Thursday, August 14, 2008

The Schoolhouse Planner

I just have to tell you all about The Schoolhouse Planner published by The Old Schoolhouse Magazine. I downloaded mine the other day and have been having a field day with it ever since.

I actually thought it would be just like any other planner and was about to go ho-hum, when I checked out the Table of Contents! Wow! My eyes opened right up. This planner really is just for homeschoolers!

There are the usual monthly calendars which I expected. I really like the large daily boxes for making notes. There is also a Dates to Remember section for doing several months overview at a time. Each month has a section that is complete with a curriculum tips guide, a monthly resource list, and RECIPES! Yes, the recipes really caught my eye. I am especially anxious to try my hand at the Green Chile, since it looks like a much lower fat version than I usually use.

The goodies don't stop here. There is a big, fat section on homeschool forms. I found just about every homeschool form I could imagine in this section. the only one I didn't find was a form for creating a transcript, but there are forms for gathering all of the information to create a transcript.

I must tell you that June 2009 is a very special month. It is full of Important United States Documents from the National Archives. This section makes the price of The Schoolhouse Planner totally worth it. It is very complete.

Not only are there homeschool forms, but there are household forms as well. This section is very good, but I didn't find it as full of surprises as the other sections. There are forms here that I will put to immediate use, though.

Immediately after I received The Schoolhouse Planner, I printed out the entire book. It was like receiving a birthday present. Then I rearranged many of the sections to fit my family's needs. I divided the sections with colorful papers and put tabs on the monthly calendars and am ready to fill everything out.

My new order:

Section One

current monthly calendar with monthly resource list
2008 and 2009 calendars for quick reference
loaned and borrowed list
dates to remember
vacation plans--really helpful form to budget and plan your vacation
Bible reading schedule
prayer journal

Section Two

address book

Section Three

kitchen conversions cheat sheet
measurement conversions
recipes

Section Four

United States and Capitals
US Presidents
US Presidents and their wives
Countries and Capitals
Timeline of Inventions
Famous Composers
7 Wonders of the Ancient World
7 Wonders of the Modern World
History Timeline
Periodic Table with Elements

Section Five

Celebrate--a holiday list for the year
The months and what is left of the monthly sections

Section Six

Household Forms

Section Seven

Important United States Documents--the actual documents

Section Eight

Homeschool Forms

Now, you might wonder if I left anything in order? Probably not. But that is the beauty of an ebook. You don't have to keep it in order. So, I have a tailor-made planner made just for my needs. You will probably have an entirely different layout in mind. I am sure the authors did, since my layout is completely different from theirs.

I am totally satisfied with The Schoolhouse Planner. If you would like one for yourself, you can obtain one at The Schoolhouse Store

I'm off to check out The Old Schoolhouse Digital Magazine now. I will tell you all about it in the next post.

Friday, August 8, 2008

Welcome to my new little nest!

Welcome everyone!

I am starting this new adventure with you in mind. I am in high hopes that I will be reviewing home school curriculum on a regular basis. I will also be telling you all about things that happen in our home school journey as my daughter continues through high school.

Since I also go to college, I will also be leading you down the college trail. I am working hard to become a teacher, so I will be using the skills I have been honing for the last fourteen years on other parent's children, hopefully in an ESL setting.

I invite you to join me often as I embark on this journey through life with you.

See you soon,
Lin