when do you start looking over/planning out your curriculum for next year?

[Gamom3]

I have already purchased 99.9% of our curriculum for next year. I don't even want to look at it at the moment. When do you start looking over it/planning out things?

 

How do you go about planning out for next year...software, self made program, homeschool forms, schedule books???

[Brindee]

I'm pretty much done for next year, and just purchased something I felt was a good deal for the NEXT year after. Well, we might do some of it next year, actually. I usually start in January/February looking.

 

I write a list of things my kids need, do research on what's best to fit those needs, and write info. down. Then I figure out out we want, and start looking for a good price for it.

 

By May I'm usually pretty much done and ready to go for the next year. I usually end up with too much stuff--just in case we go through something more quickly, and just in case something I picked doesn't go over well.

 

Then I start looking through things and organizing how we'll use them. Then finally I'll try to set up a weekly plan to get through what we have for the year. I do that over the summer sometime..........OR the night before I want to start school! ;)

[kangato3]

Our school year begins in August and finishes at the end of May. I usually start planning out what I want to purchase around March/April. If there are any spring specials, I'll order curriculum early in spring; otherwise, I order around May so I can make room for the new stuff. Once school is done, I take a week to organize my finished materials. Then I start planning for the new year. I plan about a subject a week throughout the summer. Last week before school starts is for photocopying and prepping materials.

[TraceyS/FL]

I'm buying the bulk next week, and we will start on what i get then - and the rest when it shows up (BJUP order).

 

We school year round, and are ready for some new stuff!!

[ncmomo3]

Everything has been purchased and I am about 90% through the mapping out some of the subjects-like how many days/week each will take. I haven't started making my copies yet. Right now I am up to my eyeballs in trying to figured out weekly schedules--ugh!

This is the FIRST year(this is our 4th) that I am this far ahead of the game.

 

I used Homeschool Tracker last year, but honestly it just is too cumbersome for me. Dh taught me how to set up spreadsheets on excel so I am feeling sooo 2008:lol:.

So now I have set up all of my schedules on word and my grading and attendance on excel. It just seems to work better for me and it has forced me to be a bit more techy --which honestly is still quite pitiful!

[Jackie in NE]

I've been planning/buying since January. For my oldest (8th grade), I need quite a jump in order to stay ahead of her. It is harder, imho, as they get older.

 

Also, it is easier for us financially if I can kind of spread out my hsing purchases.

[elegantlion]

I have several years very loosely planned. I start the detail planning about January. I am getting ready to purchase some things this week. Generally I like to have ordered by now so I can prepare and still have time to enjoy our summer.

[Tabitha]

I usually start doing stuff in Jan., and by March I am buying for the next year.

 

However, we just moved from MFW over to HOD...so lots of the planning is done for me. We get it done as we can each day. We just started our new programs this week, will go light in the summer, and pick up speed in the fall again.

 

My kids are horrid when they go 2 weeks with no school. So, we'll be doing school work about 2-3 days a week over the summer.

[Ravin]

Looking over/planning out started about 5 years ago.

[Closeacademy]

When do you start looking over it/planning out things?

Our year goes from June until May. I figure out what we want to teach in January then buy everything over the next few months. Although items like the next level of Singapore Math, I may buy before I start looking at the next year because I know we will use it.

 

As items come in, I go through them and set up our schedule.

 

How do you go about planning out for next year...software, self made program, homeschool forms, schedule books?

 

I use loose-leaf paper, a box of sharp pencils and a large binder. The first thing I do is take out 11 sheets of paper and label the units or months: Jan, Feb, March, April, May/June, June/July, Aug, Sept, Oct., and Nov. are our main units but I have a page for Dec. too but we only do catch-up and Christmas stuff that month.

 

On these pieces of paper I write down what I want to cover that month. For August this year I have:

 

3rd grade

WISE Lists A, B, C and D

Grammar Nouns using Ruth Heller's book and the worksheets I made

Stories Creation, Adam and Eve

Composition Slanted Narrative--story told from a point of view of one of the characters

Science the water cycle using My Pals are Here

Latin Minimus Chapter 8

Math Time

SOTW Chapters 36-39 Reformation through Macbeth

 

1st grade

Rod and Staff Reading 1 Unit 2

Math Time

 

Once I have 10 months plus December divided into what topics we want to touch on, I go through each month and cross off any time when we do not want to do school and mark special fun school weeks. This should give me a good idea of how much time we have each month. We usually have 3 to 4 weeks each month. We like to take every 4 to 8th week off and have fun school where we do a lapbook or projects.

