The Brave Homeschool Planner 2022-2023: A Planner by Homeschool Moms for Homeschool Moms

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Best Homeschool Resources for Planning a College and Career

Currently, two of my kids are in high school. One is taking dual-enrollment courses through a local Christian university. The other is not. One has college aspirations after graduating high school. The other has his sights set on service. One entered her teen years not knowing exactly what she wanted to be when she grew up. The other decided on his long-term goal before turning four. (No joke.)

They are very different teens with very different personalities. Consequently, their career paths will be quite different.

When creating each of their 4-year high school plans, I could not cookie-cutter my way through. I had to design a unique educational experience for both of them. I had to create plans that would not only ensure they met our state's high school graduation requirements but that would prepare them for their post-secondary years.

3 Subjects I Don't Make Lesson Plans for and What I Do Instead

For the most part, a solid, well-organized plan is the first step in creating a successful homeschool year. When you can map out your entire homeschool year, schedule each lesson in a homeschool planner, and then use those plans as a home base--an anchor that allows you to wander and return with ease--you can ensure not just forward motion to your learning, but also bravery as you go.

A plan brings confidence. You don't have to succumb to willy-nilly or frayed edges. Your school year can be formalized, but also draped in so much freedom!

The Brave Homeschool Planner: A Planner For a Homeschool Mom By a Homeschool Mom

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The Quick-Start Guide to Brave Homeschool Schedules

Do your homeschool days feel like an endless exercise in treading water but you look around and see no one else flailing--as if everyone has learned the secret to successful days but you?

Is there constant animosity between you and Monday morning?

Do you feel like a hamster on a wheel, running at full speed, but getting nowhere fast?

If so, then perhaps you need to re-order your days so that your school schedule works for your home and not against it.

Create Your Own Homeschool Curriculum in 5 Easy Steps

This past summer I found myself literary knee-deep in World Geography plans.

See my knee right there?

Sabbath Schooling: The Simple Schedule to Save Your Sanity

Time. T.I.M.E. Four little letters that hold our entire lives. Time is a leveler, you know. It makes us all equal. There’s no other commodity in life that doesn’t care about status or title or bank account. Time is no respecter of persons. We’re all the same when time is handed out each day. The rich and the poor, the famous and the ordinary, the brilliant and the average…all have the same number of moments in a day. Barring God takes us home to eternity, we’ll all wake up tomorrow morning and be gifted the same 24 hours. Once a moment is spent, that’s it. It’s gone. You can’t win it back. You can't earn it back. You can't buy it back. Time is the currency of life. And I don’t know about you, but I want to spend it well. Especially when it comes to the time I have with my children.

What Comes After Homeschooling: A Graduate's Perspective

Written by Abbey Lovett

I never once sat in a classroom, I never once studied for midterms, I never rode on a school bus, there was no headmaster, no school nurse, and no bell that rang to let me know I was done learning.

I was homeschooled. For 12 years of my life my mom was my teacher, my dad was my principal. My idea of a class was getting together with some friends and a teacher to study a topic. 

It was a blast. I loved every bit of it. There’s no doubt here that homeschooling is a great opportunity for grade school… but what comes after? That’s what I want to discuss.

Protecting the White Space

Written by Gretchen of Gretchen Ronnevik

The first days of homeschooling feel empty. I remember feeling like a failure when my daughter went through our daily curriculum in less than 2 hours. I often said, “That can’t be all.” Most homeschoolers will tell you that those early elementary years have very short days, but once they get to the upper grades, they will spend more of the day on schoolwork. We ended up filling our days by taking walks, playing outside, reading lots of stories, and having tea parties. We followed our curiosities and worked on projects that sounded fun.

How I Use goodreads In My Homeschool

Can I confess something to you?

If we are going to be friends, there is something you MUST know about me...a dirty little secret, if you will, that I must get off my chest if we're going to continue this relationship with honesty and forthrightness.

I am a book-a-holic.

There. I've said it.

"Hello. My name is Jamie and I am a book-a-holic."

It's a sickness. Really.

10 Summertime Steps to School Time Prep

With summer quickly slipping through my fingers, I have shifted into full-boogie mode. I've got my game face on and I'm prepping for the coming year. While I hold fast to my summer days desiring to relish each and everyone, I am also committed to using this slower-paced schedule to ready myself for the fall and all the wonderful learning adventures on the horizon.

Here's a brief look at my TOP TEN summertime steps to school time prep.

Technically, my prep for the coming school year happens the year before...mid spring when I do the following:

• Determine a skeletal curriculum plan.
• Prepare a shopping list.
• Purchase the core of my curriculum at my state's annual homeschool convention. 

Assuming that I've started the summer with these first three items checked off my list, I can officially go into summertime prep mode.

Delight-Directed Curriculum Planning Starts With THIS...

