Day 3: Decide What's Working (and What Isn't)

Now that we've set some goals for our homeschool, we know where our priorities lie. We know which things fall in line with our homeschool mission statement and which things don't. So today we are going to use that information to decide what is working and what isn't.

Simplifying Your Homeschool: Decide What's Working (and what isn't)

There are only so many hours in the day and us moms try to squeeze everything we can out of every last minute. Our time is precious and we certainly don't want to be wasting it on things that don't line up with our goals. Taking the time to re-evaluate the things you're investing your time in can be tough but it is oh so worth it! You might have to make some hard cuts but in the end, you'll be freeing up time. Just imagine what you can do with an extra 15, 30 or even 60 minutes in your day (Eat, pee, sit down...oh, the possibilities)!

So today I want you to take a minute and compare your mission statement and your goals with the stuff that you spend your time doing. Specifically, let's look at curriculum and activities. If your goals include exposing your children to great literature but your curriculum is all textbooks and worksheets then maybe it's time to change it up. If you want your children to have lots of time to explore nature but they never get outside because they have hockey 5 days a week, maybe you need to cut back a little.

It might be a struggle for you to let go of some things. If that's the case, think about what value it's adding to your life. If it isn't helping you meet your goals, is their some other benefit to it? Contrast that with the negative impact it has on your life. If the good out weighs the bad, keep it! If not...well, it's time to let go.

I know that curriculum can be a little harder than activities to just let go. It costs money and there may not be more room in the budget to buy something new. So let's discuss what options you've got.

What to Do When Your Curriculum Just Isn't Working

Tweak It: Just because the curriculum you've chosen isn't helping you meet your goals now, doesn't mean it's a lost cause. You can take what works and leave what doesn't. You can add in more hands on projects instead of doing the worksheets or you can read living books that compliment the course material. If you find it too repetitive, don't do all of the lessons. If you find it not repetitive enough, add in your own practice questions. With Pinterest and Google on your side, I am confident that you can make most programs can be altered into something that fits your family perfectly!

Replace It: Of course, if you've got the money, you can replace your curriculum with something new. You can often buy used curriculum at a discounted rate at curriculum sales or online. Check with your local homeschooling group, maybe someone has something to sell or lend out to you.

Dump It: If you really can't make it work, and you've decided that the cons really do outweigh the pros, it's alright to just stop. Maybe you take a break from formally teaching that subject this year. That doesn't mean the learning stops. You can always find real life situations to use as teaching opportunities. History can be taught quite easily through living books. Math can be taught through baking and knitting and a whole lot of games. Science can be observed for free just by exploring your backyard! If your curriculum really isn't working, dump it. Make a list of all the things you want to cover in that subject and start thinking of ways you can teach it with no curriculum at all. I bet you'll surprise yourself in how simple it can be.

Your days will be so much simpler when you do away with the things that are taking up time without adding value to your homeschool. I encourage you to take a critical look at the things you choose to fill your time with. Your time is precious...make sure you spend it wisely!

To read the rest of the Simplifying Your Homeschool series click the image below.