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SeaStar
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| Posted: May 26 2010 at 11:33am | IP Logged
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I'm curious to hear what everyone will be doing differently next year... if anything.
We did a twice a week co-op this year that was a bigger time commitment than I had planned. It made me feel rushed... trying to speed through our regular school twice a week to get there on time. I didn't like that, and I think we will pass on that for next year. I feel like we homeschool just so we
*don't* have to rush around, you know?
I may have one day a week with no math or reading... just read-alouds, map work, projects, etc. I also want to plan in some more field trips in the fall when the weather is nice.
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Melinda, mom to ds ('02) and dd ('04)
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dakotamidnight
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| Posted: May 26 2010 at 11:47am | IP Logged
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It's our first year of real "school" with lesson plans and the like. We're still working on co-op activities - there are so many to choose from in town.
DD will be starting K officially - we're both very excited.
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Becky Parker
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| Posted: May 26 2010 at 12:00pm | IP Logged
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Next year will be very different for us. My problem is, I don't know exactly how different. I'm sure my last trimester will be a bit challenging and then we'll have the joy of a new little one around Christmas/New Years. So, that will all require adjustments but some of them will have to be made as we go (this is very unsettling for my type A personality!).
For sure, we will be changing the location of our school room. I also talked to a friend about co-oping some classes. She'll teach Latin if I teach Science to our girls (both in the same grade and enrolled in MODG). I think that will be a huge help without all the stress that comes from big coops.
I am also going to change the way I do my planning for the year. I've worked out a homemade planner that fits our day and I'm going to plan in 6 week increments instead of weekly so we'll see how that goes. Finally, I'm hoping to find some curriculum that I like that will allow my children to work more independently than they have been. I want to be assured that they can keep on with some of their school work if I'm down for a bit.
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Becky
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JuliaT
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| Posted: May 26 2010 at 9:59pm | IP Logged
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I am hoping that next year will be very different from this past year. Due to my cancer experience, we were ultra-relaxed when it came to schooling. Considering our situation, I am extending myself some grace and chalking it up to a great family year. But we really need to kick it up a notch for next year.
This past year, we did lit-besed unit studies that I made up myself. I think, though, that my oldest needs a bit more for next year. So I have decided to do block scheduling for the content subjects. We will do a month block of history, a 3week block of science, a month block of unit study (my kids really do enjoy these) and then cycle through the blocks again. I won't be making up our unit studies next year, either. I have bought Further Up and Further In based on the Chronicles of Narnia. We will do one Narnia book for each unit study block.
I am looking forward to next year. I am hoping that we can get a steadier rhythm up and going.
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Julia
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Tina
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| Posted: May 26 2010 at 10:35pm | IP Logged
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One major change I made was to enroll my oldest in public school. That was a hard decision to make, but from what I hear it's a pretty good high school that has a lot of activities and sports to offer, in addition to the academics.
The second change for us is that we pulled out of a co-op that we had been a part of for 5 years. Things changed within the group and my children's closest friends are not in that group, so it's not a problem for them, either. It also was taking time away from field trips, basic academics or fun things, like art, nature walks or science experiments. I'm looking forward to having most of my Fridays back. :)
I'm sure more changes will come up over the summer, but hopefully not too many. 
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~Tina
mom of 3 girls and 1 little man
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*Lindsey*
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| Posted: May 27 2010 at 8:10am | IP Logged
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I'll have two doing school, so that will be a big change. We'll also have a newborn....
It will be chaotic, like always, so that's not different. 
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Lindsey
Mama to DS (11), DD(9), twin dds(7), DD (5), DS (4), DS (3), and 5 angels in heaven.
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LeeAnn
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| Posted: May 27 2010 at 11:44am | IP Logged
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We will be going back to homeschooling full time, using the online school...Classical Liberal Arts Academy. We took a year off and had them all in public school for 2009-10, but now it's back home for all of them. 
