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Top 10 Favorites

January 1, 2015 | Leave a Comment
This post may contain affiliate links. For more information, please see my full disclosure policy.

I don’t try to get too sappy here on my blog with the new year and all because I like to keep it to helping you with homeschool how-tos, unit studies, and of course my love for planners. But before I list the top 10 favorites places and posts you loved this past year, I just wanted to say THANK YOU from my heart!

This past year has been a huge change for our family in moving from Texas to South America and downsizing, selling our house, packing and being on a whirlwind adventure took up a good part of the year. It has been exciting, but exhausting.

We are loving it here in South America more than we even imagined and are grateful for however long we can stay. I can’t wait to share more posts about the everyday life here along with all the other topics I love to blog about.

Too, though I shared articles on my New Bee Homeschooler site, the end of this past summer finished my first official year of blogging. I just wanted to say how much I appreciate your comments and emails. Truly, I am touched by each one and you are the best followers.

Each comment and email means a lot to me and I try to answer each one because without you my new little blog would not have seen the tremendous growth it has seen this past year.

I am also grateful that you support my products in my new store. I have many things planned for 2015 and one of them is a book along with other things. I look forward to telling you more about them this year and my other goals.

Soon, I will be posting the top curriculum planner favorites, but check out these top 10 favorites y’all visited.

My Ancient Civilizations Unit Study and Lapbooks which includes Mesopotamia, Indus Valley, Ancient China, Phoenicia, Assyria, Ancient Babylon, Ancient Egypt, Ancient Greece and Ancient Rome continues to be my number 1 unit study and free printables.

Though I posted 50 Keep Me Learning Activities During the Long Cold Winter Days roundup at the end of 2013 when I first started my blog, it was the 2nd most popular one in 2014.

Then, we all loved the 50 Free History Unit Studies–History Lover’s Round Up to give us more ideas for keeping history fun. It took the number 3 spot.

Then I am loving that my first series of my blog my 31 Day Free Boot Camp for New Homeschoolers stayed at my number 4 spot.

Even if you are not new, have you gone through it yet? You may find a tidbit or two to help you if you are struggling with homeschooling. We all need encouragement and on some days more so than others.

Then feeling a little crafty and making it the center of the pack, how to make an Eazy Peazy Roman Costume and Free Printable Set of Wings post took center stage at number 5.

And then my Tropical Rainforest South America Unit Study and Lapbooks for older and younger children along with the page for the Rain Forest Animals of the Amazon comes in 6th place.

Y’all are loving these seasonal roundups. And again, though I posted this in the first few months of blogging in 2013, Free Fall Unit Study Ideas– For Older Kids Too grew to the 7th spot in 2014.

Loving to read about homeschool organization, my post Homeschool Organization + {Storage, Spaces and Learning Places Part 1} came in at number 8.

Then you are loving this Free 8 Page Fan Book–Animals of the Galapagos Islands for number 9.

Then last, but not least, you are visiting my American Revolution Unit Study and lapbook.

What do you think? Were any of these your favorites or did you miss any?

Hugs and love ya,

Linking up @ these awesome places:

Motivation Monday | Mommy Monday | Inspire Me Monday |

Planning Homeschool When Drowning in a Sea of Ideas

December 28, 2014 | 9 Comments
This post may contain affiliate links. For more information, please see my full disclosure policy.

Sitting in my living room and deciding what we wanted to do for school next, I realized that planning homeschool when drowning in a sea of ideas can be daunting and energy zapping.

Like you though, ideas, projects, and lists are all made because we want to problem solve or craft ideas into projects.

However, my to-do list and ideas for everything from homeschool to personal goals to my blog was growing more detailed by the moment.
Impatient person that I am to meet some of these goals, I realized it can make you feel defeated before you even start planning.

Do you find that you just pull back and don’t do anything because you can’t find a starting point? Organized or not, this can happen to anybody and it has happened to me more times than I care to admit.

