How to Plan Your Homeschool Year | Simple Tips for Homeschool Planning WITHOUT Overwhelm

[@SevenInAll]

In this video, I didn't mention anything about how we plan/schedule the DAYS that we'll do school in the next year...and that's because we don't. #1 We are from a state that doesn't have any specific reporting requirements regarding DAYS of school....and #2 We simply "follow" the school calendar of the school where my husband works, for the most part, making adjustments as needed throughout the year. Take a day off if there's a reason to take a day trip, or if we have doctor appointments for the whole family? Sure! We also continue with school through the "summer break" if we're not traveling. We don't worry about "finishing" or "starting" a particular level of curriculum at the beginning or end of a school year, we just finish books as we finish them and start the new level when the old one is finished.

[@JoyfulNoiseLearning]

The homeschool time-space continuum 🤣🤣🤣

[@SevenInAll]

I mean, it might be nice if we actually had the time and patience to implement ALL our big ideas...but it's probably a good thing we're dealing with real-life limitations.

[@SummerMeyers]

I'm so glad you mentioned switching up curriculum. We've stuck with our core curriculum the last 3 years and it has made a difference in our ability to do the lessons competently and quickly.

[@SevenInAll]

Yes! When you are able to stick with the same curriculum, it definitely takes less time to figure out how to implement it, etc.

[@lifewithginab]

I'm old-school too. I like writing my list on a paper too 😅

[@SevenInAll]

It just feels more REAL that way. My mind processes and remembers information better when I write it out on paper.

[@JoyfulNoiseLearning]

I love the don’t be afraid to pick a lower level if it fits your child best. I felt like maybe I was a failure when my child wasn’t progressing as fast as I thought they should. But they really have done so much better when I fit their level!

[@SevenInAll]

Yes! And what's covered in one "grade level" can vary quite a bit from one curriculum to the next.

[@homeschoolmamaself-care]

Love this Rachel! As I watch this, I'm sitting right beside my homeschool planning journal too. Which I've had for more than a dozen and a half years. And one tip I'd add is that you should keep that planning journal so you can look back and plan for your younger kiddos. So don't have to recreate the wheel. (Of course, no two years and no two kiddos aren't ever the same, but it's a useful too.)

[@SevenInAll]

That's a great tip! Yes, I already know that there are some things and resources I will definitely repeat with my younger son once he's old enough!

[@HomeschoolwithJen]

Your time-space continuum point is right on target! It's so easy to want to do everything, which is unrealistic, but then are disappointed when it doesn't work.

[@SevenInAll]

Yep! We have to remember that everything takes time...and determine what you want to prioritize giving time to this year.

[@JoyfulNoiseLearning]

Yes!! Excel spreadsheet all the way! 😁😁😁🙌🏼

[@SevenInAll]

hahaha, I definitely knew you would have a spreadsheet for all of this. Meanwhile, I'm still over here rocking my pen and notebook. lol!

[@SummerMeyers]

Grade level!! Excellent point! Meet your child where they are, rather than the hypothetical "grade level".

[@SevenInAll]

Yes! Very much important. Especially because the content in one "grade level" varies so much between different curriculum companies.

[@lifewithginab]

This is one of the best videos I've watched on homeschool planning tips! So good Rachel! ❤

[@SevenInAll]

Oh, thank you so much, Gina! That really means a lot! I was hoping that I was able to communicate as effectively as I wanted to in this video.

[@pinkskitchen]

Very useful for me. I am going to try this. TFS. Stay connected 😊

[@sarahmora5207]

I use notebook paper too. Except I use pencil because I erase a lot. Haha I did go overboard after Christmas because I felt like we were slacking from the holidays. Then it backfired because we all were overwhelmed after 2 months of that. This is a good reminder for me to do what we can. We don't have to do everything all the time.

[@SevenInAll]

haha, I probably ought to use pencil...

[@SimplyLivingIt]

Haha! I am a paper outline mama, too! 😂🙋‍♀️

[@SevenInAll]

My mind just works better with paper and pencil. It feels more real!

[@RockSimmer-gal4God]

I love our outline!!! I’ve found that some curriculum are just enough different by level. We love making learning fun!!!

[@SevenInAll]

We have a lot of fun together throughout these years of learning! :)

[@carinthiamontana7069]

Very very helpful, as always, thank you! Just to let you know, there seems to be a bit of an echo when you film in your staircase…

[@SevenInAll]

Sorry about that! My house has a lot of "echo" issues because of the plaster walls and stone floors...I need to look into whether I can figure out a practical solution.

