That Time of Year

A lot of the homeschooling forums, blogs, etc I come across have a similar sound resonating. It's time to start thinking about next fall. We're not even half way through the second half of the "school year" and yet it really is time to start making some plans for the fall and figuring out what curriculum we might want to use. That way when all the curriculum sales happen we are ready to get what we will need and have time to lay out a plan for the following year.

The thing is, on my mind, right now isn't just what to do next fall. I have one going into 6th, one into 4th, one into K, another that will be 3, and a fifth that will be around 5 months old when we start our next "school year". I put that in quotations, because we're kind of year rounders, but that is when we do our yearly turn over. In recent discussions with my oldest 2, the topics of vocation, graduation, and college have all come up. They may be young, but they do have passions. My oldest wants to graduate before she turns 15 and then go to college to become a Zoologist and Marine Biologist. All the kids are taking classes at the local zoo and she is planning to do the internship as soon as she is allowed to. My next oldest wants to be a midwife. My midwife told her, at my last appointment, that she could become one as soon as she finished high school. She wants to graduate before she turns 14 so she can do her training. She hasn't decided if she wants to be a CPM or a CNM there are pros and cons to both. The fact is, if we can really look at their individual educational needs to achieve their desires, it is in fact do-able. So now, that is what is on my mind. Making educational goal maps for each of the oldest two and even starting on a plan for my son, who has insisted for the past 3 or so years that he IS going to be a fireman. Will he change his mind? Will they all change their minds? Possibly. Maybe even probably. My oldest wanted to be an artist from the time she was 18 months until she changed her mind and decided she wanted to be a Marine Biologist 2 years ago. She still loves art and wants to do some nature art. Especially after we talked about John James Audobon. The fact is, having a map will certainly be very helpful in the coming years. Even if we do end up changing up the route here and there.