One top of that, a problem with most people who love organization is that we have our noses so buried in the details of homeschool planning we can’t see the big picture.

I focused on things that inspire me to find a starting point. Don’t let your brilliant or creative flashes harness you.

Look at these 4 steps for a starting point as you plan your new homeschool year.

STEP 1. Clearly Identify

Start by just writing all that you want to do, but don’t worry about organizing your ideas just yet.

I want to finish a book on homeschooling that I have started, get my youngest son caught up with where I want him to be, help my next highschooler finish and graduate this next year, lose more weight, blog more passionately, help new homeschoolers with more detailed articles, create more unit studies, spend more time with the Mr. now that we live in beautiful South America and . . . and . . .

Pen your ideas and identify them as clearly as you can, but don’t separate them into categories just yet because that will stifle what is on your mind for now.

STEP 2. Slice And Dice

After you have mounds of ideas and things that you want to do, take your list and prioritize what is most important to you.

What I have found in this step of the thought process is that some ideas are not worthy of my time after I weigh them against other things I have on my list.

You need to either shelf or shave ideas that you can’t get to this next year.

I have been ask, but how do you know how many to delete or shave off and how many to keep? I have found that a simple way to accomplish more is to use the 12 calendar months or physical year as a strainer.

In my mental process, I limit myself to 12 ideas or things that I want to get done for a new year. Some ideas or things will only take a few days or few weeks and other ideas may take longer. Too, some things like my goal of spending time with the Mr. can be grouped with another goal.

I find that a base of 12 ideas is a good starting point because it allows one idea or project per month.

It’s a natural way to plan, but most of the time we over plan with no filter in place. The physical year is my filter.

Don’t give up any of the ideas you have if you see in looking over your list that there are more worthwhile projects to pursue right now.

Just put them back for now and save your list because you never know during the year when you have time to reach into your treasure trove of thoughts and get one more project done.

At this point too, I can see a clear picture of how many are homeschool related, personal related, and business related and I group them together now.

STEP 3. Arrange In Importance to YOU

We both know that clearly our homeschool planning takes a prominent place. But so should your health and spiritual welfare.

If you have been homeschooling at all costs and sacrificing either your physical or spiritual health, your homeschooling journey may not survive.

Some years, I have added in workbooks for the kids or hired a tutor because I needed the break. Balance has always been hard for strong-willed homeschooling mamas. I’m right there with you too.

The homeschooling survivors are ones that are willing to change when something needs to be done instead of heading straight to burnout.

Too, sometimes you have to decide what is a want versus a need. For example, I am so over the top giddy on wanting to finish my homeschooling book, but I won’t do it at the expense of sacrificing Tiny along the way.

Will there still be homeschoolers the next year or the next? For sure. But my son’s homeschool years are fleeting so it maintains priority for me.

Priority is uniquely different to each of us and we need to not only dig deep to determine them, but be honest on what is something we need to do versus something that we desire to do.

Now the challenge – number each one from the most important to the least.

Can you see the plan emerging? Remember, you should have only 12 numbered.

You can have more on your list, but only 12 numbered. Remember, this is about getting them done, not dreaming about them.

Too, some things which are long term projects, like my homeschool book, can be worked on throughout the year as I accomplish my 12 tasks.

So leave one or two long-term projects on your list that can simmer on the backburner while you meet your other goals.

STEP 4. Make A Visible Plan of Action

The fourth step is the most critical and it is to write it all down. Did you know this is where a lot of people stumble or just give up?

After going through the grueling process of planning, they fail to make it cement or concrete.

Get it off your mind and onto something that you can see and physically check off. Put the plan into action by writing it down.

See the big picture by assigning it to a calendar month. If you shriek at paper planning (can’t imagine, just saying) then put it down in your digital planner.

It is not a plan – well until it is.

Sounds easy enough, but a major reason we feel trapped before we start is that if it is not put down in some action form, our ideas might stay as pie in the sky goals.

