5 Things I Am Doing to Prepare for the Homeschool Year

It’s August. Already. In just a couple weeks

we will be heading into our second year of homeschooling! Last year went really really well which makes me very excited for the coming year. We are still waiting on some boxes to arrive with some books, though, which means I can’t plan out the year yet. What is this excited mom going to do to prepare for the year while I wait on our school books? 

1. Wipe down walls. I admit, I didn’t get this crossed off my Spring Cleaning List. But even if I had I would do it again. When you are homeschooling it means a lot of pictures, charts, flashcards, etc are about to be hung on your wall for a long time. I am going to give those walls a good scrub before they are covered up for the next 9 months.
2. Going through craft supplies. Crafting is a big part of homeschooling especially when you have a handful of toddlers to keep busy during the day. I am going to go through all the stickers, construction paper, glue sticks, etc and see what I can get rid of and what I might need. There’s nothing worse (in the crafting world) than going to make a craft and thinking you have what you need because of the huge pile of supplies only to find most of it us unusable.
3. Making my meal plans. I am meal planning for lunch times this year, too. I don’t know what to expect going from Kindergarten to 1st Grade but I am assuming it will mean a lot more time sitting at the table. I am going to plan ahead so that lunch time (and supper time) can be enjoyable and relaxing…not frazzled and rushed. We did a whole month worth of meal planning back in May. Check that our for ideas!
4. Doing my research. There are so many awesome homeschooling blogs out there. I mentioned here after my first year homeschooling what blogs I really liked. You will also find that I am doing a lot of pinning on Pinterest lately. I am filling my computer folders with resources and ideas for the coming year.
5. Setting schedules. Who doesn’t love a summer schedule? Sleep in, stay up late, naps on the go…but all good things must come to an end. Rather than abruptly starting our schedule back up again in September I have begun to get my kids back on schedule now. This is especially for my one year old who will need to be used to taking a regular nap every afternoon. I have also started my 4 and 5 year old on a new afternoon schedule which includes an hour of quiet time.

What kind of things do you do to prepare for the school year? I can’t wait to get my hands on my planner and notebooks and text books to prepare that way. But in the mean time I’d love to hear more ways to prepare for the homeschool year!