Making Mid-Year Adjustments

In two weeks, we'll usher in a new year.
With bells, whistles, toasts, and well wishes another year will start.
The new year promises much to many:
a new start
a chance to do things better
a fresh year

But, it isn't really a new school year for most of us. The majority of us will be about half-way through our school year when 2013 begins. However, just because you are half way through a school year, it doesn't mean you can't make any changes or make things better. It doesn't mean you can't have a fresh start in your homeschool.

In the following two weeks, evaluate your school year.
How is it going? Be honest.

Are you and your children in a comfortable routine?
Do they still have an excitement for learning?
Are your children challenged, but progressing well?
- or -
Have the days become laborious?
Is there more stress and strain than joy?
Is your schedule cramped, allowing no time for hobbies or free time?

Aren't sure? Ask your children. They will give you valuable feed back.

Perhaps your days are a combination of good and bad.
Some variation is normal. On the other hand, if you find your school year is slowly (or quickly) crumbling into a monotony of strain with no joy, then might I suggest you make a change?

Find out what is wrong.
Do you need to change your curriculum, approach, or method?
Do you simply need to slow down and find a better rhythm for your days?
Do you just need this Christmas break to refuel and refresh yourselves?

Make a change.
Take that needed break.
Alter your schedule or lesson plans.
Chose a new curriculum, approach or method.

Whether you need to make any changes or not, a mid-year review is always beneficial. After all, how will you know if your homeschool needs adjustments or not, if you don't evaluate it from time to time? A mid-year break offers an ideal time to evaluate and make adjustments.

Seeds of Wisdom - Changes in Our Homeschools

It is the season of change. Autumn leaves change and fall. Trees begin to lay barren to the chilling air, and no one can deny, another season will soon be upon us. The same may be true of our homeschools. There may be change in the air there as well.

Depending on when you started your year, your family may have already completed 1/4 to 1/3 of your school year. Is there anything that you had to change or adjust in that time? How did you know a change was necessary?




Aurie ~ We haven't changed too much since we started in September. We have a basic schedule that we follow {bible, language arts, math} and then fit in other areas as needed. Since we are interest led, I only plan 2 weeks ahead, which has really helped me not feel bound to a schedule or plan.

Beth ~ Yes, we have had to change since the beginning of the school year. Having children with special needs, I have to look for creative ways to teach them because in our house, traditional methods won't always do. And, I am okay with that. We are focusing less on seat work and more on hands on learning. Because ultimately, everything we are teaching them is preparing them to DO something.

Jessica ~ We took a day for student-teacher conferences after the first quarter of the year. Based on our discussions, we changed several things. Two children are now using different math and language arts programs. We also devised a new way to organize materials for my sixth grader so he can have more autonomy in managing his own work. It's been several weeks since those changes and they feel like good decisions. One of the greatest blessings of homeschooling has been the ability to change what isn't working. I can't imagine all the learning that could have been lost if my child were suffering through a year of poor fit in a classroom setting.

Seeds of Wisdom - The Children's Favorite Part

You've read our responses to a few evaluating the school year questions, today you will be treated to our children's responses. We are asking our children: What was your favorite part of the current school year?




Tracy ~
‎3 yr. old: "Hmmm. Let me see...Doing school on the computer." [our free trial of Reading Eggs]
‎5 yr. old: "Math!" (And I can't tell you how warm and fuzzy that made me, since math has definitely been our most challenging subject this year.)

Sam ~

Christian (14): Listening to mom read the stories from Trail Guide To Learning.

Hannah (12): Reading and Copywork with Trail Guide To Learning.

Noah (9): Drawing stories from Daniel Boone.

Emma (7): Doing the activities from Trail Guide To Learning.

Evan (5): Math.

Leah (4): Daniel Boone

Marla ~

Abigail: "when we counted and then got treats"

Ralene ~

Alana: "Playing art!"
Kyra: "My favorite part was when we were watching our math shows." (I'm not sure if she meant the Math-U-See teaching videos, or the LeapFrog videos.)

Jessica ~

‎1st grader: "I like math, phonics new learning, space, learning about the center of the Earth...and I like learning about plants and nature. Subtraction and telling time were the best."

‎3rd grader: "Read-out-louds are my favorite; they are so fun.  Johnny Tremain and The Journeyman were some I really liked listening to. Also I didn't know that sound can't travel in space - that's amazing."

