Preparing for the Upcoming School Year: Are You a Mary or a Martha?....

Luke 10:38-42 King James Version (KJV)

38 Now it came to pass, as they went, that he entered into a certain village: and a certain woman named Martha received him into her house.
39 And she had a sister called Mary, which also sat at Jesus' feet, and heard his word.
40 But Martha was cumbered about much serving, and came to him, and said, Lord, dost thou not care that my sister hath left me to serve alone? bid her therefore that she help me.
41 And Jesus answered and said unto her, Martha, Martha, thou art careful and troubled about many things:
42 But one thing is needful: and Mary hath chosen that good part, which shall not be taken away from her.

Many of us are familiar with the story of Mary and Martha found in the Book of Luke. I believe it's a great story to bear in mind as we prepare for back to school. Are you a Mary or a Martha in your preparations? Are you feeling anxious about the upcoming year? Maybe you are new to home education or you have a first time high school student. Are you feeling pressured about choosing the perfect curricula or creating just the right plan? Maybe you have frightful thoughts of ruining your child. Or, you have family members and friends doubting your methods. Are you comparing to other home educators either locally or online and feeling like you're not measuring up? Any one of these can cause stress, but fortunately, God calls us for something more.

Philippians 4:6-7 King James Version (KJV)

6 Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God.
7 And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.

He calls us to Him when we are anxious, fretting, jealous, competitive, discouraged, and unworthy. He is there in our darkest hour. He calls us to repent and rest in Him.

Matthew 11:28-30 King James Version (KJV)

28 Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.
29 Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls.
30 For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.

If you are feeling more like Martha these days, it's time to Repent, Recommit, and Restart.

Repent

Andrew Kern from the CiRCE Institute speaks often about repentance. He says in doing so, you will come to understand what it means to be a free person. If we make an idol of books, curricula, lesson plans, and what our neighbor is doing, we will be a slave to those things and thoughts. When we repent, we cast off those idols, which opens our hearts and minds to the grace of our Lord. When you make yourself a living sacrifice to Jesus Christ, you become free. That inner discourse becomes peace.

There is no such thing as a perfect homeschool. Repent of perfection, which often stems from comparison. God's final commandment says,

17 Thou shalt not covet thy neighbour's house, thou shalt not covet thy neighbour's wife, nor his manservant, nor his maidservant, nor his ox, nor his ass, nor any thing that is thy neighbour's. (KJV)

This applies to your homeschool. Do not compare and desire what your neighbor appears to have, whether that be locally or online. It is sinful. Notice I said what your neighbor appears to have. Comparing my outside (online images) to your inside (reality) is comparing apples to oranges. What appears outside is often not reality. It is my experience that we are really not that different on the inside. Learn to be content with what you have. After all, it can always be worse.

Your identity should not be wrapped up in your homeschool. Therefore, you do not need to justify it. Genesis 1:26-27 tells us we were made in the image of Christ. Psalm 139:13-16 tells us we were knit together...fearfully and wonderfully made. Our self worth is often based on what others tell us about ourselves. However, the one, true authority on our self-worth is Jesus Christ. Having gave His own life for us by dying on a cross, shows how valuable we really are.You are enough in Christ, exactly what you need to be with or without your homeschool. Don't let your homeschool define you. If you do, when your kids are grown and gone, you will be left with nothing.

Recommit

Once you have repented, it's time to recommit. This is where you go back to your original intentions and goals to figure out why you homeschool in the first place and what is it you're trying to achieve. If you haven't created a vision statement for your homeschool, now is the time. A vision statement is your road map, showing what you want to become. It communicates your values and purpose, allowing you to focus on future plans.

Slow down! Often times overwhelm comes from busyness. Take time to contemplate your family's social commitments. Look at how many days a week you are away from home vs. at home. Social outings can be a source of refreshment. However, too many can leave you feeling overwhelmed and exhausted. It's OK to say no. Stay home. Recommit, reconnect and recharge with your kiddos in the solitude of your home.