In an upcoming post, l will show you how I finally solved my problem and got my nose out of those details that I love to wallow in.

Keeping this process of how I arrived at homeschool planning for the year does me no good to keep it in my head and so I hope this 4 step process simplifies the planning process for you.

Follow the four easy steps of homeschool planning which are clearly identifying all that you want to do for the year, organize ideas by category and slim your ideas down to just 12 with a few extra long-term projects, arrange them in importance by using the cruel (you cannot start them all at once, I tried that one time. Stay sane, don’t try it) number system because you have to have a Number 1 starting point and then avoid using invisible ink by writing it ALL down.

I guarantee you will have success in planning for a new year if you try faithfully to follow those four easy peazy steps.

What about you? Do you see a new plan of action or are you using one that works for you?

You’ll love these other tips!:

Over Scheduling + Over Planning = Over Load

3 Easy Fixes to Recharge Your Homeschool Routine

How To Create a Homeschool Schedule That You Can Stick To

Hugs and love ya,

Marco Polo Unit Study and Lapbook 1254 to 1324

Marco Polo 1254 to 1324 – A unit study and lapbook about the life of Marco Polo and Genghis Khan, as well as how the Silk Road came under the control of the Mongol Marco Polo Unit Study and Lapbook 1254 to 1324ule.

Free Marco Polo Lapbook, Unit Study and Hands-On Activities @ Tina's Dynamic Homeschool Plus

My Marco Polo unit study and lapbook is a subscriber freebie.

Marco Polo Unit Study

Marco Polo was born on September 15, 1254, in the Italian Republic of Venice.

As a child, young Marco would listen to fascinating tales of faraway places.

Marco Polo Unit Study and Lapbook 1254 to 1324

His father was Niccolo Polo and his uncle was Maffeo Polo.

They were both merchants and spent their time away from Marco traveling through lands such as Persia.

When Marco was young, his mother died. After that, his uncle and aunt raised him.

It seems like some history books focus so much on the conquests of Alexander the Great that they don’t cover the fact that Genghis Khan created an empire that stretched from China to the Adriatic Sea in Europe. Massive and impressive!

Creating a mythological map for our Marco Polo unit study was the perfect start to exploring this empire. I really don’t teach mythology when we cover history, but I do introduce it to the boys.

This was a perfect time to talk about the myths that existed in the time of Marco Polo because, at the time, the world was largely unexplored.

Hands-On History: Mythological Map – Marco Polo Unit Study

Some parts, such as Africa, had been charted and Marco Polo was familiar with the Mediterranean Sea because he lived in Venice, but the rest of the world was mostly unknown.

Marco Polo Mythological Map @ Tina's Dynamic Homeschool Plus

Some of the mapmakers put warning signs on maps and filled them with drawings of mythological creatures because the land was uncharted territory and they thought the rest of the world was filled with dragons and such.

Of course, Tiny thought this was way beyond cool and I found the activity to create a mythological map in the book Marco Polo for Kids: His Marvelous Journey to China, 21 Activities (For Kids series), which sparked our creativity.

Look at the short list of materials needed to create this fun and aged map:

Paper size of your choice. We had regular old paper.
Permanent Marker
Coffee and coffee grounds
Atlas. If you don’t have any, check out our fixation for homeschool geography resources here.

Have those things in your house?

Another reason why this is such a fun project is that there was very little known of the world in Marco Polo’s time, so most of the map can be made up from your child’s imagination.

Hands-On Map – Marco Polo Unit Study

A short geography project is a win-win!

There’s no moaning when kids are mapping out mythological and unexplored areas.

Tiny just drew Africa, labeled the Mediterranean Sea, filled in the rest with creatures and monsters, and added in his own warning message.

I grabbed some leftover coffee and a soft rag.

Next, he crumpled up the page and wadded it up real good (he loved that part) and laid it back out again. This helps the map to look worn.