 

Then I go through and write down in pencil (all of this is done in pencil so when it changes it can be easily erased) what I want to do each day that month. So for each month I have 4 to 5 weekly sheets of paper where I write down the dates and then I fill in what we will do each day.

 

Behind each weekly page, I put any worksheets, information pages and as we get closer to date copywork pages that we will do that week. This makes things almost pick up and go when it comes time to do school.

 

I've been using this system for a couple of years now but it has slowly evolved. The unit idea is the newest componet and really works well. It keeps us on track and helps to keep things new. I do like to plan and it probably takes me a few weeks to pull everything together and get it the way that I believe it will work best.

 

I hope you find a wonderful system that works for you.:001_smile:

[Trivium Academy]

Our school year has been starting in July, although this coming year it will be in September. I buy curriculum in January-February with leftover funds from Christmas, this allows me to plan and explore the new items as I please instead of feeling rush. I focus on one subject at a time.

 

Subjects I don't have to plan b/c I can use the "do the next thing" approach:

- Bible (Explorer's Bible Study)

- Phonics (Explode the Code)

- Spelling after Phonics (Simply Spelling)

- French (Écoutez, Parlez French Program)

- LA/Writing (Primary Language Lessons)

- Math (Horizons)

Subjects I do plan out in some capacity:

- History (Tapestry of Grace)

- Science (I create our own studies)

- Poetry (pick poems from The Harp and Laurel Wreath, figure out teaching elements to focus on)

- Books to read throughout the year

- Art and music

 

Planning for an entire year at a time turned out to be inefficient for me, I tend to get bored and but feel like since I took the time to plan things out I should follow-through. I'm aware of my own failings in this area and have decided to plan a quarter (9-10 weeks) at a time to help keep MY creative juices flowing through the year. I also realized we need something NEW in January to help motivate us after the Christmas break.

 

Science is my pet subject, it is one area where I individualize and make mistakes without truly hurting my children's overall education, so I truly make it my own which is a joy for me in the planning stages and very rewarding in the implementation process with the kids. I probably work the most in this subject in regards to planning and researching- but for us it is worth it.

 

I enjoy having time to get to know any new products I purchase in January/February and plan as I wish. Planning with Tapestry in the structure of a quarter at a time allows me to bring my enthusiasm and creative juices closer to the time in which we'll be using the work I put into it. This is just one of the reasons why Tapestry fits us well, I can depend on it's overall structure while being able to have an opportunity to develop our own path.

 

I hope this helps, I'm always looking for better and more efficient ways to use my time and talents. Right now this is working for us.

[G5052]

I'm buying the art portion for my younger one today. I'm a "do the next thing" homeschooler with a quick check at the end of each month to make sure we're progressing, so that's it until mid-August when we start full force.

 

I have a rough idea of the following year and am beginning to watch for things although what I'm going to do with my older one is going to be up in the air until a year or so from now because I may not be able to put him into the upper level of Classical Conversations as I would like to. We (mom and kids) may hit a curriculum fair in July to look at a few things.

[Mrs. Readsalot]

I am always thinking about where we are heading.

I tend to order most of our materials for next year in the Spring.

Our year runs September to June

Over summer I will look over the ordered materials and collect what notebooks, binder etc we will need.

I plan history myself so I spend a lot of time on that in the summer. I love planning history so it is fun to plan.

[Paisley Hedgehog]

nm

[Jumping In Puddles]

This is my first year planning curriculum and I'm glad I started early.

 

About 2 weeks ago, I ordered my curriculum materials and not all of it has arrived. I want time to look over all of the materials and I like to be prepared.

 

One thing that I already have from the library that I did not order is The Ordinary Parents Guide to Reading. I'm looking it over and will probably keep checking it out from the library. If that isn't possible, I'll order a copy and photocopy a weeks worth of lessons from the library book for the wait.

[Carmen_and_Company]

We school year round, thus I'm purchasing and planning year-round. We do have somewhat of a beginning of the year that begins after the fall High Holy Days mid-September or early October. That's when we begin a new level in Latin, a new rotation of history, and a new focus in science.

 

Right now, I'm assessing the year, as we hit the mid-point, to determine our direction for the fall. I LOVE planning, but hat following any type of schedule--lol. I'm a pick-up & go type of person and do not schedule outside of how many lessons a week in maths, or how many pages in our history spine that need completing per day. So, I'm always on the lookout for materials that fit into how we like to hs-- reading driven, rigorous, interesting, simple to emplement, and with short days.

