain the structure, follow the spine… and let that free us to have time for the pleasures of homeschooling.
So here are our plans for the coming year:
Sebastian – age 8 – 3rd grade
BibleHistory/Geography
Introduction to American History, Part 1 (Sonlight Core 3)
Hands and Hearts Early American History Discovery Kit
Hands and Hearts Westward Expansion Discovery KitLiterature
Reading
Language Arts
Science
Math
P.E.
Health
Art
Sonlight Electives 3 Art
Artistic Pursuits
The Usborne Introduction to Art
Dan’s Angel: A Detective’s Guide to the Language of Paintings
American Folk Art for Kids
Draw and Write Through History: Pilgrims, Pirates & PatriotsMusic
Foreign Language
Xander – age 6 – Kindergarten
BibleHistory/Geography
Literature
Reading
Language Arts
Science
Math
P.E.
Health
Art
That’s the spine. Sebastian is especially excited about starting Latin this year. And we’re all excited that Xander starts formally schooling with us in July!
Planning is so much fun, and it’s just the motivation I need to push through the year-end doldrums so we can get to all those brand-new books! The only thing more exciting than annual planning is box day (when the new books arrive). They should start trickling in any day now!
~Andrea
