It only took seven years and six kids to get in to a groove in lesson planning.

Before I tell about how we do things, I will say several things.  I know full well that this planning is not for everyone. With Emmie’s trips to the doctor and our adoption, it has become absolutely necessary for me to plan out a good amount of school.  Yes, it is a lot of work.  Six kids.  All different grade levels.  All different abilities and learning styles.

But this is how we make it work.
I start by planning nine weeks at a time.  That way I can get in our full 180 days of instruction (that our state requires for homeschoolers even though other kids are only required to attend 170 days).  The best way for me to do this is to take a couple of days when Mark is off and run.  Run, far away.  Okay, not really.  I go to Panera and sit and work.

I can only imagine what I look like with books spread all around me and buried deep in one book or my laptop.  The thoughts in those employees heads when I walked in trying to carry all of my books, laptop, and purse because the handle on the book bag just plumb broke from the weight of knowledge.

Anyway, I like to use Google docs spreadsheets because I can access it anywhere.  Each week gets it’s own sheet.  Each kid has his/her own section with our group lessons on top.  Each kid section has subjects listed out and I go from there.  After I plan everything out on the computer, it’s time to get the hard copies in order.  Each week is a stack of papers and I use color tabs to separate each kids’ work and then clip them all together with binder clips.

This usually is a week long process since our school table is also our dining table and is usually occupied by a kid or two at any given moment of the day.

And then, the glorious end.  When I can sit back and stare at our great accomplishment.  Another nine weeks ready to be consumed by eager minds ready to learn (that sounds so much better than reality).

Yes, time consuming upfront, as I said earlier.  But it has saved us a ton of time week to week and has helped us stay on track.