planning: 2018-2019

I find myself somewhere I have never been before. Okay, I realize that is a ridiculous statement, given that each moment we live, we are living freshly, never having lived it before, but as I sit down to write about my planning this year, it looks and feels different for one very distinct reason.

We don't currently know if we will be homeschooling next year (see this post), and if we are, whether it will be one or both kids. So, as I enter this year, I feel different; uncertain, anxious to catch up, sentimental about the past, and (in an attempt to focus on something slightly more positive) determined to not get lost in the details this year, but instead focus in a playful way on the skills I think are essential and on exploring and taking advantage of the freedom of schedule that we have as home learners.

(I wrote about the path ahead back in January. Six months later, I have more information, but the only way in which I feel we are closer to a decision is to accept that we may not know which path until next year, when we take the first step. This post isn't about that. Does anyone want me to write more about that?)

I have spent some time the last few weeks thinking about the year ahead. For portability and ease of editing, I used Evernote for my planning. I can customize it to suit me and this year and I inserted a photo of my kiddos right at the top of my planning page, to keep them at the forefront.

As I thought about the year, I wrote a list of questions to consider as I think about my days with these two amazing, growing people.

How do I want our days to feel? (See the list below, explained in this linked post.)
What have we been doing well?
What can I remove?
What do I want to add?
Where are we struggling? What's hard?
What do we love?
What do we value? (I want to prioritize this!)
What are the strengths and weaknesses? How can I teach to strengths while addressing weaknesses?

I now have a loose plan in place, a good list of resources I can reach for, and an idea of the things I would most like to focus on. I will talk to the kids about my thoughts, but I need a framework for myself, and the truth is, my kids never have too much to say about what they are eager to learn. When we touch on something that sparks enthusiasm for them, it is clear. I want time in my plan to be able to pause and explore those interests. Our roots are still Waldorf-ish, but we have woven it into our own tapestry; our Us-school.

This year, we will still be part of our homeschool charter. My kiddos will do the weekly classes and activities, but due to a resource center move, I don't know if there will be additional classes they can participate in. (Lala Bug did math the last year or two.) Our family will continue to participate in 4-H, with Lala Bug co-leading a project. We will continue in our American Girl club (picking back up with the Civil War era) and to start the year, both kids will be in soccer.

As always, read aloud, games, the library, crafting and building, and nature study are also a key part of our homeschool. In addition, I want to pick back up on our Waldorfish Weekly Art class.

Because we school through a charter, we have to turn in monthly work samples for each child in 5 core subjects. At home, we can do these in any way, using any philosophy that suits us.

Math: I have used Making Math Meaningful teacher guides (for grades 1-5 and for middle school) to help me decide what to cover as I set up a Khan Academy classroom for each of my kiddos. We will be doing geometry through art this year and I am starting the year off with a block on chocolate, which is designed as a math block, although we will dip into geography and cultures as well.

Science: We will be having a weekly nature day again this year, using Exploring Nature with Children as a guide. We will also do some home experiments, journaling, and use Mystery Science again. I would like to focus on health/anatomy/physiology, botany, and some physics this year. A recent post from Carrie of The Parenting Passageway has me thinking how to explore oceanography, as well.

Social Studies: We will be using the library a lot for this subject. We will cover some ancient myths for Brown Mouse and American history (south and north) for both kids. (Primarily Lala Bug, but our American Girl kid club covers quite a lot of U.S. history, too, for both kids.)

Writing and Language Arts: I am putting these two together, because I am choosing some Brave Writer Arrow guides and writing projects this year. Because we have some dyslexic-like challenges, I am considering using a phonics and spelling support, as well, but I have yet to decide how I am going to blend this all together. Writing will allow the kids to practice print, cursive, and typing this year.

I have been grateful again this year for the Plan it Out course and community from Waldorf-Inspired Learning. (I joined as the first group over a year ago and her planning style suits me very well.) I also continue to dip in and out of Waldorf Essentials TFW. (I have been a lifetime member for 6 years.)

Perhaps this sounds like a lot to you. Perhaps it sounds like we have gaps. We ebb and flow (we don't do everything all the time) and as unexpected opportunities arise, we like to add in.

Are you a homeschooler who is planning? What is that looking like for you?