Momma, Let’s Start the Upcoming School Year Organized Together!
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I’m going to get real honest with you. I get crazy overwhelmed if I am not organized….and no one wants this Momma to be crazy and overwhelmed! To avoid said craziness, I’ve created a free homeschool planner and I’m sharing it with you! In addition to homeschooling, I work and maintain this blog. Being so busy throughout the year, I have to save my sanity! (My family agrees!)
If you are new to homeschooling (or even a veteran homeschooler!) this free planner will be essential in your planning.
1. Start with a Simple At-a-Glance Annual Calendar
I quickly and easily highlight the holidays we celebrate, family vacations we will take, days off, field trips, etc. It is much easier to schedule the kid’s curriculum around these bigger events. I use this as a snapshot of the upcoming year and I use it knowing it is fluid and can (and will!) change.
2. Curriculum planning and budget
Give yourself enough time before the new school year to have your curriculum and schedule in place. Start your planning in July. This will give you time to research and purchase new curricula and have it shipped, purchase supplies, and make necessary changes to the curriculum before September.
Once you know what courses your child will be studying, add them to your planning and budget worksheet. This is where you can track the source and price. It’s also helpful for the subsequent years to eliminate having to research all over again the following year (because who has time for all that?!)
➡️ PRO TIP: To save on finances, check local homeschool groups, and ask for what books or material you are looking for. Homeschoolers are great about offering used curriculum to other homeschoolers. We have a fantastic homeschool consignment store here where I live. It’s a blessing to purchase used books that are still in great shape.
3. Break Down your Schedule by Month
Now the fun part! Every quarter, schedule your monthly school schedule for the following three months. This is your road map but, there will be many ‘Slight Right 47’s’ along the way! Earlier this year, my son did an ‘interest project’ on the Bermuda Triangle. He was so interested in Flight 19 that disappeared, he began to research those types of planes. He was also distracted by the deep-sea trenches in the Bermuda Triangle area! Expect your children to get side-tracked and embrace that beautiful love of learning.
Refer back to your annual calendar and plan studies around your vacation destinations. For example, prepared for our Grand Canyon vacation by studying about it in the weeks prior to leaving. We read stories, downloaded lessons, studied wildlife, the formation of the canyon, etc. Once we arrived, the kids attended outdoor wildlife lectures, hiked, explored hands-on (much better than a textbook in a classroom!), they discovered desert plant life (so different from the Pacific Northwest!), etc. What an excellent way to learn!
👉🏼 SIDE NOTE: We also learned about desert heat first hand. My poor son suffered from heat exhaustion and had to be taken to the emergency clinic. Lesson learned: drink your water in the desert!!
Another idea is a unit study on a major holiday. We studied Martin Luther King on his holiday. We read his story, watched videos, and delved deep into the current Black Lives Matter movement. From there we learned about Rosa Parks and other influential Civil Rights Activists.
➡️ PRO TIP: While we do not have a full school schedule throughout the summer, we do continue math. I find it easier than having to review everything again after a two-month break. I also have my children read for fun year-round.
4. Write Your Weekly Plan on the First of Each Week
I do not recommend planning for more than a week at a time. You know those ‘Slight Right 47’s’ I mentioned above are destined to happen! Here is where you will add the details of your child’s assignments like pages, chapters, etc.
5. Keep a Daily ‘To-Do’ List
List everything out for the day including chores, meals, errands, I even add reminders for vitamins! (Seriously….if I don’t, it doesn’t happen!) If your child is working on an ongoing assignment, be sure to break down the expectations into chunks (super helpful for #ADHD kiddos!) If something is not completed, add it to the following day.
➡️ PRO TIP: Schedule free time and self-care each day…you deserve it, Momma!
6. Manage your needed materials at the beginning of each Week
Keep a detailed list of materials, books, links, podcasts for your upcoming lessons. Print any needed paperwork. This has been my saving grace through my homeschool years. Waiting until the morning of is destined to be a fiasco.
7. Maintain a Reading Log
This is helpful at the end of the year, especially if your state requires you to keep records. Plus, it’s fun to see the books the kiddos have read over the years.
➡️ EXTRA AWESOME PRO-TIP: Download this free homeschool planner (click the photo for the link) and copy it into the GoodNotes app. If you have an Apple Pencil, you can write directly on the schedule and then print it!
Congratulations on Getting Organized!
I know it feels a bit daunting to get started. Start slow and please ask me if you have any questions!
If you enjoyed this post or found it helpful, please share or leave a comment below!
XO for now!
