PLANNING KEEPS HOMESCHOOLING ON TRACK IN OUR LARGE FAMILY
is part of the Write 31 2017 Challenge.
Read 31 Days of Life in a Large Homeschooling Family for more posts.
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Having a large family.
Having a large homeschooling family.
Having a large homeschooling family in Singapore.
I need a plan!
Handling a large family can get rather overwhelming. Throw homeschooling into the mix and it can really get crazy. To make this work, I needed a PLAN to make it less stressful on me.
Preschool vs Primary School
In the early days, it was ok to fly by the seat of my pants. After all, what did it matter if we did not do school for weeks on end when the children were pre-schoolers? Even when they hit Primary One, school was touch and go most days since the baby and toddlers took up a lot of my time and energy.
School was just an hour long and it was more to get everyone used to the school routine. But as they grew older and the educational requirements grew stricter – PSLE anyone? Primary 4 exams for homeschoolers? – things had to change.
Plan intentionally
And so, I started planning more intentionally. I had to if I wanted to adequately prepare my children for PSLE and if possible, clear the benchmark in one go.
While I like planning, homeschool planning was not something I looked forward to at the end of each academic year. I was tired after a whole year of homeschooling and just wanted to veg out. But I knew that if I did not spend time planning, our homeschool will fall apart.
Without a plan, me being naturally lazy, will end up letting the children just play and quibble with each other all day long. Although not a great plan, it was ok when they were 6, 7 and maybe even 8. But not when they are 10 or 12. I know I sound like a broken record but… P4 exams, PSLE…
Planning is painful
So, I force myself to get to Popular Bookstore and load up on assessment books and start the arduous task of planning. This used to take weeks because I never had an uninterrupted stretch of time to work on it. But nowadays, with older children and less children to plan for (I only plan for the primary school levels), I am usually done in less than a week.
At the end of the planning session, I would have in place a Master Planner for each child. And each child would have 6-weeks worth of work transferred to his/her individual printed and bound planners.
Planning keeps homeschooling on track
Planning holds the key to sanity in our large family in every aspect of our lives.
Homeschool planning is no different.
It keeps everyone on track. With a master plan in place, I know that each child would be able to finish up the syllabus on time, have enough time to practice with the exam papers, and get used to test taking. I do not have to guess and hope for the best. This is especially crucial in the years they take the mandatory exams at aged 10 and 12.
My yearly homeschool planning, although not a fun project, is how I manage to drop less balls while managing our
large family. In my opinion though, executing the plan is a lot more painful! Lol!
Related Posts on Homeschool Planning
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