The Old Schoolhouse^®Magazine enjoys regular contact with seasoned homeschoolers willing to share their wealth of specialized information. Inside, you’ll find guidance and encouragement to assist you with all your planning needs. Get excited! TOS has gathered some of the best and brightest to share pointers and advice to get you going and keep you on track this year!

You may have plenty of ideas—have you considered what the Lord wants for your homeschool?

How has your homeschooling progressed this year? Is it possible that in all of the rush you have missed the hush of the Holy Spirit? Remember to let Him guide you throughout your days. His guidance, much like grace, is free to those willing to listen.

“Something happens every August. Department and discount stores put everything from socks to paper clips on sale, waiting for mothers to come. And they do. In the frenzy that is ‘back to school,’ mamas fill backpacks with new pencils and crayons and fill their children’s closets with the newest and latest styles. It's all done just in time to get little Bobby and Suzie to school.

For many mothers, this is where back to school ends. But somewhere, there is a mother holding her babies and looking out the window watching the bus go by. She is a homeschool mother, and she is wondering if she has made a mistake. That same mother spent the summer she had hoped to spend with her children planning, planning, and re-planning the school year just to sit down on the first day to interruption after interruption and no progress. She knows homeschooling is part of God's plan for her family, but she just can't get it together. Where did she go wrong? We've all been there in our homeschooling journey. Some of us more than once. Some of us every year. And some, day after day.

Inspiration for the weary mother can be found in The New School Year: Planning Your Course and Letting the Lord Determine Your Steps from The Old Schoolhouse^®. This encouraging read will teach you how to find more time in your school schedule, plan for multi-level teaching, organize Mt. Schoolwork (that pile of loose paper and hoped-for plans) and will restore your passion for educating your children at home. The New School Year will teach you how to structure your homeschool to make time for what is necessary, enjoy what is not, and will give you the tools to make this the best school year yet. So instead of catching the bus, you'll be catching butterflies!”

—Dana Warwick, Bartlett, TN

Planning Your Homeschool Year ~ How to Cooperate With the Holy Spirit begins the book with encouragement from Steve and Jane Lambert, of Five in a Row.

• Should you schedule your day as classroom teachers often do—systematically and with precision as to every piece of information you plan to teach on any given day?
• Is leniency so desired that it brings each of us “complete freedom to wander aimlessly through the world around us, randomly studying whatever we want whenever the notion strikes us?”
• Are you using the process of education to make disciples? Should you be?

From a Biblical foundation and personal experience, they will remind you to stay focused on the Word of God as you decide how to plan your homeschooling year. Using Scripture to guide you, Steve and Jane share how all wisdom and knowledge is found in Christ, and that by planning to allow God to intercede into your studies, you and your children will find the Holy Spirit will determine your steps. Exactly how will you plan to do this?

“Allowing our children to plan their own way through
the educational jungle each year leaves God out of the plan.
And planning our own way through the school year maze
may leave God out if it's not built wisely.”

The Lamberts will show you how to find a better balance—with God’s guidance, prudent planning, and a little faith-filled R-I-S-K.

Managing a Multi-Level Homeschool can be challenging. Malia Russell of Homemaking 911 takes us back to the common questions we all learned to ask when seeking answers.

• Who? Exactly who is in charge of your home and, therefore, your homeschool?
• What? Curriculum choices abound; are there ways to teach multiple grades easily?
• When? Malia approaches two issues here—when will you introduce subjects and when will you actually do school?
• Where? There are so many places to be: co-ops, field trips, sports, using the computer, and more. Exactly when will you be homeschooling at home?
• Why? Work to the heart of “why” you homeschool with a series of revealing questions to guide your way.
• How? Malia helps you give thought to how you will actually meet all of your responsibilities, and meet them well. Each of us can only juggle so many tasks—what will you choose as your focus this year?

Organizing Your Schedule, Library, and Personal School Boxes is a systematic process. Terri Johnson of Knowledge Quest takes you on a quest for organization! What five steps will Terri share to get your schedule organized? From subjects to materials, she will pass on her knowledge. Breaking curriculum down to manageable scheduling pieces, she provides examples like this:

“Let’s say that there are 120 lessons in the grammar book. Take 120 and divide that by 36 weeks in the school year. Your answer is 3.33 and that means that your student will have to cover 3 1/3 lessons per week to finish the book in one school year. What this means to me is that I will need to schedule grammar for this child at least 3 times per week.”

By expounding on breakdowns similar to this one, she helps you gain a better understanding of how to schedule lessons using any curriculum you choose—even without a predesigned schedule included!

