The first quarter of the school year is always full of excitement, novelty and newness. This helps usher in change with a warm welcome. The summer was fun and then we were ready for a steady rhythm. The supplies were new, the curriculum was new and (mostly) everyone was excited to get started. As the weeks go on some of that novelty falls away and the reality of what disciplined school work looks like starts to wear on both the kids and me as I teach them. In the past when we’ve been in a good routine I’ve pushed us to continue on without a break noting a day off here and there. This year one significant change I’ve made is to BLOCK off time for required rest. The kids appreciate this but I also really appreciate this. When you’re homeschooling burn out can come fast especially after the first quarter. Your own personal expectations can become difficult to maintain. We typically set the bar high in the beginning of the year and as time goes on and life happens sustaining that level of energy and commitment becomes hard. When you reach the end of your first 9 weeks (aka the end of the first quarter) it’s a good time to pause and evaluate your practices.
Here’s a short list of things to evaluate:
Lesson plans (how you’re doing them, when you’re doing them, how you use them)
Curriculum (how is it working well, what needs improvement, do you need to be using it?)
Supplies (do any need to be replaced, are there some that could support learning better?)
Rhythm of the Day (what is working in your rhythm, what needs improvement)
Managing your Home (what chores can be delegated, what chores need to be added/taken away)
If you’re curious about what we evaluated this quarter, here are my thoughts:
Lesson Plans
As I am thinking through and evaluating our homeschool, I do really like what we are using for our lessons plans. I created a template you can use here. But basically, on Saturday or Sunday, I write out our plans for the week, very simply into a grid for each of my crew. It lists all their subjects and each day of the week. Then I fill in the grid with just enough information that they know what they’ll need and what they’ll do for that subject. For example for Grammar, they know we use Fix It Grammar and I’ll put Week 8 Day 1 on Monday’s slot, Week 8 Day 2 on Tuesday’s slot, and so on. Then as they complete their work each day, they’ll color in that box on the grid until all the boxes for that day are colored in and they know they’re done for the day. We started a very simplified version of this earlier in their elementary years and it’s gone well so we’ve stuck with it.
I’m working on the timing of doing the lessons. At the beginning of the school year we didn’t have soccer on Saturdays and our weekends were lighter. That allowed me to do lesson plans on Saturday and rest on Sunday. Now that things have picked up I find myself doing lessons on Sunday nights. I’d like to work on changing that. For me, I feel like I’m less creative and do less enrichment when I’m in a “get it done” mode with lesson plans. My crew generally enjoys the “extra” things we do with homeschool. I genuinely enjoy doing those extra art projects or experiments or trips but they require planning and forethought that I just don’t usually have on Sunday. I’m working through blocking in time for lesson planning on Saturdays but that’s still a work in progress. I’ll report back.
Curriculum
So far most of our curriculum is working well for us. I researched a lot over the years and for the most part we’ve settled in with what works with my kids' learning style. This is something that takes time and it’s important to recognize your children could learn very differently from one another. If you’re in the early years, give the curriculum you’re using some time but if it really is just not working, you’re not married to it, you can do other things. I can’t tell you how many hourssssss of YouTube curriculum reviews I have watched. SO MANY.
This year we went back to The Good and The Beautiful for language arts. I needed to simplify and use something with a solid structure. My kids are all competent readers and I was ready to take them to the next step. My girls are in a hybrid program that directs their language arts but Rutledge is home with me and an open and go curriculum sounded like a great idea! He has enjoyed the computer component of this curriculum with the BIG exception being the grammar videos. They’re rough for a 10 year old boy. While the songs were cute and sweet in the younger years, TGTB is doing a pretty bad job of adapting to an older student. 10 year old boys are not interested in sing-song nursery rhymes. It borderline provokes him and I’m not about that. We skip that section and so far I’ve found more palatable videos/songs with the same content on YouTube that aren’t so babyish. The lessons can be long on some days but I break it into sections and we complete them in an order that he choses. So far it’s going well.
Our Social studies and history curriculums have been a major WIN! We are loving Mystery of History and really enjoy the companion guide that comes with suggested activities for each lesson. The added enrichment makes the difference of really bringing history alive! We’ve made Tudor roses, made paper boats, painted under a table, etc. It’s been a lot of fun. This year we are also studying the US states one by one. I’m using this resource as the spine for our study and supplementing with books from the library and YouTube videos. It’s been a lot of fun every week! I pair it with a craft or game that matches what we’re learning about in the state and that’s gone really well too!
