Welcome to Cotswold Kitchen Mom! Today, on the blog, we will be discussing how I begin my homeschool year. Starting a new school year can be both exciting and overwhelming- but given a few tools- you too can have a successful start. My “First Week of Homeschooling: Beginner Tips & Ideas” post will share simple ways to stay organized and keep parents motivated when the days are long. Not forgetting some fun activities that will help the first week back to homeschooling to be fun and engaging.
Therefore, to help get your school year on the right foot, I will be giving my top “beginning of the school year” tips and ideas. These ideas and inspirations are meant to encourage, help, and inspire.
Indeed, it is my aim to write a post that may give even one homeschool mom/parent the encouragement and support she/he needs to move into the new school year with confidence.
Without further ado, let’s get started- for school shall soon be in session.
Naming Our Homeschool: Why You Should Name Your Homeschool Too!
Last week, my children and I started back to school. It is always exciting to learn alongside young children. For they see the world in such a fresh and eager way. As a mom and a homeschool educator- I want to embody that same eagerness in my teaching methods.
If you are a new reader, I will rewind just a touch here: This year marks my family’s fifth year of homeschooling. Before starting our first year of homeschool we decided to give our little school a name. I would recommend doing this to every homeschool family. Of course, it is not necessary, but it adds a meaningful element to the homeschool arena.
Here is where our name was created: When our oldest daughter started kindergarten, we thought our homeschool needed a name. We landed on Happy Hawks Homeschool. This name was created because we have many beautiful hawks in our neighborhood. The majestic strength, gracefulness, and perseverance of a hawk- made this seem like a fitting mascot for my school crew.
If you are planning on naming your homeschool, think of where you live, what your family enjoys doing, maybe your favorite animal, or nostalgic vacation spot…something special that sets your family apart as a unit. Perhaps you even think of a homeschool mascot. Truly, the possibilities are endless.
Preparing For The First Week of Homeschool: Baby Steps
Preparing for the first week of homeschool is often an exciting time- but it can also feel like a daunting task. To help combat any anxiety… preparation is key.
Thankfully, preparing for the new school year can be done in simple steps. Baby steps get us moving without forcing us to “run straight out the door.” In the world of homeschooling, baby steps can be beneficial and necessary at times. Actually- this is true of motherhood as well.
Below, I will share my top tips for preparing for the new school year in several practical ways.
Homeschool Tips for the First Week:
Top Tip #1: Order Curiculumn
The main preparation that I do (about a month before we plan to start school) is to research-and order- curriculum. It is easy to wait to the last minute to do this… but sometimes curriculum can take a long while to arrive. Therefore, ordering a few weeks beforehand ensures you have the books and tools you need- when you are ready to begin.
Top Tip #2: Gather School Supplies
After this, I like to gather my school supplies. Planning ahead can allow you to take advantage of tax-free weekends- or back-to-school sales. Moreover, thrifting during the summer months also allows you to find gently used- or brand new- school supplies that can be purchased for a bargain.
Top Tip #3: Organizing Supplies
After this, I also take a look at my organizing “tools.” Do I need to purchase any folders, plastic bins, a school supplies lazy Susan, etc. Having a place/ a way to keep homeschool supplies and curriculum organized is important. Otherwise, you may quickly find yourself swimming in papers and crayons.
I find that if I start out unorganized… the whole school year will be slightly unorganized. A little organizing at first… makes keeping things tidy easier. It also allows my children to be able to gather their own school supplies and books easily. Therefore, making them able to grab what they need… and meet me at the table every morning- without wasting valuable time looking for their school items.
A DIY Lazy Susan Homeschool Supplies Organizer:
A lazy Susan is the perfect tool to keep your homeschool supplies organized. If placed in the middle of the table, before each lesson, it makes sharing supplies a breeze. To see my in-depth post on how to create an easy DIY lazy Susan school organizer, see the link here.
How Do We Start Our First Week of Homeschool?
Once these three tasks are completed (i.e. the ordering, the shopping, and the organizing) I am ready to move on to my next step: Planning and implementing the beginning of school activities. Cue the nitty gritty and the fun!
How to Record Homeschool Attendance:
A rather boring task… but an important one nonetheless: (recording attendance).
Certainly, it is worth noting that certain states have certain rules regarding keeping track of your child’s attendance. Therefore, as a homeschool educator you should be familiar with your state’s rules. Some homeschool families will keep spreadsheets… while others will choose a more laid-back way. I fall into the later camp. My children are also still in elementary school… so this method will probably advance as my children near their high school years.
The way I keep school attendance is to start each year with a calendar/ planner. I choose a planner that has big enough spots on the calendar for me to make notes. I do a simple check mark (for school days) and an “x” for the days we do not have school. This allows me to easily keep track of the days we attend school. By making simple notes about what we did that day, I can create a record of our attendance and the content covered.
At the end of the school year, I place these calendars in a storage space. Then I repeat the cycle. Note: this is not “the” way to keep attendance- it is simply the way I do.
How to Decorate Folders for Organizing Homeschool Papers:
I like to start the first week of school by allowing my children to help me with the task of organizing. Organization helps things to run more smoothly- yes, but it is also an important life skill. Teaching children how to stay organized can be done by having them involved in the process.
In my experience, I have found that my children are eager to help with this task…excited even.
Folders are good for keeping loose papers. In my homeschool, we have an overload of papers. Notes are jotted down on loose papers, observations are made on loose papers, paintings and artwork…are…you guessed it…drawn on loose papers.
