Episode 190: Closing the Year (Our Homeschool Year!)
For the Busy Mommas…
Mostly, homeschoolers must do one of three things to close their year with the state...
Portfolios
Evals
Testing
Depending on where you live and what flavor of homeschool you follow, the requirements will be different...check HSLDA to see what your state requires.
But let's look at some out-of-the-box ways to say goodbye to this year's homeschool adventures:
Your Own Yearbook or Movie (01:30)
Create a private account that only you and your husband are followers of (maybe include your bestie).
Make some reels (weekly). Take little clips of things throughout the week and put them to some beautiful music!
Add some photo posts (experiences, art projects, field trips, handwriting, random Tuesday, outside play). Include some from the beginning, the middle, and the end of the year so everyone can see how they’ve grown (literally) or in their abilities.
Hook this account to something like Chatbooks, and they’ll send you a book periodically!
An Interview or Narrative (04:00)
We have a simple narrative that we use from our Homeschool Plan Like A Mother planner, but you can come up with your own questions that help you be a student of your child even as they grow and change...
Things like:
Where do they like learning?
What's a treasured memory from this year?
What makes them feel motivated?
Do they have any goals?
What was something they loved from this year?
What is something they want to keep doing next year?
Don't ask what their favorite subject is...there are SUCH better questions!
Let your kids interview you! (Like a news correspondent.)
Record it if you want! Add it to IG!
Celebrate Accomplishments (06:55)
Get a big whiteboard and just start adding things to it. Let your kids shout out their accomplishments or their siblings and fill the board...if they can't think of any...start them off...
"Brandon passed his college entry exam!"
"Eleanor learned how to swim!"
"Eirlys cooked an amazing soup!"
"Hattie learned how to make muffins!"
"Raylan got a job!"
"Mathias opened a bank account!"
"Mara killed it in Algebra."
"Anna learned how to draw hands!"
Leave the list up all summer/year, and your kids will feel some real power as they walk by and see what they can do!
You could also make it a day and go great, big, hairy, and audacious like a waterpark for the day...OR keep it simple and hit the park with a picnic and some friends.
Purge Books, Materials, & Unwanted Manipulatives (08:05)
This is a big task...but I find that choosing a day on my calendar and dedicating myself to it makes my WHOLE entire next year better. It's a really healing way to say goodbye to last year and hello to the new year.
It's hard to get into the new year with last year hanging overhead...or staring back at you from the bookshelf... no one needs that judgment in your life.
Start Planning for Next Year (10:25)
Start planning for next year with our Homeschool Plan Like a Mother, or you can do this with a piece of copy paper...make a list, draw pictures...there's just something about getting it down on paper. Seeing your ideas, hopes, and pans on paper will get you pumped about the year to come.
Our HPLAM Planner uniquely does this because it's not just about planning logistics of subjects, but also a real overview of last year and a deep dive into the heart of what kind of homeschool you want to cultivate in the coming year...it's speaks to homeschooling the "whole" child in a way that aligns with your family's values.
Recap (12:45)
IG Feed "Movie" or Chatbooks
Interview/Narrative (from HPLAM)
Celebrate Accomplishments (at home or with a "DAY")
Go through and purge books/materials/unwanted manipulatives
Start planning for next year (HPLAM)
We like these because they fit no matter your capacity or your season...they have a wide range of doable...so don't choose a giant waterpark day where you're going to video interview each of your kids before they go down a slide in a magical transition emerging as a brand new "6th grader" only to come home and purge your home and start your planning for the next year....ALL ON THE SAME DAY.
We gotta work with what we have, mommas.
And never forget
YOU are doing beautiful work!
P.S. Don’t forget about the FREE LifeskillsNow Summer Camp! (This would be a great week to get your kids busy working on life skills while you purge and plan!)