Look at each subject you are teaching and determine what you can cut. It is not possible to cover everything. Your child will have gaps. Every student does regardless of their schooling. Choose to keep only that which is best. If your goal is a love of learning, your children will desire to continue to learn throughout life. Any books unfinished or not able to fit the schedule now, may result in future endeavors as an adult. Learning is not fixed. It should be constant and continual.

Reassess the nature of yourself. Be sure you're getting enough rest and proper nourishment. Not only in the physical form of food, but pabulum for your mind. Take time to fill your cup with things that encourage and allow you to grow both spiritually and mentally, as well as physically. Recommit to yourself so that you are better able to give freely to your children with a servant's heart.

Restart

After repenting and recommitting, it's time be begin anew. Kick off the year with a fresh attitude and a heart of service. Enjoy your children and this limited time with them. Flea from worry and anxiety, which are sinful. Instead, trust God and teach restfully. Sit at His feet and hear His word like Mary, rather than being cumbered by serving like Martha. Find gratitude and give thanks. In turn, you will find peace and joy.

High School Science Planning....

Once again, I'm back studying high school science...or maybe I should say still studying, since I never really stopped. Last summer I wrote a post on Rethinking Science: Aiming Toward Scientific Literacy. You can consider the present post part two as I continue to think about high school science while planning Riley's Year 9.

"What exactly do you mean by science?" 

This is a question posed by Kevin Clark and Ravi Scott Jain in The Liberal Arts Tradition. The modern word "science" stems from the Latin word "scientia", which in the ancient world, meant "knowledge" or to know. In Understanding Physics, Isaac Asimov begins by explaining the history of modern day science...

The scholars of ancient Greece were the first we know of to attempt a thoroughgoing investigation of the universe - a systematic gathering of knowledge through the activity of human reason alone. Those who attempted this rationalistic search for understanding, without calling in the aid of intuition, inspiration, revelation, or other nonrational sources of information, were the philosophers (from Greek words meaning "lovers of wisdom").

Philosophy could turn within, seeking an understanding of human behavior, of ethics and morality, of motivations and responses. Or it might turn outside to an investigation of the universe beyond the intangible wall of the mind - an investigation, in short, of "nature."

Those philosophers who turned toward the second alternative were the natural philosophers, and for many centuries after the palmy days of Greece the study of the phenomena of nature continued to be called natural philosophy. The modern word that is used in its place - science, from a Latin word meaning "to know" - did not come into popular use until well into the nineteenth century. Even today, the highest university degree given for achievement in the sciences is generally that of "Doctor of Philosophy."

The word "natural" is of Latin derivation, so the term "natural philosophy" stems half from Latin and half from Greek, a combination usually frowned upon by purists. The Greek word for "natural" is physikos, so one might more precisely speak of physical philosophy to describe what we now call science.

The term physics, therefore, is a brief form of physical philosophy or natural philosophy and, in it is original meaning, included all of science.

However, as the field of science broadened and deepened, and as the information gathered grew more voluminous, natural philosophers had to specialize, taking one segment or another of scientific endeavor as their chosen field of work. The specialties received names of their own and were often subtracted from the once universal domain of physics.  

Here we see how modern science has come to be known by it's name. According to online Oxford Dictionaries, science is:

the intellectual and practical activity encompassing the systematic study of the structure and behavior of the physical and natural world through observation and experiment

Science can be split into two main categories, biological and physical, but often both are related. Biological meaning the study of living things and physical being the study of non-living things. There are various branches of science within each of these categories.

Biological studies would include:

Biology - the study of life and living things
Ecology - the study of ecosystems
Botany - the study of plants
Physiology/Anatomy - the study of the human body and how it functions
Zoology - the study of the animal kingdom

Physical studies would include:

Physics - the study of matter and energy in space and time
Chemistry - the study of chemical elements and compounds
Astronomy - the study of outer space and everything in it
Meteorology - the study of atmosphere, or more specifically, weather phenomonea
Geology - the study of the earth's physical structure and substance
Oceanography - the study of physical and biological properties of the sea

This is not an exhaustive list by any means and you may have noticed that some of these sciences overlap. For example, oceanography not only includes studying the physical properties of the sea, but also the living/biological plants and creatures as well. In addition, there are social sciences, including anthropology, sociology, and psychology. There are also fields related to the sciences, such as medicine, mathematics, computer science, statistics, engineering, and alchemy.

