I am sure that fellow
shoppers wonder
why in the world my
children are
this ecstatic about
school supplies.
between August and May. So everything we do
in June and July is just a bonus.
August is our “back to school” month. Even
though much of the curricula we use is not
grade leveled, we consider August the month
when everyone moves up to the next grade. We
also begin new things in August. In some years,
we haven’t had a very big change. But in other
years we’ve had all new curricula. August is the
month of new beginnings.
However you decide to structure your
homeschool year, I think it’s important to have a
“back to school time.” I think it is good to have
a time to start new, to refocus. Whether your
time of transition is in August or Septemberthe traditional “back to school” months or it’s in
January- a new start for a new year- it’s a good
idea to be able to start anew.
My kids get excited about “back to school”
when they start seeing the school supply
specials. Everyone loves new school supplies,
and homeschoolers are no exception. Toward
the end of July, I take them out for a trip to buy
school supplies. I am sure that fellow shoppers
wonder why in the world my children are this
ecstatic about school supplies. I’m not sure,
but they are. The biggest thrill for them is
always to pick out a “personality binder.” We do
notebooking each year, and they love to pick
out the large notebook we use to separate and
store the year’s work.
By the time we come to the first of August, the
kids have caught some of my excitement and
are (at least a little) looking forward to going
“back to school.” Even though our start is
usually earlier than local public schools, we are
ready. Most years we are beginning our new
year by the second week of August.
Having an official “back to school” time makes
school exciting, something to look forward to. It
gives us a new and fresh start. It gives us the
chance to change things we need to change.
It’s the way we as homeschoolers go “back to
school.”