Can you believe it’s here already? Whether you’ve been homeschooling all year or won’t be getting back to it until next month, this week is as good as any to do some back-to-school organization.
#1 Create a school schedule
I wrote about scheduling your homeschool several years ago, but thought I would share what my current schedule looks like.
6:00 Devotions, time with my husband, breakfast, workouts on certain days, shower
7:45 Kids up, dress, breakfast (my time for morning must-do’s or time with kids)
8:15 Chores and organizing
8:45 Chore checking and tweaking
9:00 Bible time
9:30 Classical Conversations & other memory work
10:00 Piano
10:30 Tutoring individuals
11:00 Language arts
11:30 History, Science
12:00 Lunch
1:00 Literature
1:30 Individual work (my to-do’s)
2:30 Workout
3:00 Snack
3:15 Weekly chores
3:30 Individual work (my project time)
4:00 Outside play / free time (my project time)
5:00 Dinner & tomorrow’s breakfast prep
6:30 Evening chores
6:45 Family / Activity Time
9:00 Ready for bed & reading (my writing time)
A lot of this schedule is very close to what we actually do. The problem we have is with going to bed and getting up at the same times. We’ll be getting better at this soon! We have activities that necessitate a completely different schedule on one to two days a week, but this is our at-home schedule.
Real Life at Home’s Ultimate Guide to Homeschool Scheduling can help you create a schedule that works for you. Just remember that it’s ALWAYS a work in progress. As a result of heatmapping, I discovered that I was doing subjects that took the most energy at the times I had the least energy. Take your energy levels (and your kids”) into account when you schedule.
#2 Plan activities to make the first day special
I used to surprise the kids with new school supplies when they were younger, but I think I own enough school stuff to supply a small country. Last year I surprised them with a trip out for ice cream.
Remember what I wrote about having gobs of school supplies? That’s because I’ve skipped this step too often. To prepare for back-to-school, make sure you go through your stash. First, use a school supply list appropriate to your children’s’ ages. This is an example. Cross off items you have or don’t need and then see how many of the items you already own. The rest will be your shopping list.
Now that you know what you actually need, you can shop. Don’t forget office supply stores which often give homeschoolers a teacher discount and are much less crowded this time of year.
I needed notebooks and glue sticks. What do you need to buy to get ready for school?
While a traditional list can remind you of what to do, daily reflection can help you determine if you’re doing the right things. At the end of the day, you may have everything crossed off your list, but you are left with this nagging feeling that you let someone down. Maybe that someone was you.
Or regardless of how much you accomplished, you’re worried about tomorrow. A traditional to-do list can’t help you there.
I don’t want to go mindlessly through my days, checking off tasks. I want to stop and think about what I’m doing and why. I’ve found both a digital and an analog tool for reflection that I recommend.
Note: If you are a follower of this blog and wonder where I’ve been, read to the end for an update.
Prayer Journal
I was given this little prayer journal as a speaker thank-you gift. You can imagine I have a lot of these kinds of things hanging around. But I was blown away by the power of this simple journal.
I use mine at night and answer the following questions:
How did I experience God today?
What worries do I need to turn over to God?
Thank you God for…
There is a space for a written prayer to God and then a later reflection on that prayer. There are also Scriptures for reflection.
Why I’m Crazy About It
Every day I’m directed to think about how God spoke to me. As a Christian, that is how I determine if I am doing the right things. I’m surprised every time that I haven’t thought about it, until reflecting on the question.
Turning over my worries to God each evening preserves my sleep and saves me time I can devote to doing the right things.
It trains me to pray about everything.
The 5 Minute Journal
I needed another journaling app like I needed another hobby, but I read about it in a Chandler Bolt email and he was really enthusiastic. I had to see what he was so excited about. The iOS app reminded me to journal without me having to set up reminders. Like the Prayer Journal, 5 Minute Journal asks what you’re grateful for, but is proactive in the morning, asking what would make today great. I’m also asked for a daily affirmation (a little positive labeling is good to counteract all the negative).
In the evening, I’m asked for 3 amazing things that happened today and how I could have made today better. It has the capability of adding a photo, but since I already use Project Life to document my year, I don’t use that aspect of the app.
Why I’m Crazy About It
I love being reminded to reflect by my phone. When I get the reminder, I’m excited to answer the questions.
The questions put me in a good mood. All of them have a positive focus.
I like to see if I end up doing what I thought would make today great. You aren’t looking at what you wrote when you answer the question. You will eventually see some patterns.
Don’t have an iOS device? The 5 Minute Journal has been published in book form, too.
What tools do you use for daily reflection?
Update
A productivity pal recently asked me, “What happened to you?” Fair question! It’s been six months since I’ve blogged regularly about productivity. I’ll give you the answer in bullet form (you know, to save time).
I’ve been spending most of my writing time creating elementary curriculum. Productivity posts have taken a back seat.
I didn’t feel I had the right to blog about productivity until my A Year of Living Productively ebook was done. I’ve since determined that this makes no sense.
I got stuck writing the ebook because I thought I had to say something new. Since there is nothing new under the sun, I had a dilemma. My current plan for the book is to organize my blog posts for easy readability with an update on how the various productivity hacks are working for me now. The goal is to have the book ready on Amazon by the end of the year. It will be free!
Whether this will be your first year of homeschooling or you’ve been at this a while, you won’t want to miss this incredible resource.
So many homeschooling books are the advice of one homeschool mom, who writes in detail about one approach. But what if that homeschooling mother is nothing like you?
