We all fear gaps in our children's educations, don't we? And they're inevitable. But for peace of mind I want to know that at some point we'll cover at least the most essential topics-- and preferably more than once.
We study the same history and science subjects as a family. For the last 8+ years we've used a four-year rotation plan that we developed over years of homeschooling and with inspiration from many sources. I always know what we're studying, I know what's ahead so I can prepare, and I know if we don't go deep enough on a topic this time around, we'll revisit it in four years and learn more!
The best way to explain this rotation is probably visually.
This is it, straight out of my planner.
Year One we study Ancient History (in 6 week units) for history, Physical Science and Astronomy for science, etc.
Some of it may not make sense to you, but that's okay if you get the general idea. You put in the topics that your family wants to study.
And remember if you decide to plan this way, that this rotation is your tool not your master. It's a scaffolding you can build each year's plan on, but you don't need to be a slave to it when it's not helping you reach your goals.
One of my favorite things about this plan is that my children end up covering each of the areas of science and epochs of history at four different ages, so they cover them at a different and deeper level each time.
