Relaxed and/or Non-planners

[Oakblossoms]

Anyone else? I see all this planning going on and it's making me nervous. I just ordered our curriculum. This is our most academically minded year yet. I've been thinking about how to plan for weeks. But, it just bogs me down. I finally decided on using 36 sheets of graph paper to outline my weeks, list supplies, make notes, keep track of reading lists....

[mindygz]

This is really my first time planning. Last year I was working about 25-30 hours/week and dreamed about the time when I'd be able to spend more time actually planning out what we'd do instead of always feeling like I was flying by the seat of my pants. :tongue_smilie: DH sat down with me today so I could brainstorm, and mostly I just wanted to have some semester goals to work towards and then some way to keep track of what I need to do to prep for the week. I don't want to spend time prepping every day, so I like to have a bit figured out in advance. We'll see how it goes....

[hmschooling]

I just get my goals in mind, maybe write them down, and do what we can each day. If at the end of the week/month/semester we're no where near where I had planned, I either try to bump it up the next week or just adjust my goals. No real set in stone plans by they day. I just know there's certain things we do everyday (like math and some LA and definitely have the kids read) and if we get to the rest, then great. With a toddler and soon to be newborn in the mix, I can't plan anything. I can't even plan a bath for myself! LOL

[fshinkevich]

I'm not a planner. I carefully select books, but I don't write down any plans or outlines. I crack the books and we work. We are done when we are done. We take days off when needed. We plug along.

 

It works for me. :001_smile:

 

Same here. I plan in the sense that I pick my curriculum and then we just pick up where we left off the day (or week) before. I've never not finished anything.

[ElizabethB]

I'm on the non-planning side, myself.

 

I just do what we can do, and when we finish, we move to the next thing. I did have a schedule for 1st grade. (I didn't for K, we were even more relaxed for K.) I haven't figured out an exact schedule for 2nd grade, but I will have one, but just a general which subjects to do on which days. It will be similar, but I'm adding Latin and more history.

 

Even for my large classes of remedial reading students, I have very little plan. I do have a rough plan that I give to the volunteers and parents, but it is flexible. I leave room for my last 4 to 6 classes to be independent review and work in Webster so things can slip either way--if they're ahead, more review and Webster, behind, less review and Webster. Also, if I note any global problems, we'll have a full class review of those problem areas at the end.

 

I do enjoy looking at different curriculum and reading about them and looking through them, but I am not a plan/list type of gal.

 

My mom, on the other hand, has lists of her lists!

[Guest Barb B]

[same here. I plan in the sense that I pick my curriculum and then we just pick up where we left off the day (or week) before. I've never not finished anything.

:iagree:Most of the books I pick lend themselves nicely to doing the next lesson. Math is really easy to do this with. Even Apologia's general science works well this way - I know how many weeks/days we homeschool and I divide the number of pages by that and I know about how much we should be doing per day. Most subjects are daily so this works well. I have enough to do homeschool 3 kids (one in high school doing his math and science and lit subjects takes up most of my time) that the extra step of having a planner for each doesn't excite me.

 

Barb

[savedbygrace]

I wish I was a planner! I know we would get more done!

[Sweetpeach]

I plan very little.

 

Our fifth year of hs'ing was our best ever . . . we did some school every day and even worked on Friday if we had Art Gallery during the week. :D

 

I have a plan in my mind of where I want to be at the end of the year. I know this coming year will comprise more grammar, LA, reading, writing without easing up on the math/science portion of our school.

 

A detailed plan won't help me get where I'm going.

An alarm clock and a heavy does of supernatural self-discipline will get that elephant eaten, one bite at a time.

 

Warmly, Tricia

[Oakblossoms]

Most of the books I pick lend themselves nicely to doing the next lesson. Math is really easy to do this with. Even Apologia's general science works well this way - I know how many weeks/days we homeschool and I divide the number of pages by that and I know about how much we should be doing per day. Most subjects are daily so this works well.

 

Barb

 

Barb I think this is about my limit this year. I think I just really want to know where I should be in my curriculum. I don't like to drag a subject on all year long and neither do my kids. It took us almost 2 years to finish SOTW 1. I'm nervous about homeschooling another child and having the new baby. I thought about really heavy duty planning this year. But, after looking at all the different planning methods (and all that wasted paper) I think I'll just make a weekly outline for our goals and continue to log after the fact.

[sadiegirl]

I know what you mean...I see all the detailed planning that many do and I think "whoa, I need to do more!" but then reality kicks me in the butt and reminds me that that is not me and I do what works for us. We order our books, and get to work! I do alot of looking for ideas to supplement our studies, extra projects around holidays and try to organize our routine.

I'm glad you asked because it is something I have been curious about but didn't want to ask.

[Tami]

one of the major reason I put science/history/art/music plans together is to have materials on hand when we are ready to do experiments or enrichments for the history. From an academic standpoint, a plan also helps me prepare by knowing what to read a bit ahead on, so I can have intelligent discussion.

