Hi Beverly,
Sometimes when a child is only familiar with the traditional school setting, he/she may need some time to allow for the transition into homeschooling. This may be a great time to allow for some de-schooling. Allow for your daughter to be a part of the process in determining what direction your homeschooling will go in. Will you be more of a traditional homeschooler...following a structured routine and schedule...or would you consider taking a relaxed homeschooling approach? Would she rather have some flexibility with her schooling? Offer options and try to get a feel for her likes/dislikes. What was working for her while she was in school...what didn't she like? Would she rather do more intensive subjects earlier in the day rather than later?
Take these 3 mo's and really tune into your daughter and her needs. Allow for choices and allow for her to have a say in the decision making process of what needs to be done and what she would like to do. Knowing your state laws will help to determine how much is needed to complete this sch. yr. For example, do you need to turn in a portfolio of your child's sch. work at the end of the yr.? Not all states require this (mostly regulated states). Do you need to turn in an attendance log, book log etc. If you must show proof of these things then that will help to determine what you must do to complete the sch. yr. If these things are not necessary then a more relaxed approach may be most appropriate during this transitional time pd. Allow for some down time and take this opportunity to discuss your homeschooling goals, ideas and opinions. Create a mission statement to define what homeschooling means to you and your family.
As far as reusing curriculum...that will have to be a decision based on several factors. A few initial decisions should be made. Is the curric. a good fit for her...does it match her style of learning and is she progressing with the material at a reasonable pace? Are long-term and short-term goals being met? Does the curric. package offer more than one lesson plan to teach the material? If it offers different learning opportunities then you could build on it from one yr. to the next. and incorporate other educational materials as supplementation to the previous yrs. studies. There are many ways to adapt curriculum and this is especially helpful when the curric. that you are using is costly.
Homeschooling evolves and changes from one yr. to the next. Take a deep breath and focus on the moment and experiences that you are involved with now. The answers to next yr. will develop as you go along. Enjoy this down time with your daughter. Venture out on some field trips and get to know her interests and learning style...this will ultimately lead you to where you need to be.
Warmly,
hsiamy
