Sometimes—even among the most experienced homeschoolers—the best laid plans can go awry. What do you do when it becomes clear that updating your homeschool plans mid-year will be necessary?
First, do not be alarmed. We have all been there and have felt that twinge of panic. You will get through this and your homeschool will emerge better than ever.
You may have varied reasons for needing {wanting} an overhaul. Is your basic routine no longer working? Has there been a major change in employment, family dynamics, or outside influences? Or do you simply feel something is missing or “off” in your curriculum?
While some of these scenarios may present more challenges than others, ultimately moving forward with updating your homeschool plans mid-year will look very similar regardless of your initial motivation.
Contents
How Did We Get Here?
In our situation, we intentionally did not plan for more than a few months out at the beginning of our homeschool year. We still had limited access to libraries, and we weren’t sure what things were going to look like pandemic-wise, so it was impossible to make arrangements for field trips and outings and potential classes and travel.
You may have felt this way, too. I mean, how do you organize an entire school year with so many factors up in the air? Or perhaps you thought you had it all figured out, but burnout set in and now you need a transition plan to make it through spring.
Truthfully, we were probably due for a regrouping somewhere around Thanksgiving {or maybe even earlier} based on what we had planned at the start. However, we had gotten in a rut where we just kind of kept muddling along even though we didn’t really have a clear plan.
With January just around the corner, the new year seems like a great time to re-focus our efforts. So, after having completed approximately six months of the homeschool year {our start date this year was Monday 15 June} we wrapped up our current agenda just before Christmas and will be initiating our re-set next week.
While a few materials and topics will carry over, for the most part we will begin with a whole new collection of spine books and a revised plan for addressing topics. Since planning the homeschool year is my absolute favorite thing, I am really excited about the possibilities for 2021.
General Notes About Moving Forward
I should reiterate before we go further that our re-set is by choice. We underplanned because we were hoping for some respite from staying home doing nothing all the time, or at least a light at the end of the tunnel where we could glimpse some degree of normal. That clearly has not happened.
However, our homeschool is progressing much as it would have been sans pandemic. This is our tenth year of educating at home, so we aren’t exactly new at this. We’ve schooled through deployments, during cross-country moves, while temporarily living with relatives, and more.
Sure, we had to curb trips out and meetups with other humans, but for the most part we have not suffered from major setbacks or a loss of resources. We are extremely fortunate in that sense.
Admittedly this post is mostly going to resonate with families who were already comfortably homeschooling pre-plague—those of you updating your homeschool plans mid-year because you have the freedom to consider options.
My goal here is two-fold:
- to reassure you that everything will be okay, and that change is expected and good.
- to offer examples of our own modifications, and hopefully spark a few new ideas.
{If you have spent any time at all reading this blog, you know that sharing book recommendations is pretty much my entire jam.}
As I have pointed out previously, I post our ideas and book and curriculum choices—and subsequent changes to those choices—to illustrate the fluidity of homeschooling. I write follow-up posts detailing our successes and failures and changes we made midstream to show this is not a flaw of homeschooling to be fixed, but a feature to be celebrated.
What’s Working? What’s Not?
When evaluating the homeschool year, always start with what is working. Decide what you want to keep—what is chugging along smoothly—and use it to anchor your ideas. Updating your homeschool plans mid-year does not mean you need to re-invent the wheel.
At the same time, don’t be afraid to ditch ideas that no longer spark joy, so to speak. The whole point of considering new methods and resources is to ensure your homeschool continually grows and thrives.
Where Do We Go Now?
Each of the following sections briefly outlines the changes we intend to make going forward. In some cases they are very minor, while for others we will be approaching the subject from an entirely new perspective.
Probably the biggest change is that for most subjects {with the exception of math and language arts} we are reverting back to the use of spine books. A spine is simply one main text that provides overall structure and pace for each topic covered. Like a primary textbook, without the boring vibes.
We will be supplementing these spine books with a few known entities {i.e., authors we have read and trusted for years}. Of course we will eventually expand to other authors and titles, but for now we are keeping our circle of choices small.
Math
For Agent A {4th} and Agent J {7th} not much will change as far as math curriculum. They are finishing up several workbooks and will simply continue to move forward with them until completion.
Our original plan was to have Agent E {9th} work through the Algebra 1 and Geometry textbooks our local public school uses. However, this did not work out the way we had envisioned.
