Today I’m sharing all about a tool that’s making my life easier and there will be a big announcement at end of this post, so you’ll want to read all the way through!
I am finding myself immersed in the planning of a new school year, for the 27th year in a row. I’m usually well on my way by mid-July but with all the changes in our lives this past year I’m caught a bit off guard. Just as I was feeling the panic of “How will I ever get things ready?!,” my friend Misty from Year Round Homeschooling messaged saying she was ready to launch a brand new product, The Essential Year Round Homeschooling Planner. Talk about providential timing!
I’ve come to the conclusion that simple, straight forward pen-and-paper planners work best for me. Pre-printed planners are often helpful but do not always have all the forms I want and are not easily adapted to my own style of planning. I love the set up of this new resource. It’s thorough and has a lot of versatility and it’s beautiful! I can do a bit of customizing to make it my own.
Let me tell you about a few of my favorite features of The Essential Year Round Homeschooling Planner:
80+ Pages – beautiful watercolor illustrations decorate the printable pages and you can mix and match and create your own planning book.
Undated – so you can reuse year after year. Or reprint mid-year after evaluating the needs of your homeschool. I love re-usable resources!
Pre-planning Section – a place to record ideas for course of study for your students, look at the big picture, mark the calendar. Getting your ideas gathered in one place helps you get ready for the upcoming months. I have a page for each child, listing subjects & resources I know they’ll be using, and ideas for subjects and interests they want to pursue.
Homeschool Curriculum Shopping Section – if you are a curriculum junkie this sections helps you focus in on what you need vs. what you want. If you have a tight budget you can keep track of what the top priorities might be. Seeing it all listed in one place helps keep things in perspective.
Year Round Homeschooling Schedule Options Included – no need to keep to the government school schedules if you don’t have to. Use these ideas to custom make your school year to fit the lifestyle of your family.
Monthly, Weekly and Quarterly Planning Pages – pick and choose which pages work best for you. Or use them all! I’m using the Quarterly Planning Pages to plan out what days we’ll be schooling and what days we’ll be taking a break. I also like the Weekly Planning Sheets for ‘sketching out’ our days, choosing what subjects will be studied which days.
Monthly, Quarterly and Yearly review pages – I don’t always evaluate and review in too much detail, but I do like these Quarterly Review Pages. Everything I need to get an idea of where we’ve been and where we are going.
Attendance and Grading Logs – If you have to keep a log of attendance or for those classes you are keeping records these pages are helpful.
Grading Charts – Ever wonder how to figure grades for a test or for the quarter? These charts will help!
Field Trip Ideas – Seeing this list sparked ideas for trips we can take as a family or with friends during the school year. And she’s included places to record all the details for each field trip too!
Notes and Brainstorming Pages – I like spreading my pages out before me and jotting down ideas and things to remember as I go along, working out the details and plans for all we want and need to accomplish. These pages are my ‘blank slates’ ready and waiting!
I printed my pages from my computer and put them into a 3ring binder. Once I have my initial planning done, getting a general picture of how our school year will shape up over the next 12 months, my plan is to take them up to have them printed in color and spiral bound – just like those pre-packaged planners you see. Only, this one will be exactly my own!
You can pick up a planner of your own HERE or keep reading to see how to get the chance to win one for yourself.
AND NOW, A SPECIAL ANNOUNCEMENT!
I am so happy to have this planner in hand, I’m going to give away a copy to one of you! All you have to do is answer one (or both) of these questions in the comments below: Do you homeschool? Do you follow a traditional school year schedule or year round schedule? What is your biggest challenge when it comes to planning your school year?
On August 1, 2017 I will choose one comment using random.org and that person will have 48 hours from the time I send them an email to respond. The giveaway entries will close on July 31, 2017 at 11:59pm Eastern time. Winner will receive a link to download The Essential Year Round Homeschooling Planner (a $19.99 value) via email.
Giveaway is Over.
Amy R. you are our winner!!
Thank you for the opportunity to win this awesome planner!
Our biggest challenge when it comes to planning for the school year is tracking and coordinating everyone’s schedules – I’m sure this planner will help!
This looks like it might actually work for me:)
Yes we homeschool, sometimes year round depending on the year and perfect timing because I need a new planner method. THanks for sharing!
This looks amazing! This will be my 3rd year homeschooling my children. This year we are going for year round. I think the biggest challenge is sticking to the plan. Having a planner helps so much! Thank you for the chance to win!
I homeschool 2 children. I homeschool Year around. I would have to say planning is biggest struggle. Don’t even know where to begin
Yes, new homeschooling mom of 4. This will be our second year. This year due to moving we did a year round school year. Planning on getting out in May next year with light summer activities.
Planning. I have ADD and OCD. I get overwhelmed. Last year I chose a curriculum that was all laid out for me daily. I won’t have that this year! I need help! 🙂
Can’t wait to see who won 🙂
I waiting on a response from the winner – check your email 😉
I did. If it’s me I can’t find an email. Ha ha
I have email notifications of all the comments 🙂
found it 😉
This would be amazing to win this amazing planner. I’m looking for a new one for this upcoming year.
I’m a homeschooling mom of 4! We are starting our second year this fall. Year round works best for our family because that’s what the kids are accustom to. The biggest challenge has been managing each of the different children’s agendas.
We’re new to homeschooling and I’m contemplating a year round option. This planner looks great!
I taught in public schools for 28 years. My daughter asked if I would consider retiring to help her homeschool my granddaughters (they just returned from a 5 year mission trip to Japan).
I had to use “Planbook.com” in the public school. I am a bit nervous about coming up with a planbook that will meet our needs as I dive in to this “world of homeschooling”. The Essential Year Round Homeschool Planner looks like it would be extremely helpful for a new homeschooler.
I have been homeschooling my kiddos for about 16 years now. This year I have 6 home scholars. We do year round schooling. Planning can be difficult for me, and staying on top of documentation. I’m always falling behind and having to catch up! The kids learn faster than i can record it all, lol.
Linda, it was SO nice to visit you here today! I have also enjoyed our email communication. Yes, we homeschool…we have homeschooled since day one of Kindergarten. We have always used one main source of curriculum, but for the next two years (last two years of high school, SO sad!!), we are mixing our curriculum a bit. We do plan out ahead of time for the whole year. I would LOVE to win this planner!!! It sounds amazing and so fitting for homeschooling. I mainly use my planner for record-keeping purposes to show what we have done each day, etc. I love how flexible this planner sounds. Thank you ever so much for the opportunity to win!! God bless you on your homeschooling journey…27 years, wow!