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What is your favorite planner for your homeschool?

 

Do you use an electronic version or paper?

 

Pros and cons? Things to consider?

 

 

I have tried Homeschool Tracker (basic), the Simply Charlotte Mason Online Planner, and The Weekly Homeschool Planner from Homeschool Creations (editable PDF). I love the flexibility of the SCM online planner, but it is cost prohibitive at this time. It has been a while since I used HST, but I think the biggest frustration was that I could not easily reschedule and assignment for a different day if something came up. SCM was great for that, but pricey. The Weekly Homeschool Planner looks nice, but is not easy to plan for multiple children.

 

Most of our curriculum is open and go, so I guess I do not need a planner with a lot of detail since we just go on to the next lesson. But I would like something to help me see the big picture, set some goals for what we want to have finished and by what date, and maybe some type of checklist for the kids. I would like the kids to start taking a bit more ownership of some of their work.

 

I looked at the Well- Planned Day briefly. I am just unsure and do not want to purchase another planner only to not like it or not use it. Hoping you all will have some good ideas for me. :)

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I use the Well-Planned Day and I really like it. I use it like a list and just check things off as we accomplish them. I like the Bible verses, the catechism, the month at a glance and the semesters are broken down. I plan to purchase one for this next year as well, it gets the job done for us.

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I like to make my own printed version too, and bind them using my Proclick so that they can be folded completely open. I do a full year at a glance using Donna Young that I work on over the summer, but for detailed plans I make my own and print less at a time, knowing that I will want to update it every so often.

 

I am a bit of a control freak, so I'm fully convinced that my system of organization is the best - regardless of how often I tweak it.

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I make my own using CM Help's Booklist, weekly term schedule, and daily checklist. I save each of these in Evernote on my iPad and refer to them every morning.

 

I put up a list in order on the chalkboard for my dc to see what we are doing for the day. I find it helps keep them motivated and on track. My youngest isn't yet reading so I add a picture next to each lesson so he knows what is coming up.

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Hunter may come on here and recommend the Waldorf Method of planning where you take a huge sheet of paper and fold it into 16 boxes. You use the first 12 on one side to write in any dates for each month that will affect schooling. Then she uses the bottom four boxes for specifics on each of her kiddos. I forget what she used the back for now. I think that is great for at an annual at a glance plan.

 

Beyond that I do a lot on my own using Google Drive and just put them into a binder with the following tabs:

-General Information (schedules, scope and sequence prek-6th, etc.)

-Math/Logic/Languages

-Language Arts

-Memory Work and Enrichment

-Read Aloud and Bible

 

I decide how many pages or lessons to cover in their workbooks and make a weekly checklist using timberdoodle.com/schedule. It is free and customizeable for each kiddo. You just type in the information and print it out. Then I make several copies. I can go in and redo it easily any time. So there is one page for annual planning and one for weekly plans, but we just keep our weekly plans pretty much the same and use it as a checklist. You can easily write in lesson numbers, chapters, or page numbers in the boxes instead.

 

HTH!

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I forgot to say that I do the annual plan first and print that out (only page 1). Then I start over with a new one and make the weekly checklist because I include things like notebooking on the checklist that I don't include in the annual plan.....Their weekly checklist goes in their folder or on their desk. I leave the dates blank so I can write them in. I set the annual planning dates from August 1st to July 31st.

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I created my own, love it. It's loosely weeks, and divided by topic, as I am rarely on task on all subjects. Some are way ahead, others on task, and others maybe a little behind. All are behind dividers. It's so easy to go through, flip see where we're at,check things off. Love it. I plot everything in.

 

I do put dates in, simply to see if we are too behind, then we'll spend a little more time on it. I don't worry about a week or two, but if it's more than that I know we need to focus.

 

I love it :)

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Heres pics of my old one: http://missedumacated.blogspot.com/2012/07/our-hs-series-babs-binder-system.html

 

My Recording Log (the "after the fact" planner :p ) and my new planner I have yet to photograph. I'm also switching to a new blog I've been setting up for a bit, so I'm not sure if I'll keep that blog, if I do, it will probably be for the binder systems and planner stuff, as well as "teachers view" type things. I'm setting up two new blogs , one will be for the change in direction our homeschool and lifestyle went and the other will be my pondering blog (I tend to get philosophical a lot, and DH asked me to put up a blog for it, and to stop bothering him, because he doesn't understand a word I'm saying ROFL). But I would say any new planning & organizing/scheduling bits & pieces will stay on Miss Edumacated.

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  • 4 weeks later...

Just posted a review of Scholaric on my blog: you can read it here

 

I really enjoy it - WPD online was just, um, not functional enough for me. Scholaric is EASY and inexpensive. Love!

 

 

Thanks for the review of Scholaric. I like easy and since I only have one child in school right now it would only be $1 a month. That is a cheaper than buying a planner!

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I have tried several planners and am looking for an online planner. I have a friend who loves HST+. She said the Basic does not have nearly the functions of the PLUS version. I am planning to try it over our next break. Well, that isn't until the baby comes, so maybe over our winter break. I have downloaded the free version, but have only played with it a few minutes due to lack of time. I want something where I can quickly print a daily checklist for dd, she loves lists!

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If I had the money, I would seriously pay for someone to consolidate all my plans into a daily planner like HOD. I love the way everything is on one page....dictation, discussion questions. I have a lot of difficulty juggling all the papers and books that I need. I have stuff everywhere!

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I make a copy of my TM lesson plan chart and write in the dates and daily activities as we go. Each kiddo has one too and I fill in their individual assigments. At the end of the year I staple it all together with a copy of the Course of Study page (from Donna Young) and file it.

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