Ultimate Homeschool Planner {Review}

As we kicked off our new school year, we had the opportunity to review the Ultimate Homeschool Planner.  It’s not just a homeschool planner, it’s a life planner!  

The Ultimate Homeschool Planner guides the homeschooling parent in a holistic way. Homeschooling is about education and curriculum, but it’s even more about life, love, and preparing our children for their future.

At a glance:

• Pocket folders on the outside cover– These are a great storage area for shopping lists, ticket stubs, reminder notes, and (on one occasion) a cd of x-rays that I almost forgot to give the doctor!
• At a glance 4 year calendar– Easy to reference future dates help with long-term planning.
• User’s Guide–  This gives directions on how to get the most from the planner.  It's a one-time read, but worth going through, especially if you're not a planner by nature.
• One Year Planning Grid–  Here is an area to get a feel for the year as a whole.  This makes it easy to pencil in days for vacations, semester ends, and other major plans, so you can make sure you get enough days of schooling in.  Since our travel dates vary and change, we always use pencil here!
• Student Goal Setter– Here is a blank space for writing student goals, whether they are education or personal.
• Pre-Planning Guides– With this, you can set priorities to glance back at during planning.
• Monthly “At a Glance” Planner–  Like the year-long planning grid, here you can get a feel for the month as a whole, to see where busy times are coming up.
• Weekly Planner–  This has room for multiple children, and it's the main area you’ll use weekly to write in assignments and notes.  On the weekly planning grid, I listed the days of the week across the top and the members of our family down the side.  I also named one row “blog” to keep track of blogging due dates.  Another row is named "homestead" to pencil in chores that need to be done only occasionally, depending on the season.  It’s really helped me keep on top of our busy schedule, something that can be difficult to do when we’re headed in multiple directions.
• Records:  This area has spots for grades, reading lists, and extracurricular activities.  It's a place to record all that you are doing for and with each child.
• Teaching Tips– Here you'll find a helpful section on personality types and learning styles, and how to work with the different types.
• High School Planning Guide– Even if you don’t need this yet, it’s worth looking over to be prepared.
• Year in Review- This is a space to write about the year’s accomplishments...we haven't used it yet.
• Scripture passages and quotations on every page– These offer small bits of encouragement and reflection...you know, for the days you want to drown yourself in twelve cups of coffee, or chocolate, or a nap.

 Extra thoughts:  

• I love the fact that the calendars are undated, so you can make use of the Ultimate Homeschool Planner, no matter when you begin and end your school year.
• It’s only an inch thick, even with all of that information!