Does anybody else plan 4+ yrs. in advance...?

[Sue G in PA]

I'm trying to "mesh" my dc's schedules for History/Science as much as possible through 6th grade (7th we'll start Apol. Gen. Science and probably continue Apologia throughout hs science). I'm looking at the MFW curriculums and trying to see how it's going to "fit" all my dc. Does anybody else plan this far ahead? Am I just being a bit, oh, I don't know...a*al? I'm good I figure for the next 3 years...then it gets hairy with my now toddler joining the crew and the new baby beg. PreK stuff. Could I possibly, realistically teach 2/3 cycles of MFW at the SAME TIME? Like, I'd be teaching K and RtR one year, 1st and Exp.1850 the next and then, it's possible I'd be teaching another round of K, ECC and 1850-Moderns! Yikes! I'm already getting light headed. By then, of course, my 6th grader will be in high school and perfectly capable of taking over *some* of the teaching w/ the youngers and free me up to teach a bit more. Okay, just wondering if I'm the only one who is planning THAT far ahead! :eek:

[Kay in Cal]

I actually have a chart that goes through 12th grade for both our kiddos. I enjoyed putting it together, it gives us some goals... but I'm not really deluded into thinking it's going to work out exactly how I plan. I've already had to adjust things, and my oldest ds is in (cough cough) 1st grade.

Pathetic, I know.

[Christy B]

And now, as far as we can tell, she will be attending a local Christian school for high school. :o

On the one hand, knowing where I wanted to "go" with high school has been helpful: it kept me on track with our history when I was tempted to stall out or waver on my approach; it helped me keep her motivated in math; AND -- it did help me feel confident in the school that we toured, in that their high school scope and sequence looks very, very much indeed like the one I had planned and anticipated for her. That goes a long way into boosting my confidence in choosing this school -- the sense that they are going to give her the education that I had envisioned.

On the other hand -- I deeply regret that the bulk of the time and energy I have devoted to homeschooling has been in the researching, SHOPPING, and planning stage. I could have better served my dd with much less planning and much more teaching.

There needs to be a balance: I am an advocate of having a long term plan, but if you start getting that sense that you are being, ahem, . . . well, you probably are.

[Mom2legomaniacs]

Very loosely. I try to get a general idea for a direction just so I have a path to shoot for. But nothing time consuming or detailed. (I try to think about what curriculum for the main areas will be, for example)

[SnowWhite]

I do the same thing. WinterPromise is one of those programs that lets you combine, too, so it's the same sort of stuff. Mine *will* get hairy if we have a baby/toddler join us in the next couple of years. So I am trying to decide when to do the World Geography year, as that seems to be the high parent prep year... it's looking like I'd save it till Joshua is grade 6 and Andrew is grade 3... when Lord willing I might have a 3yo. The only thing about that is, it causes me to use the Ancient and Middle Ages history courses when Andrew is a little younger than recommended. Yep, I'm certifiable.:o

[Cadam]

no, no , no. You are suppose to fold the younger ones into the MFW 5 year cycle. When a younger sibling hits second grade they jump into whatever year everyone else is doing. That is why MFW has a 2nd/3rd grade supplement for years 4 and 5. SOTW- 4 is in those years and not recommended for kids under 4th grade so the supplement has extra books for them.

So it isn't quite as :eek: as you are thinking but ya, I know what year of the cycle my 2yo will be doing in the 6th grade exc. I actually planned it before she was born.... just to see how things would line up! :o

[Laura Corin]

The plans get tweaked continually.

Laura

[EKS]

And then I change the plans. But it is nice to have a plan.

[strider]

I have planned out everything through 12th grade . . .

BUT

I continually change the plan, and am open to continually changing the plan. I just like to see how everything aligns with the bigger picture.

I run the rest of my life this way too. At any given moment I could tell you the plan for our next 10+ years in terms of housing or jobs, etc.

Whenever a change to the plan presents itself, I just automatically re-align everything in my head. For example, right now the plan in my head involves staying where we are for 14 years. However, dh considered a job that would involve us living part of the year in Amsterdam. (We ultimately did not pursue this.) No problem! I just ran a new, internal 14-year projection in my mind.

We have goals that are unchangeable, but the details of how to get there ARE changeable. My charts are just temporary projections for the logistics of reaching those goals. Logistics can change but the end goals generally do not.

[gardenschooler]

I continually 'update' the plan. Really, it gets scrapped every year, when I have to take new things into consideration (this is for math and science for my older one at home). I have a rough plan for my younger. I also had dd#1's entire four years of high school mapped out, but she's not homeschooling anymore.

For the history cycle, yes you can combine them all! Think about it this way, Sue - they're all going to do the same thing anyway, so why not have them do it at the same time? That's crazy talk!!! :D Gathering extra materials, library books, not to mention the teaching time - if you condense everyone to one time period, you'll save your sanity!

I guess if we really planned in advance, we'd have our kids either 9 months apart or 4 yrs. apart, to fit into the history cycle a little more neatly. :p

[siloam]

Hello, I am another through 12th grade planner for all subjects and, even color coded. ;)

Yes I know very well it won't work out the way I plan, but I enjoy the planning anyway.

