Not Back to School Blog Hop: A Day in the Life

It is the final week of Heart of The Matter's Not Back to School blog hop. It has been an great month of sharing and learning with and about homeschoolers all over the world. Thank you to all the families that open their homes and hearts to the bloggersphere. This Blog Hop is a great database for new homeschoolers and veterans who need a little inspiration.

This week's theme is a Day in the Life. We're supposed to share what our average homeschool day looks like. We do not started school until next week, but I would like to share with you our plans.

I shared last week how this year was based on a visual plan. A way for us as a family to see where we were spending our time. The first draft did not have a lot of time to school.

So we downsized what we were doing outside the home to bring the focus in our the family and learning this year. If we find this schedule is to socially light we can add play dates and other activities to it later.

Key to being happy this year is to start the day with a plan. We have a schedule so then I pulled together my own planner based on the more complicated system from last year. It to was downsized to include monthly calendars, daily work plan with workbox numbers and subjects. I have a section for notes but would like a computer program to log in the books we have read.







So that's what our days should look like. Most importantly this year will be a focus on the students needs and the family needs. Blessings.

A Change Is Gonna Come

I have been in prayer about what is to become of this blog. It has become clear that this should be a virtual space to record our homeschooling journey. Which means it will be incorporated into our school year plans with timely updates.

To that end let me share that this is planning season. Planning season for homeschoolers is exciting time because everything is fresh with new possibilities and grand goals. The trick I have found in my three years of homeschooling is to embrace those grand design, explore them and put them down in revision 1 of the plan. Then back off, give it a day and think about your life. Who are you? Who are your kids? How many outside activities do you plan on doing? How long will they really take? Where are the potential rabbit holes or unexpected cool field trips likely to happen? How your household actually functions? Then adjust the plan to this reality. Thereby avoiding complete homeschooling meltdown when things do not go as planned. Remember it is homeschooling so keep it SIMPLE and FLEXIBLE.

Part 1: What worked and what didn't work last year.

FIAR kinda worked last year but is planning intensive in order to support ds's learning style.

I honestly didn't think I had the time this summer to pull all of it together. But the other options are outside our budget right now, so I made a choice to slow down our summer plans to incorporate planning days. That is right days because I had to adjust my expectations of getting it done all at once.

Here is my attempt to plan with Five In A Row (FIAR). All items highlighted in gray were completed in 2008-2010. Items in green are planned for this year.
Five In A Row 2010-2011 School Year Plan

Our Homeschool School Room

This is "School Room" week at Life with My 3 Boybarians . Darcy will be doing a four week Not Back to School blog hop. This gave me a personal goal to have our room put together in time to share it. We have officially been in our new home here a little over two months. Yes, there are still boxes unpacked and pictures are not on the wall but we are working slowing toward normal.

First let's start with my homeschooler planner. All the sections were pulled from Donna Young's Free Homeschool Planner as well as organization charts from Sue Patrick's Workbox System.

Each month is colored to match the files in our Five In A Row planning box.

I have printed out all the lapbook material for each book. This works because I can load up the workbox system without a marathon night before printing session. Kendall from FIAR Forums shared this great planning system last year.

We downsized with this move which has been a blessing and adjustment. You will be amazed how simple life can be with less stuff. TS desk is the right fit and can grow with him. Next to his desk are the workboxes waiting for work. We were also gifted a digital microscope that will be using on the kitchen table.

Our world map is going up this weekend in this cozy spot with the easel and library and coloring books.

We have been so incredibly blessed with this move and look forward to an exciting year of learning.

Getting Back To The Basics: Homeschool planning 2009

This week was originally meant to be my homeschooling planning and printing week. Last year I had a comfortable chair, a desk, headphones and time to listen to the homeschool conference as I printed out material for the next year. It was a peaceful beginning to a rather peace first half of our school year. This time things are different…much different.

I have been in whirlwind all week trying to find the right planner and to pull together the "right" curriculum because this year it counts. TS is first grade and with new state laws he will be tested at the end of the year. In my mind I had to cover it all, not miss a thing because this year is the beginning of "real school". But I have found myself tied up in knots and can't seem to make even the simplest decisions.

Homeschool planner: Should I buy it or custom make it? Should I do online? Should it be bond or spiral?

Homeschool curriculum: Should we stick to what was working and add in elements or go totally with a boxed curriculum? I printed out the school curriculum how am I going to teach all of this with my current curriculum? How do I fit co-op into our day? How we going to fit lunch into our day?

Homeschool location: Since we have moved we no longer have a homeschool classroom.

Old Classroom

How will that effect TS's concentration? I still have boxes unopened and things to unpack to make this place a home. How can I do that while homeschooling? How is the workbox system going to work in this small space?

I have spent hours blog hopping looking for answers and making list. You should see my bookmark list from this week alone…..89 entries for just planners. I felt so helpless and swamped I actually considered public school. I think public school is great if it fits your child. It does not fit our child and I know he would be miserable after the social aspect wore off.

So last night after a marathon of printing and planning I went to bed praying for guidance and this morning I got this in my email from Alpha Omega:

"If you're starting your new school year depending on your own abilities, be careful. Only the Lord can show you those things that will make your homeschooling truly successful. As you depend on the Holy Spirit, you will not only discover wisdom to teach, but you'll also have your eyes opened to see all that God desires for your family. "Unto thee lift I up mine eyes, O thou that dwellest in the heavens. Behold, as the eyes of servants look unto the hand of their masters, and as the eyes of a maiden unto the hand of her mistress; so our eyes wait upon the LORD our God" (Psalm 123:1-2a). Lord, forgive me for my foolish pride that fails to acknowledge You as Lord. Open my eyes to see Your plans for our family this homeschool year and teach me to constantly depend on You. In Jesus' name, Amen."