Tuesday, May 19, 2009

Planning Time!

We're still doing beach week here, but that's not what I'm blogging about today.

Even though I plan to do school year-round, I can't help but see Fall as our "new year". I am gearing up to get us on a different schedule, one that will include some more things for Anna. I am going to do some "Tot-School" with her, and she is going to have her own workboxes.

So, I am evaluating and setting some priorities and goals for our family. I am prayerfully considering what our days, weeks, and months will look like next year.

I am making lists of cleaning jobs that have to be done, menu idea, theme ideas, workbox ideas, field trip ideas, things I want Anna to learn, etc.

Are you setting goals for next year? What would you like to accomplish in 09/10? What are you going to do to see that it gets done?

Editing after Mama Snail's comment ~

In your homeschool calendar, are you doing like 6 weeks on, 6 weeks off. Or 9 on 9 off? Or 3 on, 3 off? Or just take time off when you want? We don't set a calendar per se, but we will pretty much go all year. We will be taking breaks when life gets hectic, when we take vacations, or when we get overwhelmed with house duties such as deep cleaning or yard work :)

When will your girls "graduate" to the next grade level? In August? Which is why you think of it being the new year.... What about a first day of school tradition/ceremony...are you going to do something for that? Mary Helen began Kindergarten in March. If she were in the school system, she would be wrapping up her Pre K year now. We will continue on with Kindergarten this coming year, and she will move to first grade in the Summer or Fall of 2010. We will celebrate when we decide to end Kindergarten, and have our picture made for the first day of 1st grade. I don't know yet what I'm going to use to determine that she "passes" kindergarten :)

Are you going to make a home management binder? I have a home management binder, and I plan to do some purging, some adding, and hopefully a lot more utilizing of it for this year! I also plan to order Managers of Their Homes when my homeschool budget recovers from convention so I can fit everything into our day, and hopefully make better use of our time.

I am curriculum/material shopping planning now. I haven't set goals yet. But to make sure it gets done...I have you to help me!
I am SO glad we have each other for accountability now! We will have to get together with our binders one day and all our plans, etc!

12 comments:

kw said...

In your homeschool calendar, are you doing like 6 weeks on, 6 weeks off. Or 9 on 9 off? Or 3 on, 3 off? Or just take time off when you want?

When will your girls "graduate" to the next grade level? In August? Which is why you think of it being the new year....

What about a first day of school tradition/ceremony...are you going to do something for that?


Are you going to make a home management binder?

I am curriculum/material shopping planning now. I haven't set goals yet. But to make sure it gets done...I have you to help me!

dannielo said...
This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
Katy said...

Been wanting to share this blog with you. She has SO many creative ideas and often they are seasonally appropriate. I literally read it daily and print off what I like. It's worth going back at least a couple months if you are new to her blog!

Enjoy!
http://www.flipflopsandapplesauce.com/

~Kate

MommyWise said...

Isn't the planning stage often the "funnest"?

Christy Killoran said...

I LOVE to read planning blog posts! They help to motivate me.

I passed the product review meme along to you if you haven't done it already.
http://superheroesandprincesses.blogspot.com/2009/05/product-review.html

Katie said...

Hi Hadley! Thanks for your sweet compliments about my farm activities. They were a lot of fun to do with ER and she enjoyed them a lot. It's nice to have activities that you can be silly with and move around!

Did you send us links to your beach activities yet? I seem to recall you did or were going too...we'd definitely want to add them to our beach posts later on in the summer.

Be sure to check back tomorrow to find out about our big plans!

momstheword said...

Managers Of Their Homes is a wonderful book, and it really helped me figure out a homeschool schedule. Although I bought mine, our library carries it as well. You can also get it at a local homeschool secondhand store here.

I don't have much planning now, as I saved all the books and schedules from my first son. My second son pretty much does what he did in so far as planning goes!

Tracy said...

I'm new to your blog, but I think I'm going to love reading it. My daughter is 2 1/2 and I'd love to teach her at home because she craves it, but I struggle with originality. I think I'll be stealing many of your great looking ideas. Hmm, stealing isn't a great word... we'll call it mentoring ;) Thanks!

Jenny said...

I was just thinking about this today. I want some type of schedule, but am unsure how to do it. I also need to decide more about next year's activities.

Laura @ OurHouseOfJoyfulNoise.com said...

I'm very impressed with all of your planning and organization skills!! I think of us as year round schoolers too, but also think of the new year beginning in the firt week of September. I think it happens that way, because while we do use LIFE and experiences as a learning platform as well, we also use programs, books and workbooks. So when those are completes, and my testing for that material with them is completed, then that grade is considered completed. Since we do book school work most every day, it works out that we happen to finish with them in the spring. So it actually all looks like a typical school year I suppose, but in our eyes, learning never stops.
One thing I do love about home schooling is that we can take time off whenever things get hectic with life...but I am always feeling pressure about surging forward, because our town always wants a progress report for each kid by the end of June, AS WELL AS an educational plan for the next year. So I feel the need to be done with what we've got going, so I can even THINK about and look into what's next! That's me...I like to do things chronologically, and sometimes I wish I was more FREE.
Ok...maybe this should have been an e-mail. : ) So glad there is no character limit. lol. This is why I am awful at Twittering. : )
I just have to add though...the photo of your beautiful girls in the left sidebar, and the fact that it is labeled "Our Little Heifers", cracks me up every single time!

Elise said...

Okay, I am thinking I NEED a WEEK with you!! I don't care for planning for HS. Is that bad?? Its just not my thing...I also think we will year round teach for the most part.
Great questions Momma Snail asked. Also, I am thinking I may check out Managers of Their Homes at Borders since they have a 40% coupon this weekend. I certainly can use all the help I can get!!
Elise

DairyQueen said...

Elise, come on over girl ~ I love this stuff! Hey, I can plan your homeschool year while you decorate my playroom! Well, actually no, I want to help decorate :) Just come stay a week so we can do it all!