Dreaming About Our Next Homeschooling Year

It's that time of year when we start dreaming about what our next homeschooling year. Spring is often the time when homeschooling parents start thinking about what they are going to included, add or remove in the next year.

For me, it's like a switch that flips when March rolls around.

This is the point in the year when I START planning our next year of homeschooling. It’s a time when I reflect on our year, and I start dreaming about what next year might look like.

The dreaming part is probably one of my favourite parts of the year because everything is an option. The problem is narrowing things down to a realistic goal for the year.

We like to involve our kids in the dreaming process since it gives them some ownership in the learning process. But if you feel overwhelmed with all the planning, let me walk you through my dreaming and planning process.

Reflect - Take some time to reflect on your past year of homeschooling. Make a list of what worked, what didn't, what you want to change or take out and what you might want to add in.

Research - Start with a little research. Make lists of what curriculum you already love, companies that you like or are interested in and what types of units of topics they have available.

Family Meeting - Have a family meeting and ask the kids what they want to learn about next year. Offer up possible topics from your research lists but also write down some of their suggestions. Giving kids a sense of ownership in their learning.

Research again - Once you've got a more complete list of interests and topics, it's time to go back and do a little more research. This time the research is a little more in depth. What science program or unit are you going to choose for the human anatomy unit the kids asked for.

Final decisions and shopping - Once you've made your final decisions, it's time to shop! Or at least get on some email lists and wait for the next sale.

Enjoy the dreaming process!