Is the well planned day planner worth buying?

[hsmom]

I am looking for a great planner that I might actually use longer than a month or so. Right now I have The homeschoolers journal. I do love it, but it gets dropped fast.

 

 

I just need it to really record what was done daily, but not actually have a planned out schedule. This way I have a record for myself or anything else that might come up in the future.

 

I am looking at the well planned day for the simple fact it is beautiful. Yeah I know not the greatest reason. But if something is easy on the eyes it tends to get used a bit more here. :D

 

If not this one, what do you recommend? I do not want one I have to print out and put together myself. I am looking for already put together, bound and ready to use.

[Tohru]

I used it last year for a few months, but then found that the "pretty" was getting in the way, so I switched to one I found on Amazon called "Aspire."

 

The Well-Planned-Day would probably work, as you can record more than one student at a time, plus it has a place for a menu, to-do lists and other cool stuff. I just got bothered by all the loop-dee-loos every month and wanted something plainer.

[hsmom]

I might also have that problem. I think I need to find one that is more school specific and less household.

 

Any suggestions?

[Tohru]

It is very school specific...gives you report cards, schedules, etc. But on the sidebar there is the household stuff. I meant the colors, all the colors started bothering me, and the swirling design on the tops. Not sure why, it just did.

 

Another option is just to get a regular student planner for each child...

[hsmom]

I only have one that is hsled. So, I am looking for simple, easy to use, I guess I can do without all the frills.

 

Now I am thinking I just need to give the homeschoolers journal another try.

[teachmejoy]

homeschoolgiveaways.com is doing a giveaway for this planner right now! You can check it out there.

[farmmom4him]

Hi,

 

I have some forms that you can print free

 

http://peacecreekontheprairie.com/large-family-homeschool-forms

 

I will be adding my new lesson plan/grade record/chore/lifestyle of learning and so forth all in one form in a week or so. (Giving it a run myself before I add it. ;)

 

These are NOT just for large families. ;)

[SweetMissMagnolia]

I liked it for what little time I used it--but then I got "planning happy" and planned our whole year and then a few illnesses got in the way and turned our schedule upside down....so turned out to be useless for us-I didn't want to go back and have a book full of white out--if you take it week by week you would probably have better luck than I did...contemplating on whether to order another one for our new year...

[MelissaMinNC]

I keep looking at the Well-Planned Day planner too. I really like it, and I like all that is included (household and school stuff together). I like the chore cardsc xdtbbbbbbbxv and the report cards (even though I haven't done report cards so far, I think my kids would like them).

 

BUT - I just don't think it has enough "subject" boxes for everything we do; and it's easy for me to just photocopy the mfw grid and fill in the blanks. Of course, then everything's not all together - unless I piece together my own, which I seem to be doing. It's not nearly as pretty though.

 

Ugh. I wish I could justify the money just to try it out, but since I highly suspect I wouldn't really use it, I just can't.

[prairiewindmomma]

I didn't have enough space to write down what I needed to. Pretty, but not functional enough for me.

[sassenach]

I have used it for 2 years and plan to continue. It has a lot of bells and whistles, some of which I do not use. I fully admit that I love it because it's beautiful. I could easily print up plain pages and fill them in, but the beauty of this planner is a real boost for me. I like the shopping lists for library runs, I use the margin notes to record milestones and accomplishments. I like being able to record our field trips and books read. Also, the semester planning is really helpful to me.

 

I find that it has plenty of room for my 2 kids, but I also write in shorthand. I do a combo of recording what we've already finished and planning out the rest of the week. I rarely plan more than 1 week in detail, but I do make more long term pacing notes in the semester planning section. I'm looking forward to the new Christmas section in this year's planner.

 

That said, if you haven't kept up with recording work in the Homeschooler's Journal, you probably won't with this either. I've always recorded our homeschooling (thanks to the state of Florida), so it doesn't matter what tool I use, it gets done. You need to decide if spending a lot on a planner is really going to make any difference in whether or not you keep up with recording. For most people I would say that it would make no difference. Not to say that it wouldn't with you, but it's something to think about.

[abacus2]

I have one for the coming year. Obviously, I'm not sure yet how it will work for me as the year continues. I do my planning in pencil because I know I will change things. I do consider it a little bit of a splurge ($26 at amazon), but an enjoyable one. I does have some nice features. I really like the spots for listing subject plans and scheduling the day. The small meal planning box in the margin of each week's page is a nice reminder. I like the summary attendance-keeping pages. There is a page for making notes about favorite things from the year. I don't anticipate using the report cards for my young students, but they are nice sturdy cardstock that would keep well in a records file for the school year.

