10 Days to a Flexible Homeschool Plan

When we began homeschooling a decade ago I had one of those nifty little "fill in the box" thirty-six-week planners. That first year I spent the entire summer filling in all those little boxes. It took weeks to do that for my two kids, but when I was finished I was so proud of what I had done. I had our entire school year planned! It was going to be a great year!

By week two that well planned year I was so proud of fell completely apart.

I had high schoolers (that's right...I started homeschooling with high school). We were following the local school district calendar (because I didn't know any better then), and we had to complete 180 days!! There was no room for getting off track!

But there we were, completely derailed, and not even three weeks into a thirty-six week school year.

I felt like a complete failure. I cried myself to sleep and did a lot of second-guessing our decision to homeschool.

I have learned a lot about scheduling and planning in the ten years that followed. I still plan our entire year in advance because I need that structure. I need to be able to see where we are and where we are headed. But unlike that first year, my plan is now flexible, open to change, and gloriously freeing!

Plan To Change

If there's one thing I've learned about homeschooling (and life for that matter) it's that things rarely ever go as planned. Something always comes up to throw a wrench in even the best-laid plans.

So how do we plan for that inevitable change? Is it even possible?

Absolutely!

As a busy work-at-home homeschooling mom with a tendency to get completely overwhelmed, it is very important that I have a written plan for every single day. If I don't, then the day is spent floundering from one thing to another and typically ends with the kids in front of the TV while I work on some pressing project or chore.

On the other hand, I don't want our plans to be so structured and strict that we become slaves to it. That kind of plan leads to massive mom guilt!

Enter the Flexible Homeschool Plan

About five years ago I discovered a method of planning our entire year while still leaving room for all the inevitable changes. I call it my Flexible Homeschool Plan.

This plan is really all about freedom.

It's a common misconception that having a schedule or plan written down means that you're constantly striving to meet its demands. In reality, a carefully constructed plan actually decreases stress and creates freedom.

The Flexible Homeschool Plan provides freedom...

...to grow and change
...to enjoy unexpected opportunities
...to scrap curriculum that isn't working
...to add new activities

If you feel like you need to have a written plan, but don't want to be a slave to it.

If you want that plan to leave room for change, but still provide structure and accountability.

Then the Flexible Homeschool Plan could be a great fit for you!

Over the next ten days (Monday through Friday) I will walk you through the process that I use to set up a flexible plan for our family. You'll get lots of printables to use and even a few videos that will walk you step-by-step through how to use them.

By the end of this series, you'll have all the tools and knowledge needed to make a Flexible Homeschool Plan that works for you, that will grow and change with you throughout the year, and keep you on track no matter what comes up to throw a wrench in your plans.

Here's what you can look forward to over the next two weeks:

Day 1: 10 Days to a Flexible Homeschool Plan
Day 2: Determining Your School Year
Day 3: Finding Your Routine
Day 4: Deciding What to Teach and When
Day 5: Scheduling Your Resources
Day 6: Putting it All to Work
Day 7: Facing the Challenges
Day 8: Structured Free Time
Day 9: Organizing the Stuff
Day 10: Wrapping it Up

But that's not all!

This series is only one of MANY that are included in this year's