[@MomOfSeven123]

Excellent tips! I especially like the correlation between late winter doldrums and curriculum planning! I think you are exactly right- I'm sick of winter, want spring and therefore replace all our 22-23 curriculum...😂 (And I have to ask- is that a bird or a baby screaming in the background?! I spent the whole video trying to figure it out 😜)

[@SevenInAll]

It is a bird...or birds. Our house is open-air so all the outside noises are also inside noises. lol Always 'great' when the birds decide to have a bird party when I'm filming. And yes, homeschool planning is a coping mechanism for many homeschoolers come this time of the year. The doldrums pass. :)

[@OurHOMEschoolPlan]

But I like shiny, new things…….😂😜 There are too many great curriculums out there. I always feel so relieved when I’ve finalized, this is what we’re doing. But it is fun to explore and imagine what we could do. I just had my daughters take TGTB math placement test bc I was curious how they’d fit. (And bc I think TGTB math looks really engaging) I was actually a little shocked. It’s definitely got me wondering again….so yeah, placement tests are so necessary!!! And also keeping in mind, if you keep switching curriculums, it may not be that they are “ahead” or “behind” curriculums may not teach the same scope in the same order. Switching could actually leave some gaps. Random comment, I know. But I think it goes with the placement test importance. I have experience now with 4 separate math curriculums and my daughters still didn’t place in the same level as TGTB math levels. Sometimes curriculums are really different.

[@SevenInAll]

Yes! Especially in math, one program is so different from another, switching can be kind of frustrating because the levels don't "line" up. We've used a lot of Math U See in the past and their levels tend to have a very different scope and sequence compared to most other math curricula.

[@adrieswanson7086]

This is great! We are long time homeschoolers (I am also 2nd generation), and I am looking at Sonlight for next year. We have been a Classical Conversations family, but are looking to make a change next year. I am so confused by all the options with Sonlight though! I would like to do as few cores as possible (combining kids) while still meeting the needs of the individual, but I also have FOMO on cores with my older kids. After wrapping up this school year I will have a 9th, 7th, 6th, 4th, and kindergartener plus a 3 yo and an almost 1 yo. I am thinking about doing F hbl with everyone next year, and then J with my older 2 for 8th and 10th, and D with my then 5th and 7th graders. Any thoughts/suggestions? I don't want my oldest to miss out on highschool levels, but I really love the looks of F and J and also love family style learning. I miss having her be a part of our school day, but I know some of that can't be helped as she gets older.

[@SevenInAll]

I understand the challenge and the pull of wanting family style learning, but also once you have that big age range and a high schooler it's tough to manage it! From my own experience, I love Sonlight's high school levels and definitely wouldn't want to miss out on those. F and J are also great ones. Our family has typically taken the approach of doing 1 Sonlight core that can cover the elementary-middle school spectrum as a family, while any high schoolers do their own Sonlight independently (the Sonlight high school cores are written that way, allowing the student to be able to work through a core pretty much independently). My sister has been going through HBL 100 this year and she always says doing her Sonlight work doesn't even feel like school, it feels like a good excuse to sit in her bed and read in the afternoons. For your situation--what I would lean toward is picking one HBL core to do family-style, and if you want to, you can definitely include your high schooler for at least part of the "group" time, whether that be for Bible or the read aloud or whatever aspect would be most interesting/important (or maybe your 9th grader will get sucked in and want to listen to it all!). And then the high schooler does their own high school-level core independently (but you can still sneak in there and read some of the best books and you can still have all the good historical discussions sprinkled throughout the year.)

[@adrieswanson7086]

@@SevenInAll Thank you! That is helpful and encouraging!

[@thehudsonshub]

This is how I do it too, I mean i prefer writing it on a physical paper than a spreadsheet. 😜

[@thehudsonshub]

Are you left handed? My son is left handed too. "They" say left handed people are intelligent. 😊

[@thehudsonshub]

Rachel, I love all of your tips.😍

[@SevenInAll]

Thank you! Yes, I am a lefty, and so is my son! Makes it extra-easy for me to teach him to write. :)

[@laurapinkham3488]

Thanks for this video! It was very helpful! What age is your preschool curriculum she for? Is three too young? I'm going to look up videos on it, but thought I would ask here.

[@SevenInAll]

Three is pretty much exactly the age I designed it for! I started when my son turned three and he just turned 4, and has outgrown it and needs "the next level"...which will be released soon! :)

[@laurapinkham3488]

@@SevenInAll thanks!!! Excited to try it out!

[@OurHOMEschoolPlan]

You’re left-handed!!!!

[@SevenInAll]

Yep! And my son is, too, which is highly convenient for me! :P

[@tori.homeschoolingmom]

“Plan for your actual children, not hypothetical children” 👍 You mean plan for my wiggly, active children and not for some hypothetical snuggle-on-the-couch-and-listen-to read-alouds-for-hours children that don't live in my home? 😂

[@SevenInAll]

Exactly! Actual children just never seem to behave the way hypothetical ones do (perhaps that's why so many parents find themselves doing things differently than they thought they would before the actual children appeared on the scene...)