Plan in Weeks

So in the last few days, we have cleared the decks with a brain dump, thought about the ways our expectations might be getting in the way, and started to untangle the varied threads.

Now we are ready to think about what can get done in our homeschools. Not necessarily what the teacher’s guide claims can get done. But what this particular child with their own gifts and difficulties can handle on any given Tuesday morning.

When we plan in weeks we can create a little bit of margin. A day can go off the rails, but a week can become a reliable container. So begin to make a rough plan. I use a Weekly Docket (click File >> Make a Copy to edit the form for your family). I keep my Docket on a clipboard so I can keep track of outside appointments, our dinner menu, and what each child needs to be working on. How many times each week will we do math or history or reading practice? A simple check mark is enough for me to see at a glance subjects that might be falling through the cracks.

So make a weekly plan, and then…make it a little bit smaller. Opportunities ( and challenges!) will arise that we could not foresee. If the schedule is already full, we risk adding stress and bringing on overwhelm. Consider travel times as well as prep work and recovery. Giving yourself a bit of margin means that the unexpected doesn’t become an emergency.

In our homeschool we plan for 4 days of school each week. We use that free day to catch up on chores, work on projects, meet up with friends, or just rest. This week I had to catch up on laundry–people were out of clothes! Margin means we are never more than a couple of days away from a day when we can focus on getting back on track instead of relentlessly pushing forward.

Do you plan margin into your homeschool days?

Is there space in the schedule for reverence + gratitude, order + wonder?