 Hi you guys, my name is Brittany and welcome back to my youtube channel You guys in today's video I am going to be doing a brain dump for you guys where i'm going to Just take all of the ideas that I have out in my head for my planning for my upcoming homeschool year the 2023 2024 homeschooling year I cannot believe like we're at this point you guys like I don't know if any of you guys are like me But I really only have 11 more weeks left to my homeschooling year and then it's summer break for us And yeah, it's just so crazy like how fast these years have gone by If any of you guys are new here to my channel. Um, I again, I'm Brittany I am a homeschooling mom to three girls ages 11 4 and 3 and in the upcoming homeschool year I will have an 11 5 and a 3 year old So that will be officially sixth grade kindergarten and pre-k Are going to be like the homeschooling ages that I'm going to be teaching this upcoming homeschool year I'm excited. I'm a little bit nervous because I'm starting one of my kiddos off from the beginning with kindergarten And then my oldest daughter. We're going to be officially in middle school. So, um, I'm a little bit nervous But I am excited going into this upcoming homeschool year I feel like as I have gotten more homeschooling years under my belt I have become more confident and um, I'm just used to, you know the the flow of the year and um I'm just feeling more confident and prepared. I should just say for the upcoming homeschool year So I am just going to like you guys do a brain dump I have like my clipboard right here of all of the ideas that like I typed out on my computer because um While I do have somewhat of a plan I still am like narrowing down these choices and hopefully this video will kind of like help you guys See the process of like brainstorming and like what's in someone's head as they are planning for the upcoming homeschool year And um, yeah, I hope I'm not too chatty if this video is too long I will cut it into two parts. But if not, um, you kind of will see like my brainstorming process from, um The beginning to the end and kind of see like Where I'm at and my thoughts for my upcoming homeschool curriculum choices for all of my kiddos So I'm going to go ahead you guys and start off with like the easiest kiddos, which is my two younger ones Um, nothing's pretty much is going to change with them. I pretty much have like a solid plan with them It's just one thing that I'm thinking about adding in for them So for uh leia and alana leia will be my kenny gardener and alana is like my preschool pre-k-ish Type of like curriculum that I'm going to be looking for for them But for the most part you guys we will be staying with all about reading We're going to be doing math with confidence a mixture of math you see with them, of course handwriting without tears I love that for them and um explode the code get ready for the code I'm sticking with like my main core with them If it's not broke don't fix it. So None of those things are broke. Uh, those curriculum choices have been, you know, great fits for us in my homeschool So pretty much with them, uh, that's going to be like all their core So it's not really going to be much of much of a surprise when I do make my curriculum pick videos for my younger two Um, the only thing like I'm brainstorming about for them is I'm trying to think if I am going to add in Some type of science for them To do like fun studies for them to do to add on to their core But i'm not quite sure so in the state of georgia I technically don't have to register My middle daughter leah into like the georgia board of education until she turns six So kenny garden is not necessarily a required home or required Educational year for us in the state of georgia Even if she was to go into public school technically I wouldn't have to enroll her until the first grade So all of my state laws that I have to follow for my oldest daughter brielle I necessarily don't have to follow for leah because she's not going to be officially, uh registered in the state of georgia So I kind of have like one year to like get my feet wet before I am required to teach All of the core subjects which in our state is reading writing or is reading language arts math Social studies and science are the five core subjects that we are required to teach every single year in our home school So, um, I'm not necessarily going to worry about like history We will do like some type of geography study where you know, I do want her to know, you know, her continent her What some simple math work Oceans, you know, just like the regular basic type of geography But those are things that I know I can do with my younger two without a curriculum I really don't need that for those types of things but for a kindergarten science I do want to do something but I'm not too sure if I want to like Keep it simple or if I want to add in something But here are some of like my ideas that I have for them My first idea is actually to try out a gentle and classical Nature I have done gentle and classical uh preschool with them this home schooling year and it was really really fun And I know they have their gentle and um gentle and classical Nature volumes they have a volume one and a volume two Um that I was kind of like looking into but I really don't know, you know Like am I going to be consistent with this program? I do have exploring nature with children Already, we did a few units with all of my kiddos. Uh this time last year We did butterflies and I forgot something else we did I think we did insects or something else we did this time last year with them But I wasn't really consistent with exploring nature with children and I was just thinking well Maybe I might be consistent with the gentle and classical Volume since I'm kind of like already used to the format of those curriculums Um, I don't know another option that I had was to keep it really really simple you guys And just get like the evan more skill sharpener science book for kenny garden and like match it along Like the topics along with some books from the library, uh like just some simple readers like this We are going to do a weather unit you guys. Um, this is our next unit after we finished off or after we're finishing space I'm going to do a weather unit for all of my kiddos. So this is one of the books that I have selected But I'm just using this as an example Of some of the like reading books that I would like peer along with the evan more skill sharpeners I would go to my library and whatever topic it's covered in that evan more skill sharpeners I would just beef it up by checking out books from my library That goes along with the topics and keep it really really simple. Um Something else that I was thinking about you guys for