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my four children are 17, 15, 11 & 8 - all now attend public school - we read many 4Real recommended books at home
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amyable
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| Posted: May 27 2010 at 1:31pm | IP Logged
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4 of my 5 kids will be school aged! (where is the fainting icon? )
My dream before next fall will be to move into a new house with enough room for some dedicated schooling space. Since we have been looking for.ev.er for that  I'm not putting all my eggs in THAT basket. Would be nice though!
Subjects-wise I think we are going to go back to a relaxed Sonlighty feel, doing my own modified "Cultures 'round the world" study. This year was more of a Latin centered experience. We're not *dropping* Latin but my dyslexic oldest just CAN'T seem to remember anything. I remember in grad school giving tests to dyslexic students to get them out of their foreign language requirement, so I guess it's not unusual to have trouble with it! So we are taking some focus off that and adding in the read alouds everyone misses.
We'll possibly add in some CLAA classes. I have to do a little convincing 'round here first. 
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Amy
mom of 5, ages 6-16, and happy wife of 
The Highly Sensitive Homeschooler
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lapazfarm
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| Posted: May 27 2010 at 2:11pm | IP Logged
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Well, after several years of low-tide unschoolingness, we are headed for a high-tide year. At ds's request we are returning to notebooking and CM as our main "methods" next year as he feels the need for a bit more structure and consistency. That's cool with me, because I am having a blast finally getting to do some planning for a change!LOL!
With that said, I am sure our "structure" probably looks a bit looser than what many traditional homeschoolers experience even on a relaxed day, but it will be "structury" to us!LOL!
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Theresa
us-schooling in beautiful Fairbanks, Alaska.
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Angel
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| Posted: May 27 2010 at 4:39pm | IP Logged
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Well, um...
1. Our 7th child is scheduled to make his appearance in June. 
2. We have apparently just bought a house about 1000 miles away, in northern Mississippi.
3. My oldest will turn 14.
4. My twins will turn 5. We will not consider them *technically* to be kindergarten yet, but effectively -- that's pretty much where they are.
5. I'll be able to do all my planning *my* way because MS homeschool laws are way, WAY more flexible than New York's! Excited about that!!! 
6. Since we may be paying two mortgages  , I probably won't be able to buy as many of our books as I usually do, so my approach will have to adapt to something more frugal... which probably means more planned, but...
7. When we do finally get moved, we will have access to better libraries! Whoo-hoo! 
I am excited about the move, although it's going to make life tough for a while and we're giving up some our acreage: going from 15 to 5 acres and the floor plan is going to require some creative re-allocation of space. Still, it's always exciting, making a new beginning!
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Angela
Mom to 9, 7 boys and 2 girls
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Donna Marie
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| Posted: May 27 2010 at 4:58pm | IP Logged
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Wow, Angela..you have a lot on your plate...still praying for you!!
For us,
we have a baby due in August..#9. I am going to lightly school during the summer...independent projects, skill building and math...
for the fall.. I am fostering more independence in their work, more independent reading in all subjects and making math the first thing they do everyday to break them in well..kinda like a modified Robinson approach.
I really want them reading a LOT more living books than we have been these last few months. They have been reading, but I want them to get a handle on spending a good chunk of the day focusing on these things instead of getting distracted by life or a toddler. The teens are good for finding something that really needs to be done and not finding time for school work in the way they should. So I am trying to help them find a balance.
I really want them reading more living books for science and we are going to be using MacBeth's lists quite a bit...even as a read-aloud for more conversation starters with mom and dad.
the teens are joining a friend in doing the Joy of Chemistry book at his house and twice a month they are meeting with a local historian talking further about the causes and effects of the American Revolution and beyond..this is so outside of the box and loads of fun and it counts towards history! He is a re-enacter who often dresses in costume! I plan on supplementing whatever they are doing with Catholic perspective..this guy they are meeting with respects anyone's opinions of history or their religious backgrounds..makes an interesting class, to say the least!..and the great thing is they have transportation to and from so I can nuzzle the newborn and corral the tornado...ahem..toddler (who just decided he was a tornado last week)...