 

As far as official planning goes, I plan all the time, every day, even for high school for my current 4th & 5th graders along with potential colleges. My plans also change frequently but not in any major way. Now, scheduling is an ugly monster in it's own category that I use HsT to do for me. I kind of schedule after the fact-grin. I plug in our stuff into HsT tracker at a pace I think is viable, and play with moving lessons backward or forward as we move through the year.

 

Most of the materials I plan to use next school term I already have on hand, as I purchase materials I know I want to use when I see the item at rock bottom price. For instance, I knew I wanted 5th grade DD to use Dolciani or Foerster texts after Singapore Maths and began purchasing used texts & TMs when she was in 1st grade--lol.

 

I write a general overview for classical studies/history, and do whatever the dc wish for science. This year we will add in AO science spines, and use AO's schedule for using the Synge texts.

[Mad Jenny Flint]

I have just wrapped up my purchases for next year and will be planning in earnest starting either today or tomorrow. I have actually come up with loose plans for all subjects, including science (except experiments), but am lacking plans for history and geography. So, those time intensive buggers will take the bulk of my time tomorrow. :)

 

I usually buy throughout the year and then plan for the next fall in the spring. Then, if I find I need something else, I can look for it at our local hs convention in July. Planning is my favorite part; but what I have to watch out for is overwhelming myself with my grandiose schemes for "next year." When next year comes, I find myself saying "what was I thinking?" So, last year I planned along more of a minimalist approach and it has been better. This year I will do the same.

[riada]

I usually start to mull over all our options in March, make my orders in April, and then I start to plan the lessons in June. May is my month off, :). I have used homeschool tracker for the past three years for planning and am pleased with it.

[Beth in Central TX]

I purchase my books for next school year (which begins in August) in March & April. I have a template for our school calendar in Excel, and I verify the dates I want to school and the dates I want to take off. In April & May, I looked through each book and make a rough schedule of how each book will be completed next year. In June & July, I input a more detailed schedule into Edu-Track for each boy. By August 1st I'm ready to go. At that point, I print out a weekly schedule for each boy from Edu-Track. I usually don't have to think about scheduling again until I start planning for the next school year again.

[Isa]

I buy materials all throughout the year for the following year or two. In this way I can take advantages of better prices (through the used curriculum boards). It also helps to have most of the materials ready for the following year ahead of time.

 

In terms of planning, I used Homeschool Tracker two years ago and I really liked it, but it did take up some time to set up. This past year I took it week by week and was a lot looser because we had a number of things going on (a move, a miscarriage, a pregnancy, & adding little ones to a morning schedule). The year has gone very well.

 

For this coming year, I'd like to set up a schedule that's planned out at least a month ahead of time. It'll be more of a list of things to get done as opposed to a timed schedule (I'm due in August).

 

I have heard of a neat system that I haven't implemented yet. It involves getting one folder with at least 6 pockets. Each pocket is for a different subject. Before the week starts, you put all of that week's subject assignments and worksheets in that pocket. The idea is to have everything in one place, so all a child has to do is open up his folder and everything for the week will be in it. It's a way to save time and erase any doubt about what is expected.

[Dayle in Guatemala]

I order things throughout the year as we are looking to finish the books we are working on. In other words, right now, my dd13 is just finishing up LLATL gray so I've already ordered her American Literature course. When it arrives, I will start looking through it and planning it out for her. Because of this, my dc can be working on two different grade levels at one time in different subjects.

[Annie Laurie]

I just finished purchasing the rest of what I need and am waiting on it right now. We start in June and I cut it way too close this year, so next year I'll buy all my materials in February or March because it's taking me awhile to schedule everything. I have too many different IGs to refer to (SL P4/5 IG, SL LA K IG, MFW ADV IG, SL core 7 IG, etc), so I'm trying to put them all together in one core schedule for me to follow, I have a category for each child and their individual work and then subjects that we do together with several kids. I just made a table in Word, Excel gives me a headache. Dh thinks Excel is so much easier but I can't deal with it.

[Kay in Cal]

Well, it's May, so I've bought all my books for next year (the first step, right?) and I'm reading all next year's curriculum to get ready to plan.

 

Our year begins in August... so I choose curriculum in Feb/Mar, purchase in April, think in May (check out different schedules, read all the materials, brainstorm), plan in June (make a spreadsheet for the whole year, as well as our weekly schedule), rest in July, start in August.

 

Then I avoid thinking about curriculum for the next few months, until February rolls around again.

[Rhonda in TX]

I look for used books off and on all the time. We use lots of literature, so I'm always on the lookout for those.

