The Process of Planning

I'm posting this because someone asked....

Here's the process I use to plan our school year.

• At the end of the calendar year, I start thinking about what I like that we're using and what needs to be changed. I start making a list of what I would like to use with each child and looking at catalogs/internet.
• When school is out for the year, I re-read some homeschooling books and do some research on the internet. This is when I start seriously praying.
  
• I clean out the school boxes and the bookshelves and sometimes find things I've forgotten I had. :)
  
• I make a list of books to buy and school supplies we'll need.
• I made a page for each child, listing what I'm using, my goals, and notes to myself. This fits into a section of my DayTimer. I also have a page of encouraging quotes and articles which I've copied and pasted to re-read during the year when I need a pick-me-up.
  
• Start purchasing books and supplies.
  
• Clean out my desk, where I have file folders for each child's daily paperwork. Clean out the supply drawer. I bundle up all each child's work and label it with the grade and year, along with the grade sheets I turn in for my school file and my planbook pages (I keep the whole thing for a year, then keep a few samples from each grade until the child graduates).
• Make a list of composers, artists, and sewing projects and make a page for my Daytimer.
  
• Look through the math books, plan which units I want to use in IEW, figure out about 4 FIAR books to begin with, look at our science and history, planning it out if necessary, put together a plan for some subjects, like the geography we're putting together for Carrie and the science I have planned for Thomas. Choose readers and figure out Bible for each child. I buy some books that are reproducible (Daily Grams, for one) and I make copies for about a month's worth of work.
• Make a new chore chart and start training the children in their new jobs to cut down on stress at the beginning of school.
• Some years, I use the MOTH schedule grid and Post-It notes to make a grid of everyone's daily work so I can see how I'm going to get it all done in a day. However, our day works better with a regular routine instead of a timed schedule.
  
• Print planbook pages, which my husband designed to fit into my DayTimer. I write down the first month's school plan, then I plan in detail the first week's work. I always have the general plan for 4-6 weeks, then I plan more in detail every week for the next week. Make my library list, using the online card catalog. We usually "ease" into school, starting with either read-alouds or the subjects we like best and then adding a subject or two over the span of the month until we're up to speed.
  
• We do 6 weeks on/2 weeks off, so Week One, Two, Four, and Five are regular schoolwork weeks. Week Three is Arts Week and Week 6 is Read-aloud Week. The elementary and junior high kids have math 3 days per week, language 3 days per week, history and science 2 days per week, Bible and music practice 5 days per week, individual Bible time with me 2 days per week. Currently, we are off on Monday with my husband, who is a pastor. We have school Tuesday through Saturday. Groceries, errands, library, and fiddle lessons are on Thursday. Not everyone goes with me on errands, so the ones left at home work on schoolwork. Tuesday and Wednesday are our "big" school days and most of our work is finished by Friday afternoon. Saturday is a catch-up school day and getting ready for Sunday. Friday or Saturday is housecleaning. The high school students are scheduled for most subjects to be done 4 days per week, with Bible and music practice 5 days. They are self-governed with regards to their schedule.