Not Your Average Back To School List

School is almost in session. I can’t believe we are at the last part of summer. I was counting down until the school year was over, and now I’m counting down until it starts again. Even though we homeschool our kids, having them on a set routine of activities makes a world of difference in how smoothly our home operates.

Since school is on my mind, I’m getting my thoughts and plans in order for this school year. I thought I would share all the things that are on my back to school list. I figured it may be helpful for you too.

Just like with public school students, we go through an LOT of [easyazon_link identifier=”B004NRP1DM” locale=”US” tag=”tidbitofexp-20″]loose leaf paper[/easyazon_link] and pencils!! Those two things are what we tend to use the most of throughout a school year. Speaking of pencils, you don’t want to miss out on using the Classroom Pencil Sharpener that we got to review. Even after all this time, we’re still huge fans of ours!

Since I print out a lot of worksheets/workbooks for the kids to do, we also go through tons of printer paper and toner ink has to be ordered a couple times a year. It’s always cheaper and more practical to buy copy paper in bulk. I also keep a close watch on when toner ink goes on sale. I tend to get the best deal for them on Amazon.

My kids are excited most when they can learn through fun crafting/artistic methods. I have a bunch of crafts and art supplies all throughout our home. I may not be a crafty person that much, but my mother-in-law makes up for it.

We also have a long list of educational websites and apps handy to help with all of their subjects. I know first-hand that sometimes regardless how great a teacher may be there are going to be times when they can’t get a student to comprehend the material. That’s why tutoring works with many kids. However, save yourself money by adding these 25 Educational Websites  to your back to school list.

[Tweet “Organization is paramount to success in my book. “]

Organization is paramount to success in my book. I may be disorganized as far as time goes because of how many different directions I get pulled in during any given day. When it comes to my office section though I can tell you where everything is in it. I keep all the things I use daily close by. When you have the right type of [easyazon_link identifier=”B001E95R0Y” locale=”US” tag=”tidbitofexp-20″]storage bins[/easyazon_link] for the products you use daily that makes things look a lot better and easier to find. I personally have some things on my wish list that I would love to have in my home to make my own office/school zone space look and feel a lot better to be in.

Preparing a time management schedule for our family is something we have to figure out every year. So far with each year our lives have gone through some type of change. This year our life changes include having Zeva officially start her school schedule this year. I’m still praying just involves me sending her to my mother-in-law for her lessons. My mother-in-law is the queen of teaching preschool lessons to kids! If that becomes not an option, I need to brainstorm how to make time for her lessons too.

The good news is that Jimmy is getting older. This year I’m hoping to make Jimmy more independent than he already has been with his education. (I will still be available for any questions or struggles he may have, but one thing I learned from going to DeVry University Online is that in college he’s going to be on his own a lot.)  When Out of Order Chaos reached out to me about doing a review of their Academic Planner 2015-2016 I was quite interested in having Jimmy give this system a try. As you can see from the picture it’s not your average planner. It breaks down the tasks into subject/activity chunks of time. This will help him see his day broken down at a glance. I’m hoping this will help him to have better time management skills and take responsibility for his own completion of his school work this year.

On a side note, I’ve been using this the 2014-2015 for my blogging and VA work over the summer and it’s worked out well for me. Instead of subjects, I just plugged in all the various tasks I have to do concerning my work. Some of my subjects were: writing, social media coverage, VA work, brainstorming, and images.

These are the things that I feel are needed for a successful homeschooling year. I can only hope that we have a long productive and fun school year. Each year brings with it new challenges. It seems we always have even better memories the more years we homeschool.

What is on your back to school list?