While the books are comprehensive and will serve as a useful reference, for day-to-day practice of skills they just aren’t exactly what we wanted. Instead we are going back to a series we have used in the past {Practice Makes Perfect}, which are more succinct and provide much clearer explanations and easier to follow examples.
Practice Makes Perfect Algebra
Practice Makes Perfect Geometry
Language Arts
As with math, much of our current language arts written work will not change. The Agents will complete their current workbooks in the next month or two, so we will re-evaluate then.
I intended all along to make this year more focused on writing than grammar, and to some extent that has played out, but we likely will still be re-evaluating on the go.
Honestly, I feel we have spent a lot of time on grammar, and I am kind of over it for now. Also, I’m not sure it is useful to waste our time on grammatical rules and spelling and the like, as all three Agents seem to pick up the necessary skills naturally by the sheer amount of independent reading they do.
Something we haven’t covered for a while but we would like to get back to is reading poetry and plays. We’ll start with some old favorites like Shel Silverstein and a few classic plays by Shakespeare and then branch out from there. {We also plan to reread the Iliad and the Odyssey, as indicated below.} We will take a look at some biographies of famous writers for inspiration.
While we do not have a spine for this subject, we put the following books on our to-read list so far. Time permitting, I would also like to introduce the Agents to the works of Edgar Allen Poe {something we have not covered at all yet} and make more of an effort to include female poets {something I struggle with due to lack of exposure in my own education}.
A Light in the Attic
Everything On It
Falling Up
Where the Sidewalk Ends
Tales From Shakespeare
Lives of the Writers: Comedies, Tragedies {and What the Neighbors Thought}
Geography
After briefly considering delving into a detailed study of the 50 states, we decided to turn our attention to world geography instead. The Agents and I have visited 14 different countries {technically Agent A has visited one fewer, as we went to Germany during my pregnancy} and hope to increase that number once international travel becomes a feasible option again.
Our chosen spine covers every country briefly, providing quick stats, a map, and an overview of languages and key cultural notes and customs. We plan to supplement with individual texts about as many countries as we can, although we don’t yet know exactly what these resources will look like.
We almost ended up choosing the Where on Earth Atlas as our spine, but instead went with Our World in Pictures. I felt that it more clearly exemplified our desire to focus on human geography this go around. Both of these texts are magnificent, though, and we hope to work through each of them before the end of the year.
Countries of the World: Our World in Pictures
Children Just Like Me
Countries of the World: An Atlas With Attitude
Where On Earth Atlas
American History
For American history this time around, we plan to change up our usual order of things and start with more recent events. Instead of our typical timeline—where we begin with colonial America and proceed more or less in chronological order—we will skip to the end of our spine book and start after the second world war.
I feel like our study of the last 50-75 years of American history always seems to get short-changed in our curriculum. By starting instead at the mid-1940s, we will get to explore more recent US history in a way we haven’t in the past.
Along with the primary texts listed below, we hope to have time to focus on some of the foundational documents {specifically, the Constitution} and civics-related books outlined in our recent post of American History resources.
American History: A Visual Encyclopedia
American Immigration: Our History, Our Stories
Do All Indians Live in Tipis? Questions and Answers From the National Museum of the American Indian
World History
As with American history, when we attempt to study world history chronologically, we burn out too quickly and never really get to the last few decades. Therefore, we also plan to approach world history by starting with milestones of the previous 50-75 years and then working back from there.
For both world and American history, I would also like to start including more biographies of less-familiar figures who built our nation and world {i.e., non-white, non-male voices}. This is a work in progress {hence why there is only one book in addition to our spine listed below} and as we discover favorites they will likely be the topic of a future resources post.
History Year by Year: The History of the World From the Stone Age to the Digital Age
Lives of Extraordinary Women: Rulers, Rebels {and What the Neighbors Thought}
Science
Science has always been the subject where we follow the most rabbit holes. We often have difficulty narrowing down what we want to do in any given year.
At the beginning of this year, we wanted to concentrate on ecosystems and life on earth in different habitats. However, I felt that we never really got in-depth enough with any particular type of animal or plant or even any particular habitat. It was too broad and we were never able to rein it in.
