My girls are 11 (12 in November), 6, and 3 this year so I have a middle schooler, an early elementary student, and a preschooler to plan for. My plan is to incorporate a lot of unit studies and journaling this year since they can easily accommodate a wide age range and a wide range of topics.
Since we tend to do a lot of student-led learning in our household, I don't like to over plan in case my kids' interests end up shifting mid-year. This is another reason we tend to incorporate a lot of journaling- it works well with just about any topic and doesn't require a lot of planning ahead of time. We do sit down and do some basic planning and shopping for the new school year each summer though. Here is our tentative plan for this year:
Science
For the last several years we've picked one broad science topic as a yearlong theme. Spending time on a single topic on and off all year long allows us to dive in really deep. Topics we've done in previous years are birds, geologic history, and space. This year the girls chose weather. Some of the subtopics we plan on visiting throughout the year are types of weather, types of precipitation, the water cycle, extreme weather (tornados, hurricanes, etc...), weather tracking, forecasting, the effect the seasons have on weather, types of clouds, and weird weather phenomena. I'll be putting together most of our weather units myself using books, YouTube videos, printables, and science experiments. So far, we picked out these books:
-National Geographic Kids- Everything Weather
-National Geographic Little Kids First Big Book of Weather
and this cool cloud resource from Mother Natured:
In addition to weather, the girls want to learn about reptiles and amphibians this year so I will be putting together a short unit study for next spring. Wild Earth Lab has a really cool printable Tree Frog STEM Pack that I might try to incorporate. We will also be doing our usual nature study and nature journaling whenever the opportunities arise.
Social Studies
We did a state history unit a few years ago, back when we lived in California, but since we now live in Texas, I want to do a Texas history unit this year. I am still looking around for resources though. So far I've found a couple great YouTube videos.
In addition to Texas state history, my 11-year-old picked out a couple Tuttle Twins books to read during the year:
-The Tuttle Twins and the Education Vacation
-The Tuttle Twins and the Hyperinflation Devastation
And I am reading the first few Little House books by Laura Ingalls Wilder to my 6-year-old this year. We are already halfway through Little House in the Big Woods and she is loving it!
Writing
For writing this year we are doing a lot of journaling. My 11-year-old has been helping me make customized journaling sheets for her and her sister on the Canva app all summer. We made zoo animal journaling sheets, plant observation sheets, insect observation sheets, some general nature journaling sheets, sheets for taking notes and doodling about books we're reading, and just some basic journaling sheets for miscellaneous topics.
The plan is to print out sheets as needed and keep them in a binder for each girl to work on. I love journaling because it works great for a wide age range without tons of work and planning on my part. And my kids love journaling because they can pick the topics and there's always space for sketches and doodles.
Reading
I generally let my kids choose their own books to read. My 11-year-old is currently working on the first Harry Potter book and has set a goal to read the entire series this year, so that should keep her pretty busy.
My 6-year-old is still learning to read. She is pretty close to having the letter sounds mastered, so my plan is to introduce some common sight words this year and to continue working on phonics. I also bought her a couple Bobs Books sets to work on when she feels ready. I love Bob Books for beginning readers because they are truly for kids who are just beginning their reading journey unlike most other "early reader" type books on the market.
Math
My 11 year old is a kinesthetic learner, so I really try hard to find math resources that are hands on. This year we are trying these math journaling books from Carson Dellosa:
-Interactive Math Notebook, Grade 6
-Interactive Math Notebook, Grade 1
They aren't a complete curriculum, which is good for us because we like to incorporate lots of different types of learning and lessons, but they will serve as a jumping off point and a way to record notes for some of the math skills we are planning to cover this year.
My 11-year-old also has a math logic and puzzle book she started working on last year called Do the Math! that she enjoys, so she will continue to do activities in it this year. It has lots of activities that focus on pre-algebra skills but in the form of games and puzzles instead of worksheets. Other math skills I plan on working with her on this year are calculations involving fractions and decimals, area and volume, and conversions within and between the metric and imperial systems.
My 6-year-old will be starting with counting past 20, and single-digit addition and subtraction this year. She actually enjoys worksheets, especially math worksheets, so we will just follow her lead and see how far we get this year.
We will also be practicing our math skills in the kitchen and by budgeting for projects and with other "real world" type lessons like we always do.
Art
As always, we will likely find lots of art and craft projects to dive into this year. Art is a subject I don't have to do much planning for, as my kids tend to gravitate towards it on their own. One thing we all want to do more of this year is YouTube watercolor lessons. We will also be working on our nature journals and phenology wheels.
(If your curious what a phenology wheel is check out this post: Make a Phenology Wheel- A Fun Way to Study Seasonal Change)
Life Skills
We signed up to join our local Barefoot University Forest School program this year. We will be meeting once a week with a group of other homeschooling families for nature hikes, free play, and to learn nature based skills. Most of the families in the group are from the co-op group we were involved with earlier this year, so the kids are excited to get to learn with their friends again.
My Preschooler
I don't do much in the way of formal learning for preschool. My 3 year old will join in on crafts and other projects when she is interested. Other than that we will just continue to read picture books together, do lots of coloring and painting, and spend lots of time playing and exploring outside.
You can read more about how my family handles the preschool years here.
What are your plans for the year?
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