‎5th Grader: "My favorite part is the family time; there is really a difference from regular school. I like being able to be with my family so much instead of just part of the evenings. I love being able to play with my brother. As far ...as what we've studied, I would say the read-out-loud books as well. It's so fun to eat breakfast while your mother reads to you. I've loved my individual reading assignments this year, too, like Om-Kas-Toe because I was fascinated to learn how Indians lived. You can weave that into your play time by making games out of what you have learned."

Dorie ~

7th grader: visiting the science museum

5th grader: reading historically set books, particularly the ones from Daughters of Faith Series 

3rd grader: reading and studying the Bible

Preschooler: playing alphabet memory and reading My Very First Encyclopedia with Winnie the Pooh and Friends: Nature
(a book given to us by a fellow homeschooling mom)

What was your child's (or children's) favorite part of the school year? 

Seeds of Wisdom - Making Changes

Last week, we shared "our best of times, worst of times" moments. Today we are talking change. What is something you plan to change for your next homeschooling year?





Jessica - We will be changing our language arts and possibly our math programs for next year. I love the language arts we have been using, but my two sons feel very differently about it. We need something with a tighter structure, less creative writing and more disciplined grammar work. We have all liked the math we have been using but I feel we could find a better fit and I would like to find something that has a meatier self-guided bent for my oldest son. We are also considering taking a much shorter summer break and moving closer to schooling 'year round' so that we can take shorter breaks when we need and want to. This would be especially helpful during our busiest times on the farm (planting and harvest), through the holidays, or when the opportunity for a trip pops up.

Ralene - My girls will be in first grade next year. We will be adding new subjects like science, geography, and character study to our curriculum. I look forward to using Confessions of a Homeschooler's Expedition Earth series, and some of Amanda Bennett's Download'N'Go unit studies.

Tracy - We will be beginning Tapestry of Grace next year, which means I'll be experimenting a lot with our schedule and am hoping to find a balance between structured and less-structured learning.

Marla - This summer, we will be adding our first purchased curriculum to our homeschool routine. Abigail will be starting Horizons kindergarten math. I love creating my own curriculum and it has been great for us so far, but I think Abigail will really benefit from the addition of Horizons.

Sam - This coming year I plan to change my mindset. In much the same way I had to cement in my head that homeschooling was permanent for us, the third time around, I am doing the same thing with curriculum. We now know what works and doesn't work for us. There will be no shopping for better. We love what we use for the younger kids, and our oldest has also found his niche. Aside from reviews I will be doing, all curriculum decisions have been made, and are solid.

Seeds of Wisdom - Homeschooling Highlights and Challenges

"It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness, it was the epoch of belief, it was the epoch of incredulity, it was the season of Light, it was the season of Darkness, it was the spring of hope, it was the winter of despair, we had everything before us, we had nothing before us..."
~ Charles Dickens, A Tale of Two Cities 

Homeschooling can sometimes feel like that introduction to A Tale of Two Cities.  Some days, we are reaching the mountain top and other times, well, we are trudging through the valley.  Today's discussion is in response to a two part question: What was the highlight (or favorite part) of your homeschool year? What was the most challenging (or least favorite part) of your homeschool year?

Marla ~ Seeing both of my girls learn has been the highlight of the year. They have both learned far more than I anticipated this year and it has been so cool to watch them learn and watch them get excited about their knowledge!

The biggest difficulty of this school year was homeschooling during our move. Trying to continue teaching my child through boxes, a month of living with family and in hotels, and while getting adjusted to our new home has been rough. We are still working on getting back into our homeschool routines, but we have managed to keep teaching/learning throughout our move.



Jessica ~ The highlight of our school year has been our history studies. We have been focusing on the earliest parts of American history (beginning before European discovery) and it has been so fun to watch the children play out famous scenes from history in their free time. Even when they aren't 'in school' they are applying and enjoying what they've learned.

The most difficult part of this year was schooling during the long hospitalization and eventual death of my mother-in-law. Even so, school was such a comforting anchor for us in the midst of everything. It allowed us a level of flexibility that enabled us to meet many more needs than we could have otherwise. It also gave the children a schedule open enough to participate in as much of the care of their grandmother as they desired. It was a difficult time for us, but not because of homeschooling - our family lifestyle made dealing with a difficult situation easier than it could have been.



Sam ~ Math has been our biggest hurdle this year, and finding the right fit {at least for now!} has been one of our biggest accomplishments.  This year I don't feel so new at this, and having more confidence has helped me tremendously!



Dorie ~ Our biggest challenge was maintaining a momentum.  We had several major {beyond our control} unscheduled breaks in our school year that negatively impacted our motivation.  It has been a struggle that is finally ending.  Our highlight has been seeing our children's creativity develop.  Watching them try new things, express their ideas, and create art in many forms has been beautiful. 