The Big Book of Homeschooling IdeasClick here to view more details is like getting advice from more than 50 homeschooling mothers on topics ranging from preschool to high school. This book will grow with you as your homeschooling needs change and there are bound to be authors who seem to be writing just for you. I would have loved to have had this resource at my fingertips when I started homeschooling!
The chapter I contributed
I did the next best thing and authored a chapter on a topic near and dear to my heart: starting a homeschool co-op. Few aspects of my homeschooling have had as dramatic an impact as co-ops. I would love for you to consider my experience and the step-by-step instructions I share for how to start a co-op that will be a blessing for you and your children.
Why you’ll want to add this book to your homeschooling library
Even if you have no need to start a co-op, I know you will find something of value in this book that is over 500 pages long! You can check out the table of contents before you buy. And because it’s digital, it won’t take up four inches of precious bookshelf space!
As an author, I’m an affiliate for The Big Book of Homeschool Ideas, but I would recommend it anyway. $10.99 for over 500 pages of homeschooling ideas? Yes, please!
Which chapters are you most looking forward to reading?
Last week we got our core, or primary curriculum, organized for the upcoming year. This week we will take on our elective studies. This could be subjects like art, home ec, or music.
#1 Set up system of organization
You may have organized your materials during the planning challenge. If not, you will take the time to complete any preparation required to teach these subjects. For example, I have to print the Hoffman Piano lesson materials and add them to my children’s binders. These binders have my children’s names on them and are added to their individual crates on our bookcase.
#2 Research
This is the day to do research for ideas or materials you need to make your elective subjects excellent. For example, if you are using a home ec curriculum, you may be able to find an appropriate video teaching kids how to bake bread on YouTube. Be sure to keep your research organized. I recommend Pinterest and Evernote if you prefer digital or a binder/file system if you don’t.
#3 Plan
Create a simple plan for each subject, unless your curriculum has done the planning for you. In this case, you may wish to delete any activities you don’t like and add activities to replace them you discovered during your research. Remember, this is one of the blessings of homeschooling. You decide what to teach!
#4 Shop / List Materials
Purchase any needed equipment or supplies needed to teach elective subjects or add them to your list. Be sure to read the Special Study Prep challenge for more on this. You may wish to delay purchasing basic school supplies until they are on sale or have no sales tax (if your area has this weekend).
As we get ready for a new school year, the Build Your Own Bundle sale is a great opportunity to pick up a wide range of digital books, curriculum, and homeschooling helps at an amazing price. There is something here for everyone! I love the option of choosing what you need so much that I signed up as an affiliate for this sale. Some of the options that stand out to me are:
Math Mammoth materials (we’ve used them and loved them)
Homeschool scheduling forms
Writing Through the Bible (a great idea)
Christian Keyboarding (I need to make sure my kids aren’t hunting and pecking like their dad!) 🙂
Notebooking resources (there are so many topics to choose from)
We Choose Virtues materials (a great way of helping kids understand and implement character traits).
For one week only (July 21-28) save up to 92% on bestselling homeschooling products, including MANY on Cathy Duffy’s Top 100 list!
The bundles are AMAZING, including products such as Learning Language Arts Through Literature, A Child’s Geography, Character Concepts, Picture Smart Bible, Math Mammoth, and more! There are SO many incredible products to choose from, all bundled up in grades/themes OR you can “Build Your Own!”
Our “Build Your Own” bundles offer you the opportunity to select a certain number of products with a retail price of $19.99 or less for up to 80% off! We have MANY items to choose from, including Cathy Duffy Top 100 Picks! When you purchase a combination of any 2 “Build Your Own” bundles, you will get the 3rd one at 50% off!
Buy more & save more! Purchase 2 “build your own” bundles and get the 3rd one 50% off! See site for details.
You will also find the following pre-assembled bundles with saving up to 92% off retail: Tot/Pre-K Bundle, K-3 Bundle, 4-6 Elementary Bundle, Middle School Bundle, High School Bundle, Charlotte Mason Bundle, & the Homeschooling/Homemaking Mom Bundle!
He gave me a completely different vision of what it means to discover and then develop my children’s talent.
Honestly, I’ve been looking for skills that will make the judges of America’s Got Talent cry, and when I haven’t found them, I’ve felt exempt from talent education. Jonathan helped me see that this view of talent training doesn’t honor God and shortchanges my children’s future.
I worked through the How to Discover and Develop Your Child’s First 100 Hours ebook with a focus on my 14-year-old and have been really happy with the results. My son has a “talent” for tennis and drum, but I was surprised to discover that these interests and abilities are more likely hobbies that will continue to enjoy in the future. Drum may be a way for him to serve in a church, but his interests in money and rules, together with having an uncle in personal finance, has convinced me that business coursework is something he should explore in his first year of high school.
I liked this course so much that I wanted to promote it as an affiliate. You can check out Jonathan’s talent education course and his How to Showcase Your Talent on a Blog course at this link.
I love the idea of having kids write a blog as a means of developing their talent. As a passionate blogger and a homeschooler who is crazy about language arts, I think the idea allows students to learn many things at once. Jonathan’s course could be part of your language arts studies or another high school course. My kids don’t know it yet, but they’re going to be blogging! I’ll post the links to their blogs here when they’re up and running.
I’m a Christian psychologist turned homeschooling mother of six. My life can be a little crazy, so I look for sanity-saving ideas to use and share. I hope you’ll read my About page to learn more.