The Animal a Day book has been GREAT for copy work. I print out the animal so Rutledge just has to color it in but he copies one sentence from the text each day into his Daily Animals notebook. You can find the animal a day supplement here if you want to use it too.
I love a great resource and I’m never going to gatekeeper when we have one! This dictionary has been a tried and true favorite over the years. It’s been wonderful with our grammar lessons. We use fix it grammar and it has a daily vocabulary component. It’s also been great with writing projects and language arts too! You can find it linked here for under $11.
One curriculum I am adapting is our science. This year we are using Masterbooks. It’s ok, not great if you’re wanting something comprehensive and in depth. I use it as a spine and supplement, which is fine for me but if you need more guidance, I wouldn’t recommend it. My older daughter (8th grade) needed more so over the Fall break I ordered her a separate curriculum. I’ll continue the master books science with my elementary science learners and I’ll report back on the science for my middle schooler.
The other curriculum I’m adapting is our Bible study. We finished our first study in Hebrews from Kaleidoscope and it was WONDERFUL! I highly, highly recommend it. I loved it so much, I actually bought and gave it away to two of my IG followers! Then we tried to use the BSF student guides for the same study I am doing with my local BSF group. The kids don’t attend (there’s no kids class) but I thought I could guide them along in the study. As it turns out, the class really does make the difference. I can guide them in the study and it is possible but it feels fragmented and disconnected. It’s a good study, just not the best for us right now. To no one’s surprise, we’re back to using the Kaleidoscope study again. This time we’re doing one called Unstoppable Joy covering Galatians, Ephesians, Philippians, and Colossians. This will likely get us through until the holidays when we will pivot to an advent study. Stay tuned for more on that!
For the most part, what we are using is really working well. I’m grateful for that. Now we just continue on with the good work we’ve started! I’ll pause and reflect each quarter but I’m feeling good about what we have and what we’re doing this year.
Supplies
This one was pretty easy to evaluate because we’re still running on the supply we got at the beginning of the year. We really haven’t run out of anything except paper and we needed some new pencils to be sharpened.
Rhythm
Our rhythm feels like it’s still getting solidified. We are in full swing with extra curricular activities. We’ve also had a lot of doctors and specialist visits these last few weeks and still have more to go. They definitely throw off our days. For the most part we start around the same time mid morning and go until early afternoon on most days. Occasionally some work needs to be done in the evenings but for now our pace feels sustainable.
Home Management
I saw a quote last month that said something along the lines of, “Homeschool moms don’t have everything balanced and figured out. We’re just rotating what gets neglected.” Truer words have never been spoken. If our laundry is caught up then the grocery shopping probably hasn’t been done. If the house has been thoroughly vacuumed, the bathroom probably isn’t clean. You get the idea. There is pretty much never a time when everything is all cared for perfectly. I major on the majors and let the small things rotate when they’re given attention.
Our home is clean and supplied with what we need but we do not live in a museum and to stay sane, something has to give- if it’s the laundry that day, so be it.
Snack lunch trays have been a win. It’s relatively easy to keep various “snack” things in stock and my crew likes making what they call a “cold plate” for lunch. As long as we have a balance with carbs and protein, I’m all for it! Hooray for autonomous big kids!
Movement has been a non negotiable as we’ve started the school year. I have found an online strength program that I LOVE and daily walks are a must! While this isn’t exactly managing the home, it does contribute to my personal well being and I can’t say it enough- the benefits of fresh air, sun on your face and movement for your body does you so. much. good.
Block in the time, make it happen, you will be so glad you did!
Overall, it’s been a really good start to the school year, academically. I’m proud of the good work my crew has put in and I’m excited to welcome the cozy months of the year as we live and learn together! I know homeschooling isn’t for everyone but for us, it’s been such a wonderful gift! I absolutely LOVE it!
Have questions or want to chat more about lesson plans, curriculum, homeschool, etc? Send me an email at hello@everydaylearnandplay.com. I’d love to connect and share more with you! We’ve been at this for 10 years and it’s been an adventure of the very best kind!