I have no idea how we will handle the new things that are happening here with our library..no more inter- library loan, but we can go traveling to a few other libraries for their books...not that they usually have what I want...so I am looking into doing paperback swap. I hope it works out well for us!
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God love you!
Donna Marie from NJ
hs momma to 9dc!!
Finding Elegant Simplicity
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ALmom
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| Posted: May 27 2010 at 5:02pm | IP Logged
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Well, I'm considering MODG for my youngest two. Will keep things pretty much the same for my highschooler (though I may do some 3 fold history displays to have out for the visual anchor for all the reading). I need a simple year where the basics are sort of delightful, appropriate and not too intense - but where there is a good fall back. The end of this year has been flying from one doc to another between me, child and parents - not to say anything of the mold we are having to address. (Basically we have to replace a/c unit and ductwork. We are hoping that health improves as soon as this happens).
Undecided for my rising 8th grader. Definitely more living books, trying to entice to literature and history, may sign up for some sort of assistance with paper evaluations. This choleric/sanguine hands on learner responds well to freedom in his passion (so that won't change) and his passions are expanding, but it is only the choleric in him that seems to keep him going on those dreaded, wish I could avoid them subjects. Having to hand in papers to an outsider helped tons - but Seton wasn't exactly the right lit for him - too touchy feely, feminine and deadly dull as far as he was concerned. The book reports, he did pick good books to write on and ones I would like so that wasn't too bad, but we ended up ditching most of the other reading with Seton. I also want to do more just reading and discussing together in a ligth sort of way - like a read aloud time and cover more kinds of literature. I think I'll be back to purusing the suggested 4 real things for an 8th grade, science minded boy - but stuff that is really literature so he learns the nuances of lit. He still wants to read everything like a science text.
I plan to look at a book called Connections (supposed to be an entire book of technologies impact on history from ancients to modern). Anyone heard of it? I plan to budget mostly for really living books - and open ended science supplies. I'm looking for some really good things to strew to expand his circle to the much dreaded literature and history.
I had one graduate this year - but I'll be working with a new one so still schooling 4 officially. - from 1st - 10th. That part is sort of daunting to me. We'll also be taking a big chunk out of planning time and early school time to move oldest to graduate school and right now medical issues are taking an extreme amount of time.
We will ditch driving to co-op next year and spend more time at home - but if we are still in our house, I may try to get a teacher or two to come here and invite a family or two to join us in a mini co-op - just to give my cholerics some of that interaction/competition they seem to thrive on. Also the art teacher we loved from co-op is willing to come to our house and do a class so I'm looking into that. Oh, I am trying to downsize and get a house ready to sell - long story and like the other mom, I'm not counting on anything happening between now and next year, though it would be nice. Until life settles a bit, it is hard for us to settle on plans. Wish we could trade houses - you need bigger, I need smaller so I can actually keep it clean.
Type A me is likely to be forced to wing it more than I ever cared to - but I just cannot afford not to have some plans around so if there is a medical crisis with parents or some other such, we don't stymie and kids not have some direction. Those plans are like great roadmaps to us - we stop, detour, linger - but the plans keep our goals in mind so we don't get lost entirely or stranded with no gas left to get anywhere.
I think I'm going to do some sort of read aloud family style (I always do a night read aloud but I'm thinking more CM or MODG style just all together snuggling around the sofa at some set time each day with all or a # instead of just one at a time with the youngers. At least the 2 youngest - maybe also the 8th grader when I have books I want him to think about. Read alouds will most likely be Lit and history which is the avoidance topic for all 3 of my science fans.
I'm looking into some simple things like Explode the Code and trying to keep things very light and achievable. A few kits for history once we decide on the period.
I'm feeling a lot behind the curve - trying to wrap up the year and start planning but cannot do more than 1 thing at a time and right now I'm trying to juggle what seems like 50.