The coffee grounds were a must too.

He added a few of those over some holes he made on the map and it started to take shape.

We both wished he had added a bit more coffee grounds over it to mimic aged spots.

Then he took his soft rag and used the old coffee to soak the map.

How to Make a Map Old

Be careful to not tear the page, though you do want some of the edges torn. Add a few torn edges.

Then I stuck it in the oven on the lowest heat and dried it for about 5 minutes.

Take it out and be careful because now you have an old and brittle map.

Marco Polo Mythological Map Activity @ Tina's Dynamic Homeschool Plus

Covering the culture and geography of Asia takes time and it is best studied through the eyes of somebody that traveled during that time like Marco Polo.

One of the many things he would have seen along the Silk Road were the beautiful mosaics made by ancient Persian artists.

Persian Mosaic Marco Polo Unit Study @ Tina's Dynamic Homeschool Plus

While they would have used beads, glass, shells, and just about anything they had to create their masterpiece, you also can use just about anything you have around your house for this hands-on activity.A few ideas are:

Persian Mosaic Craft

pieces of aluminum foil
beads
sequins
seashells
rocks
macaroni, beans, etc.
And grab some glue too!

The Mr. had bought a few craft things for us when he was at the store and I picked up a few pieces of leather (pretty inexpensive here in Ecuador) and we used the leather pieces to make our mosaic.

So Tiny began to lay out his design.

Persian Mosaic Craft Step 1 @ Tina's Dynamic Homeschool Plus

Persian Mosaic Craft Step 2 @ Tina's Dynamic Homeschool Plus

After cutting out his pieces, he had to study his design for a while.

This was actually a good art lesson for him because like his mother (poor thing) he is not particularly comfortable with crafting and creating.

But because he just laps up a hands-on activity anytime we do one, I always make time for quite a few for him.

Mosaic Craft

Unlike Mr. Awesome, who seizes the moment to craft and create, Tiny expects perfection every time, which is exactly why I like for him to do them.

I want him to not be so hard on himself when it comes to creating and crafting and to lighten up some.

You have to love the many personalities you teach while homeschooling.

One kid I have to rein in from hands-on to do some seat work and the other kid I have to unglue from the seat for some hands-on work.

Persian Mosaic Craft Step 3 @ Tina's Dynamic Homeschool Plus

Persian Mosaic Craft Step 4 @ Tina's Dynamic Homeschool Plus

Anyway, after Tiny studied his design for a while, he was satisfied and glued on all the pieces.

It makes it easy to read about Persian art and modern-day Iran when your kid can do an engaging and simple activity.

Extend-a-Timeline Book – Hands-On History

I have a free extend-a-timeline book, which is the next interactive minibook we did on our Marco Polo Unit Study.

Extend a Timeline Book Marco Polo Unit Study @ Tina's Dynamic Homeschool Plus

Look at the steps below on how to do this free extend-a-timeline book.

First, it’s easier to have your child write on a full size page instead of the smaller strip. So fill in the timeline on the full size page first before you cut the strips.

I have some information on the downloadable to help you fill out the timeline and then, as I go along, I will add a more comprehensive timeline on this unit study.

Marco Polo Timeline Written Activity @ Tina's Dynamic Homeschool Plus

Here in Ecuador I haven’t been able to find cardstock yet, but I had photo paper and since it’s more stiff, I used that for the cover page or 3 masted ship. That’s the kind of ship Marco Polo would have traveled in.

You want to print out the cover page on stiffer paper or cardstock and print out the timeline on regular paper so the strip is easier to fold.

Fold the cover sheet in half and cut down the middle.

Then cut out the timeline strips after they are filled in and fold back the part on the strip (gray part) where the two strips glue together.

Timeline Book

After you download the printables, you will see that there are two strips that need to be glued together to form one long strip or timeline that will extend across both halves of the cover page.

I have instructions on the printables or tabs to show you where you are suppose to glue it in case this sounds all like gibberish.