them as far as science my younger too Is just to do some type of subscription box. So I don't even have to think about it Like I have tried out a knowledge crates you guys This is actually our fall crate that we did this year. It was so much fun This is actually the school age crate. So this one is like brielle's age, but I know knowledge crates has like, um Like primary pre-k Kenny garden age group that I could do with my younger two kiddos I was looking into like kiwi co boxes or male science boxes as well for them. So I don't have to think about it I don't have to follow a curriculum. We'll just get a box in the mail every month We can do the science experiments. We can check out books from our library And do things like that So those are like my options that I'm looking for as far as adding in science for my younger ones and Those are like some of my ideas that I'm thinking about doing or like I said before you guys I would just stick to the uh, the basics with them reading writing arithmetic and call it a day Um, so I really don't know what direction I am going in but those are like some of my ideas for them Now you guys For my oldest daughter, uh, brielle, this is the one where I really feel like, um, I'm thinking really really hard for her Um, I do have some criterias that I put down as far as what I'm looking for in my curriculum picks for her For this upcoming year. I have several options And um, I really don't know what direction I'm going to go in. I think I have it narrowed down But um, I'm still kind of like going back and forth. So we're just going to go ahead and uh, brainstorm brainstorm for her. She will be again again going into the sixth grade So my criteria for her curriculum that I have right here is that I want to find something that I'm going to be consistent with for the next three years I'm really not looking to like try out new things I really want whatever curriculum picks that I pick for her that I'm going to be consistent in her middle school year. Um Another criteria that I have is that I want her a curriculum to be uh, self-paced and independent Like those are really really important. Um, I don't mind me coming in as like facilitator and helping her out With her studies, but I don't want any like teacher led Curriculum is what I'm saying. I want curriculum where she can feel confident in uh, starting it off on her own And then I come in, uh, you know in the back end if that makes any sense. Um Literature based I feel like literature based is okay But I don't know if I want to like it to be like really really literature heavy for her Brielle loves reading and um, I know a literature based program, uh, probably wouldn't be uh bad for her But I'm really not too sure. Um as far as like other things. I do want to focus on these next three years I do want to focus on a financial literacy for her I want to do something in like social and emotional health health for her We want to I want to like target critical thinking skills Um, I want her to work on a passion project, uh, these these uh middle school years So whatever she may be passionate in I do want to have like the time Outside of her formal curriculum for her to work on like some type of passion project right now She's been working on writing those have been like her passions that she has had but if um, she has any other passions I do want to like open up like the, um Home school to invite like any other like passion projects that she may uh want to continue to do In our home school. Um, some other things I want to do is I want to focus on life skills with Brielle Outside of the curriculum. Um, I want her to continue to learn how to cook Um, she specifically told me she wants to learn how to cook like more dinners and things like that Brielle technically has mastered like breakfast and lunch But she definitely wants to get in in the kitchen like more with me doing like nitty gritty Dinners and things like that. So I definitely want to incorporate her Doing some more like basic cooking. Um, some other things that's important to us this homeschooling year is that um I really want to focus on uh her taking better care of like her her overall self Um and like her hair and things like that. Um, if you are a mom and you definitely know as you know African-american, it's different for you know, your kiddos to take in the rings to learn how to, you know, take proper care of their hair Especially for a curly girl. So um Brielle definitely expressed a desire for her to learn how to, you know, do her own hair So I definitely know that that's going to be something we're going to be working on like in our overall home. So, um Those are just like some of my goals and uh criteria and things that I do want to focus on these next three years for her Now, um, I definitely want to preface this and I think I said it in my last video is that I'm really not too sure if I'm going to homeschool Brielle uh in high school. Um, I definitely know that these next three years I do want to focus um on staying pretty close To my um state standards just because um, I do want to leave the option open for if I do decide to put her in To like public school. I don't want her to feel behind or to feel Like she is inadequate or she's missing things. Um in our homeschool So, um, it's really important for me to kind of like stay close to it So I can keep that option open if that's something we want to do. So, um, while for my younger kiddos I feel like I will be more loosey-goosey kind of like going with the flow for their education For brielle, I feel like we're going to kind of be more Rigid I should say and more rigorous. Uh, but at the same time It's still going to be overall relaxed in our homeschool So, um, one of my uh options that I had for curriculum for brielle Actually is book shark. I was looking into a book shark specifically Their world history series. Um, book shark has a really cool like eastern hemisphere Level and they also have their world history for book shark, uh in two volumes So volume one and volume two, um book shark is uh similar to sunlight where they are like literature heavy curriculums Where we will be doing read allows together But then brielle will be having like her independent readers that she's going to be reading She will have like math work and things like that. And um, I really feel like book shark will be like a good overall Core for her, uh, but I'm not too sure you guys So that is like one of my options as far as like curriculum to stick with her for the next three years Another curriculum that I have and this you guys is like one of my dream curriculum for her In particular, I have researched this curriculum. You guys really since january and I have been looking into it And that actually is um oak meadow