When You’re Too Disorganized to Homeschool

I’ve talked to many people about homeschooling.  After the “It’s too expensive” objection, the next thing I hear often is this:

“I’m too disorganized to homeschool.  Without a clear plan, I’d never get anything done.”

I get that.  Really, I do.  If there’s no obvious plan and no external accountability, it is harder to stay on track with something.  But, I promise, it’s not as hard as it seems…and there is help!

When You’re Too Disorganized to Homeschool

It seems like some moms have it all together.  They have their binders, and their file folders, and everything is labeled and color-coded.  Their children’s work is planned out weeks in advance, and they’re just on top of everything.

It sounds so exhausting.  (I don’t do it.  You don’t have to, either.  We’ll get to that later.)

A lot of mamas kind of wish they were that naturally organized.  They want some kind of plan.  They want someone to tell them where to start…and how to manage it all.

So, first, some encouragement….

Mamas, You Can Do This

Homeschooling is not as hard as it seems.  Really, it’s not.  If you’re envisioning an 8 – 3 schedule every.single.day, that is constantly busy with something, that’s not how it usually is.  You don’t have to sit down at the kitchen table and teach lessons and have busy work to last hours.  You don’t have to decorate a flawless school room.  You don’t have to administer tons of worksheets and proctor exams and grade them and keep meticulous notes.

(You can, if you really want to, but you sure don’t have to.)

Homeschooling is not “school at home.”  Homeschooling is so much more flexible!  Baking cookies can be part of your learning time — you need math and science to do it!

You don’t have to spend 7 hours a day homeschooling, either.  Much of the time in schools is spent on lunch, recess, transitions, busywork so that teachers can help individual students or small groups, etc.  There’s no need to recreate all of that at home; you don’t have 30 kids to deal with!  Many moms spend only 1 – 2 hours per day with elementary students (30 – 45 min. with preschool/kindergarten and 3 – 4 hours with older students).

You don’t need a schedule.  Many moms fit stuff in weekly rather than rigidly every single day.  Setting long-term goals (like finishing one specific unit within a month) is easier than saying “We will do this for an hour a day.”

And, personally, I don’t do any of this.  We have a weekly homeschool group, and otherwise we just do whatever we want.  Some days it’s like we go from activity to activity and there’s a ton of hands-on “learning” happening.  Other days we just play, and they’re learning in a different way.  There are lots of ways to learn; you don’t have to have books and curriculum and planned-out lessons.

When You Just Want a Plan

I have several friends who are newer homeschoolers and they are nervous.  They just want a plan to follow.  They don’t want to try to keep it all together and worry about missing out on something.

I get it.  Some people are more “planners” than others are.  And that’s where this comes in….

Homeschool Helps

In the very amazing Build Your Bundle homeschool sale, there are a couple of bundles just for mom!  This is one of them.  Key products in here help you to keep your homeschool organized, and have a solid plan, all year long — the Homeschool Helps Bundle.

Portfolios 101

Most states require portfolio assessment (or standardized testing).  This book teaches you how to put together an awesome portfolio to satisfy your legal requirements.  Plus, it’s a cool way to look back at your awesome year of learning.

Quick and Easy Homeschool Planner

This book includes many different styles of printable planning pages, including daily, weekly, and monthly plans, lesson plans, and even shopping lists.  Plus, student planner pages, reading logs, and field trip logs.  Everything you can think of for both advance planning and record keeping!

Homeschool Successfully When Life Happens

This is probably one of the biggest questions moms have — how do you fit homeschooling around, well, life?  Many moms have children with special needs, or are pregnant/have a newborn, run into a wall with a certain subject, etc.  Life doesn’t exactly flow smoothly.  This book teaches you how to address many of these situations, and how to make homeschooling work in the worst of times.

Organize Your Homeschool in 20(ish) Days

Not sure where to start with organizing your books, supplies, etc.?  This book walks you on a 4-week (you get weekends “off!”) journey to organize all your stuff, so that your school days are simply easier.

