The Ultimate Homeschool Planner Review & Giveaway {Closed}

Do you have a homeschool planner? I’ve never had one. I’ve seen them advertised everywhere in the homeschooling world. This was our first official year homeschooling and the curriculum I used was well organized, so I didn’t think I needed to invest in one.

However, call it God, or inevitable, but just a few days before getting this review opportunity, I completely forgot to take my oldest to his co-op class. Forgot. We were home. Not sick. Not busy. Right then and there I realized I needed somewhere to write down my plans, thoughts, and routines.

The Ultimate Homeschool Planner by Debra Bell is, in a word: AWESOME. A breath of fresh air. Mind-cleansing.

As soon as I opened the planner I realized why I needed one. Debra has outlined goals and planning that hadn’t even occurred to me. I use Sonlight curriculum, which comes with the academic portion of our studies planned . . . but this planner reminded me there is so much more to homeschooling!

It has a sturdy cover, is spiral bound, and includes a pocket folder on the front and back covers.

Although a planner may sound self-explanatory, this one gives a ‘How- To’ tutorial straight away on how to best utilize this planner. I was so thankful for this — the way she lays out the year and talks about how to plan, it really helped me see my year more clearly. She even lays out when and how much time to allow for planning . . . for example, a yearly planning RETREAT. A day to yourself to plan and outline the following year! What a great idea! I’d go to Starbucks.

I really liked the Student Goal Setter pages. It includes spaces for each child to have several character and academic goals for the year. My kiddos may be small (5, 3, and 1), but I liked the idea of thinking about each one individually and really planning for their needs.

The planner also includes a page for ‘Family Priorities,’ ‘Resource Lists,’ and then a Monthly planner.

The actual weekly planning area is laid out in a unique way. I really like what’s she’s included on those pages: An inspiration verse or anecdote, a Bible Plan, Battle Plan, Prayers, ways to be Hospitable and Outreach. Also, she leaves a page each week to jot down Memorable moments and Evidences of Grace.

In the Index, she also allows space for Reading Lists, Field Trips, and tips about homeschooling in general.

The only thing I wish it would have were tabs to easily flip to certain parts of the planner, which I plan to add on mine.

The Ultimate Daily Planner For Students

I also received a student planner to review. It’s about half the size of the mom’s planner, and is also very sturdy and spiral bound. My kiddos are too small for this planner, but I used to teach third graders and I could see students of that age really enjoying this planner.

I like the ‘All About Me’ section in the front that has a place for the child to list out their ‘favorites’ in life. There is also a space for them to list their goals and describe their future ‘me.’

Throughout the planner and in the index, there are lots of student resource information pages that give a variety of information.

The planner has monthly pages and weekly planning areas. The weekly pages include a Bible verse for each week and spacious areas for the child to write assignments and goals. There are also ‘Done’ and ‘Approved’ check boxes next to each line.

In the back of the Student Planner, there is a place for grades, Reading Lists, an Exercise Log, U.S. and World History Timelines, Time zone listings, a world map, and various math and science charts as well. Great resources! Oh . . . and it has some really cute stickers as well. Who doesn’t love stickers?

Again, although my own kiddos can’t benefit from this planner yet, I know that 2nd or 3rd graders and beyond would really enjoy taking charge of their own day.

The Ultimate Homeschool Planner and student planners for primary kids and teens are published by Apologia Educational Ministries. Find Apologia on Facebook and Twitter.

Liz was a cheerleader swept off her feet by the football player back in high school. They’ve been married nearly eight years and are the proud parents to three young boys. She’d always envisioned working and sending her kiddos off to school so she could live the ‘normal’ American dream. However, life and the Lord surprised her and she’s learning to ‘redefine having it all’ while being a homeschooling housewife. She enjoys finding strength from God’s word, the Today show, talking on the phone with friends, and being real about finances and parenting. She’s blogging about homeschooling and much more over at The Hesitant Housewife.