Step 5: Step by step

In this post, I am going to go through my planning for Katie’s school year, step by step. In my last post, I talked about “chunking,” which is how I decide where each child is in their learning journey. In our family, we do not do anything with rigidity. Everything is subject to change, and it DOES quite often. Life can throw some unexpected (to us!) curveballs. What I prefer to do, is make a routine, not a schedule. With a schedule, if I miss a day, I am “behind.” With a routine, if I miss a day, I can jump right back in where I left off. No guilt, no problem.

NOTE: As you follow me through this, please do not feel like you have to do the same thing as I do. My planning method may seem completely harebrained to many type A personality moms. That’s okay. 🙂 Find a method of planning that fits your needs. Don’t worry. Don’t feel under qualified or anxious.

This is my #1 tip for moms who come to me for a curriculum/homeschooling consultation: Just like your curriculum choice needs to be something that you are going to stick with, your planning method has to be something that doesn’t make your heart quake with dread. If you know that you will HATE (and therefore procrastinate about) your planning in the middle of the post-Christmas break “I don’t wanna’s,” then don’t start with it in September! Back up and read that last (albeit, long!) sentence. Find a doable method that doesn’t take up your entire life!

The surest way to dive headfirst into BURNOUT is to load yourself and your children up with ridiculous expectations. Burnout is caused by the feeling of failure to complete what you think you need to complete. So, please please do not do that to yourself! More is not better. More is just…more.

Ok, so here we go! I am going to actually post a short slideshow of pictures of my planning process. Remember, this is the last step of planning. The praying steps are the most important.