3 Things I Did To Make Homeschool Easier This Year

Homeschool

Aug 12

Let’s face it, homeschooling is hard! After our first year homeschooling last year, I knew I needed to put what I learned to good use to make this year a bit easier. Maybe this will help you too!!

I started researching for the next year in November and I started purchasing curriculum in December.

There are a lot of options when it comes to homeschool curriculum. Sometimes it can be a bit overwhelming, especially if you are just starting out. I started researching our option and pricing materials in November. That sounds a bit early but bear with me. Our goal was to begin purchasing the next year’s curriculum early so that we could buy it in bits and pieces, avoiding that one huge credit card bill. It worked out great! As a large family living on a single income, this was the only way we could purchase the types and quality of curriculum we wanted.

I planned the year’s dates (start date, end date, and breaks) and scheduled assignments for the entire year in Notion.

I knew I wanted to try to keep our school year to 30 weeks. That gives us plenty of wiggle room if we decide to take a spring break or if we have another week of standstill due to the flu (we lost two weeks to the flu last year!). I also knew that I wanted a week during Thanksgiving and three weeks at Christmas in case we decide to travel. This helped me plan our school year. Our start date is August 28th and our projected last day of school is April 25th (most subjects will actually be complete April 18th). I know that things will change and obstacles will come up so I hold these dates loosely. Having a plan lessens the stress on this Type A momma.

Once I had my dates set I entered every assignment, worksheet, exam, etc. in Notion. If you are unfamiliar with Notion, it is a productivity, note taking, task management, and much more web application. I discovered Notion in the middle of last year an immediately used it for listing each kiddo’s assignments for the week. I started planning ahead using their calendar feature and have been able to link everything up so that all I need to do is type in dates and Notion will pop out all of the assignments for those dates filtered by kid or whatever other filter I need. It has truly been the best homeschool planning tool I have found. Check it out here or by clinking the logo to the right.

Also, I wrote a bit more about how I use Notion for homeschool here.

I made all copies and labeled all worksheets, tests, and plans for the entire year before we started.

I learned last year that once we got started homeschool, all of my free time was taken up with grading! With that knowledge, I wanted to make sure that everything I could do in advance was done so that I had plenty of time to grade and help the kiddos with their work.

This means LOTS of copies! Every worksheet for every subject for the entire year was printed or copied, and labeled with the week it will be needed. All notebooks have been set up. All lessons planned. It has taken me most of the summer to get ready but I know that it will be well worth the effort.

Peace of mind and a bit of organization now will help with the stress and chaos that comes with the first few weeks of school. The more I can have prepared now, the easier things will be later.

Bonus: Something I am going to try this year

Homeschool Hall y’all! I LOVE Homeschool Hall! Read more about Homeschool Hall here.

One of their features that I hope to start using more this year is their calendar feature that will allow me to schedule ahead what we will be working on. If I can schedule each week’s assignments and lessons ahead of time, I will only need to enter grades during the week. Just another way to free up time for the nitty gritty that is grading the work of five children. :)

Check out all of the neat features of Homeschool Hall by clicking the logo to the left or here.

Be sure to use coupon code ZERO2FIVE for 20% off any plan!