In just a few short weeks, I'll be heading to my state's annual homeschool convention. If you need me during that weekend, just look for a mound of used books haphazardly piled high in the used-book section of the vendor floor. I'll be somewhere underneath it. (Just as an FYI for your own personal safety: If you take me away from my pile of books or try to grab one of the titles that I've set aside to purchase, I react in much the same way as a cornered squirrel. Trust me, it ain't pretty. Kidding. Only kidding. Mostly.)

Why and How to Implement a 4-Day Homeschool Schedule {Part 2}

In addition to playing the part of The Mom, The Cook, The Wife, and The Taxi Driver in this live-action comedic drama, I've also volunteered for the role of The Teacher. Unlike most teachers, however, I don't just teach one grade level and call it a day. Nope! I teach four grades all while toting a tot on my hip. But wait, it gets better...I do all of this while attempting to cram all of the chaos of five busy school days into four...and still stay sane!

5 Days of Scheduling Your Entire Homeschool Year {Day 5}

For the last four days, I've hopefully laid the groundwork for you as you seek to plan your homeschool year with purpose. While I would love to sit down over coffee with each of you and help you navigate how best to do that with your specific curriculum selections and styles of homeschooling, I think we'd all admit that would make for a pretty busy Friday.

That being said, I thought it might be helpful to address some of the questions I hear most often regarding scheduling.

5 Days of Scheduling Your Entire Homeschool Year {Day 4}

Woo-hoo!  You're in the homestretch.

(This post contains affiliate links. Please see my disclosure policy for full details.)

Over the last few days, you have learned WHY you might want to consider scheduling your homeschool year, and HOW to prepare a school-year calendar. You may have already begun plugging in your traditional-style curriculum plans to your Brave Homeschool Planner, or the planner of your choice.

But all that was just a warm-up! Now you're ready to tackle some of the more difficult curriculum types to schedule...unit studies and living literature-style lessons. Let's face it, although these forms of learning provide an excellent opportunity for delight-directed learning, they can be a bit of a challenge to write in PEN.

5 Days of Scheduling Your Entire Homeschool Year {Day 3}

Welcome to Day 3 of our scheduling series! If you're joining me today, I can assume that you know WHY I schedule my year so far in advance and how I piece together a homeschool calendar. (This post contains affiliate links.)

I've enjoyed giving you just a simple glimpse into my methods of madness, but please remember that they are just THAT....my methods. Your schedule or lack thereof might look MUCH different from mine. That's great! Because in truth, that is the intrinsic nature of homeschooling...there is not a one-size-fits-all approach.

5 Days of Scheduling Your Entire Homeschool Year {Day 2}

If you are joining me today for part 2 of this 5-day long look at scheduling your homeschool year, I can assume, you've already taken a peek at WHY I choose to schedule this way. (This post contains affiliate links.)

That being said, I'd like to moderate the following thoughts by reminding you that this is just ONE way of scheduling your school year. It is by no means the ONLY way or the RIGHT way. You, obviously, have completely different dynamics to deal with than I do and will need to adapt any/all of my thoughts to your home. Now that we've agreed upon that and have solidified the deal with the "homeschool moms' secret handshake", let's jump right into our planners. Shall we?!

5 Days of Scheduling Your Entire Homeschool Year {Day 1}

I am a self-professed, card-carrying member of the I HAVE A PLAN AND I'M STICKING TO IT club.

Ok, so technically, there is no club.  And since there is no club, there is also no card.  But, if there were, I'd not only have a card, it would be laminated and tucked neatly next to my I'm-obsessed-with-stationery-supplies club card.

(This post contains affiliate links. Please see my disclosure policy for full details.)

Pheew...now that I've unloaded all of that on you, you're probably not surprised to learn that as a homeschooling mom, I have a homeschooling plan. In fact, I have a plan for the entire homeschool year.

How I Schedule Our Homeschool Day {video}

I'm a card-carrrying member of the "I have a schedule and I'm stickin' to it!" club, BUT when it comes to scheduling my HOMESCHOOL day, I purposefully DO NOT have a schedule. With little ones to care for during school hours, our day has to be flexible...nearly fluid! Here's what it looks like.



*Quick aside...with several children/grade levels to teach, I obviously can not teach a CORE subject to them all at the same time. With the help of Task Cards, the kids can skip ahead to their "simple subject", do an enrichment activity (board game, computer review game, puzzle, etc.), or "play with the baby" time to one child WHILE I teach a core subject to another. The children each have an added incentive...if he/she can complete this solo activity quickly, he/she can have a few minutes to play until it is his/her turn to work on a CORE subject.

What does your homeschool day look like?  Do you have any helpful scheduling tips to share? 

Taking Some of the Chaos Out of Homeschool Art Time {video}

Although most homeschool moms would be quick to acknowledge the many benefits of scheduling a weekly art time, many are naturally reluctant to make it a priority. Let's face it...sometimes art time comes with a lot of chaos. And who wants to add more of THAT to the day?!