 

I start scheduling once I've figured out what we're going to use. I know how much time I want to spend each day on school and I go from there, fitting subjects in, stretching them out or condensing.

 

I use spreadsheets for an overall look at the school year, but I'm going to use Homeschool Tracker next year for our daily schedule. I love their daily assignment sheets. I used to make those by hand, but I didn't like having to fill everything in, and if I filled them out ahead of time, it was difficult to adjust. HST will make that easier.

 

I'm a compulsive planner, but I think I've finally figured out what works for me. :)

[Mommy2BeautifulGirls]

We were using Calvert this year without supplementing, so we just had one purchase last year. However, this year we're using a different approach, because my daughter's knowledge is all over the place. She is reading at a much higher level than she should be at, and it's too hard using an all-inclusive curriculum like Calvert. I don't want to move her up in everything, just reading. I need something that will better allow me to work at her pace.

 

We already have our SOTW items and our science books for next year. We're going to be doing the notebook animal study throughout the summer, as my 4-year-old is so into animals. She has already started an animal science book like Diego has! This will also give me plenty of time to read SOTW on my own, since I'm lacking in the ancient history department.

 

I have it all planned out that I'm getting some used material from a couple different sources now, making a Rainbow Resource order in June, ordering our language arts materials in July, and going back-to-school shopping for supplies in August. I think our target start date is going to be August 18th. Currently I'm making a running list of needed items as they come up, such as glue, construction paper, colored file folders, Kumon workbooks, word wall, etc. Doing it this way doesn't seem so overwhelming and is easier on the wallet!

[Mommy2BeautifulGirls]

I'm going to be doing most of my planning in a good, old-fashioned paper planbook. However, I also have a free program for the Mac called Planbook that I will probably also put the info in, so that I can print off a copy for my daughter. Even though she is only 4, she still really likes to know what is expected of her. She will often ask me to make her a list for cleaning up the playroom. If I really like the program, I may switch to it for next year.

[Claire in NM]

We homeschool year round. Because of this I do not restrict my school year by grade. If one of my kids wants to get ahead, I let them. They do the work, but at a faster rate and only if they are understanding and demonstrating what they have learned.

 

Although I do have a general idea of my kids course of study several years in advance, I usually finalize a list of our course of study a year in advance, but I try not to purchase items until a couple of months in advance.

 

As for choice of curriculum, I keep my eyes and ears open. If there is a parent raving about a certain curriculum, I listen. I make a note of it. The recommendation may be of a subject that my kids will be studying or of a subject they would need to study until several years later. As they get nearer to starting that curriculum, I research it.

 

I heard a mom rave about Hewill LL. I looked into it and found it to be a good fit in our homeschool. I was using Saxon, but I saw the need for my ds to be exposed to lectures. Because I didn't have the time to give a lecture, I was looking for a math program that would fill this need. I checked out several homeschool forums and found that many who were using Teaching Textbooks found their format to be thorough. I looked into it and found that it is an excellent curriculum.

 

I also try to tailor our course of study to the interests of my ds and dd. My ds loves computers, so I've included computer programming. He wanted to learn Spanish, so I've incorporated it into our homeschool. My dd likes art, so we focus on concepts of art and include trips to art museums.

 

I keep a lesson plan book. This is a 5 subject spiral bound notebook. For each day, I write the lesson they did and the objective for that lesson. I write out a report on each child every quarter (in this case, every 4 months) and summarize what they've learned, what difficulties they've had, how I tried to work out their difficulties, a statement of how they overcame the difficulty, and a final evaluation of the work they did, i.e. a grade. This is combined into a portfolio. I keep a calendar of their school year making sure we complete the required number of school days.

 

This is what works for me. I use curriculum that gets the job done. Sometimes I have to tweak resulting in us getting a little bit behind, but in the end, it works.

[Narrow Gate Academy]

I have already purchased 99.9% of our curriculum for next year. I don't even want to look at it at the moment. When do you start looking over it/planning out things?

 

How do you go about planning out for next year...software, self made program, homeschool forms, schedule books???

 

I do the bulk of my planning starting the end of May when school is out through the month of June. This includes developing our daily schedule and writing up assignment sheets for those do the next thing type curriculum. For subjects that require more planning like history where I preread the books and set up a schedule or unit studies that I plan myself, I try to start as soon as possible. This year, I got started on history in April by determining what resources my library had available and picked up the first books to start prereading last Friday.

 

As far as what I use, it's generally forms that I make either in word or excel although I do look at the forms from donnayoung.org for ideas.