 

If you don't plan, how do you have materials on hand for the hands-on components? How do you discuss your children's books? How do you stay on top of the material you are teaching?

 

I am an admirer of all of you "fly by the seat of my pants" ladies!!!

[dangermom]

I'm a 'do the next thing' person. Over the summer, I plan by making a reading list for history so that during the year, I can just look at the list and go get the books from the library. Otherwise, I don't do a whole lot of planning what will happen in each week, because it will just get messed up and then I'd have to re-do it.

[Guest Barb B]

Well I'm not really a fly by the seat of my pants person. I pick out some curriculum that has lesson plans with it - Seton for English and Reading. For my 6th grader science we are doing Apologia General Science and the experiment materials are not difficult to get. For other experiments we may want to add (or other textbooks other dc use) - I look at the topics for the next month or two and will purchase those ahead of time on web sites- I just don't write them down on a plan. Math to me is a no brainer to not plan - we use Saxon (abeka for lower grades) and just do the next lesson. Getting together extra literature books to go along with history is like science - I look at whats ahead every couple months and order (or find in our house) books that go with them; put them in one place so dc and I can choose them when we need.

 

So I plan ahead - I just don't write plans as most thing just flow nicely. With 3 kids and one being a high schooler - I just don't have the time to create in depth plans. I do the science and math texts my high schooler is doing so I can grade and discuss. . . with him and know what we are talking about. That is what I do with my free time (his literature books and history book I read over the summer). That can be quite a bit of homework; I honestly don't know when I would carve out the time to write plans.

 

I just saw your question as to how we stay on top of the material we are teaching - well for even the younger grades I will be reading their text books too - sooo -my question is how does one do in depth plans and also have time to read what their kids are reading so they can teach it? I just can't manage to stay on top of what my kids reading in their texts and also plan.

 

Oh - also in the begining of the year I decide a list (and sometime an order) of daily subjects. We really have kept to the same basic order of daily subjects for years. So my kids never are wondering what they should be doing - its just on to the next thing on the list.

Barb

Edited August 12, 2009 by Barb B

[gingersmom]

I plan but I am not ultra organized like the people who have assignments planned out for every day for the next 365 days.

 

We spend a lot of times at museums and theaters and aquariums and doing field trips. So I like to be flexible.

 

I have a list of books I want each child to read. I have already purchased the majority of them. I have in mind what project I want to do with each book or I have literature plan questions, essays already printed out.

 

Math we do a lesson a day until the end of the book.

 

Apologia Science I downloaded from the yahoo group an excellent guide for each chapter and it is already in my daughters notebook waiting for her.

 

My son is doing Real Science 4 kids which is easy enough to plan for and then apologia science.

 

I bought kit from home science tools to make sure we have all needed objects for science experiments.

 

Writing, grammar, spelling, phonics........I know what I am going to do and it manages to get done. No planning ahead. Maybe a teeny bit on the writing part.

 

Spanish-we follow the book and make up the rest as we go along.

[Oakblossoms]

one of the major reason I put science/history/art/music plans together is to have materials on hand when we are ready to do experiments or enrichments for the history. From an academic standpoint, a plan also helps me prepare by knowing what to read a bit ahead on, so I can have intelligent discussion.

 

If you don't plan, how do you have materials on hand for the hands-on components? How do you discuss your children's books? How do you stay on top of the material you are teaching?

 

I think I must be a geek. We spend a lot of time having big discussions. We always do a lot of reading aloud. So, if for some reason I've never heard of a subject we still have enough material for it to connect with what I do know. I figure they will hit the material at least once more while they are with me. We don't need to get that in-depth. If the interest is big we hang out with it awhile and/or I do some more adult reading to understand it better.

 

I notice that my oldest has read or somehow acquired (probably TV programs) knowledge about a lot of the "new" topics I introduce, as well.

 

We have been pretty big on reading in our homeschool. So, I haven't found a need for lot of supplies. We do keep lots of art supplies and strange junk around. My husband is an artist, so we always have lots of stuff we can use for projects.

 

We have a bigger budget this year. That is why I was thinking about planning a bit. I'm going to outline some of our goals, so I can purchase supplies a month or so ahead of time.

[Oakblossoms]

BTW, Tami your the planner I always want to plan like:D

[silvermine]

I just plan one week at a time, and we never get to everything (that stuff just moves to the next week). It's more just to have enough ideas about what to do next. Though sometimes, we just do 4 chapters of history, and then I'm totally beyond anything I've planned. But we still live. :)

[gardening momma]

I'm really just starting, if you don't count pre-K (I count it as homeschooling, but no academic planning was needed). I will probably fall into the non-planning type. The only thing I have planned right now is a goal of when to finish 100 EZ Lessons, including how many lessons need to be done per day to finish when I want to--and that plan is just in my head. And being constantly adjusted, based on how we do on a daily basis.

