CREATING A HOMESCHOOL PLAN {you can do it!}

MAKING THE MOST OF OUR TIME

"Therefore be careful how you walk, not as unwise men but as wise, making the most of your time, because the days are evil."

~Ephesians 5:15-16

I receive a lot of questions about how to begin to plan for the homeschooling year. 

As homeschool moms we are bombarded with resources and suggestions and sometimes in the midst of too much information we still fear we will have "holes" and things we will miss! 

The start of the new year is an important time to corral our thoughts.  I'm going to share what helps me. 



GETTING STARTED

First ask yourself-   What are your goals this year? Each year I ask my husband what he would like to see in the new year. He is most keenly aware of my strengths and weaknesses, so he is the perfect person to critique our previous year and give me direction.

I will often create a mission statement to summarize our goals. We will pray together, then I am off to apply what we have discussed. This is the time to create our Proposed Course of Study (PCS).



PROPOSED COURSE OF STUDY

Next, fill out a Proposed Course of Study.  This is the most helpful tool I use each year.  

It helps to make sure everything will be covered and transitions you to the next step- making a schedule that works for you.   

The Proposed Course of Study is basically a worksheet you can use to list all of the disciplines we you are required to cover on one side, and all the resources you will be using to accomplish those goals on the right.

That does not mean that all of the disciplines listed will need to be covered each and every day. In fact, some will be covered once a week- or even once every other week. In some cases a read aloud resource may cover Social Sciences which would include history, geography, man's relation to his natural environment and so on. But this is your plan for what materials you will want to use for each discipline.

One year a mom who was new to homeschooling (who I hadn't even met before!) found me at our local homeschool conference with her Proposed Course of Study printed out from our blog and walked up to ask me, "Now what!"  I loved it.   



You will want to include your Proposed Course of Study in your child's cumulative file (which I keep in an extra large binder for each child). Although I know you are being faithful in instructing your children, it is also wise for us to take the little time it takes to document that we are being faithful. Creating a cumulative file will be something we discuss as well.





EXAMPLES OF COMPLETED PROPOSED COURSES OF STUDY
Grade 6

Proposed Course of Study FAITH 2008-2009 Ofiicial - Upload a Document to Scribd

Read this document on Scribd: Proposed Course of Study FAITH 2008-2009 Ofiicial

Grade 4

Proposed Course of Study MICHAELA 2008-2009 Ofiicial - Upload a Document to Scribd

Read this document on Scribd: Proposed Course of Study MICHAELA 2008-2009 Ofiicial

Grade 2

Proposed Course of Study SARAH 2008-2009 Ofiicial - Upload a Document to Scribd

Read this document on Scribd: Proposed Course of Study SARAH 2008-2009 Ofiicial

Blank Proposed Course of Study Form

Proposed Course of Study BLANK 2008-2009 - Upload a Document to Scribd

Read this document on Scribd: Proposed Course of Study BLANK 2008-2009

Blessings to you!

 

_______________________

If you have questions regarding the courses that are required, HSLDA is a wonderful resource. Just click on your state and they will provide an outline for you.