Back to School

It is time for a new homeschooling year to begin. For some, it is the first year of homeschooling and nervousness has set in. For others who have homeschooled for 8, 10, 15 years, there is a little nagging desire to take a year off and send the children to Christian school. Mom needs a break, right? It is time for all of us to get the Lord's vision for our homeschools. When we have God's vision for our lives, and we trust for His grace to flow freely, then we are able to faint not, not grow weary, fail not to complete the race, and many other sayings that describe how Christians complete their assigned courses.

Here are some back-to-school ideas that may inspire you:

• Seeking the Lord: Take a week off from all other activities. Pull back from busyness, draw near to the Lord with a daily time of worship, prayer and studying the Word of God.
  
  
• Begin to plan your upcoming homeschooling year with a "What I Want to Accomplish This Year" list. Write down everything you would like to accomplish this year for each child; don't forget to include character building, skill building, and good habit development for those weak areas. Pray over this list every day and write down ideas as to how you might accomplish these goals.
  
  
• Pull out all the homeschooling materials that you would like to use this year. If you don't have any homeschooling materials yet, pull out your catalogs and circle the resources you would like to use and mark the pages with sticky notes of flags.
  
  
• Pray over these materials, asking the Lord to show you how to use each one to meet each child's needs.
  
  
• Make a Homeschooling Resource List for each child with child's name and grade at the top. This will go in your child's portfolio. Be specific about the materials listed including title, publisher, year, author, etc.
  
  
• Make a list of all materials that you feel you need to purchase or acquire in the next few weeks. Be very specific and include supplies of all kinds including software, school supplies, organizational tools, and so on.
  
  
• Create a "Teacher's Notebook" for yourself. You will want to keep copies your Resource Lists, "What I Want to Accomplish This Year" list, Mission Statements, lesson plans and whatever else you create in this notebook. You could use diveders and have one section for each child. If you multi-level teach, you might want to have one section for each subject or unit study.
  
  
• Create, download or purchase lesson plan forms. Free Lesson Plan Worksheet in .xls format.
  
  
• Create a weekly schedule for your child so they have a framework for their daily work. If their schedule is the same every day, only create one schedule. Here is a sample 5th Grade schedule.
  
  
• Submit your work so far to your husband for his review and prayer. Wait for his input before proceeding any further.
  
  
• After receiving your husband's input and comments, make any changes to your plans so far and order materials, books, resources, and go shopping for school supplies.
  
  
• When you receive your new resources, take time to read through them thoroughly making notes and using sticky notes to help you when you begin schooling your children. Do not skip this process. This is where you learn to homeschool. This is the beginning of your education as a homeschooling mom. You are also setting an example of learning passion. Watch the attitude you display during this stage.
  
  
• Decide where you will keep homeschooling resources and set up an organizational system for keeping them orderly. You will want to require that your children put away all homeschooling materials before changing gears when school is over each day. This will make your life and your home more pleasant.
  
  
• Time to create your daily schedule. Be very realistic. You can start by listing everything you want to accomplish Monday through Friday. Put a time beside each task. Make adjustments and pray over this schedule. You will want to make adjustments as you begin homeschooling. One excellent resource is Managers of Their Homes. This resource was designed with homeschooling moms in mind by a homeschooling mom.
  
  
• Purchase or create a planner for yourself. You will want to keep appointments, fieldtrips, activities, special events, menus, chore schedules, and so on within this planner. This planner is your best friend. Make it work for you, not the other way around. You can find Free Chore Charts & Schedules at ADHD of the Christian Kind.
  
  
• Decide when you will begin school and make a plan for how you want the day to go. I highly recommend an orientation day. Make it fun, allow the children to decorate bookcovers, organize their school supplies, have an activity, and always start your day with prayer and a little time in the Word as a family. Believe me, this is vital to a successful homeschool environment. We all need the Word in our hearts, don't we?
  
  
• Okay, you did it! Whew!!! Ask your dh to pray for you in the weeks to come, and give him specific daily prayer requests for your family. This keeps him connected to what is going on in your homeschool.

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