[Tami]

For hands on stuff I look at the upcoming chapters in science and history to see if I don't have something on hand. I add what I need to my shopping list. I get what is needed when I do my food shopping. On Friday morning I make a list of books I want to get at the library (Friday we go to the library).

 

See, I do the same thing, only I look ahead for the whole year instead of a week or two, and buy it all at one time. I'm lazy. :D

 

I have also found it best to record things after we do them, and that is what I am going to this year. Isn't it amazing how those reading lists add up over the course of the year.

 

It seems like those who have literature-based or textbook based curriculums can get by with the least amount of planning. That is something to keep in the back of my head when new homeschoolers who don't like to plan and who are looking for curriculum suggestions. Please correct me if I'm wrong.

 

It just blesses me that there is a method, style, and rhythm that works best for each of us - it's not a one-size-fits-all deal. If you are a "wing-it" gal, enjoy your flexibility. Don't let the 'Planners' on the board steal your joy, gals! You keep doing what's working for you.

 

I bet you don't even menu plan, and you still manage to get a meal on the table. :D Hats off to you!!! :grouphug:

[Ellie]

That would be me.

 

Except for the two years I did KONOS, I mostly just looked through stuff I was using to see where it was going and did the next thing each day. When I was almost finished with something, I looked for the next thing and did that.

[kzdaisy]

I would like to plan but I always feel like I am behind.So I buy my books and I put it in my book as done after we do it.Do the next thing and keep plugging away!!

[iwka]

As for planning, this was the biggest blessing today:

http://69.93.14.99/library/scheduling.htm

[ElizabethB]

I bet you don't even menu plan, and you still manage to get a meal on the table. :D Hats off to you!!! :grouphug:

 

I didn't menu plan!

 

Now, with some food allergies, I have to do some menu planning.

 

For a period of 6 months or so, I was on a very restricted rotation diet, my meals were 100% planned out and 99% yucky. (The quail was pretty good, and my son would eat the millet flour pancakes with me, they were OK.)

 

I mainly get out the meat we will be eating and fix something around that.

[SquirrellyMama]

I tried making grand plans but I am so bad at it. I was writing lesson plans for science when I realized that maybe we'd really like insects and work longer on that chapter or maybe we'd want to spend more time on China than another country in geography. I was getting all upset and threw my plans away. Maybe I was trying to make plan too far out. I should probably stick with a week or two. I see people on here that make semester plans. I cannot do that. What if I want to deviate from the plan?

 

This drives my dh nuts. He's a planner.

[JoyfulMama]

This is exactly how I think. I want learning to be a little more natural than do page 27 on XYZ day (spend 15 minutes). It is my way of making our homeschool look less schoolish.

 

When I do my relaxed planning, I look at what I want to do by "the end", whether it be by the end of a time period, or a book, or whatever. Writing it down gives me some accountability to myself, and also allows me not to forget the great ideas I had way back in the beginning!

So I do a simple notebook page for each "topic". There are no time periods on it to start, but it gives me some timeline or backbone to work with. On it I can basically an outline of what I want to make sure we include (and note where the idea was from, as I usually need to go back to it at some point). This simply allows me not to rely on my memory, and to see things in black and white (which helps me).

I found that this allows me to move through each topic at it's own pace.

[kamom]

I could never figure out how someone can write out lesson plans! For a whole year ahead.:w00t: So what do you do then if someone gets sick or surprise visit from aunt or grandparents or hubby wants you along for the day etc. etc. etc???

This is how I plan. I figure out what we want to use and then I take a look at app. how many times a week it needs to be done. Then I take a sheet of paper or two and make up a schedule of what subjects we will do at what time of the day. It take me a couple tries to get the day flowing nicely. Then we do our schedule if nothing comes up. Usually by the end of the year everything gets done.

Sometimes I notice one something will not get finished so we do more pages a day. I keep in mind if we take off two weeks to vacation we have to start earlier, put more days in when we usually wouldn't or make up for it somewhere else.

Sometimes I keep notes on what we've done to help me with my state reports, usually I just sit down, go through the books and write down what we got done.

[Oakblossoms]

I think the memory thing is a big one for me currently. I used to be able to remember everything. But, adding that fourth child has put me over the edge. I need something to help. I actually got a binder out for myself this year. I'm going to put my "plans" in there and if I find something that would work for a certain week, I can put it in there. We joined a VA, too. So, I need a place to keep track of our stuff for monthly reports. I'm really enjoying this conversation.

 

I don't meal plan either. We pretty much eat the same regular meals. I have a dollar limit for my trips. Then I make a few bigger meals and my last few meals of the week are based on leftovers or pantry items.

[Lovedtodeath]

I'm not a planner. I carefully select books, but I don't write down any plans or outlines. I crack the books and we work. We are done when we are done. We take days off when needed. We plug along.

 

It works for me. :001_smile:

:iagree:So far this is us... but we are still early in the game.