When we started last year, I pulled both of my boys back a couple of grades. We needed to fill some holes, and make their foundations a little more firm before moving forward. At the time, I had planned to push through quickly and then move into the next grade. While we could have moved up in a few subjects last year, I was not completely convinced that they were ready. So, we pushed through the year, and made sure that we were prepared for the new challenges of a new year. And this is where my children have decided mom is nuts. Fall 2017 will comprise of 75 days of school. I have allotted for all holidays, field trips, and breaks. 75 days of in the classroom work, where we are going to be completing an entire grade. One will complete third grade, while the other will complete second. Spring 2017 will bring two new grades and all new challenges!

Too ambitious? Maybe. But I sat down with all of the books, and planned out everything down to the last page of what we would need to accomplish, right down to the reading and writing that they are going to be doing. It is amazing what you can accomplish when you cannot sleep and your entire family is passed out. After trying to fall asleep for two hours, I gave up, started a large pot of coffee, and got down to work.  Now, if you have been following the blogs, then you know that both of my boys choose a project to do on top of their regular work. The subjects this year will be Ancient Egypt and the Civil War (each of the boys chose their own, that way they are interested and engaged). Those projects will encompass an entire year. I do not plan to push that into one semester, as they are growing older and can put a little more work into it this year as compared to last year. Books are being chosen, documentaries lined up, AND I even found some super cool coloring books to use with each of them!

When I announced my plan to my boys, they looked at me with the “I cannot believe that you are going to do this to us” face. They have gotten used to easier days, and of course the lull of summer does not do anything to help the motivation. I love learning, and I am hoping that eventually my children will understand that while not all learning is fun, some of it is. That is part of the reason that I choose to include the extra projects. They choose a topic in history (some of them we have to narrow down quite a bit)  that they are interested in, and can build upon through the entire year. While we are still going to the library at least once a week, the amount of reading that is actually being accomplished has gone down a little. I decided that maybe some direction would help with the reading challenges, so on top of the MMS Summer Reading Program, I have started putting a list together that they can choose from. Some of the books will have to be picked up from the library, but some of them are already on our shelves.

But, since that time of year has rolled around again, where do you find your curriculum? Share your plans for the upcoming year with us!!

It is that time of year. The time that all teachers begin to look at the coming year and plan out the curriculum. Home schooling is no different, but in some ways can be a little more difficult. Instead of just one age group and grade to plan for, you are planning for each individual child. I started prepping last week, trying to decide what we were going to focus on, and of course, adding the subjects that my boys are wanting to study.

I don’t know if you remember from some of the last blogs that I have done, but I always get my boys to do an extra project on top of what we are already studying. My oldest has decided that he wants to do Ancient Egypt this year. I am all for that, but we are going to have to narrow down that area a little more. My youngest wants to study the Civil War, so we are going to have the same issue. We will have to narrow down. But this can be done simply. Choose one area of study for the fall and a different for the Spring, so same subject two different areas of study.  But the main courses are the ones that stress me out the most. Making sure that I have the right math, science and other core subjects that are the best ones to use can be daunting. I have found that whatever we choose, we can tweak it to what we want, and what will work best for the boys. I have found that what might work for one does not work for the next. So its been a bit of juggling, but pays off in the end.

Now, with the start of the school year, I have to start thinking of the field trips and everything else that we are going to be undertaking as we go through the year. I am hoping to start off with Gettysburg, and then maybe a few more trips to D.C.. But I want to try and get through a few different areas this year. Obviously, visiting Egypt is out of the question (at least for now), but I want to try and visit the museum in New York City that has a very impressive display of Egyptian artifacts and art.

Now to pull all the books and start prepping our reading lists, and binders for the coming year! Let us know how your planning is going for the upcoming year! Do you have anything fun planned??