Today has been entirely focused on homeschool preparations for the coming year. While I will likely go in depth about all of this in future homeschool posts, here's a quick overview.

Last year we unschooled completely the entire year. While we managed to do so successfully and passed our homeschool evals with flying colors, there were certainly a few ways that I thought we could improve. One being a better way to keep track of the work done, no matter how we choose to approach it (assigned or not).

This year I am implementing these A5 binder systems with my kids. One thing I loved about school in Europe vs the states was the use of smaller format books and notebooks. Bigger isn't always better.

I am using binder systems because I like being able to reorganize the notebook sections as I go, rather than having separate sections for subjects and a lot of potentially wasted paper. Nothing gets wasted here. The only other option I would choose are disc-bound notebooks. All you need is disc-ring punch and you can use any paper you want.

I am implementing more assigned work this year, but not in the form of busy work. My intention here is to teach them the skills of recording all their stuff on paper. Thoughts, ideas, research, etc. My concerns is that they take after me, and I went a really long time not realizing that yes, I do need to write it all down. And then when I did figure that out, there was a lot more work in figuring out what to write down, how to write it down, how to organize it, etc. Only a small handful of my teachers spent any time on note-taking skills. The rest either assumed you already knew, or you were expected to learn flying by the seat of your pants.

My point is, this wasn’t something I came by naturally. These were skills I needed to be introduced to and taught. I would have had no idea that my struggles when it came to studying might have been the result of poor note taking skills, rather than some failure that was my fault.

I am grateful for the teachers that showed me how to organize a science notebook (chemistry), or the incredible value of marginalia (modern history/poli-sci) or how to fill out index cards while doing research for a paper (one of my English teachers). I wish more teachers had spent time teaching note taking skills.

So yes, less unschool this year so we can start implementing and putting into practice the skills that I didnt have until much later in my school experience. And, of course, that means more prep-work on my part to get the ball rolling.

P.S. this was also a good excuse for me to borrow my son's typewriter. My kids both have one which they bought with their own money, but I don't (as of right now). I can just use theirs. I can also check to see if it needs any maintenance - which is why the part covering the ribbon is currently off, because the ribbon was acting up, so this way I can test it out and fix things.