Kicking off the Homeschool Year 

We're heading into our 23 year of homeschooling! I might have some grey hair because of it, but I'm still alive and functioning after all these years! I don't remember how we began those first few years, but once the kids got more numerous and older, we found ourselves doing the same things to kick off the homeschool year. My kids love traditions, so once we get started on something, we usually keep it going. This picture, however, shows that last year we veered from tradition!

Like having a plan for your day, doing the same things to start off your year give your kids a sense of grounding. They know what to expect and can anticipate it with joy. This is important for kids, especially when they're younger, although my big kids look forward to our traditions, too!

Kicking off the Homeschool Year at our House Looks Something Like This

1. In reality, there are only a few school supplies that we need to purchase each year, but we make a special outing to do it. We make up our list and I let the kids pick their own planner if they are in high school. Grade school kids get the one I like. A cool pen or two and a cute spiral notebook are also purchased. Even though it's not much, they still look forward to it.
2. I used to start school mid-August when I had a bunch of students. This way I had some wiggle room in the year in case we had a winter full of sick kids or something else happened. Now that they're older, we start the Tuesday after Labor Day because we're still so busy doing summer things. Pick a time to start that will work for your family and don't worry about the public school schedule - unless that is what works for your family!
3. A fun way to get into the swing of school is to still take advantage of the warm weather, assuming it isn't too warm, and do school work outside. We definitely try to get those outdoor field trips in now before winter arrives. Take your books out to the yard or patio and work in the nice sunshine. This can ease the transition into school work again.
4. We always plan to go out to lunch on the first day of school. The kids look forward to it and so do I. Last year, for some reason, we went out for coffee instead. I guess my kids are getting older! This year we plan on going to lunch but it will just be the three of us since everyone else is either out of the house or at work. I know they'll be wishing they were joining us, though!
5. The first week of school I usually ease the kids into their subjects by starting with the basic ones and then adding in the rest the second week. We'll also take time the first week to get organized and set our schedule up. Easing into things always seemed to help, especially with the younger students.

How are You Kicking off the Homeschool Year?