A Homeschool Planner That Works
Over a decade of homeschooling has taught me that I am a pretty relaxed homeschooler.
- I don’t get too hung up on the daily checklist.
- I have no problem tossing everything to chase inspiration.
- I love to find events outside of the house even if it means we skip math lessons.
- And I have no problem completely altering a curriculum or adapting it to my needs.
But I have to admit, that I can only make these relaxed choices when we have established goals, a regular routine and a weekly plan of attack.
That’s why I take time to create a plan for our year, even if I know we will change things along the way.
{ I received Plan Your Year for free and was compensated for my time. I was not required to write a positive review. For more information, read my full disclosure. }
The Plan Your Year Guide has helped me plan our homeschool for several years.
Of course, last time I wrote about my experiences, I was trying to incorporate my planning forms into a Happy Planner.
Turns out that the Happy Planner wasn’t such a happy plan for me, but Plan Your Year was a great fit!
So this time I am working through the planning process without a particular planner. I have found that binding the planning sheets from Plan Your Year works best for keeping track of our school year.
A Homeschool Planner That Keeps me Focused
I am a scattered person. I tend to approach things from every direction and I feel overwhelmed. Once I feel overwhelmed, I tend to drop the project and move on.
Can you relate? Have you ever felt completely overwhelmed when you began homeschool planning?
Don’t get me wrong, the details of selecting curriculum and envisioning new ideas is a ton of fun for me, but getting to the nitty-gritty of making a plan brings out my ability to procrastinate.
That’s where Plan Your Year steps in to save you. The guide helps you remain focused as you begin the planning process step by step. Pam will help you begin by casting a vision for your homeschool and then will walk you through every step of the way until your materials are organized and your plan is ready to go.
Each chapter covers the necessary steps:
- Cast a Vision
- Craft Effective Goals
- Determine a Course of Study (and purchase resources)
- Create Schedules
- Plan weeks and days
- Lesson Planning for Homeschoolers
- Planning Your Own Study
- Organize Your Materials
- Put It All Together
- Planning in Action (how to keep it going all year)
Every chapter includes Action Items at the end of the chapter. These Action Items include every bit size piece you need to complete after reading the chapter. These lists make the entire process easy for a homeschool mom to focus on 1 action item at a time.
It can feel overwhelming to sit down and begin the process of homeschool planning. It’s much more tempting to just start curriculum browsing. But that’s how we often end up with things that don’t really match our family’s needs.
But I’ve learned that when you are overwhelmed with the process and don’t know where to start, Plan Your Year will get you there. It doesn’t feel so hard start with a vision and then slowly move onto the next step when you are ready.
Homeschool Planner as Conversation
Plan Your Year is written in a conversational tone that makes reading it feel like you are having a cup of tea with Pam while chatting about the coming homeschool year.
She has filled every chapter with plenty of tips and information that will guide you through the planning process.
Different homeschooling methods are explained clearly, including their benefits and drawbacks. You’ll also find a variety of scheduling options from traditional to year-round calendars and block to loop scheduling options described clearly.
In addition to all of the basics, Pam sprinkles her own stories and helpful experiences throughout the book. She also includes personal stories and advice from other seasoned homeschool moms. As you read, you will feel like a participant in a most helpful planning conversation.
So grab your cup of hot tea and join the conversation.
Homeschool Planner for All Homeschool Styles
You don’t have to be a certain type of homeschooler to experience success with planning when you use Plan Your Year.
That’s what it works so well for any homeschool mom, including me – a relaxed, eclectic mix of homeschooling styles.
Plan Your Year will help you begin by casting a vision and creating goals for your students. Your vision and your goals represent you and your children so they will not be tied to any one method or curriculum. Then Pam Barnhill will guide as you choose the schedules and curriculums that support your vision.
You’ll find a variety of options in every chapter, including pro and cons lists for some of the most popular choices for that topic. There is even a section about the best type of homeschool planner based on your Meyers-Brigg personality type.
One of my favorite chapters is Lesson Planning for Homeschoolers. Pam describes a method of lesson planning that you can adapt to any book or curriculum. This method applies to books with no guide, curriculums with too many activities, or practices that don’t require a curriculum at all.
In Lesson Planning for Homeschoolers, Pam describes a system to make resources work for your family, whether you are classical, Charlotte Mason, or eclectic and relaxed like myself.
Homeschool Planner with All the Planning Sheets
Homeschool Planning isn’t about the forms. I repeat. It isn’t about the forms.
But pretty forms sure do help.
Plan Your Year contains forms for every step of the planning process. Every form is included in the paperback book so that you can make photocopies anytime you need additional sheets.
All of the forms below are included and so many more!
If making copies isn’t your thing then the book contains information about how to order the Plan Your Year Library Lifetime Access that includes a color digital download of every form in the book and much more.
The forms you see pictured are available as a free digital download. They don’t include all of the forms you’ll receive with your copy of Plan Your Year but they might help you organize the remaining months of this year.
Grab Your Copy Today
If you preorder your copy of Plan Your Year by May 6 then you will receive a free Plan Your Life Companion plus a special coupon code for Put Your Mornings on Autopilot Course
The Plan Your life Companion includes tips and ideas for organization, meal planning, and housekeeping. It includes a daily planning form so you can take action to schedule your day.
Go ahead and order your copy now. Grab your bonuses. And then put it aside if you need to wait to begin planning. But you’ll thank yourself this summer when it is time to begin planning for next year.
Order the Book on Amazon
Order the Book Directly From Pam
Either ordering method works and you will still receive your preorder bonuses if you order by May 6th.
Happy Planning!
She believes that creativity, laughter, and fun are the backbone for engaging and inspiring homeschools. You can find her encouragement and tips on this blog, Mary Hanna Wilson.
She is an enneagram 7 and an extrovert. She enjoys traveling, tea (iced or hot), good conversations, and books. You can connect with her on Instagram and Facebook.
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Hi Mary,
I’m definitely going to give this planning guide a try! Do you have any tips on how to choose what to use and what to cover for homeschooling in NC? My boys are two years apart and we work on a lot at the same time. Except for math. I struggle with knowing what is enough. They are 11 and 13.
Sincerely, Michelle
Homeschooling in NC is pretty simple. Just make sure you do end of the year testing and keep attendance. Other than that, you are free to homeschool how you like 🙂 I’d cover the topics my kids were interested in as much as possible. We like to cover the same topics together too, except for math! -Mary
Thank you ☺