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How many days of instruction do you need to plan for your homeschool? Since most curriculums come with 180 days of lesson plans we often assume we need to plan and teach 180 lessons from the book. In this episode, I share why this approach did not work for our family and what we do instead.

What we talked about

• Why a boxed curriculum with 180 days of lessons did not work for our homeschool. Hint: It was too restrictive and left little room for flexibility, field trips, and special events.
• Why planning 3 12-week terms as many Charlotte Mason homeschools use left us feeling frustrated and behind. We follow the homeschool laws for our state and get in the appropriate number of days of instruction but it is structured in a way that works for our homeschool.
• How evaluating our homeschool’s needs helped me settle on a solution that works well for us. We wanted to enjoy learning and wanted to incorporate trips, field trips, and special learning opportunities.
• Our new approach to lesson plans and days of instruction. My broadened perspective allowed me to let go of other’s expectations and ideas of what our school year should look like.
• How many days of instruction I currently plan (as of the date of this podcast episode): 22 weeks of content, 2 weeks of exams, 1 week of teacher work days, 4 weeks of trips, and 7 weeks of other learning.

Links and resources mentioned on the show

• Check your state’s homeschool laws
• Simplify Homeschool Planning With These Seven Steps
• Don’t forget the importance of scheduling breaks
• 4 Benefits Charlotte Mason Exams And How To Implement Them
• Taking Advantage Of Homeschool Teacher Workdays
• 5 Benefits Of Term Evaluations
• How to Homeschool While Traveling
• Gain Control Of Your Homeschool Day With This Free Back to the Basics PDF

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