Why do I plan for next year in the spring? Because I don’t want to loose my mind come August.
We are going into our official 10th year of learning at home. I have a track record of going completely bonkers come July and August. Questioning. Rethinking. Doubting. Researching. Asking others. Lack of sleep. IS . IT. ENOUGH? Rings through my mind. Are we doing the right thing? Going the right direction?
I’ll just save myself the trouble and answer those questions today – Yes, Yes, and Yes.
My Advice – Pick one area that is working for you. That you want to continue into the following years. For me, it has been Harmony Art Mom. We have worked through 3 of her Art programs, and so it makes sense to continue. By work – I mean really really enjoyed.
So I ordered the 7th and 10th grade packs – and lucky for me, they are just far enough apart to be on the same timeline. Same thing happened last year! We move forward to the Late Renaissance to Early Modern. I looked up the dates of each Artist and Composer, then looked at our World History Book. I see that we will cover the Age of Discovery, Renaissance, Reformation, French Revolution, Nationalism, Russian Revolution and bring us right up to about 1910.
After a bit of research, other companies call it the Early Modern World. I look for several Scope and Sequences to get book list ideas and areas to study. When one lines up with where our interests lie – I order it. This year it is the Creek Edge Press Task Cards. They will have one available for High School soon, but for now, I think the K-8 will give us a good start.
So, I can print out a rough draft of our subjects and courses. Many times, these will overlap during the day. I’ll look through the History topics and home country of the Artists and Composers to get ideas for our focus for Geography.
This really helps me out, even this rough sketch, as we launch into late spring and summer. Full color beautiful curriculum magazines are already arriving in the post. Homeschoolers are posting their schedules and book lists. Publishers are emailing us to ask us to review products. The TOS Crew is offering review products through the Summer. Focus. Does it meet the goal? Will it enhance our area of study?
Now as the offers come by and I browse my favorite used book store, I can have a direction in mind. I can also Breathe. Put away our curriculum from this year. Hold out the items we are still using once a week. Focus on just the TOS Review Crew Materials for a time, and rest. Rest knowing that our next year will flow as well as the last 9.
I created a Pintrest board for all of our choices. I do not have affiliates due to WordPress.Com rules – so feel free to purchase what ever you like from where ever you like. Harmony Art Mom’s links go to her Amazon Affiliate, and Creek Edge Press goes to theirs. I buy my books at Bob’s Beach Books in town.
+Angie Wright
Pebblekeeper 
I always planned the next year as we were finishing the current year so things could just continue from where we left off…continuing to build on where we were. It also helped me see that some of the things I wanted to do we should start over the summer or complete over the summer just so we could do all the “good” stuff. So excited to hear how your Harmony Fine Arts plans fit in with your year…thanks so much for sharing.
I did get the 10th Grade Art plan in my Amazon Cloud now, thanks. I feel so lucky that the boys are learning the same era. I think everyone should have kids 3-4 years apart now. Ha! My local book store is getting my book list pulled through the summer from used sources and my local Office Supply store has a beautiful art section and they are giving me a discount on the clay and supplies. It is so overwhelmingly beautiful and peaceful and – I feel so thankful when the year pulls together so easily.
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