CHM013: Kickstarting Your Homeschool Plans For The New Year

Hi, and welcome to Christian homeschool Mom's podcast. I'm Dmitria, your host, and today is the second week of January and we are getting ready for a brand new year of homeschooling and our family and it's exciting because I'm starting a brand new page of my homeschool journey and it's just awesome. So I just wanted to do a podcast to see how things are going on your ends. How are things for you guys? How's your Christmas and New Year break? How's that been? And what are your plans for the upcoming year. So for us, we've been trying to get rolling with our school plans again for the new year, and we've come up with some new plans. I don't necessarily like to say resolutions, but they are. I procrastinated on my resolutions. But the key here is to figure out what changes I want to make in my homeschool and the singles for everyone, what changes do you want to make and just focus on those changes and roll up your sleeves and get a plan of action and set it to work. So if we haven't already done that, it's time to gear up and get to work on our brand new year. Ahead of us. So that's what this podcast is all about. It's about encouraging you to start planning for your new year, and if you haven't already, to just really start thinking about what changes you want to see in your homeschool and how you want your homeschool to run, because it's essentially up to you. You are in charge of your homeschool and how your vision is and what your vision is for your family will come to fruition only if you know what your goals are and get to work with them. So that's what this is all about in this upcoming couple of minutes. So here are a few tips that I want to go over that I've been keeping in mind as I've chosen new planners. I've been looking at all kinds of planners and calendars and things that will help me to stay organized for the upcoming year, and also in choosing new activities for my children and picking up new curriculum that we need. So being that we go by semesters, we're on our second semester in our home, and we've chosen some new things for our home. But I had to make goals before I started picking out curriculum. What do I want to change in my home, and one of the first things I wanted to do was to see that my children were learning the Word of God every day and on their level, something that was successfully created for that age group. So, for example, what I'm doing with my five year old is significantly different than what I'm doing with my older child. However, they are both learning some of the same things. So I try to have a family time together where we go over our Bible's story of the week. So if we're talking about Moses, then I'll go over that and cover that material with them, read the story to them, ask questions to both of them, so they're both under the same story and the same lesson Bible lesson. But my older daughter, I just ordered a curriculum for her via one of my friends suggestions, and I'm really glad that she told me about it. And it's called God's Great Covenant, and I ordered the New Testament, so she'll be using that this semester and I'm I can't wait for it to come in the mail. It it hasn't arrived yet, but when it does, I will be like a kid on Christmas Morning opening my presence, and I can't wait to start using that with her. What I like about it, Yes, it's not for my younger child, but what I like is that my older daughter, my ten year old, can actually sit down and study the word. She can look up words, look up versus in her Bible, and just really get into the nuts and bolts of Bible studies. So I think that this will help her, and it's on her level. It's it's something that she can understand and enjoy. It's got a level of maybe not so much entertainment, but a level of of approachability for that age group with the pictures and kind of the storyline with the main character being um a fictional character who lived during Bible times, so kind of reminds me of Superbook. But anyway, well we'll see how that goes, and I'm really excited for that. So that's one change I wanted to make in our homeschool, and so that's what we're moving forward with. So anyway, let's let's go over a few tips that will help you to keep some things in mind with changing up your home school this year and planning, gaining your momentum after the holidays, getting your your recharge for the new year. So first, of all, just you know, lay your foundation, know what your your goals are for your family. So laying your foundation, um just means to to have your goals, to set that down in stone sort of for your family. Um, just to know what you're building upon is a great help if you if you out about it. The Bible talks a lot about foundations, and I found a verse over in Luke fourteen twenty eight that says, for which of you desiring to build a tower does not first sit down and count the cost whether he has enough to complete it? And I think that's so important when we are planning our homeschools. We have to know what are the costs, what are the what is the significance of what we're doing, and how will that affect our lifestyle and our daily grind of day to day homeschool homeschooling our children. So we have to count the costs. We have to know what we're in for and what to expect and go ahead and start building on that foundation. So, you know, start small, build your foundation. If you want to succeed at truly seeing a difference in your homeschool, start with really small goals. For example, I have a goal that I'm planning to integrate at least three special unit studies into my homeschool this semester. And I'm not using the word month because I don't plan to do all of this in one month. That would be too much for me. You know, over the years, I've learned the hard way that if I plan for too much too soon, I'm essentially setting myself up for disappointment. So if I just stretch that out and say, Okay, I can do this over the course of a semester, this is totally doable, then it's easier. Because remember, we're busy moms. We have loads of tasks outside of educating our kids that we have to account for in our schedule. So just make it easy on yourself and make smaller, more manageable goals. A smaller goal is easier to manage, and you're going to feel much better when you accomplish that because with a smaller goal, you'll achieve it a lot sooner. So start small, make small goals, and just know that that's building onto your foundation. Once you've you know what your goals are, you know what your mission is in your philosophy is for your family. Just build on that the second thing is to not compare hair. This reminds me of a verse and Second Corinthians, chapter ten, verse twelve, and it says and the second part verse twelve, part B. But when they measure themselves by one another and compare themselves with one another, they are without understanding. And that was essentially the apostle Paul describing how the church at that time was comparing themselves to one another. And that's unwise. And it's the same with our homeschooling. In our journey, we shouldn't compare ourselves to what other moms are doing. You know, you're only in for disappointment if you compare your new goals and your plans with your homeschool buddies. Every mama has a different set of goals for her family that fits her own needs, and yours will be ultimately different and unique, So don't worry if your lists seems slim or enormous by comparison. It's your homeschools to do it your way and be confident in your own homeschooling needs by choosing curriculum that you know will work for you and your children, and not necessarily what your friends might recommend. So allow for flexibility in your schedule and routines for your happiness because you know, everybody's happy when mama's happy. You've heard that phrase before, and in many ways that's true. So you know, part of the joy and part of being happy, part of the joy of homeschooling is due to the freedom of choice and the uniqueness that we get to embraces individual homeschool families. So in your homeschool New Year's resolutions, just be sure to leave room for freedom and will fund and resolve not to compare yourself with someone. Just choose that that that's something that you won't do because you know that you are unique and that your homeschool will look very different. Your children are very different than anyone else's and their needs are going to be different. So you are the teacher. You know what your children needs, so it's not going to help you at all to compare to the next family. And lastly, I'd like to encourage you to celebrate your success. You know, what's a little planning and hard work without a lot of fun, you know what I mean? With them with each accomplishment that you achieve, you know, just be sure to celebrate. You know, whether it's a fun outing with a girlfriend over a cup of coffee, or maybe even a trip to your favorite store, or maybe even some alone mommy time, just you time outside of mommy hood, just you time, you know, make it a treat, make it something that you'll really look forward to. So whatever that is for you, you know, do that and enjoy that. Because your homeschool New Year's resolutions don't have to be a killjoy. Write down your plan of action and then accomplish your goals. And it reminds it also of Deuteronomy, chapter twelve, verse seven, and it says, and there you shall eat before the Lord your God, and you shall rejoice, you and your households in all that you undertake and which the Lord your God has blessed you. So remember, your blessing is in your agreement to do what God has called you to do with your family. And if you've chosen homeschooling, and if you're listening to this podcast because that has been your choice for your family, then that's where God will bless you. So rejoice in that. And it says in all that you undertake, not just some of what you do, but all of what you do. You're planning in your homeschool journey, planning for your children's education. All of that falls underneath the covering of blessing, So just remember those three things to start small, don't compare yourself with others, and celebrate your success. Have a great day.