To the Future

One of the themes of this blog is my obsessive planning. If you think I carry out all those plans to the letter, you are mistaken. Planning is its own reward. Even if you never really carry one out you move closer to the goal because you are closer to knowing how. My plans as a kid were always theoretical because I knew there was no point in really planning until I had the power to make things happen, but even then I was planning.
A new baby on the way always amps things up. I cook a month or more worth of meals and stock the freezer. I lay out all the stuff and fill in the gaps where baby equipment has bit the dust (or in this case been given away since we thought we were done). I reorganize and alphabetize and generally prepare for war. This time I'm obsessing with next year's homeschooling curriculum. This doesn't seem directly related to baby, but April is when curriculum goes on sale. Baby is due mid April.
My new goal of having our oldest do AP level work during high school has given direction and purpose to my planning. I have the AP website on my bookmark bar and I consult it regularly. We've laid out a curriculum plan and I've been hunting up resources. They say that most kids can only handle one or two tests a year, so we are going to ask her to start taking tests in ninth grade. This raises the question of whether she'll be able to handle the higher level analysis AP tests require, but I'm less concerned with high scores as I am with high aims.
Next year we are going to consider our oldest's seventh grade year, which means we have time to work on the basic writing and analysis skills she will be needing in the future. Two years now seems very short with all that we need to accomplish, but there are resources that I think will help. As the final phases of the firstborn's curriculum begin to come together I become more confident in the materials and resources we are using with the younger children. Number six should have a great school experience, thanks to all the hard work of his older siblings.