The point here being, what used to be known simply as natural philosophy has now become numerous branches of science, but in many cases, they are still inter related. Therefore, it's a shame to compartmentalize them academically as so many modern schools do. As a matter of fact, Clark and Jain tell us that not only should the sciences be studied together along with a mathematical point of view, but also with a linguistic point of view, also known as the seven liberal arts.

A foundation in the seven liberal arts provides the common reason which is required to adjudicate the truth of arguments and justify or demonstrate the claims of reason. Natural philosophy offers students today a critical opportunity to hone their arts of reason in discussions of the natural world. When all the arts are employed, natural philosophy teaches students to think properly and promotes true wisdom. (The Liberal Arts Tradition)

This is very much in line with Charlotte Mason's holistic approach to education, which includes viewing the child as a born person, spreading a feast, and allowing for the science of relations through the use of living books and nature study.  

The only sound method of teaching science is to afford a due combination of field and laboratory work, with such literary comments and amplifications as the subject affords. (Vol. 6, p. 223)

It is for these reasons that I am choosing a multitude of books and resources for high school science, rather than one single text. The list for 9th grade includes:

Signs and Seasons by Jay Ryan
Galileo's Daughter by Dava Sobel
Great Astronomers by Robert Stawell Ball
Conceptual Physics by Paul G.Hewitt
A Briefer History of Time by Stephen Hawking
Napoleon's Buttons Penny Le Couteur and Jay Burreson
A Chemical History of the Candle by Michael Faraday
Phineas Gage: A Gruesome But True Story of Brain Science by John Fleischman
First Studies in Plant Life by George Francis Atkinson
Adventures with a Microscope by Richard Headstrom
Microbe Hunters by Paul de Kruif

In looking at the stack, you will notice books on Astronomy, Physics, Chemistry, Biology, and Botany. Several of these books are continued from last year and a few will be continued next year. Riley will also complete a combination of field and lab work through nature study and experimentation. In addition, she will continue the method of notebooking through her readings. Our aim is to provide a feast of ideas presented in a variety of books and activities so our children can see the relationships within the order that God created. Overall, we are excited about the year to come!

How I Avoid the Road to Homeschool Burnout....

I took this photo a month or so back after an eight inch snowfall. At first glance, it's beautiful with the fresh blanket of white and blue sky overhead. However, as you drive along, you start to notice the icy roadway with fifteen foot embankments. It quickly becomes very apparent that you must slow down or possibly lose control. This is also how I view creating my home education schedule.

You see, I'm a planner by nature. I love taking the big picture and breaking it into small parts. I actually prefer planning to teaching. For the first several years of home educating, I would spend my entire summer, and then some, planning each and every day right down to the "T". Then somewhere around year five, when I had three children working at three levels, including one with learning differences, I started to feel fried. My plan became my master. The beautiful scene I envisioned became an icy roadway and I found myself careening over the embankment.

After a couple of years of crash landings, I decided to slow down and take in the sights. I still plan, but at a much slower pace. I have reduced our schedule to only four days a week. What a difference this leisurely pace has made. This doesn't mean we are slacking in our academics. Quite the contrary. My children are finding time to pursue their interests. I have made time to enjoy the beautiful view, to pad the unexpected, to see my children as born persons.

Scheduling four day weeks allows us to live life. Because after all, as Andrew Kern says, education is about nurturing souls, not dumping facts. It's about fostering a love of learning.  In the past, I was more worried about my boxes than my people. I have come to see that was a detriment. There is no prize for checking the most boxes. Only love lost and hearts turned away.