Here is the picture below after gluing the two strips together.

Fold the crease and let it dry for a while. Then crease both ends of the strip at the point where they will attach to the cover page.

Marco Polo Timeline Step 3 @ Tina's Dynamic Homeschool Plus

Marco Polo Timeline Step 4 @ Tina's Dynamic Homeschool Plus

Next, work on folding it accordion style. You can see the front of the timeline faintly when you turn the strip on the back to start folding.

We just folded it naturally dividing the time periods with the faint lines showing through from the front.

The picture below on the left shows us folding it accordion style and the picture on the right shows how it looked before we glued it on but after we messed with folding it.

It doesn’t have to be perfect. As long as it’s accordion-like, it will work.

Then, flatten out the end pieces of the strip before you glue them onto the cover.

Marco Polo Timeline Step 7 @ Tina's Dynamic Homeschool Plus

Glue the strips onto the bottom of the cover page, not in the middle or above, so that the book will stand somewhat on its own.

Finished Extend a Timeline Book Marco Polo Unit Study @ Tina's Dynamic Homeschool Plus

Taa-daa! Look at our interactive extend-a-timeline book!

Here is how the printables look below.

Timeline of Exploration Marco Polo Printables @ Tina's Dynamic Homeschool Plus

Timeline of Exploration Marco Polo @ Tina's Dynamic Homeschool Plus

Here is the first set of Marco Polo notebooking pages.

Marco Polo Notebooking Pages

The first notebooking page is a place to write about Marco Polo’s childhood as he grew up in Venice and contemplated visiting far off places that were not discovered.

On the second notebooking page, your child can add a bit of geography about the Persian desert.

There is also space for your child to either describe the travels of Marco Polo across the Persian desert or to tell about animal or plant life on the desert.

Lastly, I have a page that can be used to give an overview of the Mongol Empire.

Marco Polo Notebooking Pages Set 1 @ Tina's Dynamic Homeschool Plus

The Mongolian Empire was such a huge empire at that time that it has taken us awhile during reading to wrap our minds around the large amount of land that was conquered by Genghis Khan.

The printables on the Marco Polo Unit Study are special ones because I love to hold back printables to share especially with my loyal email readers.

Terracotta Warriors Craft

Taking a bunny trail in our Marco Polo Unit Study to talk about the Terracotta Warriors was a fun way to spend the morning as we debated whether or not Marco Polo really visited all the places he claimed.

Also, though we have been adding to our homeschooling supplies ever since we moved here, we still haven’t found any clay yet.

Salt Dough Recipe @ Tina's Dynamic Homeschool Plus

That is okay because salt dough is pretty cheap and, outside of salt dough maps, you can make just about anything out of it.Tiny researched a few of the free websites online to see how the Terracotta Warriors were made and then he made his version of a warrior.

This is an activity he can do by himself too, which I loved.

Marco Polo Unit Study Terra Cotta Warriors @ Tina's Dynamic Homeschool Plus

Afterwards, he used some tempera paints we found here and gave his warrior a color he thought it would have been when discovered.Pretty fun and a pretty easy activity for this unit study!

Marco Polo Unit Study – Free Resources

I also have some free resources that will help to round out your unit study.

Online resources have become really important to us since we couldn’t bring all of our books when we moved here to Ecuador.

So, I have taken some time in putting together some of the more helpful links. I hope you find them helpful too!

Marco Polo Unit Study Free Resources @ Tina's Dynamic Homeschool Plus

Helpful Lesson Plans and Background Information

Check out the activities Highhill Homeschool did for their co-op on China.
On the Road with Marco Polo
Mapping the Italian City – States Map Activity
Wonderful article with a visual that shows how the Terracotta Warriors were made.
Pretty cool infographic timeline about Marco Polo. Be sure to zoom in if the image is small.