In your case I am not sure what the answer is. I know that some days what I am trying to do seems impossible. Science and History are the only subjects I combine, so I work one on one for all the rest. Then each child has their own RA. Don't ask me HOW that got started, but it did, so I do a history RA for my oldest, science for my 2nd dd, my 1st grader I do just with her (From SL Core C RA's), but the older two listen in, and right now my PreK is doing vehicle books. I am sure there will come a point where I say, "Enough! I can't do it all!" Until then I just keep on plugging away, hoping I can manage it a bit longer.

Blessings,

Heather

[prairiegirl]

I have it loosely planned up until 8th grade. I do this so I know which direction I am going in. The plan changes periodically. I'm okay with that. I'm a girl who needs a plan, though, so I can see the big picture.

Julia
mom of 3 (8,7,5)

[Sue G in PA]

I read where it said that year 5 gets MUCH more challenging and might not be a good fit for a younger dc. That's why I figured I'd have to split them all up at that point. I'm assuming from your posts that I would NOT have to do that? There are enough supplemental materials for the youngers that it could be done? SOTW 4 is not recommended for youngers, I know, so the other alternative books/references would be sufficient, yes? Thanks for your advice!

[Karen sn]

Ummmm....NO! I can't even plan for a week because SOMETHING BIG always happens to throw us off. Like finding out Friday is the last day of the month and we have to move before Saturday and I have not one box packed and no where to go. And I HATE my landlord and now have to find a mild voodoo curse to place on him......

But props to you for being so prepared! I only have one right now - we can afford a little chaos.

[gardenschooler]

I read where it said that year 5 gets MUCH more challenging and might not be a good fit for a younger dc. That's why I figured I'd have to split them all up at that point. I'm assuming from your posts that I would NOT have to do that? There are enough supplemental materials for the youngers that it could be done? SOTW 4 is not recommended for youngers, I know, so the other alternative books/references would be sufficient, yes? Thanks for your advice!

I would think just having them do whatever it is that they can do and stay in the same period would be so much easier on you. And again - they'd have to do it anyway, so why not?

You could just have them play nearby while you read aloud SOTW or another book, maybe trying to find something age-appropriate to read to them. I'd do coloring pages, a little craft once in awhile - anything to just get that 'hook'.

They really, really do absorb so much from olders. Especially if you're doing a timeline, or adding any kind of extras.

[WTMindy]

very loose plan. I'm pretty sure we'll be using TOG and that takes care of a big chunk of the curriculum.

[Holly IN]

I know exactly what we will be doing in 4 years. All the kids and their grades and what they will be doing in each year up to the year they graduate. I plan it and then revise it if needed each year. It keeps me focused!!

That is me though. I love to know what we are goign to be doing in advanced.

Holly

[Beth in Central TX]

I have all of my sons' subjects scheduled through 12th grade too. I make adjustments as I learn and grow as a homeschooler, but for me, I like seeing where we are going.

[Mom2boys]

Someone once told me to begin with the end in mind. Since we want our boys to attend college, I want to make sure they have the classes they need for college admissions and to do well on the college boards. so, I have an excel spreadsheet with the curricula I intend to use each year through 12th grade. It gets tweaked periodically. It isn't set in stone, but it is really helpful for me to have a plan and an idea of what we are going to be covering each year. Having a direction and a long term plan gives me peace. :)

[Laura Corin]

Ummmm....NO! I can't even plan for a week because SOMETHING BIG always happens to throw us off. Like finding out Friday is the last day of the month and we have to move before Saturday and I have not one box packed and no where to go. And I HATE my landlord and now have to find a mild voodoo curse to place on him......


When we lived in Hong Kong, we had to move almost every year because of landlord disasters (bankruptcy, selling the flat, etc.)

Laura

[kalanamak]

I have 5 years planned in advance for two reasons:
WTM mentions the goal of the grammar phase is to have child up to speed in the three R's by the beginning of the logic stage, so I have a "minimum standard" in each topic.

I keep a list of what I'm looking for for those years and if I find it dirt cheap at a garage sale, goodwill, etc, I get it.

[lynn]

I don't plan out but I do write down anything that I hear that I will use in future years.

[Closeacademy]

I have things planned out through the end. But everything can always change and that is ok. I like to see the forest as well as the trees so I feel the need to write down a sort of if we keep going in this direction this is where we might end up plan.

[Laura Corin]

I would have been shocked if you had said that you weren't planned to the nth degree!

Laura

[elegantlion]

Someone once told me to begin with the end in mind. Since we want our boys to attend college, I want to make sure they have the classes they need for college admissions and to do well on the college boards. so, I have an excel spreadsheet with the curricula I intend to use each year through 12th grade. It gets tweaked periodically. It isn't set in stone, but it is really helpful for me to have a plan and an idea of what we are going to be covering each year. Having a direction and a long term plan gives me peace. :)

I totally agree with this statement. I worked on our plan yesterday, as ds was sick. I like to see the scope and sequence of certain publishers and have outlined several courses of study, depending on his interests and skill level.

[mrscopterdoc]

I plan far ahead also. I also have wish lists on rainbow resource for each grade. DD is in 7th now but I have all of high school planned out. Subject to change of course!:D