February is a great time for scheduling, particularly here in WI where we've been shut in for several months with very little sun. This is where the rubber meets the road. Now is the time to see truth. If your schedule feels like a noose, loosen it up. Plan lighter for the next term or year. Make time to enjoy the view. You and your children will be much happier because when you slacken the pace, you create an environment more conducive to learning. Just ask me how I know....

Year 7 and 8 Planning....

I've been working on planning our 2017-2018 academic year. In planning, I always start with the big picture, moving next to the year, term, week, and finally day. This year, I will have kids in grades 8, 7, and kindergarten. This post will primarily address 7th and 8th grade and not kindergarten since that is still an informal year in our homeschool.

In 2017-2018, I know I want to cover Middle Ages, Renaissance, and Reformation for history, as well as a variety of science topics, including chemistry, physics, and astronomy. It is for these reasons, I'm looking closely at combining AO Year 7 & Year 8 for my two older kids.

In looking at my goals and the AO suggestions, I created an at-a-glance table of Ambleside Online's Year 7 & 8. This is not my original book list and is in no way meant to be copied or used as an exclusive AO book list or lesson plan. I'm simply sharing how I plan my school year based on a variety of resources. You must go directly to the AO website for full use and understanding of their wonderful FREE program. I'm greatly indebted to the ladies who make this all possible. To learn more, I am linking to their website regularly throughout this post. 

AO Year 7 & 8 Planning Table by greenebalts on Scribd

The first table lists the subjects covered in each AO Year, along with books broken down by term. You will notice a few books are color coded when they are also used in curricula, such as Beautiful Feet, Sonlight, and Veritas Press, which are book lists I also consult regularly in planning. In addition, you may notice The Fallacy Detectives crossed out because Riley has already read that book. At that end of the first chart is suggested AO Free Reads for each year.

The second table, on page four, shows books used in AO Year 7/8 combined. It is the first year in a two year plan to cover Years 7, 8, and 9 for families looking to use AO at the upper levels and who yearn to complete six years in five. I've chosen this as a base for our family simply based on the history and science coverage.

Next, I created a chart showing the subjects I wish to cover along with some books and resources I'm contemplating.

Riley & Ruben Year 7 & 8 Book List 2017-2018 by greenebalts on Scribd

From there, I've been working on narrowing books and plugging the final selections into a 12-week term chart. Finally, the readings will be broke down by day. You can see last year's term and daily charts here. They are purposefully not dated as I don't want to be a slave to the plan when life happens. You know, kid wakes up puking, family drama takes over, or a dear friend calls and says, "Hey, let's play!" I want to be able to pick up and go without the guilt associated with a date specific plan.

To some, my planning may sound like an overwhelming process. However, it happens to be something I enjoy. Also, I've found if I'm thorough in my planning, then I don't second guess as much throughout the year. That's not to say there's no flexibility. Last year, when the plan became drudgery and there was no Science of Relations, I ended up scrapping much of Ruben's plan part way through the year and winging the end, which turned out to be a great decision for both of us.

Over the past ten years, I haven't found any one plan that fits the needs of my family. In home educating, there is no one size fits all. What works for one family will most likely not work for another. Even in my own home, what works for one child does not necessarily work for another. It is for this reason every year I create an individualized education plan for each of my kids. Because I'm meeting the needs of each individual child, I tend to be very eclectic or individual in my approach. With that said, here are links to some resources I'm pulling from this year:

Ambleside Online Year 7

Ambleside Online Year 8

Ambleside Online Year 7/8 combined

Beautiful Feet Intermediate Medieval History

IEW Medieval Writing 

Simply Charlotte Mason

Sonlight Level G

Sonlight Level H

Veritas Press Omnibus 

Whether you're a chart maker or an on the fly kind of gal, the most important thing to remember is that each and every one of our Children are born persons. We are not dumping books and facts into them. A chart or plan simply gives you the ability to do what comes next on those low energy or hard days when life is kicking your butt. Ultimately, because we're not educating machines, some days may not be well oiled or run smoothly. Having a plan is helpful to me when life takes over.

Homeschool Planning Chat...

