The flyers, the stores, and the advertisements are reminding us that it’s back-to-school time! While we homeschool year-round, I can’t help but get caught up in the back-to-school excitement.
There are a few things that I like to do every year to make the most of this transition time and today I want to share those ideas with you!
Check out these traditions for the new homeschool year! #homeschoolers #ideas Click To Tweet
Get organized
This is a fantastic time to do some cleaning and organizing. We live in a townhouse and we don’t have a dedicated homeschool space, so it’s especially important for us to regularly clean and organize our small homeschool space. While cleaning, we take inventory of the materials and books we have.
Sell old curriculum
Once you’ve taken inventory of your books and supplies, make plans to sell your old or unused curriculum and textbooks. People are planning their upcoming year and are on the lookout for great materials. Outside of placing ads online, you can participate in curriculum swaps, or let your homeschool community know which materials you’re selling.
Stock up on supplies
We don’t let this season pass without stocking up on school supplies. There are many deals available and if you’re closely watching the flyers and sales, you can save a lot of money on the items you’ll need this year.
We can usually find great deals on markers, pencil crayons, glue, and paper during this time of year.
Plan
Planning is an important part of our back-to-school activities. I usually set aside a few hours to do some back-to-homeschool planning before we actually switch grades and start our new homeschool year.
Sometimes, I will even organize a homeschool planning retreat, so that the planning process is extra-special and enjoyable!
Back to school photos
We love to take photos of our girls on their “first day” of a new grade. These photos serve as a great little gifts to our friends and relatives.
There is plenty of inspiration on the internet and Pinterest to help make back-to-school photos especially unique.
First day of school self-portraits
This activity has become a bit of a tradition for us. On our first official day of a new grade, I provide a mirror and some drawing materials for the girls. Then I invite them to draw a self-portrait.
I love seeing how their self-portraits have evolved over the years!
Back-to-homeschool celebration
We belong to a homeschool association and every September they host a back-to-homeschool picnic. This has become an important part of our homeschool traditions.
If you don’t belong to a homeschool association or co-op, perhaps you could arrange a back-to-homeschool celebration!
Reflect:
Now it’s your turn! How do you prepare for the back-to-homeschool season? I invite you to comment below and share this post in your homeschool communities.
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Great ideas! I especially like the self-portrait idea and plan to snag it. Thanks for sharing!
This year I’m more emotional than usual as my almost nine-year-old is growing up so fast. I don’t want a moment to slip by without treasuring it.
This age also has it’s challenges and I don’t want to spend our year “arguing” about school. So, I’m doing my very best to make school not look/feel like school. He’s a natural learner/reader and it is my hope we can do most of our school work in some fun way.
To kickoff our year I actually brought the kids to a theme park. We had a blast!
I love seeing how the children’s self-portraits have evolved over the years. It’s one of my favourite traditions!
How awesome to start a new school year with a trip to a theme park! My girls would love that!
Thanks for sharing your thoughts on this Nicole!
I always love when you share homeschooling bits with us, Jennifer. It’s such a great glimpse of your life as a homeschool household. These are great organizational tips. I didn’t even know you can sell old curriculum. What great advice. In a world where you’re supplying all your own materials in your own home, I can imagine that space can get pretty tight. Plus it’s a great way to help other homeschoolers out there. As always, thanks for sharing with us :)
I’m delighted you enjoyed this Maria!
Yes, selling old curriculum helps keep homeschooling costs low and also helps other homeschoolers’ out. Some homeschool groups have curriculum swaps – no money – just trading a book for a book.
Hi Jennifer, back to school will be in a few days and I have mixed feelings about it (I’m sure you can relate). I’ve spent the last couple of weeks feeling the need to be super organised AND soak up the last bit of summer vacation — not the best combination –haha. The kids love the newness of the school year (even if my 11-yr old hates school) so I’m also excited about making it fun for them, including capturing the first day picture just before we rush out the door. Wish me luck!
Thanks for sharing your thoughts on this Marva! It is a delicate balance between enjoying summer and getting ready for the new year. Prayers and blessings for all of you as you start a new school year.
Love your ideas! We school year round but I still like to have the “official” day of 1sts.
I’m delighted you enjoyed our ideas! I like the official day of 1sts too :)