How to Choose the Perfect Homeschool Planner
Since we unschool, you might think that the perfect homeschool planner for me would be no planner. However, nothing could be further from the truth. Just because we pursue passions doesn’t mean we are disorganized. After all, most people plan vacations to places they really want to visit. Planning ensures that they don’t miss popular tourist attractions, that they have somewhere to stay, and that they have time to do everything they hope to do. Unschooling can be the same way. We have things we want to accomplish, and planning helps us get there.
But how do we choose the perfect homeschool planner for us? Here are some considerations.
How to Choose the Perfect Homeschool Planner
Look and Feel
First, let’s consider the basics. What size and layout do you prefer? Preferred color? Digital or spiral bound print? Let’s face it. If you don’t like how it looks and feels, you won’t use it no matter how well it’s laid out. So, decide if it needs to fit in your purse and include only the bare bones organizational tools. Or maybe you prefer to use it open-faced on your kitchen table with sections for meal planning and budgeting, too. Think about whether you care about colors, inspirational quotes, and other extras. Do you find a huge 300-page printed book cumbersome and prefer to keep everything digital? Maybe you hate having to always have your computer on and prefer a printed planner. Think carefully about your preferences and what you actually do, not what you think you should do.
How Will You Use It?
Do you want the convenience of combining your homeschool planner with your household management binder? Maybe you don’t need a daily schedule with hourly appointment times and a generic weekly schedule works fine for you. Many printed planners try to be everything, and personally, my perfect homeschool planner is more bare bones. The more stuff it has, the less likely I am to use it. What about you?
The Perfect Homeschool Planner Has What You Need
As I said, my preference is very bare bones, which is why I like digital planners. I can print only what I need. I have tried printed planners, and I end up leaving half the book unmarked, which feels like a total waste of paper to me. I like the digital planner at SchoolhouseTeachers.com because I can pick and choose among lots of different kinds of pages and only print what I will truly use. There are more than 750 pages! But some of the pages are articles, facts and reference pages, chore charts, Bible reading schedules, and so much more. It is truly customizable!
However, all I need are attendance charts; curriculum/course list pages; and reading list, activity log, and project planning pages. I do use weekly planning pages, too, to help us reach our goals. For my high school student, I appreciate the free transcript tools that help me keep her on track. In addition, they have a separate planner just for high school.
If you haven’t tried a digital planner before, this upcoming school year might be a good time to try it. You can basically create a planner that is customized to you and your family’s style of homeschooling by choosing the pages you’ll actually use. And, if you prefer, you don’t have to print it at all! Go paperless and store everything in a virtual file folder on your desktop. No more erasing and crossing out, writing in the margins, or feeling guilty about not using half the book. Try it!
Julie Polanco is a 16+ years veteran homeschooling mom of four challenging, artsy kids. She is the author of two books for moms–God Schooling: How God Intended Children to Learn and 100 Ways to Motivate Kids–and the high school botany instructor for www.SchoolhouseTeachers.com. She teaches live middle school science workshops for her local homeschool co-op and is actively involved in her church’s women’s ministry. You can find her at www.julienaturally.com where she offers natural learning & living solutions for challenging kids and their families.