I have been looking into oak meadow because I love how the curriculum is set up for the kiddos It is independent and student led where I will come in as like, you know, that facilitator Part of brielle she has the option for each of the subjects for um the english language arts history and science She gets to pick and choose which assignment she wants to do for each week in oak meadow. Um, it really keeps it really puts in place like the kids What they want to do and it really gives them that sense of accountability and ownership in their education Where they do have a choice between different options Um oak meadow is a heavy writing Curriculum and I definitely know as brielle is a strong writer. She definitely will love a curriculum that you know has a little bit of literature correlating with it, but it also has like the art and the writing and the science So um that is a curriculum. I have been looking into um and it really really interests me I'm going to go ahead you guys and put some videos down below because I think um A few youtubers have been like making videos on oak meadow And I will go ahead and highlight their videos down below if you want to like know more about them I'm still kind of like getting my feet wet and learning more about oak meadow But that definitely is a choice an option that I'm considering in my home school um because I can definitely like stick with the series for sixth seventh and eighth grade and um I think that that will be a perfect curriculum for brielle. We do have our literature, but it's not too literature heavy and um she gets the opportunity, you know to have like that I guess autonomy to be able to pick and choose the assignment she wants to do each week and um Yeah, I'm really really excited about that option Another option you guys that I have is to really just go online with brielle like um, I think she's definitely ready for me to like transfer like our uh overall flow into like some type of online uh flow for her where um She will be doing at least like her history uh portions of her literature and science online some of the online platforms that I have looked into has been um power homeschool I've looked into time for learning and also monarch academy. So those are like three online uh databases for homeschoolers that I have been looking into All of these online programs are very affordable. I think the time for learning and the power homeschool Is only $24 a month and then monarch is $39 a month So really really affordable because at the end of the year, what's that like three or four hundred dollars? Which is about the price that I typically spend for curriculum for the whole year for um each for at least her since she's Oldest my younger ones. They're a lot, you know cheaper at this point But you know as they get up there, you know their curriculum does get more expensive But um that is around the price range that I do spend for her curriculum. So um I definitely will still be on budget for her And then for the rest of her subjects that we have been doing I think I'll probably will keep it the same if we did do um the online portion I would uh pretty much stick with um Matthew C for her. So for the next three years, we would do uh for sixth grade. We would do Matthew C zeta Pre algebra for seventh grade and algebra one for eighth grade will be like her flow If we did online for her as far as grammar, I think I still will even if we did online I think I still would go ahead and add in like either um the fixate grammar series We would probably finish it off because right now briel has finished books one and two We're working on book three So that leaves the last three books for us to be able to work in on middle school So that'll be book fixate grammar book four five and six We can complete off the series um in middle school as far as writing um goals if we were to do online I think I would still continue to use the writing portions that um I have been using for her I think we would continue with IEW structure and style. I think we would do it for two more years So we would do the IEW structure and style one b year one and then we would do for her seventh grade year We would do IEW um year a year uh two or IEW one b Year two is what we would do and then for her eighth grade year I was looking into doing lost tools of writing because that focuses on argumentive and persuasive essays So uh that will be like what I would choose for writing for her as far as like literature I think I would just um have her continue to read books. She likes to read and whatever um literature time periods We are in I'll probably pick out some selections from our library For her to read if we were to uh do online So online would definitely be like a mix of some of the curriculum that we already are using And then I would use the online for subjects that I feel like I'm definitely lacking in like the science especially in the history For her to have something consistent where she can go on that would definitely um be an option for uh briel And uh, I guess my last pick would be like maybe just to continue to do like what I'm doing now And just pick out or for her to continue to do some of the same curriculum She is doing now and just pick out some science and history For her But um, I think those are the ones that I talked about book shark oak meadow and some form of like online and mixture Of the curriculum we are using would be like my top three choices for briel for this upcoming uh planning homeschooling year Um, so you guys like these are like some of my ideas. Um, I really don't know which ones i'm gonna go with But um, if you guys like our brainstorming for your homeschooling years, uh, the best thing I would definitely say is First off write out like your criteria to things that you're looking for in your homeschooling curriculum And then kind of like narrow it down by subject the way that I have, um But um, like I said, these are like some of my ideas and what I'm thinking of Doing for all of my kiddos. I do have somewhat of a plan, but I'm not All the way narrowed down. So um, I hope this video wasn't too chatty And um, I hope you guys were able to kind of like get in my head and see like my thought process of um, Me planning out my curriculum for my upcoming homeschool year. Um, if you're in the thick of this you guys, um, just know It's gonna be okay. We're gonna get through this planning process and um Yeah, just continue to like focus on you your homeschool your goals and the things that you want to obtain In your homeschool and just let the rest kind of like fall through so you guys, thank you so much for watching Thank you so much for just chit chatting with me in today's video and as always I look forward to seeing everybody in my next one Bye