Once again we are trying something new.

A new curriculum, a new technique, new game plan, new planning style…. It will probably change again before Christmas.

Life changes and homeschooling gives us an amazing opportunity to change with it; to make adjustments that keep us working effectively no matter what the circumstances.

I knew having a new baby in the house would mean a few more ‘frazzled’ days then usual. Planning would be hard. Being the ‘fun’ mom would be hard (as I would be tired). I also knew planning our school work would be overwhelming. I felt that feeling coming on long before the baby arrived last June.

So instead of giving up, I changed the game.

I broke the year down into tiny pieces that were more manageable. (Funny, I broke it down into the same bites as the public schools 🙂 )

I’m planning in SIX 6-week sections. I have a composition notebook for each six weeks. This way if I don’t like my method I only have to put up with it for a bit, then I can change my mind.

See my little tabbies?  They are mailing labels, folded in half over the edge of a page.  I skipped 6 pages (one for each week for notes and such), tabbed our first subject, and left 6 pages in between each tab.  Each page lists the objectives, work, ideas, etc. for that subject for that week. 

Some of them specify a day to do the work.  Some of them are blank waiting to be filled with the title of the book they read, or the recipe they learned.

Last week, I sent it to my mom’s house with the kids and their binders (I’ll show them in another post).  She LOVED it!  She knew exactly what the goal was, and had a place to write notes to me about how they did, or what she had to change. 

We’re on week 4 this week.  At the moment, I think I’m going to keep it this way for another six week period.

How do you like to plan your lessons?