Getting Ready for a New Phase in Homeschooling

So, I've decided we're not going to finish out the semester at Connections Academy. It's just too much stress for the both of us and we're really really behind on lessons with being sick just before winter break. And, to be honest, I'm just not into it anymore. So, I've been doing more and more research on units and things for homeschooling and different options I have and I'm looking into more of an unschooling style with various units. The plan now is to withdraw her when school resumes in just a couple of days. Natalie is going to miss her teacher, that's the part that makes her sad about leaving but she's excited about some of the units we're going to be doing. She wants to continue with plants, especially learning more about the coffee plant I have.

And so my plan is to start up around mid-January (maybe a week sooner since we really haven't been doing any schooling at all of late), have school Monday through Thursday, and I have different breaks set aside for the rest of the year. The year won't be done until July and then we start up again in August so she won't have too much of a summer vacation but at the same time, I'm hoping that we won't be doing too much she finds boring.

I am also planning for her to get involved with the YMCA, 4-H, different activities from our local parenting center and more so I think she'll come to like doing this better than what we've been doing and hopefully it will give me more time to do more around the house and more with Isabelle since one of my major complains about the program we've been with is that it takes up SO much of our time, we can't do anything else and then we burn out (VERY quickly too, I might add!).

I'm actually getting excited though. I'm finding LOTS of stuff on Pinterest and getting ideas for units. I'm going to put some of these ideas here so I can kind of keep track of what I want to do, at least for the next month or so.

Some ideas I'm thinking of:
Plants
Feeding of Winter Birds
Habitats (especially of arctic animals)
Groundhog's Day
Presidents' Day
Valentine's Day stuff
Weather
Winter
Space (might be later on in the next year)
Spring
Time
Money

So, that's a start, hoping to think of other units as the year continues.