Can I tell you a little secret? We are currently in week 11 of our school year and 6 weeks ago I was ready to throw in the towel {which is not really an option, but that’s how I was feeling at the time}. I was down and out with our planning and the way our school was going in general, and stressed to the M-A-X! Things are much better now that I have paired down my commitments, but it was admittedly a rough patch for me, albeit, my 7 year itch for homeschooling.
I have probably tried every planner offered for review, whether it be digital or paper and have not found something that I liked and could make work for our family to stick with it…until now! When the new The Ultimate Homeschool Planner - Blue Cover from Apologia Educational Ministries , was offered up for review I was ecstatic to give it a try quite simply because it offered space for 6 children and I liked the format!
I am sure you have heard of Apologia Educational Ministries, especially if you are a veteran homeschooler. If you are a newbie or a not a homeschooler at all, let me tell you a little about them.
When most people hear Apologia’s name mentioned they immediately think of their award winning science programs for elementary through high school. But did you know that they also offer Christian worldview curriculum and helpful books and planners too?
“Prioritize for Sanity”
~ pg. 7
Our planner arrived in the nick of time for me! And to my surprise it was my favorite color, blue! This planner is chock full of goodness! Some of the many features include:
~ Sturdy, plastic like, front and back covers with pockets. The whole book is spiral bound with 280 usable pages.
~ Calendars dated from 2015-2023 printed on heavy duty cardstock
~ One-Year Planning Grid
~ Student Goals pages for academic and character goals
~ Family Priorities page to help keep life in perspective
~ Resource List to track curriculum. Enough pages for six children.
~ Undated two-page monthly planning grids
~ Four-page spread for weekly planning. Includes space to write a Bible Action plan/ Battle Plan with Fighter Verse, Prayers and Evidences of Grace, Hospitality/Outreach opportunities, and Memorable moments. Each week also includes a quote or saying to help you meditate on God’s work in your life.
~ The second set of pages in the Weekly planner portion offer the maximum opportunity to personalize the planner for your family. With space to organize up to six children in a day –by- day or subject format in a 6x6 grid format. The right hand page has space for Notes, Supplies, and Appointments at a glance as well as another inspirational quote.
~ Record grades on the handy grade list as well as reading lists, field trips, and outside activities.
~ High School Planning Grid helps to take the fear out of homeschooling High School and also includes a sample transcript for a competitive merit scholarship with recording of classes starting in 8th grade.
~Year – End Review pages and a few pages of notes to jot down important things.
The Ultimate Homeschool Planner which retails for $29.00 was designed by Debra Bell, the best-selling author of the award-winning Ultimate Guide to Homeschooling and The Ultimate Guide to Homeschooling Teens. It is specifically designed to be apart of The Ultimate Homeschool Planning System that teaches your students to take 
We were able to have our weekly planning meeting on Sunday evening to make sure we were on the same page of what was expected to be done each week. This planning session was especially helpful for me to make sure that Mikayla knew what she needed to complete while she was at the gym on her training breaks on Mondays and Fridays. Sometimes our planning sessions get a little silly as we go over lessons.
“Order brings peace.”
~St. Augustine {traditional}
For my younger two students, Montana {3rd} and McKenzie {K}, I normally plan their next week on Thursdays in between helping Mikayla school and finish up by Friday evening {Montana and McKenzie normally do not school on Thursdays so that I can fully focus one day on Madison and Mikayla}. I did not schedule a formal planning meeting with either of them as their schedules are pretty much do the next page/lesson. I did however implement a color coded technique for each day in my planner to keep myself on track.
Overall, I love, love, LOVE this planner! It helps me stay organized and on track, even on my busiest of days! We are about to hit our busy season and I am confident that with this planner, I will be able to keep the girls on track with school and life in general. I especially love that this planner becomes a record of our year. If I ever had a question about this school year I am confident that I can look back upon the planning pages and tell exactly what we planned and accomplished each and every day.
Apologia is one of those companies that everybody talks about and for good reason too! The company publishes quality material and curriculum that I can count on day in and day out so it should not come as a surprise that we are huge fans of Apologia and the products they sell! You can be sure that when I am buying planners for next school year, this planning system will be my go to system for all three of my girls 4th grade and up!
If you are looking for a planner for your family and homeschool then be sure to check out The Ultimate Homeschool Planner. See what my Crewmates thought of this planner and the other colors, yellow and orange, being reviewed by clicking the banner below.
Company ~ Apologia Educational Ministries
Product ~ The Ultimate Homeschool Planner - Blue Cover
Price ~ $29.00 + shipping
Ages ~ for the homeschooling Mom
Format ~ spiral bound notebook
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