 

HTH

[mcconnellboys]

I'm a paper and pencil gal, so I use a plan book. I've put a bunch of my stuff down already, but still have some other things to finish up over the summer.

[paula j]

I usually start planning and buying in Jan or Feb but if I find something that I'm sure I will need at a really good price before then I'll go ahead and buy it. I try to get as many things as I can in good used shape, then what I haven't found I usually order new in April or May when the new catalogs come out.

 

I usually go through everything and start planning and scheduling about the time I finish up the current year. I am doing this right now, clearing off bookcases and putting all the new stuff out so it is easy for me to grab as I need it for planning.

[Cindy in AR]

I have bought everything for next year but now I'm reconsidering some things. My daughter says she hates English. I am using BJU English. So I might try LLATL with her and drop the BJU English & BJU Reading.

 

Cindy

[Kim in SouthGa]

We start our new year the 2nd Monday in July. I use a combination of things. I have a weekly page for the kiddos with their assignments on them. I have a plain old Day at a Glance book I use to jot down notes. I use the notes section in the back of this to write down how often/pages per day/etc. for each book we use. Then I convert that to a weekly schedule (ie, do spelling four days a week, logic twice a week, etc). Then I write in the kids daily assignments on their pages. This year I am going to try to do better about setting goals. I have not in the past, and I am seeing some things fall through the cracks, like memorizing states and capitols, memory verses, etc.

hth,

[GreenKitty]

I've planned things out several years ago, all grades and what to use. Though none is set in stone until the year before and I buy the curric. It's fun to look at all the goodies and plan:)

[Jenny in Florida]

I have two more orders due in today (B&N) and tomorrow (Rainbow). All I have left to buy is Latin, which I'll order from Book Depository once my husband gives me the go-ahead (probably in late June).

 

Our last week of school ends May 30. Once we're officially done for this year and I have everything (except Latin, which I can plan separately) on hand, I'll sit down and start writing lesson plans for next year.

 

In previous years, I've done this while my kids were busy in day camps and summer activities, and it usually takes me about three weeks. This year, they'll both be home and underfoot most of the summer, and I won't have the luxury of quiet time alone in bookstore cafes to think. So, it may take a while longer.

 

Here's a link to a post from my blog showing samples of my weekly lesson plans: http://tweakedacademy.blogspot.com/2007/07/how-do-you-write-your-lesson-plans.html

[NewHomeSchoolMarm]

Summer time is planning time for me... I usually grab all of my TM's and gently read through them in the month of July. By August, I really start making a plan and doing all of my photocopying, cutting, pasting, whatever so that September is smooth.

 

HTH...NHSM

[Geo]

I'm better at planning and buying than executing. So, having said that, I start around March.:001_huh:

 

Geo

[DSAcademy]

Was I the only one who gleefully read the thread title as, "When do you start over planning your curriculum for next year?"

 

Well...I started over planning six months before we started homeschooling.I made up binders for each dc with subsections for:

 

1. Learning Objectives - overall actualization goals & yearly academic ones.

 

2. Strengths/Weaknesses - highlighting learning/teaching style preferences.

 

3. My Priority Subjects - each subdivided with lesson plans and outcomes.

 

4. DC Chosen Subjects - areas the dc want to explore with their mind maps.

 

5. Calendars - monthly calendars cross-referenced to #3 and yearly calendars outlining estimated time lines for big picture outcomes in each subject area until 2014.

 

6. Reality Bites - a black and white transparency overlay line drawing of me covered with symbols for my goals/needs placed on top of a colourful self portrait of each dc with pictures of their hopes/dreams - to remind myself that I'm here to facilitate their goals/needs - not my own.

 

Appendix - Favourite Poems and Chinese take-out menus.

 

Four months into our adventure - I have learned the value of erasers!

[SkateLeft]

I start planning once I start getting bored with what we're doing in the current year. ;)

 

I've been tossing around ideas for next year since about February (which is when I got bored, I guess!), but I refuse to cement anything until I get my 2nd edition copy of The Latin Centered Curriculum. :D

 

Near the end of each year, the kids and I chat about what we think worked and didn't, what they want more of or less of, and we toss around we'll do the next year. Then we start planning from there.

[Jenny in Atl]

I'm just waiting for that nice little check from Uncle Sam to finish the last chunk. I do most planning in the winter. I like leaving the summer to light school in the AM and the pool after lunch. We went for the second time this week. The water is too cold for me, but it still feels nice to sit pool side with a good bk.