THE END... OF THE SCHOOL YEAR It seems like just yesterday it was September, and you were just beginning your homeschool adventure. Now it’s June, and it’s coming to an end. You look back and think about how quickly it’s gone by, but at the same time, it seems like you can barely remember what you’ve done all year. So, how do you capture and celebrate all the accomplishments and memories to fully honor your great work? Trip Down Memory Lane: When the school year is wrapping up, I like to sit with my daughter and talk about all the things we’ve learned. I remind her (and often she reminds me) of books we read, experiments we tried, trips we took, interesting people we met, and all our usual mishaps that happened along the way. I often use that time to give her feedback on her efforts during the year. Now that she’s in high school, I tell her the grades for each course that will go on her transcripts. I describe to her the growth I’ve seen in her, the improvements she’s made, and the talents she’s honed. I also ask her to think of ways she could improve on things she struggled with for next year and how I can help with that. We also use this time to brainstorm about activities for the next school year. Now that she’s getting older, she’s excited to give me requests for what she’d like to learn in the coming year and things she’d like to do. I keep a running list of notes for the next year to look at again in the summer when I’ll start my planning. Commemorate the Year with a Gift: When my daughter was in school, I would always pick her up on the last day with a gift in hand. It was very difficult in those days for her to get through the school year, so I always wanted to reward her with a present. Once we started homeschooling, I kept up the tradition but tried to stick to a theme related to our curriculum. One year, we studied Medieval Europe, and my daughter had designed her own family crest in her lesson book. For her end-of-the-year gift, I found her a wooden medieval shield. She spent the first few weeks of that summer sanding and then painting her shield with the amazing family crest she had designed. Another year, my daughter had spent a good portion of the year studying the history of China. We ended the year with a homemade Chinese banquet and a Chinese calligraphy set. Show and Tell: One of the downsides of homeschooling is missing that opportunity for your children to show off their work. I find, with my daughter, if she doesn’t have the incentive of someone else seeing her work, she’s less likely to do it completely and beautifully. So, have a party! End the year with a gathering of friends and family to show off and tell all about the amazing things you’ve learned throughout the school year. To make it extra fun, play off a theme from your studies to get everyone into it. It’s a great opportunity for your child to show what an expert they have become in what they learned. Make a Record: While everything is fresh in your mind, make a record of everything you did for the year and the resources you used! At some point, these records can turn into transcripts if you need them. But I find even by May, it’s difficult for me to remember what we did in October, so it makes things much easier to keep good records right away and collect all work for the year to be stored together in one place. Years from now, you’ll be happy you did. This is also a great time to look ahead and start the process of thinking about your next year’s plan. Take a Long Exhale: Take a breath! You did it. Instead of jumping into summer planning and that next cleaning project, take a break for yourself. If you can, treat yourself with something totally selfish! A day off with some of your friends, a day at home by yourself watching junk TV, or a moment to read something non-homeschool related. Homeschooling is wonderful and rewarding, but let’s face it; it can be exhausting as well. You will do better for your family if you get some self-care in there as well. Okay, I’m off to take my end-of-the-school-year bath now. I’ll try my best not to start fantasizing about lesson plans for next year… I’m not making any promises. Happy summer! P.S. If you’d like help with planning your next school year or writing transcripts for your high school student, contact me for support.
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