Then Terri shares thoughts on organizing your personal library—helping your homeschool run smoothly and keeping stacks of scattered books from overtaking your home. Finally, she advises you on the often overlooked task of maintaining control of our school boxes. Be sure clutter is banished while necessary tools haven’t vanished!

Organizing and Planning Your School—Your “Special OPS” Mission will lead you on a mission designed by Cheryl Allin and The Old Schoolhouse^® Magazine as you follow a three-phase plan to a fantastic year of homeschooling!

“Your mission: a three-phase plan to get you and your family off to a great start.”

• Phase One will help you organize your space—from paper to schoolroom and supplies; get some step-by-step help to make it happen!
  1. Organize Your Equipment and Papers
  2. Organize Your School Room
  3. Organize Children’s Supplies
  4. Keep Clutter Away
  5. Finish
  6. Keep it That Way!
• Phase Two works at planning your actual school year—evaluate the little things that matter in big ways.
  1. Your Mission Statement
  2. Know the Law
  3. Organizing Your Plan
• Phase Three provides you the same guidance you give your children—take it all one step at a time; small steps lead to great success!

“Okay, so I’m not the most organized. And maybe I do need a little extra help with the clutter and organizing. Maybe I have a plan under this pile some where . . . ! Or maybe I should just read this book on planning! I found so many useful tips for helping even the most hopeless when it comes to organization and planning—and I fall into this category! I enjoyed reading each topic and found new “strength” to endure my busy days when I feel I have accomplished nothing. I especially liked the idea of scheduling “down” time so we can hear from God as to what to do with it. I have new-found motivation to get organized, get a plan, and get going! What a wonderful book!”

—Michelle Huddle, Fountain Inn, SC

“The Lamberts remind us that as homeschoolers, we do not have to follow a formula for planning like public and private school teachers do. Teachers in those settings typically do not have the time or the resources to carve out blocks of the day that allow for freedom of the Spirit to move. If we open up the door for God to move in and through each day that we are given to instruct our children, He will help us to lead our children to become disciples of His, not of the world . . . All of these articles offer great encouragement and help to kick off your 2009-2010 school year. The best part is that this E-Book is FREE!”

—Jenny Thompson, Pensacola, FL

“The ideas and encouragement contained will apply to any family regardless of the style of schooling that you follow or the type of curricula that you use. Homeschooling families can learn tips from trusted sources who are still in the trenches—right with you—and those who have successfully completed their journey. You can learn how to organize your books and materials, how to prepare your schedule from a big-picture perspective down to what should be covered each day, and you’ll be reminded of why we homeschool and who is the One truly in charge. This is one book that I will be re-reading each year . . . The final part of this great book is from Ruth Beechick, someone I have come to respect as a voice of wisdom. She writes a gentle reminder that whatever curricula we choose is really a tool. There are many resources available—use them in the way that works best for your family, even if that means putting them aside.”

—Hillary Moore, Gosport, IN

“My very favorite portion of the E-Book comes toward the end, kind of like dessert. The “Special OPS” is a neat, orderly list of targeted organizing for the dedicated classroom space. She gets you organized in the paperwork and boxes of it all, then preps you to mentally map out your mission and vision for your homeschool. The New School Year: Planning Your Course and Letting the Lord Determine Your Steps E-Book is a timely tool for your new or ongoing school year. There is never a better time to have the Lord so order your steps. Thanks to the authors for their time and experience!”

—Rolayne Taylor, Fort Wayne, IN

“How inspiring it was to read about how important it is to have the Holy Spirit fill us throughout our day. Not just in a Bible curriculum or a devotional time but allowing Him to help us through every aspect in our day. I’ve struggled over the years in homeschooling to allow my days to have ’quiet moments’ so God can show me His discernment. Reading this E-Book has helped open my eyes to the many reasons we chose to home school in the first place . . . I always said if my school items are organized and my lesson plans in order, then my day runs smoother. This E-Book will help you in getting and staying organized as well as giving practical advice on keeping God in the center of your daily life.”

—Lynn Pitts, Great Falls, MT

“I have learned in this new E-Book from TOS that God should be the main ingredient of your homeschool recipe. I totally agree with this—I mean, without Him I would not have the strength and courage to continue on this path. I’m quite serious. But I realized that I should invite the Spirit to guide us more in our days . . . this E-Book encouraged me to take small bites at the challenges I have in front of me like de-cluttering my office, scheduling our homeschool, and incorporating more unit studies. And it reminded me of the importance of always seeking the Holy Spirit every day of the week to see where He will guide us. This E-Book was indeed a good encouragement—to take our homeschool and make the best year ever!”

—Isabelle Lussier, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada

Reading
The New School Year . . .
E-Book could make a
HUGE difference for you this year!

Change the I guess to “Yes”—You can do this!

Get it now, our free gift to you!