 

You can preview the entire planner online: http://www.wellplannedday.com/cgi-bin/commerce.cgi?preadd=action&key=01WPD_2011-2012

Edited June 13, 2011 by abacus2

[Torototo]

I too needed something to simply record what we had done that day. I get easily distracted by bells and whistles so I use a composition book. It's cheap, simple and actually gets used. :)

[kolamum]

I did not care for the Well Planned Day, but then again I'm happy with what I use and I'm not sure how I ended up with a WPD. I use both a planner and a journal. They were made for the homeschooler so that helps HEAPS. :D

 

Sometimes I use Plan Book for planning everything as we don't always NEED to make plans. For instance with using WP and TT everything is rather planned out so often times I just use my journal to record what we did do, but I like having the planner for the extra options if I need to plan things out. :D

[HSing...AndLovin'It]

I have not used this but a friend of mine just bought it at a curriculum sale. http://www.notgrass.com/homeschool-record-keeping-learning-lifestyle.php

[teachmejoy]

Recently I saw something about a planner pdf file that you could actually type into and print out. It looked so neat! It was around $19, I think. Now I can't seem to find it anywhere. Has anyone heard of this?

[teachmejoy]

I just found it!! Here is the link. It's $20.

 

http://homeschoolcreations.com/Homeschool-Planner.html

[kolamum]

I think the TOS magazine has one you can type in as well. ;)

[hsmom]

I just found it!! Here is the link. It's $20.

 

http://homeschoolcreations.com/Homeschool-Planner.html

 

I like the idea of being able to type it in then print. Thank you for sharing.

[mom24boys]

FYI - I just got an email today that Homeschool Buyers Coop is having a sale on The Well Planned Day planner...I think 15% off.

[abacus2]

FYI - I just got an email today that Homeschool Buyers Coop is having a sale on The Well Planned Day planner...I think 15% off.

 

link? I can't find it at their site.

[TracieT]

Mine just came in the mail this week and it starts in July, so I haven't actually used it yet, but I do like how it's set up. It looks like it will be very easy to use.

[bluechicken]

I have one on it's way to me. I like it because it is pretty. LOL. It also seems to give plenty of space for home chores as well.

[Kipling]

I used the WPD this past year and really enjoyed it. The 2011-2012 planner was a "must-buy" for me when I went to the hs convention this summer.

 

It is very school specific...gives you report cards, schedules, etc. But on the sidebar there is the household stuff.

Yes - it is very school specific. The main part of the page is dedicated to the school day and the assignments for the kids. The household stuff is on the sidelines. Kind of like, "Here I am schooling my children, checking my planner, and oh wait! I need to get x,y,z at the grocery store. Let me add that to the grocery list that is right in front of me." Continue schooling. "Hmm...what are we going to have for dinner tonight? tomorrow? Let me write down ideas on this handy list right in front of me."

 

Perhaps I spend too much time thinking about food...

 

I have used it for 2 years and plan to continue. It has a lot of bells and whistles, some of which I do not use. I fully admit that I love it because it's beautiful. I could easily print up plain pages and fill them in, but the beauty of this planner is a real boost for me.

 

I find that it has plenty of room for my 2 kids, but I also write in shorthand. I do a combo of recording what we've already finished and planning out the rest of the week. I rarely plan more than 1 week in detail, but I do make more long term pacing notes in the semester planning section. I'm looking forward to the new Christmas section in this year's planner.

 

 

:iagree: I also have two kids (schooling), and it's a good amount of room. I write in page numbers and book titles. I would probably have a hard time with four kids since I often take up two lines per child.

 

I use it for weekly planning. I have a rough plan for the year drawn up before I start, and then every Sunday, I fill in the weekly plan in the planner. Sometimes, I fill in a few items and then add what we did throughout the week.

 

In the past, I tried printing my own planning sheets, but I didn't enjoy them. I have to keep a record of daily lessons, so it's not an issue of whether I dropped it or not, but I sure did enjoy using the WPD a lot more than my plain, self-created sheets, even if they were tailor-made for our school day & curriculum.

 

My biggest complaint with the WPD is that the boxes are already labeled by subject (Bible, math, English, history, science, and a couple of blanks). Because my kids are young, we do a lot of English, so I didn't have enough room in the English block to write down phonics, spelling, reading, handwriting, and writing. I just crossed out the subject headings and treated each block as a half-hour section of the day and wrote down what we would do/did in each block.