Other Free Printables

Over at the Homeschool Den, Liesl has some great free notebooking pages about Marco Polo and Genghis Khan notebooking pages.
Over at 123 Homeschool 4 Me, Beth has an Early Explorers Unit and a free Marco Polo lapbook.

YouTube

Wait for It! Crash Course on the Mongol – Fun! From younger to older will enjoy this lively presentation.

Free Coloring Pages

I listed a few coloring pages here too for those of any age, K to Gray, that like to color.

That includes me. Am I the only one who prints off a page and color with my kids? It’s so relaxing in a way.

Kublai Khan Coloring Page @ Tina's Dynamic Homeschool Plus

Printable Marco Polo Map @ Tina's Dynamic Homeschool Plus

Printable Marco Polo Coloring Page @ Tina's Dynamic Homeschool Plus

Marco Polo Coloring Sheet @ Tina's Dynamic Homeschool Plus

Free Country Report

Mongolia Country Report @ Tina's Dynamic Homeschool Plus

Grab my free country report on the country of Mongolia from my geography page to add to your notebook or study.

This is a fun and quick report for a middle or high school student to do.

It’s also an easy way to add notebooking and geography to your unit study!

Salt Dough Map

Tiny never tires of salt dough maps. It is one of his favorite go-to geography projects.

Our Marco Polo unit study is not only an awesome unit study for a salt dough map, but the map is a project he can mostly do by himself now.We gathered our supplies and we are finally starting to add to our school supplies here in Ecuador. Thank goodness they have Pizza Hut delivery here so we had a box for our project.

Marco Polo Salt Dough Map Step 1 @ Tina's Dynamic Homeschool Plus

Marco Polo Salt Dough Map Step 2 @ Tina's Dynamic Homeschool Plus

Also, when we left the states, I made sure our suitcases had plenty of room for our much-loved atlases.

We made it here to South America with our atlases in great shape and, since books in English are almost non-existent here, we take care real good care of what we do have.

No running to drool over books at Barnes & Noble here!

Marco Polo Salt Dough Map Step 3 @ Tina's Dynamic Homeschool Plus

Marco Polo Salt Dough Map Step 4 @ Tina's Dynamic Homeschool Plus

Back to our project. After mixing the dough, we just drew freehand on the box with a pencil and then traced back over with a permanent marker.

Marco Polo Unit Study Hands-on Activities

Not only did we add some of the places visited by Marco Polo, but Tiny wanted to label some of the areas around it, so we did.

Free Printable Map Flags

I also made some printable flags to put on the salt dough map.

For a few places, I added the name that would have been used back in the time of Marco Polo and then put the name of the modern day city to help Tiny make a connection.

Names are boring to learn about, unless they make sense today.

Free Printable Map Flags Marco Polo @ Tina's Dynamic Homeschool Plus

Remember, before the salt dough dries, stick a toothpick in the dough. That way, when it dries, the hole is already there for the flag pennant.

Marco Polo Salt Dough Geography @ Tina's Dynamic Homeschool Plus

It’s much more engaging for Tiny to add the pennants on some of the places Marco Polo traveled instead of labeling a printed out map, which would have been a lot more easier for me. Also, he remembers geography a lot better this way.

Salt Dough Map Marco Polo Travels @ Tina's Dynamic Homeschool Plus

At the last minute, he decided he wanted to paint the trail of Marco Polo’s travels white, because it would be easier for him to remember.

Marco Polo Lapbook

Marco Polo Cover Pieces for Lapbook or Notebook Tinas Dynamic Homeschool Plus

Discoveries Layered Book Tinas Dynamic Homeschool Plus

Marco Polo Did You Know Tinas Dynamic Homeschool Plus

Mongol Fan Book @ Tina's Dynamic Homeschool Plus

Other Places Polo Visited 4 Petal Book @ Tina's Dynamic Homeschool Plus

Servant of the Great Khan Top Flip Book @ Tina's Dynamic Homeschool Plus

Soldier Merchant Prisoner Circle Flip Book @ Tina's Dynamic Homeschool Plus

Early Life of Marco Polo Minibook @ Tina's Dynamic Homeschool Plus

Marco Polo Travels Minibook @ Tina's Dynamic Homeschool Plus

How to Get the Free Marco Polo Lapbook

Now, how to grab the free printable. It’s a subscriber freebie.

