How are your preparing yourself this summer for next school year?

[Wheres Toto]

I've spent this entire year feeling like we were behind.  2016 was completely insane with multiple deaths, having to help my mother, quitting my job and returning to teaching the kids myself, finding out they weren't where they should be, having someone in the house sick from January through April.   I've been feeling a lot of pressure to continue full school for the summer (only from myself, nobody else is pushing that).   We just came back from two weeks of camping and we had an extra, public schooled, child along for the trip.  I'm not feeling so much pressure anymore.   :001_rolleyes:

 

I've decided that we will continue with math (because otherwise they'll forget everything), and reading.  And that's it.   

 

In addition:

1.  I'll set up good, comprehensive plans for next year, instead of always feeling like I'm scrambling for the next thing.

2.  Clean and organize the whole house once and for all.  Get on a cleaning routine so little blips don't result in big messes.

3.  Work on building a habit of activity and exercise for ME.   I was loosely planning this before our trip.   I need to make it as easy as possible to fit in with the kids stuff.  I decided I'm going to take kick-boxing at their TKD studio that I can do while they are in their class (hopefully I can do this at my own pace to start).  I'm going to go kayaking while dd is at swim team practice.  I really enjoyed hiking on our trip, so I want to start hiking a couple times each week, probably in the morning before it gets hot.  We have multiple good hiking places close to home.  I want to restart doing yoga and Tai Chi at home, plus yoga a couple times a week at the Y.  This is probably my number one priority.

4.  Play more games with the kids

5.  Relax

 

[lulalu]

This year our summer is crazy busy with house guests, travel and life. So we have house guests until mid July, then a family vacation. My plan after guests is a whole house deep cleaning and organizing. Our room with homeschool stuff is our guest room at the moment so I will organize shelves and books at the end of July.

 

We are planning weekly trips to the beach. I need it to relax, my ds loves it and so I am making it a bigger priority.

 

Each week I am planning a "field trip" zoo, museum, art studio etc. Just to keep our hot days interesting.

 

We will continue phonics lessons all summer.

 

I am crocheting and knitting and sewing all summer. It refreshes me to do projects and calms me.

 

I would like to teach ds a handicraft this summer. I want him to pick though and haven't done that yet.

 

I am planning to listen to podcasts from Bravewriter, and Circe. Great to do while I work on a craft.

 

And I have a bunch of stuff to print off and organize.

 

Ordering read aloud books. Deciding what I will be reading aloud.

 

At this point those are my goals!

Edited June 4, 2017 by lolo

[Meriwether]

We've decided to stay in our current house...permanently.  :huh:  This wasn't our plan, but we can't seem to find an acreage here. Anything that would interest us enough to move is getting 6-7 offers on it the first day, sometimes before it is officially listed. We haven't had any luck in getting something. We do like our home, so it isn't a fate worse than death. We are just country people in a place where a place in the country is somewhat difficult.

Anyhow, our schoolroom is in the basement. It is okay, but it isn't wonderful. We've been here 5 years and just put up with things because we expected to move. Now we are renovating a bit. The nasty carpet is coming up and engineered hardwood is being put down - next week, I hope. We are putting built-ins around three sides at the far end where the couches and tv are. I'm excited about this. I think I will have half again as much shelving. This will probably take I'm getting rid of the pool table that took up the best part of the basement, the area by the windows and french door where there is natural light. And we are putting in can lights on the half of the basement that only had dim light from a ceiling fan. I'm getting each of the kids their own desks instead of having them all share the table. We'll keep the table for bigger projects and games. I'm going to work on permanently organizing the space in a way that I genuinely like.

I'm going to preread as much of the kids' TOG material as I can, as well the teacher's notes. I want to work through some of Dd14's Algebra II book. I would also like to prepare some memory books for the kids. I did this several years ago. They were similar to the Classical Conversations memory work books, but they were based on what we were studying. They were a bunch of work, but we did accomplish more memory work when I made them. I think I'll take Unit 1 along with me today and make some notes while I'm waiting at music lessons. I'm intrigued by the idea of Classical U, which I heard about for the first time reading this thread. I don't know if I will have either the time or the money to invest in something like that this summer with everything else going on.

Edited June 6, 2017 by Meriwether

[AimeeM]

Working through DD's algebra text and pre-reading her literature books.

 

Also working through TWSS and Teaching the Classics.