I'm excited to announce that I'll be joining Mystie Winckler, among others in an upcoming Homeschool Planning Chat next Tuesday, October 4, 2016 at 1:00 p.m. Pacific (3:00 p.m. Central, which is my time).  We will be discussing how to communicate your homeschool plan to your children as well as how to flex pre-made plans when the going gets tough.  Please join Mystie Winckler of Simply Convivial, Kortney Garrison, Dawn Garrett, Virginia Lee Rogers, and I for an afternoon of encouragement.

Click here to register.....and no worries, if you're unavailable at that time.  Once registered, you will be sent a replay link at the end of the webinar.  So join our free upcoming chat about homeschool planning, expectations, and living out those plans:

Restful Teaching Seminar Notes...

I had the opportunity to watch the Restful Teaching seminar by Andrew Kern and Matt Bianco with a friend via download replays and it was fabulous!  The seminar had five sessions, including:

• Restful Teaching: Why restful teaching rises when teaching is oriented toward perceiving truth and Truth
• Restful Planning: There are three modes of teaching/learning (the three columns) that enable us to plan restfully
• The Restful Curriculum: The arts of truth-fishing
• Restful Pedagogy: Teaching truth
• Restful Assessment: Evaluating truth perception

Today, I thought I would share my notes in the hope of easing some anxiety you may have as we gear up to begin the 2016-2017 academic year.  I've highlighted some key points in pink that stuck out to me.  If you've watched or were able to attend the Restful Teaching seminar, I'd love to chat in the comments section below.

Restful Teaching

Restful teaching is not dumbing down

We should ask ourselves, "Is it philosophy if it can't be put into practice?"

Principles govern practices, practices are individual

Andrew Kern suggested 5 principles

1. Principles set you free
2. Practices not derived from principles enslave you - a person who is not thinking for himself is not a free person
3. Bad caricatures lead to bad thinking, bad thinking leads to bad actions
4. Therefore, we need to align our thinking and actions - thinking guides actions (this is wisdom)
5. Everything begins with a caricature

Caricature -

noun

1. a picture, description, etc., ludicrously exaggerating the peculiarities or defects of persons or things:

His caricature of the mayor in this morning's paper is the best he's ever drawn.

2. the art or process of producing such pictures, descriptions, etc.
3. any imitation or copy so distorted or inferior as to be ludicrous.

Pasted from <http://www.dictionary.com/browse/caricature>

What we are is more important than what we do

Saying "yeah, but" is Socratic discussion

Restful Planning

Matt Bianco began with Where is the Lord? - we see this in the Gospel of John, chapter 1

The object of education is to train our children to perceive truth, so when truth is the Lord, they recognize Him. 

There are two truths - upper case "T" truth and lower case "t" truth

Truth is God. Everything else is truth.

We need restfulness in rigor and diligence

Content	Truth      (Logos Incarnate)	Skills        (art of truth perception)
Tell	Discuss an artifact or phrase	Model
Recall	Contemplation of artifact or phrase	Imitate
Reproduce (assessment)	Joy incarnate	Feedback on mastery of the given skill or art

incarnate

adj (usually immediately postpositive)

1. possessing bodily form, esp the human form: a devil incarnate.

2. personified or typified: stupidity incarnate.

3. (Botany) (esp of plant parts) flesh-coloured or pink

vb (tr)

4. to give a bodily or concrete form to

5. to be representative or typical of

[C14: from Late Latin incarnāre to make flesh, from Latin in-2 + carō flesh]

Pasted from <http://www.thefreedictionary.com/incarnate>

To incarnate means to become flesh. The incarnation of Jesus is when the human nature (Jesus the man) was added to the nature of God the second person of the Trinity. It is where God became a man (John 1:1, 14, Phil. 2:5-8). It was the voluntary act of Jesus to humble Himself so that He might die for our sins (1 Pet. 3:18). Thus, Jesus has two natures: Divine and human. This is known as the Hypostatic Union.

