Simply Charlotte Mason online planner?

[Just Another Jen]

I have so many books that I'd like to use this year its hard to keep track of them. Has anyone used this? I did sign up for the free trial and am playing around with it. I'm just wondering if anyone really recommends it.

[lorisuewho]

I have never used it. However, one of my best friends does use it and she loves it! She happily pays for it because it keeps all the books she wants to use with each child so organized.

[Cynful]

I love it also but not the price. If you don't mind the price, it's fantastic. Oh, and if you only want it for the scheduling/organizing. It doesn't have much in the way of reports or grades or anything like that. I :001_wub: how it just bumps the assignment to the next school day if you don't mark it as done. (This is making me want to use it again...)

 

Good luck,

[serendipitous journey]

It is terrific for do-the-next-thing homeschoolers, and for the books, and for reminding you to do X each Monday or Tuesday or whenever. And you can get a summary of all the work a child has done between two dates, so that it gives you a report, but it doesn't enable or keep evaluations, except in any daily notes you make.

 

What I really don't like is that the daily view often doesn't fit on one screen for me, it is not very tight, and I like to see everything at once. It also only lets you look a day ahead, which is frustrating for me: if I could look at the entire next week on Saturday, it would really help me make sure I had supplies on hand, I read teacher materials for new chapters, &c.

[Amy Jo]

I really want to use it, but I just can't justify paying that much right now. I love how it has family work, and it's very easy to use. The lack of ability to look ahead for a week is a strike against it, you can't do customized subjects, and it can't do any detailed plans (for example, in HST+ I have a supplement book I am using with specific pages from our main astronomy book, but not each lesson - I don't think SCM can do that without tweaking).

 

It is easy & fast. *sigh* (Yeah, I miss having it as well.)

[Shawna in North CA]

I subscribed and unfortunately did not use it. I found it was just one more thing that I had to do everyday...check off all those readings. So, I didn't do it.

 

I do much better planning on paper, and just keeping baskets of books to serve my "just do what's next" nature.

[sagira]

I'm going to sign up for the free trial the week after school starts. It looks great for our CM homeschooling, however, with that price, I may wait until I'm homeschooling at least two of my children with a bigger work load (this year dd5 is only going to be in K) before I commit. It is pricey. If it were just $80 one-time payment I would do it.

 

I already planned this fall's lessons with a simple Pages application and have the Tanglewood Corebook ready to pencil in what we've done. I didn't want to be unprepared, do the free trial and feel like I had to buy it. I find it fairly easy to plan with the computer and paper.

[historymatters]

I've been using it from they beginning-3 years, I think. They are always working on the next project to make it even more customizable (the SCM ORG. wish list). It's worth the 9.95 a month for the ease of of my year.

 

You can customize by pages or chapters or lessons, or none at all; it doesn't matter. You're putting the info. in yourself. You can also customize HOW you want to use a resource; you couldn't do that a little over a year ago. Once you get all your materials and directions in, you just push print and go. Plus, there's a place for notes for the out-of-the-ordinary experiences (like a play or DVD)

 

Also, the tech support is right there and responsive.

 

Your weekly schedule and those supplies are usually written on paper; I plan in advance on paper first, then put in the infomation for the year (and tweak it as I go if I change my in, if a resource isn't working out or for whatever reason). The idea behind not being able to see a week in advance is that it's supposed to "flow" with life. What you may have planned for on the next Thurs. isn't always what happens, so you're not a slave to it, but it's your servant.

[Amy Jo]

You can also customize HOW you want to use a resource; you couldn't do that a little over a year ago.

 

Can you give an example? I'm not sure what you mean. (And I'm glutton for punishment, LOL - tempting myself with something I can't afford for a few months at least.)

[historymatters]

Can you give an example? I'm not sure what you mean. (And I'm glutton for punishment, LOL - tempting myself with something I can't afford for a few months at least.)