[Penny_P]

This won't be any help, I'm sure. I ALMOST bought one- one click away- last year because it is so very pretty. In the end I just made my own. There was just to much stuff in there that I wouldn't use...

[HSMom2One]

It is very school specific...gives you report cards, schedules, etc. But on the sidebar there is the household stuff. I meant the colors, all the colors started bothering me, and the swirling design on the tops. Not sure why, it just did.

 

Well, I'm one that really appreciates the beauty and the style of this book, and when that is handsomely paired with outstanding utility - that makes it a real winner as far as I'm concerned. I LOVE the colors and the swirls and they do not get in the way for me in the least. In all of the day-to-day work that I must do, having something beautiful at my fingertips makes me, well, happy! :laugh:

 

I have been using TWPD for the past two years and have a brand new one on the shelf ready for the coming year as well. I think it is worth the money because it's laid out exactly as I want it to be, and for me, that means less hassle tweaking something to make it work. I use the shopping lists, the calendars, and the school specific forms, etc. but most of all I use and appreciate the lesson planning pages. They are laid out perfectly for what I want. I only have one student, but it could easily be used for 2-3. There are so many good things about this planner that I can't even list them all. If you go to a convention where these are sold, pick one up and take a look for yourself. You will see both beauty and function.

 

Blessings,

Lucinda

[Janie Grace]

I just found it!! Here is the link. It's $20.

 

http://homeschoolcreations.com/Homeschool-Planner.html

 

I love that idea but it looks like it's designed for use with just one kid. What am I missing???

[Janie Grace]

I used and liked TWPD a lot. I like the attractiveness, the quotes, the articles, etc. I used the tear-off lists for things other than groceries because I do that with a master list on my computer. But I won't be using it anymore b/c I will be schooling 4 kids and have too many subjects and assignments to fit into her grid. Beautiful planner, though!

 

I'd love to find a editable homeschool planner download, if anyone knows of one.

[PentecostalMom]

I just ordered one from Amazon. It was cheaper than from TWPD website, even with this code planner10, which gives a discount of 10% off. After they add shipping (because I have free shipping with Amazon) it is still cheaper to buy from Amazon. I haven't decided about the binder. I sort of want to order it and see if my "working binder" for Sonlight fits in with the planner. Since I get free shipping (and the planner10 code won't work for bundle packages on TWPD site) I decided to just get the planner and see how I like it before I buy the binder as well. If anyone has any info on the binder, I would appreciate it!

[MiztrezzLyn]

I just received TWPD and the binder combo. I am sort of mixed about the binder.

 

I was using a binder before this to hold all my schedules, planning, ToG week, PR week stuff, etc. I liked that TWPD binder was a zipper binder and thought since it "went with" the planner that it would be nice to have.

 

It is okay, just okay. In truth, I kinda felt that the material covering the binder is a bit, flimsy? I don't even know if that's an accurate description but it just doesn't "feel" good to me.

 

Also, it makes it REALLY big. I have it and I will use it and maybe I will get used to it. I had been using a 1.5" binder before that that I really liked. I was worried how putting my WPD planner into it would work so that was why I got TWPD binder.

 

I do kind of like it, but if I were to do it over again, I probably wouldn't bother with the binder.

[MiztrezzLyn]

I wanted to reply also about even getting TWPD planner to begin with.

 

I have GREAT personalized planner pages that I use and it is in my OneNote which makes planning REALLY easy for me but I'm addicted to planner type things and I went back and forth about this planner, but it was so pretty! I'm also not religious, but that didn't really deter me from getting it.

 

I probably didn't NEED to get this planner but I'm glad that I did. It is pretty :) It adds an extra step for me since I do my planning on the computer but instead of printing out my plans, I'll just copy them into TWPD planner. I'm just silly like that, I guess :)

[Janie Grace]

What is OneNote?

ETA: Never mind, just googled. I need to find out what there is like that for Mac. I think I am just going to make my own...

[MiztrezzLyn]

Well the form I use in OneNote, I created in Open Office (just like Microsoft's Word) and imported it into my OneNote, with a section for each term and the week plans into pages in that section.

 

OneNote is really like a virtual binder, or a virtual notebook.

[anewday]

I used the Well Planned Day for a year. Ordered it for the second year and never touched it.

 

Likes:

Pretty

Nicely laid out

Loved the articles

 

 

Dislikes:

It needs to be 3 hole punched instead of spiral IMO - it would be much more useable.