Pasted from <https://carm.org/dictionary-incarnation>

Every piece of information orders the soul towards Truth if you use it to do so

Curriculum makes you a slave

How to implement chart above:

Choose any subject (ex. History)

Make list of truths/principles regarding that subject

Make list of desired skills you want your child to attain while studying that subject

Make list of content to study about that subject - should be smallest and most insignificant list

"Succession is difficult." - Andrew Kern

It's totally OK to learn as we teach.

1. Identify the goal or desired outcome of teaching each subject
2. What column on the chart does that goal come from?
3. Teach accordingly/appropriately
4. Having taught based on the column, assess them, give specific feedback

Constantly reorient, repent, and take your time

Content is less important than Truth.  Truth exalts content to its honorable place as a servant, but when content raises itself to the position of master it renders everything meaningless.

Truth is way more important than skills.

Restful Curriculum

7 Liberal Arts - grammar, logic, rhetoric, mathematics, geometry, harmonics, astronomy

Mathematics is a place of rest.  It's orderly and ends with an answer.

Restful Pedagogy

Don't try to justify the reason for teaching - don't reduce to utilitarian (ex. You will need this math because some day your going to be a ….) - in line with Charlotte Mason

Restful Assessment

Goal is to point students toward Logos - orient towards Truth

We want to perceive and embody Truth.

Curriculum: learn to perceive Truth

Pedagogy: Incarnate the Logos when we teach so that the student having perceived the Truth has incarnated.

Students will learn what I embody, not what I intend to teach.  (modeling for imitation)

More than any other lesson, we must teach how to have faith in a world that doesn't have it!

Ephesians 5:1

We have to demonstrate faith in discord.

Assessment: Able to perceive and therefore incarnate Truth/Logos of the lesson

Planning Your Homeschool Year...

I was looking back on past planning posts and realized I've shared bits and pieces, but never a start to finish planning post so herein lies my feeble attempt.  First off, my favorite planning resource is Simply Charlotte Mason's Planning Your Charlotte Mason Education in 5 Simple Steps.  I have the original blue edition and am not sure how it compares to the new green book, but it works for all intensive purposes so I don't plan to upgrade. I also have not watched the DVD, just simply reference the book.

Recently, I have determined I'm a hybrid digital-paper planner with a strong bent toward paper.  I love creating charts and tables digitally, but must print them so I can see the big picture.  I attempted to go totally digital one year, using Excel spreadsheets for planning and record keeping and wouldn't you know, that was the one year our computer died.  I took it as a sign that I should stick with paper ;-)

The five steps I use in creating our homeschool plan are as follows:

1. The Big Picture

This is where you outline an overview for your child’s education by recording your personal goals.  What are you trying to accomplish by homeschooling?  These goals may be very different for each child depending on strengths, weaknesses, personality, etc.  Or, they may be a standard set of goals for every child in your home.

It's also here that you'd determine which school subjects you want to cover during which years. When setting goals and choosing subjects, you'll want to keep in mind your state requirements.  For example, here in Wisconsin, on the form we file with the Department of Public Instruction, it says we must agree that...

The program provides a sequentially progressive curriculum of fundamental instruction in reading, language arts, mathematics, social studies, science and health.  (WI DPI PI-1206 form)

Now, we can add to these subjects as we choose, but these subjects must make up the bare minimum of our studies according to our state law.  If you're trying to provide a Charlotte Mason education, you want to be sure to set forth a broad and liberal curriculum, attemptng to cultivate affinities, not a utilitarian education steering the child toward some particular career.  

"They require a great variety of knowledge, - about religion, the humanities, science, art; therefore, they should have a wide curriculum with a definite amount of reading set for each short period of study."

If your goal involves a college bound student, here is where you'll want to check with prospective colleges to determine requirements for entry.  I am not suggesting that you choose a college for your early elementary child at this point,  However, as your students enter middle and high school, you're going to want to determine how many credits of particular subjects they will need for college entry.  For example, will you need two or three years of foreign language and how many credits and what type of mathematics are required?  Knowing this upfront, will greatly ease your stress when the time comes to plan those high school years.