Janet
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vmalott
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| Posted: May 27 2010 at 8:54pm | IP Logged
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DS 13 will be going to school full-time next year, which is a blessing in disguise for us here. He attended part-time this year for 7th grade, and it was a good experience for him. However, it really put a crimp in our schedule and our freedom to just go and do things, since I had to be responsible for dropping him off and picking him up right in the middle of the day.
So, HOPEFULLY we'll be able to do more things outside of the home!
Also, I've come to the realization that, although I take an unschoolish approach to my little ones' education, they are lacking some basic skills. This wouldn't be a big issue except that *they* realize they are lacking some skills as well and are feeling a little "left behind" when they compare themselves to their school-going peers. That said, I'll be sure to have some workbooks on hand for math, handwriting, and basic language arts and will make a point of working with them. That will hopefully be a little easier as well since I will no longer have to run out at a certain time of the day for school drop-off/pick-up.
So, those are the two biggest changes for next year!
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Valerie
Mom to Julia ('94), John ('96), Lizzy ('98), Connor ('01), Drew ('02), Cate ('04), Aidan ('08) and three saints in heaven
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guitarnan
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| Posted: May 27 2010 at 9:23pm | IP Logged
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Our biggest change is that our older child will be starting college, leaving me at home with just one learner.
We will be doing lots and lots and lots of zoology at her request.
We will have to change some things in the Language Arts area - she finished her Wordly Wise book but disliked it intensely. I have to find a way to get her to write more and more often, too.
We are considering a change in umbrella schools. I am praying hard about this...
The biggest necessary change needs to be mine...I have to keep better records next year than I did this year. (Of course, I won't have H1N1 flu, Eagle projects, bronchitis, etc. - and hopefully no blizzards - I hope!)
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Nancy in MD. Mom of ds (24) & dd (18); 31-year Navy wife, move coordinator and keeper of home fires. Writer and dance mom.
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Lori
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| Posted: June 01 2010 at 7:31am | IP Logged
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We will have one leaving for the Marine Corps bootcamp in the fall, and one in middle school (7th grade) at our local public school...2 at home (2nd and 3rd grade) with some recently identified dyslexia issues...and one in the public school for first grade (with a teacher I LOVE--so thankful!).
So, some adjustments/transitions/issues, but all in all I foresee an easier year.
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mom3aut1not
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| Posted: June 01 2010 at 9:19am | IP Logged
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I have only small changes in curriculum, but the big change will be in my way of thinking. I have realized recently that I have to give up all ideas of grade level -- not just now, but for the foreseeable future.
Let me explain. I have three ASD kids. The two older ones had significant delays in language skills, but after a few years I could do a lot of grade level material with them if I just chose the right things and did a lot of reading aloud. Eventually, they were on grade level and later managed to graduate from high school. (One of them is about to graduate from college!) I had hoped to repeat this with my little guy, but I have come to realize that I can't. I am not sure why it suddenly struck me so, but perhaps it's because he is about to enter "5th grade"? It may sound funny, but it just really hit me that I cannot do approach his education in any "upper elementary" way at all.
Also, he is not just progressing through standard levels albeit more slowly -- his path veers off in a different direction. The entire approach, not just some of it, has to be different. So, I am planning to sell Living My Religion and other materials that I love but that he can't learn from. I am gong to use notebooking in religion (and other areas) because I can't see using a typical approach in the next few years at least.
I cannot express fully what I am trying to say, but I guess it is that with my older ASD students, I was able to stay on a parallel path with them, and that path eventually joined the main one for the most part. With my little one, the path is not parallel; I am traversing new terrain, and it's rougher, and I don't know when, if ever, we will join the main trail.
That's my big change. I guess it's in me rather than in our choice of curriculum....
