The What, Why, And How Of Seasonal Schooling

Seasonal Schooling: what is it, why is it a good idea, and how do you do it? Well, get comfy, and let me tell you all about it. This way of breaking down my school year has made planning so much simpler for me. I no longer get overwhelmed or frustrated when we get off track.

So What Is It?
Seasonal Schooling is simply breaking your school year into seasons. We have four sessions of school a year: Spring, Summer, Fall, and Winter. Each session breaks into approximately 13 weeks give or take a few days.

Why Is It A Good Idea?
We all want to know how something can help us in our own homes. Let me share a couple of benefits:

Seasonal Schooling has given me a natural rhythm for each session of school. What we can or want to do during our Spring session is much different than our Fall, Winter and Summer sessions. I’ll discuss more about that as we focus on each season specifically over the next four days.

Another benefit is in the planning. Our family has had a few serious life events over the past couple of years. There have been times when we’ve had to set school aside, and just get through life together. It’s frustrating to plan out a whole school year, and then find yourself feeling perpetually behind. With Seasonal Schooling, I have approximately 13 weeks of plans–much easier to readjust a smaller set of plans. I also find myself not overwhelmed at all during the planning time.

Yet another plus for Seasonal Schooling is the ease in finding time to do extras. We all have those things we want to add to our children’s education, but we may find they never quite happen. I’m able to fit them in more easily by focusing on four school sessions rather than a yearly view. I think it’s the shift in thinking that occurs.

So How Do You “Do” Seasonal Schooling?
This is where planning becomes fun. Yes, I said fun. Again, I’ll give more of an overview, and go into more detail over the next four days. The first thing I do is keep a list of what curriculum, books, resources, etc. I want to use with each of my children. This is simply a list to pull from when I make the actual plans later. I can add to this list as I come across something I would like to use.

The next thing I do is find the exact dates for the upcoming season, and calculate how many days I have in that season exactly. I also make a note of major holidays or events coming up. I usually have an idea if this will cause us to take time off from school or not, and I can account for this in my planning. I can then look at my list of curriculum, etc. and figure out what I want to use during this session. I try for a mix of things we can completely finish, as well as those that will continue into the next session. This way we end the session with some accomplishments as well as progress made.

If for some reason, we have to set school aside, we can readjust easily, and carry things over into the next session if need be. If a curriculum is not working out at all, I can go back to my list, and pull from it. Sometimes we completely abandon a book that isn’t a good fit, and sometimes we come back to it when a child is ready. Again, having only 13 weeks of lesson plans makes this easier.

A good time to plan the next session is a couple of weeks before that season begins. Look back over what has been accomplished, what wasn’t working, what needs to carry over, etc. Plan your big items, and then fill in with those smaller extras.

I find the kids and I can focus so much better with these short sessions rather than thinking we have all year to get things done. We can build in time for rest within each season as well. We can even fit in big projects around the house season by season.

During the rest of the week, I’ll show you what each season might look like, and how it can follow your family’s and life’s natural rhythms.

In this series:
The What, Why, And How Of Seasonal Schooling This post.
Seasonal Schooling In The Spring!
Seasonal Schooling In The Summer!
Seasonal Schooling In The Fall!
Seasonal Schooling In The Winter!

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