Typically, the words “unchooling” and “planning” do not show up in the same sentence. So how can I claim to be an unschooler and still be scouring the internet for information on how to plan a homeschooling year?
C is 5 this year and, even though kindergarten isn’t mandatory where I live, I have decided to register with a homeschool board. I did this for a couple of reasons:
1. To get people off my back about his education. Everyone is asking me what we’re doing so now I can tell them he’s registered as a homeschooler. It just eliminates some of the much-repeated questions I receive.
2. To give a school board a “trial run.” I know that I want to homeschool but I don’t know exactly what it will all entail, as far as there being required records or plans, or what a meeting with a facilitator would look like, or what a homeschool board will offer in terms of support/guidance.
Back to the whole “planned unschool” idea.
I used to be a schedule-a-holic. My days were planned down to the minute (including time for inevitable interruptions like traffic or getting stopped by a chatty co-worker). I loved it and thrived. It reduced a lot of stress in my hectic life/career and helped me accomplish more than I would have if I wasn’t a planner and list maker.
5 years ago: enter baby #1. He was on his own schedule (of nursing for about 30 minutes every 1-2 hours and not sleeping longer than a two hour stretch until about 18 months). It didn’t match mine. I retired from my business and significantly slowed down my pace so I would be better able to meet his needs. It was an amazing season of growth, trust, and learning priorities. Everything else could wait. My son could/would not. He was about 2.5 before he finally settled into what most of society would consider a decent routine. Which allowed me to settle my life into a bit of routine again. Until his brother was born a couple months after that. Thrown into chaos, any semblance of a rhythm or routine eluded me. Fast forward another couple of years and we moved away from everyone we knew and, consequently, all outside of the home commitments. The first few months were hectic as there was a lot of extra work on the farm which made scheduling anything rather difficult.
A few months ago I started reading about home management binders on Pinterest and became a little obsessed with finding a way to work a planner back into my life. The boys are at a stage where they spend much of their time playing together happily outside, which means that I have more time to figure out things like a housekeeping and time management system that will suit our ever-fluctuating family rhythm. I have been running my home management binder (a “lite” version compared to some of the other ones out there) for a couple months and it has made a huge difference for my family.
I am in the process of figuring out a loose routine that will allow me to have lots of breaks to sit a nurse the baby or change diapers and such, but will also encourage me to stay on top of things in my household, including encouraging the interests of my children. I’m not there yet, but I’m praying about it regularly and the pieces are starting to come together. Including the pieces that require me to be very involved with my boys’ interests and assisting them in furthering those interests, through various methods. Though I’m not planning any curriculum for them, they still deserve my focused attention. Their interests are important to them and, therefore, they are important to me. And kids spell love T-I-M-E. So that’s what I am planning to give them.
I think being unschooling doesn’t mean being unplanning. Getting individual planning for each student will make them manage their learning much better. Maybe leaving the target deadline empty will make learning more natural. I am really sure that the kids should have got steps to fulfill their thirst of learning inside their mind. Why don’t you write it down so that they learn study skill. I am really interested in this topic. Thank you for sharing.
That’s a good point about individual planning. With kids at different ages and stages, their natural flow is often different than each other’s. They also have very different personalities so it’s great to be able to plan around their individual needs.
I love your thoughts here about figuring out some sort of routine or schedule that works for you. Everyone’s will be different but I definitely think that it is important to allow for breaks and ‘interruptions’, especially when kids are involved.
Thanks. I think I would go crazy if I didn’t have “pit stops” throughout the day. Kids definitely add an unpredictable element to our days, don’t they? In the best possible way (usually).
I’m trying to get back into a schedule right now…my youngest just turned 6months and is starting to have regular nap times. My 3yr old is starting preschool (basically 20 minutes of planned activities; reading, letters, shapes, colors, etc) this year so a schedule will be needed.
It feels so upside down with little ones sometimes doesn’t it? Regular nap times can be a life saver though. And I remember doing that with my oldest boy too. It was great to have that focused time with him and I think that he really appreciated the one-on-one time with his mama. Give yourself time and you’ll find something that works for your family 🙂
Interesting article to think about, I am in about the same boat right now and the lack of organisation is driving me batty, on top of which I will be looking for weekend work by the end of the month-how will it all fit? It’s much tougher to plan when kids have their own agenda and don’t share it ahead of time.
It’s so tough to get a good rhythm when there are so many changes on the horizon, isn’t it? I have found that starting small makes a big difference. One habit at a time helps me feel like I’m moving forward. Slowly forward but it’s better than nothing. Good luck with your work search and come back in a few days as I’m planning to share a bit more about how my unschooling plan will work. Maybe I’ll share a bit about my (flexible) homemaking plan later on too.