 

Sure! After you have put in the amount of info from your Resource, the next page is the Resource Scheduler page. Thre you assign it to whom you would like; then a sub-section follows with subject (this is still pre-selected, but they are working on you being able to design your own subject categories). Next is 'Study Method'; here is where you can customize what you want done. For example, I have 'listen to audio', 'read 2 chapters and do oral narration', 'copy words on MOnday and study all week', etc.

Then there's a 'start date' option OR a 'start after' with a drop down tab with your previous entries if you're not concerned with it poopping onto the schedule at a certain date but after another book (for example, the NArnia series, the first one I had a start date, the rest I just had each one follow the preceding one); OR a 'Use With' option, too.

Then you click on which day(s) of the week you want it used. Also, if it's a resource that is 'leisure reading andyou don't have a set time for, I just either put in on Sun. and when it's read, I click on 'resources not scheduled' for that particular day and everything will come up asnd you can click worked on or finshed OR you can assign it everyday and just minimize the resource if you decide it won't be used that day before printing the schedule out.

My children like having a schedule that they can check either W-worked onor F-finished. I just take their sheet at the end of the day or whenever, and go through and click and it's done. Doesn't take long at all. The long part is the planning and entry process, but once it's done it's done and if I must tweak, it's already in there adn I can adjust things, but that's no big deal.

At the end of the year, I use the Summary or Detailed Report to make my Year-End summation.

 

It's extremely flexible and adjusts to each family's uniqueness.

 

Let me know if there's anything else you'd like to know and I'll do my best.

[Just Another Jen]

Sure! After you have put in the amount of info from your Resource, the next page is the Resource Scheduler page. Thre you assign it to whom you would like; then a sub-section follows with subject (this is still pre-selected, but they are working on you being able to design your own subject categories). Next is 'Study Method'; here is where you can customize what you want done. For example, I have 'listen to audio', 'read 2 chapters and do oral narration', 'copy words on MOnday and study all week', etc.

Then there's a 'start date' option OR a 'start after' with a drop down tab with your previous entries if you're not concerned with it poopping onto the schedule at a certain date but after another book (for example, the NArnia series, the first one I had a start date, the rest I just had each one follow the preceding one); OR a 'Use With' option, too.

Then you click on which day(s) of the week you want it used. Also, if it's a resource that is 'leisure reading andyou don't have a set time for, I just either put in on Sun. and when it's read, I click on 'resources not scheduled' for that particular day and everything will come up asnd you can click worked on or finshed OR you can assign it everyday and just minimize the resource if you decide it won't be used that day before printing the schedule out.

My children like having a schedule that they can check either W-worked onor F-finished. I just take their sheet at the end of the day or whenever, and go through and click and it's done. Doesn't take long at all. The long part is the planning and entry process, but once it's done it's done and if I must tweak, it's already in there adn I can adjust things, but that's no big deal.

At the end of the year, I use the Summary or Detailed Report to make my Year-End summation.

 

It's extremely flexible and adjusts to each family's uniqueness.

 

Let me know if there's anything else you'd like to know and I'll do my best.

 

Is there a way to see more than one day ahead? I started loading books in and I like it so far. Thanks to all for the comments. I think it is very expensive but, so useful for keeping track of so many books.

[sagira]

I'm out of town on vacation and I'm itching to try this planner - I'm such a nerd :lol:

[historymatters]

Is there a way to see more than one day ahead? I started loading books in and I like it so far. Thanks to all for the comments. I think it is very expensive but, so useful for keeping track of so many books.

 

 

You can only see the next day; that way you can print it out the night before if you like. All the long-term, yearly, term, weekly and daily planning is on paper. I use Sonya's Five-Step planning method. I didn't buy the book/DVD seminar(though it's helpful to many) , but followed the steps given via her blog.

 

I think once you get your feet wet in it, you'll discover that it's an outstanding price.

 

If you have any questions after subscribing, please feel free to PM me or post on the SCM Forum-others there are extremely helpful.

 

Rachel

Edited August 27, 2012 by Messianicmom

[sagira]

Thanks, Messianicmom :)

 

Anyone else? More, please.

[JaneP]

:bigear: