If you haven't started planning yet, why not?

[mama25angels]

is it because:

 

It's too early to plan

 

I've taught this grade before, I got this

 

I've taught this grade before and I'm over it

 

I don't feel like planning

 

Other

 

Apparently, I'm poll challenged because I tried twice yesterday to set this up as a poll and it never showed up, lol

[Ethel Mertz]

Too early. Counting preK and K, it will be our 11th year homeschooling (for 9th grade). I already know what we'll be using. I'll probably get around to lesson planning this summer.

[8filltheheart]

I have a 12th grader and college stuff is taking up all my spare time. I will start planning next yr in June,

[SkateLeft]

I've homeschooled for something like 17+ years. It's just too early for me.

 

My kids have nearly half the school year left to grow and change, and that might alter any plan I make now. My 10th grader just took the ACT and once those grades come in, he'll apply for dual enrollment in the fall. So I don't even know what courses he'll need from me and what he might take at the community college.

 

I'm savoring what we're doing right now. Each year brings me closer to having fewer kids at home now, so I'm in no hurry to focus on the future!

[wehave8]

Too early.  We've just nestled in and have a lot to get done before the end of June!  I'll start thinking about next year at the CHAP convention (Lancaster, PA) first of June.  

 

I've been homeschooling since 1989, and I still 'don't got this.'    :)

 

Pam

[Tenaj]

Too early.  We're just slightly past the half-way point.  Our homeschool convention isn't until the end of April so I'll wait until a few weeks before that to really start planning next year.  I know from past experience that if I start planning for next year now, this year will fall apart!

[CadenceSophia]

Too early. We are still 7 months away from the start of next school year.

 

I'm not completely plan-less. I keep an amazon wish list for things I come across on here that seem like a good idea for next year so I can re-evaluate them when the time comes.

[fralala]

We school year-round, so I have mini- plan sessions but I found early that planning too much in advance (while enjoyable for a Type A like me) is generally a waste of time and money.

[Arcadia]

My kids are too difficult to plan for :lol:

My kids have mental fog time and mental spurt time. The only thing I plan is how much we are willing to spend on outsourced classes. My kids don't want me to teach so that budget is the most important. Then I have a list of outsourced classes that are widely recommended on these boards so once my kids decide on what subjects they want to focus on, I have a list for them to pick from.

[sweetpea3829]

Are we talking for next year?  It's WAY too early.

 

I mean, my ears are always open and I'm always looking at and exploring possible curriculum, but we need to finish this year first.  

 

Probably in late spring, I'll start to seriously consider which path we're going to take next year.  Normally, I wouldn't even do that until the summer, but because I have a kid moving into middle school next year, there will be a switch in quite a few different areas.  

[Bluegoat]

Too early!  I am still in the tick of this year.

[Peaceseeker]

I just plan all the time. There isn't a specific time of the year. I am constantly evaluating choices for future resources. We school year round and I homeschool at the pace of life, so there isn't always this feeling of a new school year. I had overall goals for our elementary journey and now for our middle school journey. So I always have the big picture in mind.

 

I have been lurking on the high school boards for a couple of years, getting a feel for high school resources. I keep a bullet journal full of future resource ideas roughly broken out by grade and subject to pull from when the need arises. I am a research lover though and I don't get overwhelmed by all the choices like some people do. I also love to browse curriculum fairs and used book sales or home school swaps and look at things in person I might want to use later. And snatch it up if I find a good deal!

Edited February 15, 2017 by CaliforniaDreaming

[HelenNotOfTroy]

We school year round and try to do a large amount of work in the summer, with the new school year starting in September, so I am not planning next year yet.

[MeaganS]

Combination of too early, we school year round so subjects finish and start at random times, and we're happy with what we have and will be doing the next thing.

 

I love planning though. I've been active on this forum since dd8 was 8 months old. And I have files on my computer several years old planning to middle school. Only about 25% of that stuck so far. So at any given point I'm planning some subject or another. I've just learned not to buy until we need it because I'll probably change my mind before then. ☺ï¸

 

And it didn't stop me from posting in the grade planning threads. But I'll probably go back and change them as we get closer.

Edited February 15, 2017 by Meagan S

[JudoMom]

I pretty much know what I'll be doing.  I'd rather take a nap than research/plan.  I've got a few things I'd like to order, but I mostly have all that we need until my youngest graduates.  

I'll write lesson plans over the summer.  

[melmichigan]

To early, and to depressing considering our monetary loss with Landry, and the cost of online classes in general. 

[RKWAcademy]

We haven't decided if they will go to ps next year.

[shinyhappypeople]

It's too early to formally plan anything.  Too much can change between now and September.  

[Another Lynn]

Like others, I keep a list of possibilities.  For my current 8th grader, I can't make any decisions until I see "co-op" offerings which won't be posted until late spring, so for her, it's too early.  For my youngest dd, I pretty much know what we'll do - kinda "I got this" I guess.  My 15yo ds and 11yo ds will do Challenge, so nothing to plan for them.   :glare:  :(

[stutterfish]

Yes planning because I have one child studying for exams and I need a distraction. I'm thinking if I do my planning now I might actually be able to have a few weeks off in summer for the first time in - well - forever. Unfortunately the new editions of the books I want to buy aren't going to be published until summer, so that is foiling my planning attempts!

[Farrar]

Too early unless you're talking about anything big picture or general musings like, maybe we'll do such and such next year or we'll need to change up math next year.

 

I try not to overthink and to be in the moment with my kids instead of looking ahead all the time. There's a way in which looking ahead too much can undermine what you're doing in the now. You stop even wanting to finish the perfectly good plans you had and instead want to start your next year's ideas. One way to head that off is don't spend so much time thinking about next year when it's many months away.

 

Also, I would argue it doesn't take months and months to plan. And work tends to fill the time. If you don't give it months and months, it won't take months and months.

[freelylearned]

I'm always kind of planning in the back of my head mainly so I can buy the books I want to keep as they go on sale. I like to spread the homeschool cost out throughout the year. 

 

My nitty-gritty planning happens in August, a few weeks before school starts.

[Spryte]

Too early.

[MerryAtHope]

Sniff...because my baby is graduating! I miss planning season!

 

(On the plus side, I'm going with her to talk to a college advisor on Thursday, so there's "college planning" to be done. It's just not the same...)

[CTVKath]

I'm always listening out for options and check them out when I hear about them. I keep a running list of options. My oldest is 7, though, so there's not a lot to do.

[2ndGenHomeschooler]

We're mostly continuing with the curriculum we're using just moving up a level so there's not a lot to plan really. My oldest will be in 8th next year so I imagine I'll start earlier next year as I'll need to start sorting through high school stuff.

[Garga]

I read this forum a lot.  I have a filing system online where I cut and paste links or posts that will apply to future grades.  So, in one way, I'm planning all the time.  I have a folder for each upcoming grade, and within that folder I have folders for every subject.  I also have a college folder that if it was paper, it would be bursting by now.  I have a ton of information for each grade in each subject.  When it's time to plan, I'm not starting from the ground up.  I already have all sorts of notes on various curric ideas.

 

I have a pretty good outline of what I'll be doing for my 10th grader next year as I knew I'd outsource three classes, and you have to sign up for outsourced, online classes in Jan/Feb.  He's signed up for 2 already.  The third's registration is later than most and I'll have to sign him up for that in March.  I've done the legwork of picking the online class, so planning for three of his 6 classes is done.   I did the online class planning over the Christmas vacation.

 

Other than the above, I don't have a lot of time.  For me, planning each subject takes 4 or so hours, per subject, per kid, except for ongoing curric.  For instance, I will continue with CLE for math, so there's no thought on that for my ds11.  But I will be changing his writing curric next year and I'll have to take time to research that.  

 

I haven't had a batch of time in a long time.  I homeschool from 8 in the morning until 4:30 or 5 at night, pretty actively.  I spend about 7 hours a week in the evenings and on weekends preparing lecture notes (and learning biology for myself), and about 2 hours doing things like photocopying papers and checking work and gathering science project supplies and making a schedule for the upcoming week.  So, I'm working a 6 day week.  It's hard to squeeze hours of planning into my day.  I prefer to do it all at once in a single week while the boys are on Easter vacation.

 

My goal is to have an idea of what curric I want to use in time for the curric fair in May.  If possible, I like to buy in person. I'll work on planning in April so that I'm ready by March.  Once I have bought the curric, I will spend a few weeks in the summer planning it all out.

Edited February 16, 2017 by Garga

[Wheres Toto]

We're running a little bit behind this year due to last year being totally crazy (deaths, job changes, etc.) and illness this year. We'll school year round so eventually we'll catch-up.   We basically just keep plugging along, buying a new year when they finish up the old one.   Most of our stuff is just do-the-next-thing so there's not a lot of planning involved.  I know what I need to buy and notes in their books about when to order.

 

We are doing Ancients for history but just started so that will take us at least 1/2 way through next year.  That's pretty much all planned out.

[Guest]

Only planning now for my high schooler and only because online classes and homeschool group classes almost all have registration in February. So I'm not sure if it's planning so much as registering plans already made. My pocketbook would appreciate if they waited until closer to April or May to have recovered from Christmas! But some of the courses fill ASAP, so I don't risk delaying. We registered for the WTMA class she's taking today and I have four more to register for over the following three weeks.

 

But, for my younger kids, no way. I would just be wasting time and money having no idea where they'll be at six months from now. 

[Ruthie in MS]

Considering we had a new baby less than two weeks ago, we haven't even started THIS semester yet. No worries though since we school year round. I have kind of a general plan for next year. I'm always on the lookout for curriculum for the next year and keep a running list for each child in my planner because Lord knows I never remember any of that.

[OneStepAtATime]

Cause I don't wanna. 😒

 

(Sick so I'm grumpy today).

[Runningmom80]

Do you mean lesson planning or curriculum decisions?

 

I don't lesson plan, but I am starting to try to get a vague outline of resources next year.  Mostly for my 10 year old to make sure we get the online options we want.  The second graders will be summer time decisions although I do have ideas.

[Um_2_4]

I have general outline of what I want for next year, but I'll make specific plans for each topic during our break (late may- mid july). We start back up in mid july.

[Shoes+Ships+SealingWax]

If we lived in the US & followed a traditional school year, I wouldn't be planning right now aside from "keep doing what's working this year".

 

We only visit the US one month a year, though & our "school year" runs May-March so this is crunch time!

[2_girls_mommy]

Planning for something months away when we are in the midst of girl scout cookie selling season and just weeks away from the National Latin exams????  

 

Not enough space in my brain with those two things on top of day to day homeschooling and dealing with a newly three year old! 

 

Though convention is coming up in a couple of months. Once I get through exams and cookie season my next two big events are a spring consignment sale that takes a lot of time and convention. I will at that time begin to read through WTM for next year's ideas and make a note of things I want to look at at convention. 

 

I'll be honest though. Besides Rod and Staff which doesn't do a lot online and a few places I like for art and paper supplies, I really do most of my ordering online. So I don't really have to have a big handle on what I want for the next year by spring anymore either.  And I don't need that much R&S anymore, so getting my lists ready for convention isn't as big a deal as it used to be. I used to have to get all the spelling, English, and math student and teacher texts each year for the oldest and restock on the workbooks and texts for the younger. These days, dd14 has finished most of their stuff. I do need a TM for English 9/10, and I have all of the texts and TMs to pass down to younger. I may even have all of her test booklets for next year. If I need any, it will be like one or two. sniff. My babies are growing up. I used to have a huge new pretty stack of pastel R&S from convention every year.  Rainbow Resouce and free shipping on big orders usually handles the rest.

 

Now for high school I mostly have actual books which just come from Amazon in the mail. :) 

[Elizabeth 2]

I want to do our annual testing first, if possible. The biggest regional convention isn't until April. The biggest reason for even going to it, for me, is getting my hands on our curriculum immediately. If I start researching more than three weeks ahead I just start getting option stressed.

[Guest]

ds is more the artistic type than the academic type right now, so we need to leave some breathing room for self-directed projects, musical instrument practice, spontaneous field trip and/or mentoring opportunities, etc.

 

I am also so over curriculum buying. There is enough on my shelves and hard drives that is either from his siblings or just purchased because it was dirt cheap or discarded by friends with older kids and I thought it was cool but couldn't afford it for his siblings 20-odd years ago. I could open a "homeschooling curriculum museum" by now.

 

Furthermore, what John Lennon said.

Edited February 17, 2017 by Guest

[Bluegoat]

ds is more the artistic type than the academic type right now, so we need to leave some breathing room for self-directed projects, musical instrument practice, spontaneous field trip and/or mentoring opportunities, etc.

 

I am also so over curriculum buying. There is enough on my shelves and hard drives that is either from his siblings or just purchased because it was dirt cheap or discarded by friends with older kids and I thought it was cool but couldn't afford it for his siblings 20-odd years ago. I could open a "homeschooling curriculum museum" by now.

 

Furthermore, what John Lennon said.

 

Yeah, this is me too.  At this point, I really have enough books, and curricula, to put together something that will do for my kids.  Increasingly, that's how I do things anyway, I don't really plan - we carry on through a text, and when we're done I pick what seems like the next thing to do.  We have more novels and non-fiction books than we can read, and the internet has free resources for most consumables.