Tracy ~ My highlights have come during our challenges—homeschooling through morning-sickness and the birth of our third child has presented a lot of challenges this year. The highlight has been seeing the kids learn when I've least expected it. It doesn't necessarily take organized crafts and well-planned lessons; sometimes learning can just happen.



Ralene ~ The highlight of my school year was whenever I saw my children apply what they had learned in their lives. Whether it be me catching them singing some of the songs we learned to their animals or when they come up and tell me that they were going to do something they weren't supposed to, but then they remembered their Bible verses and did the right thing.

The most challenging was dealing with Alana's struggles with school and her attitude when she wasn't getting something right away.



What was your highlight or challenge in homeschooling this year?

Wrapping Up Your Year

Wrapping up your homeschool year for the first time can be a bit confusing. When do I finish? What do I keep? What's next?

When do I finish?
In Kentucky, I am required to educate 180 days. We are doing school year-round, and will surpass that by a lot. I don't judge school to be over by days, as much as getting our main curriculum finished. I don't feel the same way about math however.

I sometimes start a new book for math in the middle of the year. Sometimes we aren't finished with our math and use the same book going into the new school year. Since our break isn't that long, if we have switched mid-year it is better to stay on track anyway.

What do I keep?
Go through your child's work, pick some of their best work to keep in a portfolio, and keep some work that shows their growth for the year, like handwriting comparisons. Not only will that show you are teaching, but will serve as a way for your child to see just how much they have grown over the year.

What's next?
This would also be a great time to really sit back and assess the year before moving forward with next year. Don't wait to do this after your break, if you take one. Your mind won't be as fresh with things you want to remember or do differently next year.

Some things to consider:

• Was the curriculum a good fit?
• Was the grade level appropriate?
• Did your schedule work well for your family?
• Discuss with your child what things he may want to learn more about next year.
• Are you happy with your planning/grading system?
• What electives would you like to include?
• Where are your weaknesses?
• What are your strengths?

Write your thoughts down! Have them ready when you go to order curriculum for the next school year.

Perhaps you need to sell all of your curriculum and start from scratch-write down why you felt the curriculum didn't work for your family. That will help you find a better fit next time.

If you can, find a local homeschool convention to refresh your homeschool batteries and look through curriculum. Having a book in your hand will be much more helpful than looking at a small preview online.

Our break is very short, less than a month, and I spend a lot of time planning our year, clearing out shelves, filing school work and getting acquainted with our new curriculum. Nothing feels worse than being unprepared!

Pat yourself on the back, you just gave your children one of the best gifts you can give them-time. Time with family, time with you, time to be a kid. You deserve some chocolate!!

Sam is a Christian homeschooling mom of six, married to Rick, her high school sweetheart. Rick was called to be a preacher, Samantha was called to homeschool, and loves blogging about their journey. She is interested in Bible study, photography, exercise, organizing, and sweet tea. You can find Samantha blogging at Sam’s Noggin. She also writes for The Curriculum Choice.

Seeds of Wisdom - Learning Along with Our Children

As we approach the end of another school year, it is a great time to evaluate our academic years. Each Friday, during the month of April, we will share a little about our current homeschooling years.

Today, we are discussing:
What is something interesting you learned while teaching your children this school year? 

Ralene - I learned that a child is willing to learn anything as long as you put it to music or in a game. :)

Tracy - I've learned just how much a child can learn! I have to constantly remind myself not to put limits on what I think they are capable of because they are always surprising me.

Sam - This year I have learned to stick with what I love, and not question what works for us. I'm in the process of unsubscribing to a lot of companies that only want to sell me things, instead of helping me as a homeschooler.

Jessica - I have learned so much about American History this year! It has reaffirmed many of my personal views and reignited the passionate side of my patriotism. It is amazing that a story you already know can be so fresh and invigorating - no wonder we all like to read our favorite books or watch our favorite movies over again. There were so many details about the American Revolution that I had forgotten or never really understood before our studies this year.

Marla - I have learned a lot of cool facts about animals during our animal studies. It is so cool that teaching your child can help you learn too!

Dorie - Teaching our oldest informal logic has taught me a lot about how people communicate and draw conclusions.  {And, I thought it was going to be a dry subject that I would have to feign interest in!}

And, now we'd love to hear from you...
What is something interesting you learned while teaching your children this school year?  It could be a historical fact, way to teach, something about child development, or anything new-to-you.