In my last post, I showed you how I plan the majority of our homeschool year with a “do the next thing” system. (Click here to read that post.) However, for some subjects we choose not to use a structured curriculum or resource.
July 2018
Welcome to part two of my homeschool planning series in which I attempt to write many words describing a painfully simple process. (If you missed Part 1: Big Picture Planning, click here to read it!) Once again, I want to throw it out there that this is not a post for people who need beautiful planners, loads of cute stickers, and marathon planning sessions drafting out the details of every week of the school year. No. This is a post for people who want to get the job done quickly and without stress, and who need a lot of flexibility in their homeschool year.
How I Plan My Homeschool Part 1: The Big Picture
This post may contain affiliate links. Please read my disclosure statement for more information.
I keep getting asked to write a planning post. I get it–it’s the end of summer, it’s really exciting, and planning posts are all you see on Instagram right now. I’m not sure how to tell you this, but…my homeschool planning is super un-pretty. It’s incredibly anti-climatic. And it’s a far cry from Insta-worthy.
In my last two posts, I shared with you my favorite elements from the Charlotte Mason approach (click here to read) and the Waldorf approach (click here to read.) Many people find that these two approaches compliment each other very well, especially when given flexibility and an open mind concerning educational philosophies. Here’s how that looks for us:
In my last post, I described our relaxed, eclectic homeschool approach as a recipe–one that starts with a Charlotte Mason and Waldorf foundation, throws in a a generous helping of unit studies, sprinkles in some classical education, and occasionally gets ignored in favor of periodic unschooling. This recipe also changes often with seasons, interests, and with the phases in our lives. We are far from purists of any of these approaches, choosing rather to take what we love about each and combine them in a way that fits our homeschool rhythm perfectly.
This post may contain affiliate links. Please read my disclosure statement for more information.
Like many homeschoolers, we embrace an eclectic approach that combines multiple philosophies or approaches. I often describe our homeschool as a kind of ever-morphing stew that starts with a base of Charlotte Mason and Waldorf, throws in a heaping spoonful of unit studies, stirs in some classical education, and occasionally gets ignored in favor of periodic unschooling. And it’s always changing–sometimes with the seasons, sometimes with our interests, and sometimes because life happens and we are okay with adapting as needed.