scheduling

One school year is winding down…and it’s just about time to start thinking about the next one! In Episode 5, Gina and Christyn help you think about ways to plan your school year. From Big Picture planning to the focus on details to fun tools and supplies, take a listen to see how you, too, can ”love it when a plan comes together.”

1:30 — Homeschool planning like The A-Team: “I love it when a plan comes together.”

2:50 — Three easy steps: Big Picture Planning, Nuts-and-Bolts focused planning, fun tools and supplies

3:02 — Christyn talks about using the “What’s next?” method of Big Picture Planning in elementary and junior high; high school is “What’s next?” times four!

4:21 — Gina’s planning technique is an organic process

6:41 — Two types of planning: 1) Big Picture Planning and 2) Focused Plans

9:00 — Plan high school accordingly. There are different needs for college-bound, trade school, or job-hunting

10:45 — Reconciling unschooling with structured planning

12:00 — When a plan goes differently, but ends up being better than you could have imagined

14:10 — When the nuts and bolts come together Christyn’s spiral notebook brain dump gets translated to a weekly planner Gina starts with calendar page print-offs, known dates, and scheduled events

18:00 — Plan for the integral parts of what your kid does (ice skating, choir, etc.)

18:30 — Planning for breaks gives you something to look forward to

21:35 — Tools of the trade: the fun stuff! Christyn: spiral notebook, PDF paper planner, PaperMate click-y pen, Bic Wite-Out Easy Correct tape

Gina: calendars, Me & My Big Ideas calendar planner and sticker, ultra-fine mechanical pencils

Don’t forget the black Ticonderoga pencils!

28:33 — Planning the Big Picture is good, but only schedule the details for one to two weeks at a time so there’s room for modification and flexibility

30:55 — Like all things homeschool, planning is personal and individual

31:31 — Planning a year of educating your child can feel incredibly overwhelming. Just take some easy steps to ensure you love the plan that comes together

31:44 — Our best advice:
1) Start with the Big Picture Planning
2) Move to smaller, focused bits – fill in the details as you go
3) Find fun tools you’ll actually use – it makes a difference!

32:38 — The plan you start with might not be the plan you finish with…but you can love it, anyway

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In Episode 4, Gina and Christyn discuss the idea of homeschooling year-round…or not…or creating a hybrid calendar that suits your family and lifestyle. So many options!

What are the advantages and concerns of year-round homeschooling? Listen in as Gina and Christyn talk about the lifestyle of learning and the delight in taking a refreshing “iced tea break” in your homeschool year.

1:38 — We enjoy rich conversations at the rink…until the kids come off the ice for a break

2:12 — The idea of homeschooling year-round or finding a spot to take our own refreshment break

3:03 — Homeschools are not tied to the traditional public school calendar, so there’s more flexibility in deciding when the homeschool year starts and stops

3:16 — “Kinda-sorta” – Gina’s take on year-round homeschooling

4:45 — Christyn’s considered it, but ends up doing her own thing instead

5:02 — “Is skating season over?” Never – and that’s the same with learning

5:57 — There is no end to learning opportunities in life, and that idea is reinforced by year-round homeschooling

6:32 — But sometimes you might need an “iced tea” break; find a natural spot to stop for a bit

7:25 — Advantages of year-round homeschooling: consistency/routine; flexibility; avoiding “summer slide”

7:45 — Consistency and routine: Gina and Christyn talk about how that works in their homeschools

9:48 — Discuss the Brave Writer idea that we’re all Classical Homeschoolers in the fall, Charlotte Mason followers in the winter, and Unschoolers in the spring

12:10 — Flexibility

12:55 — Gina discusses “emergency flexibility” – when something comes up and plans suddenly change

13:44 — That’s different from “planned flexibility” – when you factor outside commitments into your school year

14:40 — Christyn reflects on taking planned breaks that are convenient and being able to use the whole calendar year – all twelve months – when planning a school year

17:26 — Avoid “summer slide.” How does that concept look in a homeschool situation?

20:23 — Drawbacks of year-round homeschooling; burnout for students AND parents is the biggest concern

21:30 — Mrs. Frankweiler suggests that while learning something every day is good, we should also have days where we allow what we learn to swell up and touch everything inside us (From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler)

23:40 — William Wordsworth felt that there should be a time of introspection before writing poetry. Check out his “I Wandered Lonely as a Cloud”

25:13 — In the end, weigh the advantages and concerns and do what makes sense for your family

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I Love It When a Plan Comes Together: Putting the Final Touches on a New School Year

Time to Stop? …Maybe Not…: Different Approaches to the Homeschool Year