Curriculum Planning in the New Year

Curriculum Planning in the New Year ~ Episode 457

Need some curriculum planning tips? The new year is here and you may or may not want to continue with the curriculum you picked at the beginning of the year. Join Felice Gerwitz and her special guest, Meredith Curtis.

Please visit Meredith Curtis at MeredithCurtis.com and PowerlineProd.com

Visit Felice at MediaAngels.com for books, curriculum, character planners, and more.

Both Meredith and Felice have homeschooled their children for many years. Meredith has written curriculum for all ages and she is an expert at getting homeschooling done! Mid-year, in January, is a great time to evaluate and look at how you are doing. It helps to get input from your children, especially if they are teens.

Do you know why you use the curriculum you use? Meredith brought up a really good point about how many families just buy curriculum because they hear about it, or a friend is using it, without really looking at whether or not it is a good fit for their own family. Usually a friend who is like-minded can be helpful. However, be sure this curriculum is worth the expense and will fill the needs of your children.

Curriculum Planning Tips for the New Year

In this podcast, Felice and Meredith discuss:

Creating schedules for yourself and your children, then tweaking them especially the first few weeks
Teaching children organizational skills
Using various methods such as living books (definition on the audio), hands-on activities, co-ops, etc.
Analyzing why you want to use a specific curriculum – Meredith shares that often parents use a specific curriculum without really taking the time to examine whether it is right for them and their families. I the curriculum user friendly?
What is important to you and your family? What are your goals?
Are you flexible or regimented in your homeschool?
Giving kids time to explore their passions.
Looking at curriculum with a world view that you agree with – is the philosophy of the authors one you can embrace? You don’t want an unbiblical curriculum if you are a Christian.
Planning during the summer is helpful – taking a week or more to plan.
Scheduling time during the year for weekly breaks to plan and give the children time to explore their passion.
Looking at the schedule in regard to time. When do you plan to school each day?
Setting boundaries. Help each family to be effective. Work smarter not harder.
The pitfalls of changing curriculum mid-year. (Sometimes it is a must!)
Getting back to school after a break.
Getting the family involved. Working together.

When we look at curriculum planning it is not one size fits most. Every few months it is helpful to look at the children’s progress and adjust as needed. Sometimes that means skipping sections of a chapter or switching to unit studies. Whatever works for your family is the best!