2. Your Year

Once you have your goals and subjects set, you will organize a year of study for your child by determining what you want to teach during that particular year.  For example, if you have a 1st grader, you may wish to focus on copywork and oral narration.  However, if you have a 4th grader, you may wish to begin transitioning to written narration.  

An overall determination of what to teach when should have been accomplished in the Big Picture Plan as outlined above and you'll want to reference that list in this step.  Now you are simply looking at this specific year ahead of you to determine what you will teach in that particular year. Some of these subjects may include, Bible, History, Geography, Mathematics, Science, Language Arts, Music/Composer Study, Shakespeare, Handicrafts/Life Skills, etc.  Here is a post I wrote back in 2012 showing some of the resource/subject charts I'd created for this step at that time. 

When you have your subjects in place, you can then begin to select the resources you want to use to cover each of those subjects.  For example, what time period will you study in history or what concepts will you cover in math?  This is also where I determine which subjects will be family studies or circle time and which will be individual studies.  Being a bibliophile, this is one of my favorite steps!  This year, we'll be studying Ancient History and I will pull resources from programs like Ambleside Online, Beautiful Feet, TruthQuest History, A Mind in the Light, Veritas Press, etc.  

3. Your Term (quarter, semester, etc.)

Next, you will need to break up your school year into manageable sections or chunks of time.  Do you want to school year round or in a 36-week chunk?  Do you want to break that 36 weeks up into 12 week, 9 week, or 6 week terms?   Do you want to school 4 or 5 days per week?  Here is where you decide and schedule your terms on the calendar. What breaks and holidays will you want off?  Do you have any family vacations planned in the upcoming year?  These are questions you'll want to take into consideration when dividing and scheduling your terms.  Pam Barnhill has a great video here showing how she sections off her school days on the calendar.  We tend to complete the bulk of our school year during the winter months because here in Wisconsin we have a lot of time indoors during December, January, and February.  However, as Pam mentions in her video, in the south, they plan the bulk of their year in June, July, and August because it's just too hot to be outside during those months.  

Whatever you decide, after dividing your terms, you need to determine how many lessons or how many books you will read per term.  I even go so far as to divide out chapters and pages per term.  Ambleside Online has information here regarding numbers of books and pages read in each Form in the PUS schools.  Nicole Williams at Sabbath Mood Homeschool has put this information into a useful chart here.  I also found her series of posts on Preparing a CM Schedule very helpful in this step of the process.  I've posted samples of our Year 5 and Year 4 Term Schedules in the past.  

4. Your Week

Once you've set your terms and what you will teach each term, the next step is to map out a weekly schedule.  First you will need to determine how often to do each subject during the week.  Then you will choose which subjects to do on which days.  You will want to vary the order of subjects altering between concentrated intense subjects and less intense subjects including those that allow for physical movement; using different parts of the brain allows for better attention span.  I've written more about this step in Pulling Your Charlotte Mason Education Together.  

5. Your Day

Finally, you will create a daily plan that works for your family situation by determining when to do each subject during the day.  Are you morning people or do you peak after noon?  Also, estimate how long to spend on each subject.  Again if you are planning a Charlotte Mason education, that Ambleside link above or Nicole William's chart is a great reference tool to determine length of time for each subject.  A key method to a Charlotte Mason education is short lessons beginning around age 6 for approx. 15-20 minutes, increasing around age 10 to 20-30 minutes, and continuing around age 14 to 30-45 minutes and beyond. These times are per subject and will help cultivate the habit of attention in your student.   You can see a sample of my Year 4 and Year 5 Daily Checklists here.  

There you have it, five simple steps to planning your homeschool.  I should note that typically, step number one is not something you would redo every year.  However, I would definitely go back and reassess your big picture plan annually to ensure that you're meeting your goals.  Also, it's OK to change your goals as time goes on, your kids age, and you settle into a philosophy of education.  For me, creating a homeschool plan has been a fluid process.  I've learned a great deal since that first day back in 2007 and my ideals about education have changed considerably.  I even switch out parts of the five step plan from year to year, but having a framework sure is helpful so as not to reinvent the wheel year after year.