When you sign up to follow me, you get access to this freebie.

1) Sign up on my email list.
2) Grab the printable.
3) Last, look for my emails in your inbox as a follower. Glad to have you.

100 Best and Easy Ways to Organize Homeschooled Kids

December 8, 2014 | 12 Comments
This post may contain affiliate links. For more information, please see my full disclosure policy.

I’m excited today to share 100 Ways to Organize Kids. When we share learning and living spaces, it’s difficult to say the least to keep the clutter corralled.

Too, it’s easier to train our kids from the time they can toddle to learn to put away their things than it is to wait until they are teens to develop the love of organizing.

Also, we need to provide kids a place to put away all their things.

The dreaded words of go clean your room do not have to be followed by moans and sighs because we have taken time to teach them where all their things do belong.

So, I have divided this page out by the troubled areas in organizing kids’ spaces so that you can grab a few tips that will make our organization efforts count!

100 Best and Easy Ways to Organize Homeschooled Kids

General Tips for Organizing Kids

Frugal Tips for Organizing Kids Room
Organizing the Unorganized Learner
Organizing tips from homeschool Moms
50 Clever DIY Storage Ideas To Organize Kids’ Room
Helping Disorganized Kids Become Organized
5 Ways to Develop Your Child’s Organizational Skills

6 Simple Successful Strategies for Homeschool
49 Clever Storage Solutions For Living With Kids
10 Must Do Ways to Organize Kids Things

Chore Charts

Dry Erase Chore Charts
Task Cards.
Free Printable Chore Charts for Kids
Free Printable Chore Charts
Free printable kid’s morning routine chart

Kid’s Routine Chart and Printables
KIDS’ ROUTINE CHECKLISTS
Free Homeschool Time Management Printables for Kids
FREE PRINTABLE CHORE CHART

Look at these other tips you’ll love:

Hugs and love ya,

This blog hop is organized by iHomeschool Network, a collaboration of outstanding homeschool bloggers who connect with each other and with family-friendly companies in mutual beneficial projects.

5 days of Homeschooling Mid-Year and Thriving. Day 3 Forward Looking–Planning!

November 22, 2014 | 3 Comments
This post may contain affiliate links. For more information, please see my full disclosure policy.

Planning is nothing more than forward-looking and then penning those thoughts to paper. Planning can be painless and pleasant. It can also become painful or a burden when we don’t know the basics or lose the simplicity of how to do it.

In our determination to be conscientious homeschoolers, we may clutter up our day with multiple subjects. Stress sets in because we may feel all subjects are equally important. Then the hours don’t equal to the number of subjects we determine that needs to be covered.

Getting started planning or taking time to review your present lesson planning method mid-year can be broken down into simple steps.

Are You Making This Mistake?

1. Know Your Subject and Subjects. It is an easy mistake to make. Take your children out of the grade they are in at public/private school and put them in the next grade up in homeschool.

Grade matters very little in homeschooling because it does not always correspond to mastery. Knowing your child or subject takes time. But because you may want to have curriculum in hand to start school, you have to take other steps.

If you live in a state or country where you are not held to burdensome laws then take your time using very basic workbook style pages to see which subjects your child is struggling in and which ones he is bored with.
Many curriculum providers provide free on line testing and this will help you to make a better fit grade wise regardless of your child’s age.

Take time to know your subject or child before you spend dollars on curriculum for a whole year.

Another mistake made by many homeschoolers is to pile subject on top of subject to our children’s day. If one is good, then surely ten subjects would be enrichment or so we may think.

