At this time of year it’s easy for me to get antsy about our homeschooling. It’s the time when the blahs can set in. I’m not sure if that’s because of the weather or just the non-newness of our school days. In either case, I find that if I start thinking about how I can tweak things here to make life easier, it can help me re-focus and get excited again.

There is a great post on organizing schoolwork and taming the paper monster (always a struggle here) from Lisa at Koinonia Academy. One of the best things about this post is that it has a link to the new the new on-line homeschooling magazine The Heart of the Matter. (Or you can just use that link. But don’t miss Lisa’s post!)

Another thing that helps is to start thinking about plans for next year. I try to get as much curriculum used as I can, so it helps to have time to look around. This means that I need to know what we’re doing many months advance. Plus, it’s just fun to pull out the curriculum catalogs!

Tami at Ambleside Classical Academy has a great method for planning and some forms to share here. A place to visit for lots and lots of planning ideas is By Sun and Candlelight. A real treasure trove there!

Fun stuff is good, too. Here’s a neat world geography game - Traveler IQ Challenge. Just don’t ask me how I do on it. I think I need a course in world geography as much as my kids do. The Heart of Harmony has a Sketch Tuesday challenge every week. It’s an easy way to add in some art and a great way for your kids (and you!) to get to show off their work. For a more craft-y approach to art, check out Hearts and Trees. She offers some great art kits for those of us (raising my hand here) that are craft-challenged.

I find that with just a little effort, we can get through this time of year and actually enjoy it. I hope you’ve found something here that can do the same for you.

P.S.

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