It’s happening.

The UPS driver and mail carrier are dropping things on my porch. My Paypal account is nearly depleted. Pencils and notebooks have been purchased. Co-op classes have been registered for. This can indicate only one thing…

The new school year is nearly upon us!

What this means for them is that their days of playing video games are numbered. Their nights of staying up late, and sleeping in are nearly done.

What it means for me is that I need to get our year planned!

There are some important things that need to be considered before jumping into the planning part.

What do you want your children to get out of this school year?

I would like my sons to come out of this school year with a stronger sense of who God created them to be. I want them to appreciate life and people. I want them to have sharpened their reading skills, and strengthened their writing skills.

I can only accomplish these things with God’s help. I need his help! These kids rely on me to instill and teach them these things… and this stuff doesn’t come naturally to me. If left up to me, I would blow it completely.

What can you do to prevent yourself from losing momentum?

I need to take care of myself. I need sleep. I need Jesus. And I need exercise. These are my goals, just for me. Well, they are for me but they’re not. They are for my boys, because without sleep, Jesus time, and exercise, I will be tired, cranky, and feel terrible. I know, because I’m there right now, and it isn’t pretty.  My goals for them depend on goals for me.

Where are they now? What skills need some extra attention?

Both boys struggle with processing and writing disabilities. Consequently, their writing skills aren’t as sharp as they should be. All right, they aren’t even close to what they should be. Last year we started a certain intensive writing program. We didn’t get too far into it, but they did well with it.

We will pick up where we left off last year, and work on building up those skills. I’m not looking for novel writers, just kids who can put together a competent paragraph, or even a short essay, on their own.

Math fact recall is another weak area. They can both multiply and divide, but they still skip count to get it done, and that makes it take for.ev.er. We need to move on from here. Soon!

What are their strengths, and how can you use those to bring up the other areas?

Both boys do well with the computer. They know how to manipulate all things electronic, so this is the best way to get through the difficult areas.

What are their interests, and how can you tie those in to what they’re learning?

D1 loves to know about real things he can see and touch. He pours over science and history encyclopedias, but only the books with good color photos and clear text. He loves them. He stays up late at night reading them. He becomes my fact man, explaining things to us about our lessons as we go along. He is also really into anything scientific. He’s a walking science book.

D2 enjoys projects and doing things. Projects really engage him and keep his mind on the subject at hand. Planning ways to engage him in something bigger than a notebook page encourages him to stay the course with us. And his big brother gets to tell him all about what he needs to do. hehe

What’s the most important thing?

The most important thing is that in my planning and teaching, I never forget to always bring them back to the Lord and his story–His place in history, his place in our homeschool, and his place in their future.

And I pray. Oh Lord do I pray. Heavenly Father, please give me your eyes and your heart for my children. Keep my mind from wandering from the important things  and keep the urgent things at bay. Lord, these boys belong to You. Speak into their hearts, open their eyes, and show them your path. I can’t do this alone.

I have this nifty little goal planning sheet I created for my kids that I’d like to share with you!  Go RIGHT-CLICK, and SAVE AS to download!

Dawn

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Dawn is retired 20-year homeschooling Momma and hospital CNA, currently working on her BA in Technical Communication. She lives in Eastern Washington with her husband, the youngest 2 of their 6 kids, 2 yappy pomeranians and an assortment of backyard chickens. She writes here as well as at DawnMariePerkins.com (her personal/geek blog).