While everyone else is wrapping up the school year, we’re just getting revved up. We do not have a dedicated classroom in the house, although I am working on that. Getting organized has been tough, but we seem to have hit upon a system that works for us. The kids like to be independent, but they also need a lot of structure and predictability — things that aren’t always easy for me to provide. I’ve been working on variations of this plan over the last year or two, but it appears that we’ve finally gotten things to click together and roll.

We use

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First, I write out my lesson plans. I like to do at least two or three weeks in a row, but if there’s a lot going on, I’ll do them a week at a time. I get a lot of my planning forms from The Home School Mom.

Next, I write out the daily assignments on an index card. I bought tons of these for about thirty cents a pack during the back to school sales. (Walgreens rocks.)

I like the Mead Flex Binders because they fold flat, and there are lots of pockets to put things in- like index cards. If there are any worksheets, quizzes, or activities to do — I have these photocopied and placed under the appropriate subject tab in the binder.

The binder, as well as anything else needed for the day — workbooks, manipulatives, craft supplies, etc — are placed in the plastic bin.

My youngest son has a

storage clipboard he likes to use. This is always kept in his box.

My son asks for his index card first thing in the morning, sometimes before breakfast. Because everything is all laid out, he can begin immediately. If there is a new concept being introduced or an activity I know he’ll need assistance with, I’ll note that on his card.

I’m not saying that this system is fool proof or that we’ve reached home schooling nirvana. However, this plan frees me up a bit and provides the structure and predictability my kiddos need.

Home-schooling started out as a temporary fix during my husband’s job change and our subsequent move, and it has now ended up as our lifestyle. Two of the main reasons we chose not to enroll them in public school here are overcrowding and over emphasis on standardized test scores. Based on who my kids are and what they need, the home- school environment is more conducive to their academic and personal growth. Most days.

I do have days when I wake up, often in the middle of the night, thinking What am I thinking? What am I doing? I’m leading them to ruin! There are days when things don’t go so well. We don’t get things done the way I planned. The lesson doesn’t work like I hoped. Somebody’s grumpy beyond control — be it me, the kids, or both. The internet is down.

So although our Christian faith is incorporated into our learning, we do not home-school for primarily religious reasons. We home-school because we feel it is the best educational choice for our children, even though many times it is a challenge and a cause of wee hour panic attacks.

I’ll end today’s post with a couple of interesting video clips. Neither are about home-schooling, but both sort of sum up my primary reasons why, with a bit of silliness and nostalgia thrown in. And thanks to the friends who posted these on facebook; you provided me with my blog inspiration for the day.

P.S. It’s about time live journal put the words “blog” and “facebook” in their dictionary.