In Christ,
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Deborah
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Amazing_Grace
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| Posted: June 01 2010 at 10:36am | IP Logged
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I plan on doing a classroom newsletter each month. In it I will post what we have covered in class during the previous few weeks, student’s birthdays, important reminders, perfect attendance, homework assignments, samples of student's work, classroom pictures, upcoming events, etc., whatever else I feel needs to be in the newsletter. I will also try to get the students involved in making the newsletter by having them write articles, draw pictures, etc. and/or be a reporter for the classroom. I will also ask the students to tell me their favorite activity for the month.
Amazing Grace
The Catholic Toolbox
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Tina P.
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| Posted: June 02 2010 at 8:09am | IP Logged
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Let's see. Two of our children will be headed off to high school. We'll have a new little one (in FIVE weeks!). So that leaves me with five to homeschool, a toddler, and a tiny baby.
I'm throwing some things out the window for #3 who will be in 8th grade, and restructuring his school. Thus, I'm adding new items. I'm keeping better tabs on his grades than I did the older two as well so that, should he decide to go to high school, I'll be more prepared when the time comes to present transcripts.
Some things we'll continue with are our schedule: mid August to December with a month's break for the Advent/Christmas season. Then January 7th 'til just prior to Holy Week. Then after Easter week until we finish each subject. Kids here are reading history and learning about botany all summer. We love our science texts, so this will be a snap. I just have to keep on top of narrations for history.
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Tina, wife to one and mom to 9 + 3 in heaven
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hylabrook1
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| Posted: June 02 2010 at 8:33am | IP Logged
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Only ONE! official home-schooler, child #6, and high school for her, to boot! Also, we're looking for about 2/3 of her courses to be outside the home. Fortunately we live in an area with some pretty amazing options on that score. With the courses we're planning for home, the *bar is being raised*! This child has been pretty bored the last 2 years, but was pretty much stuck with where she was because she needed to complete that work in order to be ready for the high school classes. I am truly hopeful that these changes will result in a child who is more engaged and less grumpy. Not to say that's all she has been , but she has done her fair share of grumping, usually about school work.
My high school senior will move on to full time at the community college. This does not get me completely off the hook, as I will be placed as her *study buddy*. She did this part-time this year, and she is gaining more confidence. Still, there are those "please read this paper and tell me whether it makes sense", and urgent pleas, "You work this math problem and see how the answer key came up with what it did." I'm sure she will rapidly become more independent, but I am not yet entirely out of a teaching job with her.
So, things are moving along, and I'm excited to see just where they go!
Peace,
Nancy
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Ouiz
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| Posted: June 03 2010 at 1:29am | IP Logged
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ooooh.
I'll be officially teaching six of my children this time around (from K to 7th grade), and expecting the arrival of baby #8 four weeks after we start up again.
After many "How do You expect me to do this, Lord?" type prayers, I *THINK* I'm being led to follow the MODG syllabus as is for each kid this year. In years past I've always used the "pick and choose" method, and tried to mesh everyone's lessons together so I didn't have so many separate lessons to teach. In theory, that should have worked, but the planning involved was way too intense for me, and I just can't do it this year.
Part of the secret of being a mom of many is that you reach a point where you realize you CANNOT be all things to all children at the same time, and as a result the kids learn to help each other out, share, and work independently. What I think I was doing in homeschooling was trying to be the all-knowing HS mommy to all at the same time, and I was burning out fast.
So for my older kids (5th, 6th, and 7th), it's going to be a sink or swim year. They will have to work more independently this time around. So far, they are all excited about the prospect. I'll still be incredibly busy with a newborn and teaching K, 2nd, and 3rd grade, but HOPEFULLY it won't be MORE busy than in years past.
Of course, I oould be fooling myself completely and setting myself up for an epic fail... we'll just have to see....
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Ouiz
Blessed to be married to the man of my dreams and mom to 8 wonderful children here on earth
B-17, G-16, G-14, B-13, B-11, G-9, G-7, B-4
Chez Ouiz
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4Real Forums : Living Learning
Topic: What will be different next year?
