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If you’re a homeschooling parent, you will probably agree that the end of one school year means it’s time to start planning the next one! Some people like to use a digital planner, while others just wing it, maybe using some scrap paper sitting around to jot down a few notes. Myself, I prefer to write things down in a physical homeschool planner. Which is why I’m super excited to be able to review the Hey, Mama! Homeschool Planner for 2019/20 Year from The Old Schoolhouse®!  This beautiful planner was created by none other than Gena Suarez, publisher of The Old Schoolhouse® Magazine.

This Is One Beautiful Planner!

So I want to start with the obvious. This is a gorgeous planner with a soft floral design on the front and back covers (which are printed on flexible, glossy paper). Inside you find clean and simple colors of blue and white with generous margins and no overcrowding. It is also nicely spiral bound with enough room to easily turn the pages, and it lays flat with ease.

The paper is nice and thick which means your pens aren’t going to show through to the other side of the page. I have a nice set of fine tip felt pens that I love to write with. I took a moment and made some test marks with a few different colors, and when I flipped the page over, you couldn’t see the markings. Big thumbs up!

What’s Inside The Planner?

Inside the planner are a number of planning and scheduling pages along with Hey, Mama Devotionals written by Gena herself.

Here is a list of what you will find inside:

  • Academic Transcript
  • Checklist and Skills Learned
  • Other Courses
  • 2019, 2020, 2021 Calendars
  • Monthly Calendars with Notes and Devotionals
  • Weekly Planners
  • Planning Pages for up to 5 Children (curriculum, attendance, goals, and a reading list)

How I’m Using The Planner

As you might have seen in the image above, I’ve gone ahead and added some post-it tabs to some key pages that I know I’m going to be referring to again and again. I’ve placed tabs on the current monthly calendar, the current weekly schedule, and one on each of my children’s planning pages.

I’ve already started filling in the monthly calendar pages with the first day of school and any important dates that I already know about. I’ll be able to add more once we get closer to starting the school year.

The planning pages for each child has allowed me to write in what curriculum resources we plan to use, along with the prices of each so I can keep track. As we get closer to the school year starting I will sit down with each of the kids to discuss what goals we want to set for the year, and each semester. Then we will add those to their planning pages too.

I’ve also started planning out the first weekly schedule pages too. They are laid out with a column along the left-hand side for writing in either the days of the week or your subjects. Along the top, there are columns for up to 5 children. With only 2 children I won’t be using 3 of those child columns, and so I’ve made a small and easy change to the layout of the page.

I’m using the left side column for our subjects. And then instead of using the other columns for individual children, I’m using them for each day of the week. Because I only have 2 school-aged kids this year, I’ve just drawn a line down the center of each day’s column. There is more than enough space to write down each child’s assignments. Have a look at the photo below to see the small change I made to the layout (as you can see we will be having a pretty fun first day). Easy peasy!

What’s The Verdict? Do I Like It?

You bet your boots I do! This is my planner for the next school year, 100%, no doubt about it. Sure, I use my mobile phone’s calendar for appointment reminders and such. But I am a huge fan of physical planners for our homeschool. I like being able to write everything out so I can see it all in one place. And there is so much satisfaction from checking boxes as you complete lessons and assignments, or crossing off a day as you finish it.

 

**A Special Note: As of right now the Hey, Mama! Homeschool Planner for 2019/20 Year is currently 98% sold out of this print run. The Old Schoolhouse® does not have plans to print any more until next year. So if you’re wanting to get your hands on one of these planners, I highly suggest you do so right away before they’re gone!

 

sYou can find The Old Schoolhouse® through their social media links below:

Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/theoldschoolhouse/?fref=ts
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/tosmagazine/
Twitter:  https://twitter.com/TOSMag  @TOSMag
Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/tosmag/

 

 

Don’t forget to have a look at the reviews from some of my fellow review crew members by clicking this image below:

Hey, Mama! Homeschool Planner for 2019/20 Year {The Old Schoolhouse® Reviews}