Student Planner

I had one of these when I was in school.  This planner has no dates (so you can print it and use year after year), and offer daily, weekly, and monthly planning for up to 8 different subjects.  Everything your older homeschooler needs to stay organized!

Every Child Can Succeed, The Story of Multiple Intelligences

No clue what curriculum to pick?  Start here.  This book will help you discover your child’s strengths and learning styles and match materials appropriately for him/her, so that learning is more fun and less work for both of you!  Use in conjunction with Homeschool Planning Pack, which helps you to sort through different types of curriculum choices to find the right ones (plus lots of different logs to keep track of progress).

There are a few more books in the bundle beyond these, including some encouragement-centered books — because we all know that mamas need a lot of that!

The whole bundle is just $10, a total steal for all of this!  (Not to mention many can be printed and used again and again!) (Buy it here, or see the full contents.)

Homemaking

Dishes don’t wash themselves.

I wish they did, and I think my kids do, too (since it’s their job often times these days).  But since they don’t, some help with housework is great!  When you’re home all day, living life, things get used and messes happen, and you’re not just “home” and free to clean up — you’re working at educating your children!  It’s not so simple.

This homemaking bundle has the help you need to manage it all a little better!

Homemaker’s Weekly Planner Set

A printable book with day, week, and month calendars and more.  Keep the pages in a binder inside sheet protectors so you can write on/wipe off day-to-day sheets, or print as needed to stay organized with household chores, appointments, and more.

Homeschooling with Purpose

How to stay on track with homeschooling and life in general, finding your purpose.

Homemaking Booklet Series

A series of 10 short booklets, including setting up a cleaning schedule, sewing, meal planning, recipes, and more!

31 Days of Battling Your Fears

Use this book to inspire you, and move beyond your fears that you are “not enough!”

Homemade Convenience Foods

This book basically teaches you how to prepare food quickly and easily from pantry staples — dinner on the table in 15 minutes or less.

There’s more!  That’s about half the books in the bundle.  And the whole thing is just $10!  (Buy it here.)

Is It Worth It?  Will I Use It?

Only you can answer that second question — you know yourself.  Will you use it?  Some mamas really love the pen-and-paper stuff, and enjoy printable calendars.  Other mamas are more like, “Just give me my smart phone.”  So, it’s up to you.

As for it it’s worth it…if you’ll use it, then, yes!  $10 to organize and inspire you for a whole year — or longer?  Absolutely.

Now, I’d be remiss if I didn’t tell you that if you buy 2 bundles, you get 1 for free.  If you love both of these bundles, you could also grab one of the homeschool materials bundles for your kids.

My Suggestions

If you have only kids under 7….

• Early learning bundle $20
• Homeschool helps bundle $10
• Homemaking bundle $10
• Total cost: $40 $30

If you have kids 5 – 12…

• Unit studies 1 $20
• Unit studies 2 $20
• Homeschool helps $10
• Total cost: $50 $40

-or-

• Elementary 1 $40
• Unit studies 1 $20
• Homeschool helps $10
• Total cost: $70 $60

If you have kids 9 – 18…

• Upper grades 1 $30
• Fine arts $20
• Homeschool helps $10
• Total cost: $60 $50

-or-

• Upper grades 2 $30
• Unit studies 2 $20
• Homemaking $10
• Total cost: $60 $50

The highest price on any of these is $60 — not bad, right?  For a full year of curriculum.

There are 5 days left to decide…so make sure you get your bundles soon! There are no late sales…when it’s over, it’s over.  I missed it two years ago and I was sad! (See the full list of options here.)

**The sale is now over!  Bummer.  If you’d like to be notified about next year’s sale, please join this mailing list (you’ll also get awesome monthly printables and other cool benefits).  If you’d like to receive special offers throughout the year from the sale organizers, join their list here.**

Do you feel too disorganized to homeschool?  What works for you?