Yeah, Right, Whatever

When you homeschool, you have to be organized. I mean really organized. On top of keeping track of menus and grocery lists, contemplate a budget, remember who is supposed to be where when, and staying on top of housecleaning, we have to keep track of curriculum, assignments, actually teaching, and grades. That can be a little overwhelming. Trust me on that one. In the past, I relied on a combination of a calendar, a couple of notebooks, and a bunch of loose leaf pages stuffed into a notebook to try to keep it all together. How do you think it worked out? Worse.

I've been test-driving a new organizer, and I think it's amazing. It's called The Schoolhouse Planner, but it's so much more (here's a sneak peek). There's a calendar to keep track of the day-to-day stuff, as well as study ideas and recipes for each month. There is a section of household forms, so you can find your grocery list and make a note in the menu section if Little Johnnie can't stand the casserole you made yesterday. Also in that section you'll find gardening tips and planning pages, inventory lists, contact pages (for doctors and repair people and utilities and...) , a loaned and borrowed list, a page to write down directions, and that's just the beginning.

But, wait! There's more! There is a section of homeschool forms. You can track course of study over several years, establish goals for the year, log weekly plans and actions, plan field trips, organize science projects, put grades in one place, keep track of contact numbers for curriculum companies and homeschool organizations, and more!

The Schoolhouse Planner comes in a convenient PDF format, so you can alter the pages and then print out the completed pages, or you can print out the pages and then write in the information. Your call.

I have only one complaint about The Schoolhouse Planner- I didn't have it sooner.