Needs thick dividers between months or tabs to flip to them better

Needs a lot more subjects listed (but wouldn't have enough room so it seemed like a necessary decision - 4 kid slots or lots of subjects for 1-2 kids).

Honestly, it doubled my planning work. If I wrote down all the lessons for kids that week, I would either have to give them the planner or photocopy it to have them write them down in their planner or transfer it onto another sheet myself (either via typing or handwriting it). And it didn't double as a household planner unless I wanted to ignore the subject grid altogether (which I tried but it bugged me). It just made far more sense to me to type out their lessons on a homemade document in Word and print copies for them each week. Far less work and cuts down on having to lug around a semi bulky planner. Basically it made me realize that pulling together my own planner worked better. LOL

 

HTH!

[MiztrezzLyn]

I agree with you that it needs dividers or tabs.

 

What I did to fix that was use my own tabs. I don't know if I've been living under a rock or what, but a few weeks ago I discovered (for the first time) NoteTabs by Avery. They're repositionable and pretty durable. You can even write ON them, though I don't realy. They came 40 to a pack in 4 different colors.

 

I love them! I use them in my ToG weeks, to flip to the reading assignments page, the writing section, the SAP and the Teacher's Notes. I use them in my teacher binder to keep my place for notes or other things within sections. I just use them for everything! :)

 

In the same section at Staples, I also found ones that are pre-labeled with Mon-Fri, though I haven't had a need for those YET!

 

Anyway, those repositionable tabs work really well in TWPD planner to mark off the page of the week we're on, the monthly calender, and the grades section, etc.

[desertmum]

I still like this planner, but I can't justify the money. DH has reminded me that this year I had to make many changes because of illness, moving house, etc. So maybe a excel file might be best. I tried homeschool,inc. It was all right until I found myself in a no wifi area :glare:

 

I also realised I love the look of the planner so I intend to get some nice clip art from the internet and add it to my word documents :D -which I can edit as I go. I like the forms from donna young (can't get the cd as I don't live in the US).

[missmoe]

I agree with you that it needs dividers or tabs.

 

What I did to fix that was use my own tabs. I don't know if I've been living under a rock or what, but a few weeks ago I discovered (for the first time) NoteTabs by Avery. They're repositionable and pretty durable. You can even write ON them, though I don't realy. They came 40 to a pack in 4 different colors.

 

I love them! I use them in my ToG weeks, to flip to the reading assignments page, the writing section, the SAP and the Teacher's Notes. I use them in my teacher binder to keep my place for notes or other things within sections. I just use them for everything! :)

 

In the same section at Staples, I also found ones that are pre-labeled with Mon-Fri, though I haven't had a need for those YET!

 

Anyway, those repositionable tabs work really well in TWPD planner to mark off the page of the week we're on, the monthly calender, and the grades section, etc.

 

What size are these? I'm making myself a planner--8 1/2 by 11 inches and something like that would be perfect!

[MiztrezzLyn]

They are 1" x 1 1/2" tabs. The Avery # is 16359 and they're called Avery NoteTabs.

 

Part of the tab is clear/see through and sticky (repositionable) and then there's a colored portion (the tab) that would stick out.

[The Girls' Mom]

I'm on my second year using it, and it works well for me. I only plan a week or so at a time, and it's easy for me to jot down our plans for the week.

 

It does come hole punched now :D. I also bought the binder they came out with this year. Now I have all my "junk" in one binder.

[PentecostalMom]

Apryl (and anyone else)-

 

I keep a few weeks (about eight) of my Sonlight IG in a binder. Wondering if these plus TWPD would both fit in the binder with room to actually flip the pages and make it lie flat for writing?

Edited June 17, 2011 by PentecostalMom

[MiztrezzLyn]

Well, I don't use Sonlight and I don't know how thick 8 weeks of Sonlight would be, but the papers and things that I keep in my binder are about 3/4" thick (not counting the actual WPD planner). Its kinda full, but not uncomfortably so, I don't think.

[The Girls' Mom]

Apryl (and anyone else)-

 

I keep a few weeks (about eight) of my Sonlight IG in a binder. Wondring if these plus TWPD would both fit in the binder with room to actually flip the pages and make it lie flat for writing?

 

I think it would. Right now I have 13 dividers plus about 5-6 sheets of paper per divider AND the planner. There's still plenty of room.

[PentecostalMom]

I actually just looked and I have ten weeks in a one-inch binder with ample room left over. I can reduce to eight, or even six and be fine then. YAY! I cannot wait to get the planner tomorrow to see how I like it. I am not at the point where I give my kids the lesson plans, though I did with ds, I just need to keep track of what we do on a weekly basis. I hope this one works!

