Wise Homeschool Planning: Embracing God’s Guidance

So much of my life has been trusting God for each step directly in front of me. I have always had this sense that the life of our family was like the journey of Abraham on his way to Canaan.

God called him out, but didn’t give him the details of where he was going or what route he was taking. He had to trust God to show him where to go, one leg of the trip at a time.

Homeschool planning is a lot like that.

God says to us, “Come out from your people and go to a land I will show you.”

We don’t know what that land will look like, or how we’ll get there exactly, but we know God has a destination in mind for each child. He simply asks us to trust him with the trip.

Where will our children end up?

We don’t know. Only God knows, and He is wise enough not to give us too many particulars. But He has given us some general direction and precious promises to comfort us along the way.

Having said all that, I don’t want to leave the impression that planning is sinful, nor is it necessarily presumptive on the Lord. When you plan, you are not leaving God out of the picture unless you choose to.

Many people make plans to be successful, but end up creating all sorts of chaos and evil, whether their goals are reached or not.

But good planning is necessary.

Jesus said:

For which of you, intending to build a tower, does not sit down first and count the cost, whether he has enough to finish it— lest, after he has laid the foundation, and is not able to finish, all who see it begin to mock him, saying, ‘This man began to build and was not able to finish’? Or what king, going to make war against another king, does not sit down first and consider whether he is able with ten thousand to meet him who comes against him with twenty thousand? Or else, while the other is still a great way off, he sends a delegation and asks conditions of peace. So likewise, whoever of you does not forsake all that he has cannot be My disciple.

Luke 14:28-33

Also, we read here about wise planning for future contingencies:

Be diligent to know the state of your flocks,
And attend to your herds;
For riches are not forever,
Nor does a crown endure to all generations.
When the hay is removed, and the tender grass shows itself,
And the herbs of the mountains are gathered in,
The lambs will provide your clothing,
And the goats the price of a field;
You shall have enough goats’ milk for your food,
For the food of your household,
And the nourishment of your maidservants.

Proverbs 27:23-27

Even Abraham did a certain amount of planning. He had to decide who was in charge of the flocks, what servants would be in charge of the flocks, which one would take care of the tents. Sarah made sure she knew what they would have for dinner and that the water skins were filled.

They couldn’t see very far, but just enough to tell whether they would be going over plains or over mountains so they could be prepared.

When we are homeschool planning, we are mostly preparing for the portion of the journey just as far as we can see with our eyes; just to the horizon. This means it might be for six weeks, or three months, or perhaps an entire year if we really squint.

But if we are allowing God to lead us, it would probably be a waste to plan any further. This is because we need to give God the room He needs to change our direction slightly, to make course adjustments whenever He sees fit.

A man’s heart plans his way,
But the Lord directs his steps.

Proverbs 16:9

Within these parameters, planning is not optional, it is a must.

Proverbs 21:5 says:

The plans of the diligent lead surely to plenty,
But those of everyone who is hasty, surely to poverty.

Yes, we want to honor the uniqueness of each child and allow each one to grow up as “naturally” as possible, while remembering that God’s nature looks random at first glance, but upon close inspection we find there is a definite order (we see this when we look closely at nature and see that even the leaves on trees are arranged with mathematical precision, and they are discovering Mandelbrot sets and fractals that give us just a glimpse into God’s genius).

So, we must set out to create an atmosphere of freedom set upon a framework of order.

Here are some ways to go about this:

• Gather information; equip yourself with knowledge. This will give you confidence as you make decisions.

• Gather materials. (I gave some suggestions for this in my last post/podcast).

• Put your materials into piles. Make one pile for “basket time.” Then make piles for each of your children. You can include books, supplies, math manipulatives, project materials. etc.

• Create a chart.

Write the names of materials/subjects on the left, and create four to five more columns to the right. Number each one, two, and so-on (these will represent the different days of the week). Decide the frequency and usage for each area and write it in the proper place in the columns.

• Create an SOP (an old military term which stands for Standard of Operations).

Put the big picture together by creating a chart which will show what each person is doing on each day. This will be the way you track what is going on at-a-glance.

If this sounds confusing, make sure and watch this video for some visual explanations:

Some further tips on planning:

First, remember K.I.S.S.

Keep

It

Simple

Sweetheart

Don’t add in lots of glitzy-glammy stuff. Stick to the basics, things that are not negotiable and leave the rest for “if there is time left over,” or dedicate a set of weeks just for some glammy stuff.

(For an interesting article on this subject written by Colette Longo, click here.)

For Bible:

• Read it. Aloud. Often. And talk about it, including the ideas in it in everything you learn together. If you are not familiar with a Biblical world view, research it and learn it–you will be so pleased and full of awe and wonder as you discover just how intricately God has been interested in the fate of mankind, and not just in areas of spirituality.

For language arts:

• Use the Charlotte Mason method with the McGuffey readers (via the Lesson Books or free lesson pages).

• Add in some Gentle Grammar (either the free download or pre-printed booklets). If your child is older, try adding in Harvey’s Grammar or something similar. After Harvey’s, have your child write a 500-1000 word essay (either on an assigned subject or something they are interested in) once a week.

• Maybe some Splendid Spelling if you have a child that is really struggling with spelling.

For history, science, etc.

• Read aloud (and have your kids read to themselves) scads of books on all sorts of subjects. Along with these books, go down lots of rabbit holes and gather all the information as you dive deep. Grab books from the library, go on trips, watch videos. Give this some time each day, and sometimes give basic academics a break so you can go all-in on something that you are all interested in.

For math.

• Begin with vintage math books, which are less complicated, more thorough, and teach tips and tricks that other books have forgotten. As soon as your child is done with percentages (sixth grade), look for a more modern equivalent to teach business/consumer math, then look for higher math alternatives if your child will need them for further learning (not all children do need higher math, don’t take it on if you don’t have to).

Never give up on reading aloud.

Even our children in their 20’s like to listen in. Currently we are reading through Hebrews and The Lord of the Rings. We follow our family’s tradition when we read the Bible together: we take one chapter and divide the verses up according to however many people will be reading.

Never stop learning yourself.

You are the greatest example they will have to follow. Be sure and make your plans so you are learning things right along-side your children, and your own enthusiasm will instill a sense of awe and wonder that will last their entire lifetimes.

I’m certain you also have some planning tips. Be sure and add them in the comments below!