The end of the traditional school year is near.  You might:

 •  Run out of steam and just "peter out."

 •  Explode in a frenzy of "gotta get this all done, or die trying!"

 •  Or you can finish strong – whether or not you will be able to accomplish all you had intended this year.

We hope some of the ideas in this newsletter will help you reevaluate (if necessary) and plan a strong finish!

Don't stop reading if you are on schedule and have smooth sailing to the end of your school year. If you look around a bit, you are sure to be able to use these ideas to help someone else.

But what do you do if your school year is almost done – but your studies are not?

 •  Do not panic, feel guilty, or envy those who are on schedule.

Maybe you aimed too high, and less than your dream is acceptable and adequate. Most professional educators do not finish all their lesson plans and books.

 •  Do not try to cram everything that is left into the last few weeks; that will only produce unbearable stress, not the love of learning.

 •  Talk to the Lord and your husband. Lay out the situation and possible solutions and ask for guidance and help.

 •  Write out a "Strong Finish" plan for the next month, or whenever you plan to finish school.

Check your priorities and make any necessary course corrections in order to reach your most important goals.

 •  Like the pioneers tossing out their heavy furniture in order to cross the mountains, eliminate everything that is not essential.

Just a few minutes, or a couple of hours, of planning can help your family make a strong and joyful finish!

May the Lord richly bless your family for His glory.

Our family's relationships with the Lord and each other are our most important priorities. This is what Christian homeschooling is all about – so don't miss it or push it to a back burner for anything else!

Our highest priority is to teach our children God's Word through regular and thoughtful Bible reading, study, and memorization.

We can protect our families from error, and counteract the worldly influences around us, in no better way than by immersing our families in God's truth through systematic reading and study of God's Word.

 •  Read a verse or portion of Scripture before or after a meal(s) and at bedtime.

 •  Read through the Psalms and Proverbs in six weeks. Read five Psalms and one chapter of Proverbs each day, five days a week for lots of wisdom and praise!

 •  Ask children to restate something you read to check their understanding.

 •  See 52 Kid-Friendly Bible Memory Verses.

Taking time to address this basic parenting responsibility (even, or especially, during a busy and stressful time) will pay you back in time, energy, and peace!

 •  Write out your family's top 2-3 rules (e.g., obey parents, be kind to siblings) and a list of basic chores and personal grooming. Make these short and simple!

 •  Consistently require immediate, cheerful obedience.

 •  Include consequences for noncompliance and don't forget to acknowledge good behavior.

Consider your academic goals and how best to meet them. If you are on course, great! If you need help, try these ideas.

 •  Make the three basic skills of reading, writing, and math your first priority until the end of your school year.

 •  Add history, science, and other subjects whenever your basics are on schedule.

Prioritize your focus and schedule by keeping in mind the relative importance of various parts of the vast amount of knowledge you have to teach.

Remember that most information and skills will be reviewed in future years, and decide what level of competence is necessary now.

 •  Acquaintance
Your children need only a casual acquaintance with many details presented in their curriculum. Some of your study books can be used for a family read-aloud time.

 •  Understanding
Other parts of your curriculum, such as overall timelines of history and major concepts of science and math, need to be understood more thoroughly. A map, timeline or chart would help visualize this.

 •  Mastery
Some detailed information needs to be mastered. This includes the essentials of any discipline, such as instant recall of math facts and operations, and the rules of phonics, spelling, and grammar.  For this mastery level, drill and memorization is needed. Try the following:

    See the CalcuLadder math drills recommended in this newsletter.

    Create or buy study aids for learning and reviewing key facts and information that needs to be memorized such as flashcards, checklists, outlines, and summaries.

Review is a powerful part of learning. Reviews can be accomplished in a series of short periods.

 •  Flashcards (bought or home made) are helpful for reviewing factual information. Write the word or information to be learned on one side and the definition or explanation on the other.

 •  Laminated quick review guides (bought or home made), and posters also provide review aids.

 •  How-To-Study.com offers study-skill tips online.

If you choose to concentrate on basic skills at this time, you may want to postpone other subjects to finish during the summer. For instance, you might:

 •  Take one or more days a week during June to read and discuss history in a leisurely fashion. Do the same during July for science, and August for music and art.

 •  You might find that your family greatly enjoys the more relaxed schedule, more time to devote to the subject and related interests, and the focus of concentrating on just one subject at a time.

 •  Summer would also be a good time to add unit studies, field trips, supplemental reading, and software to enhance your studies or for a child to pursue a personal interest.

Arrange your classes for the highest efficiency and conserve time and effort with these time-tested methods:

 •  Teach several of your children together in one class, e.g., history, science, Bible, literature, and electives. Present the lessons with explanations that enable all your children to understand.

 •  Instead of teaching all of your subjects every day, simplify your preparation and gain from your students' focus by teaching fewer, but longer, classes (interspersed with breaks) each day, e.g., each week teach language arts on two days and math on the other three days.

It might be best for you to rewrite your simplified lesson plans for the balance of the school year.

 •  Check off each item as your complete it (see the Homeschooler's Journals).

Make your home run smoothly with the least amount of time and effort by eliminating nonessentials and organizing your time, space, and housework.

 •  Keep a monthly calendar updated with all your family activities – in fact, you might make a master calendar for the next month that will take you through to the end of your school year.

 •  Don't schedule all your time; allow for unexpected interruptions, transition time from one activity to another, down time, and catch-up time.

 •  Eliminate any out-of-home activities that you can. Freeing up even one or two evenings each week can really lower the stress level in your home.

 •  Establish the habit of using your master calendar and lesson plans to plan your weekly schedule the weekend before the week begins, and your daily schedule the night before. This will give you a running start, identify overbooking, and help you to be prepared – making things go smoothly and giving you a chance to accomplish your highest goals.

The more "stuff" you eliminate, the easier it will be to arrange your belongings in an orderly way. This also creates a more peaceful atmosphere in your home.

 •  Keep boxes or large garbage bags labeled Put Away, Give Away, Sell, and Toss. Try to put some items in these each day and dispose of them appropriately weekly or at the end of your school year.

 •  Put away half (or more) of your children's toys and rotate them occasionally.

Daily maintenance of your home reduces stress!

 •  Every day:
        Load and run dishwasher
        Tidy kitchen
        Run one load of laundry, fold and put away
        Family pick-up time

 •  Every week:
        Review checkbook and pay bills
        Shop for groceries
        Vacuum or sweep living areas
        Clean bathrooms

 •  Assign one or more chores to each family member.  Read more at "Magic Minimum: Cleaning Secret of Organized Families" online.

 •  Save your "spring cleaning" for summer time.

 •  Keep meals simple, healthy, and on time. See slow-cooker recipes.

Enjoy the Lord and your family!  God's goal for us is to have a home filled with love, joy, and peace, where each member of the family relates to the others as He intends.

 •  Work together; chores are easier and more fun that way!

 •  Read aloud together.

 •  Set aside a "family night" each week. Play board games, do puzzles, arts and crafts, or bake together.

 •  Take a walk together and talk along the way – enjoy springtime out in nature!

 •  Sing or play musical instruments together.

 •  Spend a little one-on-one time with each family member every day.