grow not weary

Wow, I totally ditched you in February for week three of my brilliant idea. Do you want excuses? Not really?

I did have something planned to share--I'll eventually post it once I get my mind around it. Parenting and homeschooling is a sanctifying work. God is ever-changing me. Sometimes refining by straightening a photo or adding a potted plant. Sometimes doing a complete, down to the studs remodel. Sometimes the only solution is a bulldozer.

So. Here we are. April's end. I should be thinking about planning next year. Truth is, I'm always planning next year. I guess technically I'll have students in grades 2, 4, 6 and 8--although for a homeschooler those lines blur and you kinda forget that they exist and you just start to see your kids as themselves. They excel in one area and need focused attention in another. So when you ask, don't be surprised by the blank stare until I remember how I'm supposed to answer.

Next year I'm putting everyone on the same history rotation. We'll have the core readings and then everyone will have their own independent readings in that same time period. I'll give each child some choices in this area and let them follow their interests.

Science will be by Apologia. General Science for my oldest and Astronomy for everyone else. We'll be in our homeschool co-op for labs each week which will be a nice addition.

Literature will go much the same. I'll probably introduce formal grammar for my thirteen-year-old.

I'll plan more consistent dictation with my eleven-year-old. I'll probably help her make her own book of centuries too.

Things will be much the same for my nine-year-old. She will probably take on more of her own reading and maybe dabble in written narrations (but it's still early for that so I'll just start suggesting and encouraging and see what she does with it). May I'll add some dictations since she's been asking for them all year.

My six-year-old (who will be seven by then) may graduate from Handwriting without Tears and start his own copywork book. I hope will be an independent reader by then. I'll still read the bulk of his history, science, and literature to him and ask for narrations.

So that's the plan for 2012/2013. Easy peasy, lemon squeezy.

Well, there are still book selections and purchases. A book of centuries and dictation notebook to be printed and assembled. A grammar program to research and review. And assessments and notification paperwork for the district. And since it looks like I may be actually teaching the General Science co-op, there are a years worth of lesson plans and my own reading to do as well! But other than that...