Wrapping Up: 5 Ways to Finish Your School Year with Satisfaction
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It’s the end of April and the school year is almost over. Whaaaaat?!? For some it’s “Praise the Lord! It’s almost summer!” For others, including myself, it’s “We have so much to do; looks like we are schooling through to July.” Whichever one it is (or somewhere in between), we are all at that point where we need to decide to face these last weeks with intent and purpose to finish with satisfaction.
Recently, I listened to a helpful episode from Pam Barnhill’s podcast Homeschool Better Together about the minimal viable day, MVD. (For more on that episode, check this out.) She talks about having a minimum homeschool routine that would bring you a sense of satisfaction that if you only did that, it was good enough. She shares that of course the absolute minimum is not what we want for every single day. But when we are down to the wire, or sick, or busy with work or other activities, a MVD can be very helpful.
I propose an additional concept to consider at this point in time for the homeschool year - a minimal viable year (MVY). It’s the same idea of the MVD, but let’s now look at the last 4-8 weeks you may have left to finish up your school year. The idea would be to plan the main, minimal activities and curriculum that you definitely want to accomplish in this short time - and just let the rest go. By doing that, you can finish with satisfaction with less stress and more connection.
So with the MVY in mind, here’s some ideas that can help you wrap up with a satisfied heart:
1) Look Back and Look Forward
Make a list of the multiple highlights of homeschool work and activities since school started in August: books read, field trips adventured, sports recreated, recitals performed, academics learned, instruments played, recipes made, subscription boxes opened, friendships grown, co-ops attended, and more. Then ask, what was the most important thing I wanted to accomplish this year? What was our mission? Did we do that? If not, make a list of the minimal activities, field trips, curriculum, and connecting moments that you want to ensure happen before the last weeks are over. Put them on the calendar, make your deadlines, and then start.
2) Set Quantifiable Goals
The key to setting realistic, achievable goals is to ensure that they are quantifiable - so put a number in your goals. For example: We will read-aloud two picture books per week (favorite ones linked at the end). We will finish Anne of Green Gables by reading twenty pages three days a week. We will learn four more spelling lists. We will finish two more science chapters. We will play one board game per week. Utilize your knowledge of what was accomplished previously to inform an achievable quantity for these last weeks. This way, you finish with a realistic mindset that is satisfied with the progress and result. Do not be overly optimistic or set expectations so high that you miss out on the magic of being present. Utilize the idea of the minimum.
3) List Adventures and Make a Plan
You have just 4-8 weeks left, so do things that bring you homeschool joy this year. For many, adventures can be a delight, since burn-out and lower motivation may have started setting in with this time of year. Go make memories with adventures. Make your list, set dates, invite others, call locations, print directions, and have it all ready to go so there is no procrastination getting in your way of creating memorable, enriching educational experiences. For my family, the Renaissance Fair adventure and exposure to Shakespeare had been on our list since September because that’s the period we studied in history this year. This past Saturday we spent the entire day at the Scarborough Renaissance Festival in Waxahachie, Texas. It was definitely a highlight for our entire family (including a friend) which checked off a number of our boxes - including watching an entire Shakespeare production as if it were the the 1600’s (pictures below)!
4) Ask Your Kids
Involve your kids! They have hopes and dreams for this school year too! If your kids completed their Interests Questionnaire at the beginning of the year, then pull that out to see what you can check off and what is yet to be started. Show your kids and ask them to each pick their top thing they put on that checklist that they still want to do this school year. No questionnaire? No problem! They can complete it now! Or, just ask them to consider books, field trips, unit studies, creative projects or writing, etc. and write down one thing they want to study or do before the school year is completed. Then, you sit down and make a plan with your child on how that will be implemented in these last weeks. We want our kids to end the year satisfied too.
5) Prioritize Your Favorites
Do you have something that you’ve been excited to implement but haven’t yet? Is there a curriculum, activity, or read aloud that really matters to you? Then, make it a priority! Pick a time each week that you drop everything to do this one thing. My favorite thing is reading aloud from quality picture books. My kids and I love these books linked below.
Don’t be discouraged if you can’t wrap up your school year with a pretty, velvety, ten-looped bow, with all the big and little goals accomplished. A burlap, simple bow can be just as beautiful if your package is full of connection and enriched learning.
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