How do you determine what the essentials are so that your subject load stays streamlined? You may not be a seasoned educator but you know more than you realize.

Take a lesson from the past. One room schoolhouses focused on the 3 R’s. That is the secret. It is not very glamorous sounding but reading, writing and arithmetic are the solid mainstays of a well educated child.

If you are struggling with when and how long these subjects are to be covered, I get more specific in a 3 part series I covered named: What Subjects to Teach and When to Teach Them.

What Subjects to Teach and When to Teach Them.

What subjects to teach and when to teach them? Part 1 of 3

What subjects to teach and when to teach them? Part 2 of 3

What subjects to teach and when to teach them? Part 3 of 3

The other subjects are enrichment and make learning a delight. However, if a child is struggling with any of the 3 R’s, then all of the subjects can become contemptible to say the least.

For example, your child may love to learn about the animals of the rainforest. However, when it’s time to write a few sentences about them, he shrieks in terror and almost passes out at the thought of it. Tears normally follow because children don’t know how to articulate that something is not right.

Maybe he is struggling with fine motor skills and your expectations are too high. You may want to work on composition but he may not have the basics of penmanship down yet.

If you are a creative writer and your child is not, does he live with the fear of disappointing you? Children can have black and white standards. They are either all on board or not at all when it comes to homeschooling.

If they are not on board, then all subjects can be considered wearisome, boring and mundane.

2. Determine an approach. There are 5 basic approaches to homeschooling. Traditional, Charlotte Mason, Classical, Unit Studies and Relaxed or Unschoolers.

Avoid painful planning by sticking to the approach that works best for your family at the moment. It doesn’t mean you don’t investigate the others as you have time. It does mean that you focus on learning all you can about the approach that works best for your family.
I hear all the time that some homeschoolers are so overwhelmed by curriculum choices. But if you will remember to categorize them by these approaches, and investigate only the curriculum that works fits the approach you are using now, you only have 1/5 of the curriculum to review.
Why try to educate yourself on what is working for everybody’s children? You will be a much better teacher if you just focus on the 3,4,5, or 6 children you have.

3. Assign a time. Pen it. Now that you are more acquainted with your subject or your children and the subjects to consider in school, you have to “assign it all a place”.

By penning the subjects, which children you will be working with and how long you will be doing this, it becomes realistic. We avoid having more subjects in our day than we have hours to school. Pretty looking subject lists with no time slots in our day are stress inducers and turn ugly looking quickly.

Whether you use a phone, iPad, computer or printed curriculum planner to organize your lesson plans, you need to assign it all a place.

I have always said that lesson planning for me is better done the old fashion way with paper and pen.

Taking time to pen and assign hours in my day to the subjects helps it to stick in my mind.

It also creates balance in my day because one subject is not covered more than another or completely overlooked. If the schedule is not working, it allows me to go back and see where I need to adjust time slots.

Over-planning and no planning both bring pain. I provide free forms to help you keep it real and get it all done.

Click here to go to STEP 5b. Form 13 named Class Schedule/Teacher Schedule to create your class schedule. It’s EDITABLE.

These three basic steps have to be reviewed each year, whether you are a new or seasoned educator.

Planning can be rewarding because it rejuvenates our love for learning and creates homeschool harmony and balance.

Hugs and love ya,

Did you miss the first two days in 5 days of Homeschooling Mid-Year and Thriving?

5 days of Homeschooling Mid-Year and Thriving. Day 1 Mind-set Matters

5 days of Homeschooling Mid-Year and Thriving. Day 2 Mission Accomplished

Grab some other tips here for planning!

Divide And Conquer The Ever Growing List of Homeschool Subjects

Homeschool High School The Must Cover Subjects Part 1

Homeschool High School The Must Cover Subjects Part 2

Gauging Homeschool Progress – Masters of their Material?

Lesson Plan or Lesson Journal?

Homeschool Lesson Planning Backwards Part 2 of 2.

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