If I am not careful- we can become overwhelmed by papers. Giving each child their own folders and allowing them to decorate them is a fun activity. It gives them each an individualized place to keep their most prized papers.
A twenty-five cent folder, a few sparkly stickers, and some marvelous markers are the only necessary supplies. But, of course, you can be as creative and “extra” as you like.
What First Week Homeschooling Activities Do We Do?
Easy Homeschooling Projects for Beginners:
Time Capsule:
As previously mentioned, my children are all elementary aged and younger; therefore, our activities reflect this. One activity we always look forward to is making a new school year time capsule. I have written a more in-depth blog post on these topics. (Which I am linking below.)
Setting Individual/Personal Goals:
Setting goals is important for us all.
Personally, I want to teach my children how to set and accomplish their own goals. Children learn in large part by observing. Therefore, we start the new year out by making our own personal goals for the school year. Additionally, we set class goals together. We do this with a little brainstorming, discussing, and crafting.
As mentioned above, I will not go into great detail about how we set goals in our first week of homeschool. Afterall, I don’t want to beat a dead horse. However, you can see more details on this topic by visiting my homeschool goal setting post here.
Basically, I encourage each child to think about their own personal education goals and to then write them down. We like to make our activities lovely. Therefore, I encourage the children to write their goals down and then allow them to decorate their goals. We end the project by sealing our goals in an envelope with a wax seal.
As a fun activity at the end of the school year, we open the sealed envelopes together to see if we met our goals.
Setting Class/ Group Goals:
For this activity we start to brainstorm as a collective group…everyone included (from the oldest to the youngest.) Generally, we get a white board and begin to discuss what is important for our homeschool classroom. We make a list of around five goals together.
Once this is done, we take a photo of our goals so that we can go back and remember what we all decided. Sometimes, we write these goals on a large piece of poster board and decorate it with markers and stickers. After this, we place it on the wall to remind us of what we want to accomplish in our Happy Hawks Homeschool classroom.
Word of the Day:
One homeschool activity that we enjoy doing is “word of the day.” This was actually my husband’s idea. A while back, the children and I had thrifted an almost brand-new children’s dictionary. As we showed him our find… he suggested learning a new word every day.
You do not need to buy an expensive dictionary. Thrift store shelves are filled with them. Look for a hardback one as they are generally the best quality. Don’t worry if it is a child’s dictionary or an adult dictionary. Either are a good starting point.
I like to write down the new words we have learned in a notebook. Or, highlight the word in the dictionary. This way- we know which words we have covered as time passes by.
Back-to-School Baking Activities:
Again, I will add my more in-depth blog posts on this topic for you to also read. Here is a nutshell version of what we do.
Each new school year, my Happy Hawks Homeschool crew and I enjoy going into the kitchen to bake and create. We do this by making two of our favorite back to school treats: soft apple cookies and pencil wafer cookies. Check out those recipes in the links above.
What started out as a new activity- soon turned into a homeschool tradition. Now we look forward to making these treats each new school year.
In my opinion, having annual activities that are done every year, creates a lovely way to mark the occasion.
Think about fun recipes your family may like… and try them this new school year. Who knows they may even be the recipe you guys come back to year after year.
No Bake Back-to-School Snacks:
If you are too tired this week to even think about baking… how about these easy snack ideas:
- Apples with peanut butter and mini chocolate chips (“Ants on a Log”)
- Cheese and crackers
- Energy balls (oats, honey, peanut butter, chocolate chips- all rolled into one)
- Fresh veggies and hummus
- Toast with peanut butter, honey, and sliced bananas
- Salty peanut and raisin mix
- Chips and salsa
- Stovetop popcorn
- Homemade granola bars (See my recipe here:)
First Week Homeschool Activites Plan:
Day 1 (Monday):
Organizing/Setting Goals: Have students set their own personal goals alongside your homeschool classroom goals. Allow the students to help decorate their own folders to keep their school papers organized. Decorating their own folders helps them to take ownership of their work.
Day 2 (Tuesday):
Hidden Time Capsule: Make a hidden time capsule to celebrate the start of a new school year. Bury it in a special spot in the backyard.
Day 3 (Wednesday):
Soft Apple Cookies: Invite children into the kitchen to help you follow a recipe and create a yummy outcome.
Day 4 (Thursday):
Pencil Wafer Cookies: Gather your students around the dining table for a delicious treat.
Day 5 (Friday):
Nature Walk and Library Day: Grab a basket and go for a walk. Instruct children to look for unique items (i.e. a bird’s feather, a crystal rock, a flower petal, or an eggshell from a baby bird). Then load the children up in the car and reward their first week of hard work by going to the library to check out special books, audio books, and maybe even a cozy family movie.
Final Thoughts Until Next Time:
This brings us to the end of my first week of homeschooling activities post. I hope these ideas are helpful and manageable. Remember, a homeschool education is a beautiful thing that allows for flexibility and individuality. No two homeschools will look just alike…and that is a good thing. By preparing for the school year, with a bit of planning and creativity, you too can cultivate a successful environment for your students to thrive.
*Of course- this post is not meant to exclude families with children in more traditional school settings. These ideas can be used in any home.
I would love to hear some of your back-to-school routines and “helps” so please feel free to share those with me in the comments. If you are not a blog subscriber…I would love for you to follow along with our journey. And, if you know a homeschool educator that this post would benefit- please feel free to share it with them.
For more helpful tips and ideas see my homeschool education page– this is my main resource for all things homeschooling. Also, check out my Facebook and Pinterest pages for more ideas and inspirations.
Until next time…
~Elizabeth~