Edited June 17, 2011 by PentecostalMom

[Hunters8]

The Kelihers are very kind folks! At our convention, they offered BOGO for families with more than four children being schooled at one time. Also, Rebecca did a workshop to encourage planning in general (and recording when planning fails). In this, she also stated that if there are desired pages not included already in the planner, we could email the details to them. They will then create the page and make it available as a download, for free. So, when you ask if it is worth it, in my mind it is. It is worth it to support another family trying to do the same thing we are and doing their best to make our jobs easier. Honestly, the designs are not what I would choose if I were making it myself, but they are well done. Rebecca suggests filling in only one week at a time, so when you do have a week when things go awry, you are not overwhelmed with erasures and/or white-out.

 

Stacey

[PentecostalMom]

Unexpectedly got mine a day early from Amazon. Sitting down now to check it out!

[HSMom2One]

Unexpectedly got mine a day early from Amazon. Sitting down now to check it out!

 

Hope you enjoy it as much as I enjoy mine! I walked through my new edition last night and was very pleased. Of course, I go ahead and tear out several pages before using the book because I only have one student. I also tear out all the shopping list pages, separate and pull them apart so they can be kept all together in a handy spot.

 

I will use this planner all the way through because it works BEAUTIFULLY for what I need! (Sidenote: PentecostalMom, you will notice that the author has a reformed theme throughout the book [i.e. catechism notes] that won't correspond with all denominations, but it doesn't bother me personally at all.)

 

Blessings,

Lucinda

[happygrrl]

Hope you enjoy it as much as I enjoy mine! I walked through my new edition last night and was very pleased. Of course, I go ahead and tear out several pages before using the book because I only have one student. I also tear out all the shopping list pages, separate and pull them apart so they can be kept all together in a handy spot.

 

I will use this planner all the way through because it works BEAUTIFULLY for what I need! (Sidenote: PentecostalMom, you will notice that the author has a reformed theme throughout the book [i.e. catechism notes] that won't correspond with all denominations, but it doesn't bother me personally at all.)

 

Blessings,

Lucinda

 

I am not even a protestant and I am fine with the Catechism questions :)

I was reformed before converting to Eastern Orthodoxy, so I am familiar with the catechism. Most questions are basic to all branches of Christianity (what is the third commandment? for example). The ones that differ (How does one prepare for the Lord's supper?, for example) are great talking points to discuss similarities between Christians (I like to emphasize similarities, as I don't want the kids thinking only E. Orthodox are Christian ;)).

 

I have used the WPD for over a year now, and love it. I have a master planner (notebook that I put together) and every Sunday night I transfer the week's plans into my WPD. It helps refresh me on what we are doing, helps me gather materials if needed (i use the shopping lists for this!). Then I can easily jot down what was completed, and that is enough record keeping for me at present.

 

I am a planning nut, and love the WPD!

[HSMom2One]

I am not even a protestant and I am fine with the Catechism questions :)

I was reformed before converting to Eastern Orthodoxy, so I am familiar with the catechism. Most questions are basic to all branches of Christianity (what is the third commandment? for example). The ones that differ (How does one prepare for the Lord's supper?, for example) are great talking points to discuss similarities between Christians (I like to emphasize similarities, as I don't want the kids thinking only E. Orthodox are Christian ;)).

 

Oh yes, I do agree. Using them as talking points is a great idea. Some Evangelical Christians may not be familiar with the formality of the Catechism and that was my main point. There are basic concepts to all branches of Christianity that can be gleaned for sure.

 

Blessings,

Lucinda

[happygrrl]

Oh yes, I do agree. Using them as talking points is a great idea. Some Evangelical Christians may not be familiar with the formality of the Catechism and that was my main point. There are basic concepts to all branches of Christianity that can be gleaned for sure.

 

Blessings,

Lucinda

 

I was totally tracking with you! :D

 

(... and you know what- I just noticed your location... and I must be tracking with you because I am in the Umpqua Valley! Soooo close!)

[HLDoll]

I used it this past year thinking that "pretty" would inspire me. But this fall, I'll be going back to a plain old lesson planner from the teacher supply store. The spaces weren't large enough in the Well Planned Day for me to write everything I wanted and I found some of the extras distracting in daily use. The teacher planner I'm going back to just has weeks in it, no dates. I plan out a quarter at a time, but if we have illnesses or decide to take a break week, I don't have to erase things and shift them. The grass always looks greener and prettier on the other side, but I'm going back to plain.