How do you plan your homeschool year?  I'd love to hear about it.  Feel free to share in the comments section below....

Knowledge of Man, Cycling Through History....

I've been thinking a lot about history lately, or as Charlotte Mason said, the Knowledge of Man, and how I want to approach the coming years.  Initially, I'd planned a 6 year history cycle, to which we are finishing our final year in our first rotation.  I'm now at a crossroads and trying to decide whether to proceed with another six year rotation or two three year rotations.  In a nutshell, here's what we've done...

Angel - high school graduate - homeschooled from 6th-12th grade
      6th grade Ancient History
      7th grade Middle Ages, Renaissance, & Reformation
      8th grade In Depth American History
      9th grade Ancient History
     10th grade World History
     11th grade Early American History
     12th grade Modern American History


RileyAnn
      1st grade Ancient Civilizations
      2nd grade Middle Ages
      3rd grade Renaissance & Reformation
      4th grade American Exploration, Colonization, & Revolutionary War
      5th grade American Westward Expansion
      6th grade American Civil War to Modern American & World History


Ruben 
      K Ancient Civilizations
      1st grade Middle Ages
      2nd grade Renaissance & Reformation
      3rd grade American Exploration, Colonization, & Revolutionary War
      4th grade American Westward Expansion
      5th grade American Civil War to Modern American & World History

Riley and Ruben have always studied history together.  However, I've decided to split them up this fall because Riley is ready to work independently and Ruben still needs a bit more help.  Also, because Ruben has one more year left than Riley, it will allow me to slow down a bit with him and focus on some other areas.  They will more than likely be on a similar time period, but each will be reading separate books.  I really want Ruben to go through two more cycles of history since he doesn't remember much from the first time around prior to American History.  Initially, I was thinking Riley could do another six year cycle, possibly using Ambleside Online and then I started looking at Veritas Press Omnibus who does two three year cycles, which is also appealing.

Right now, I'm in research mode and here are some options that appeal to me or things I've been studying....

6 Year Rotation
Ambleside Online
Simply Charlotte Mason

4 Year Rotation
A Delectable Education - The Chronology of History Podcast - History Rotation Diagrams
Story of the World
The Mystery of History
My Father's World - high school

3 Year Rotation
Beautiful Feet
Veritias Press Omnibus
Mystie Winckler at Simply Convivial

Other Options
Charlotte Mason Help
A Mind in the Light
Sonlight    
TruthQuest History
   
Any thoughts?  What have you used to study middle and high school history?  Do you prefer a 6 year, 4 year, or 3 year rotation?  Please feel free to comment below...

Cathy Duffy's Top Picks...

I've been a huge Cathy Duffy fan since I first learned of her curriculum reviews.  I remember checking out 100 Top Picks for Homeschool Curriculum several times when I first started homeschooling.  You can imagine my delight when I found my own copy at a used curriculum sale.  Since, I have also acquired 101 Top Picks for Homeschool Curriculum.  These books are very well organized, whether you're new to homeschooling or just want to research a new curriculum.

In 2015, Cathy Duffy released a third edition titled, 102 Top Picks for Homeschool Curriculum, which I recently borrowed from our local public library.  The layout of the book is basically the same.  However, there was a change to the "Approaches to Education" survey.  The preference questions and approaches to homeschool are unmoved but the scoring system is all together different.  Also, there is no Foreign Language section in 102 Top Picks...  Overall, it's still the same great resource and my favorite go to when I'm in the market for a new program.  Duffy's website is also invaluable.  However, you still need the book to get a full review on her top picks.

I don't know about you, but this time of year, I get antsy at the thought of upcoming homeschool conventions.  The curricula catalogs are also starting to pour in.  Prior to convention and book sales, I like to have my research done so I can make informed decisions.  Being prepared with list in hand, helps me reduce impulse buys.  Using the Charlotte Mason method of homeschooling frees up many actual curricula decisions because we don't use a great amount of texts.  However, a book like Cathy Duffy's Top Picks is helpful when I am in the market.