So for the next few months we’re going to look specifically at the oceans, completing a detailed study of our blue planet and all the life contained within. I know; another hugely broad topic, but trust that in my brain it makes more sense because I have a gorgeous spine book to keep me on target.
We will {of course} re-read some of our favorite science books by Seymour Simon and Basher Books, and hopefully find some new go-to series along the way.
{And if you think we will not be re-watching every single episode of Octonauts—that we are past that stage and it’s too young for our current student body—you would be absolutely, 100% wrong.}
Ocean: A Visual Encyclopedia
Global Warming
Icebergs and Glaciers
Oceans
Sea Creatures
Oceans: Making Waves
Planet Earth: What Planet Are You On?
Climate Change: A Hot Topic
Creative Haven Fanciful Sea Life Coloring Book
{Yes that last one is “just” a coloring book. It’s not even a coloring book with informative text that attempts to teach you something. It is literally just to add a fun, relaxing component to the Agents’ table work rotation. I’ll probably be wishing I had purchased an extra copy for me.}
Health and Sex Ed
Every two years or so, we complete a detailed study of the human body. We already have a very lovely spine book that we bought several years ago and we will be using it again.
Additionally, I would love to have the Senior Agents read Neil Shubin’s Your Inner Fish: A Journey Into the 3.5-Billion-Year History of the Human Body {although it probably wouldn’t work well as a read aloud}.
Human Body: A Visual Encyclopedia
The Human Body
Bones: Our Skeletal System
The Brain: Our Nervous System
Eyes and Ears
Guts: Our Digestive System
The Heart: Our Circulatory System
Lungs: Your Respiratory System
Muscles: Our Muscular System
Human Body: A Book With Guts
In addition to studying the human body in general, we will also spend significant time on reproductive health and sex education specifically. The collection of books by Robie H. Harris listed below has been a favorite of ours for many years.
This is such an important topic for kids and teens to be comfortable with. It’s not just enough to know the basics of human anatomy and “where babies come from.” It’s also about understanding consent, and not being afraid to talk about subjects that make some people uneasy {like abortion}.
We have never shied away from discussing the reproductive system or reproductive health or any questions they had about sex or sexuality. My 10-year-old son knows more about periods and pregnancy and women’s health in general than most Republican congressmen. {No lies here; don’t @ me.}
It’s Not the Stork: A Book About Girls, Boys, Babies, Bodies, Families, and Friends
It’s So Amazing: A Book About Eggs, Sperm, Birth, Babies, and Families
It’s Perfectly Normal: A Book About Changing Bodies, Growing Up, Sex, and Sexual Health
The Arts
We have decided to go with a more comprehensive look at “the arts” as a whole. Our chosen spine covers the typical famous painters and composers, but also addresses sculpture, photography, and dance. We also plan to re-read select books from Mike Venezia‘s collections on artists and composers.
The Arts: A Visual Encyclopedia
Getting to Know the World’s Greatest Artists
Getting to Know the World’s Greatest Composers
Mythology
We plan to begin the year with a re-read of The Iliad and The Odyssey, and then move into a study of Norse mythology.
Greek mythology has long been a favorite, and this will actually be our third {I think} read through of the Iliad and the Odyssey. While we have looked at different retellings, for this year we will use these particular books written by Gillian Cross and beautifully illustrated by Neil Packer.
The Norse mythology book is one of Donna Napoli and Christina Balit’s stunning books; in previous homeschool years we have read the Greek, Egyptian, and Old Testament versions.
The Iliad
The Odyssey
Treasury of Norse Mythology
World Religions
We are trying a new-to-us book for studying world religions this year. I like this book because it gets more in depth with comparing and contrasting all of the similarities between the major world religions. It also has an introductory section that looks at the roots of Greek, Egyptian, and Norse mythology and how those worldviews affected {and continue to affect} different religions practiced around the world today.
The religions covered in this text include Bahá’í, Buddhism, Christianity, Confucianism, Hinduism, Islam, Jainism, Judaism, Taoism, Shinto, Sikhism, and Zoroastrianism. My only complaint {if there would be one with this book} is that it does not address paganism or other earth-centered practices. However, we remain on the lookout for a comprehensive book on that topic.
12 Major World Religions: The Beliefs, Rituals, and Traditions of Humanity’s Most Influential Faiths
Have you found yourself updating your homeschool plans mid-year? What changes will you be introducing to your secular homeschooling in 2021?
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