Debra Bell and Apologia have created yet another wonderful resource for us, this time, planners for Mom and students that form a
planning system based upon what Bell used with her children as she homeschooled them.
We were given to review
The Ultimate Homeschool Planner ($28.00);
the ultimate daily planner for students ($19.00); and
The Ultimate Weekly Planner for Teens ($19.00).
In the past, I've not used a
planning system; instead, my planner has been digital, a planner that allows me to work online or print just the pages I wanted. I could go loose leaf or work from a binder. I tend to be a loosey-goosey, fly by the seat of my pants kind of homeschool mom/teacher (which I admit does bite me in the rear sometimes).
Bell's
planning system, by contrast, is a hard copy, spiral bound, the pages lie flat and stay together. It is designed to be very flexible, accommodating families who homeschool year round, or those who follow a traditional school year, allowing for those who do some schooling every single day and those who school during the week with occasional weekend days - it flexes with who we are and how our families work.
Bell coaches and teaches all of us. Here's one of my favorite pages, one of the very pieces we are working on with my newer homeschooler this school year:
My son and I talked about how I notice he relies on rote memorization and he sometimes misses context and that one of my goals for him is to work on a different kind of comprehension and learning. He rewarded me with eyeball rolling. Debra Bell put into words a conversation I had with my son in the fall.
Bell's planning system is also designed to raise independent students. We need help with that. With a child with autism, we are definitely on the slow track in that regard (
and that's okay!). She spotlights counting blessings and recording progress within the planner as well. The St Augustine quote, "
Order brings peace." challenges me from the inside cover of
The Ultimate Homeschool Planner.
My big challenge is the child with autism. She is an unschooler, our homeschool with her is relaxed. Forcing her to complete x number of pages to read in a day or to complete x number of worksheets is a disaster. Following her interests with my providing lots of resources and activities works for us; her reading has improved dramatically (I have achievement testing to show this fact) and she is slowly yet steadily growing in understanding of math. She jots down books read or activities on a page-a-day calendar. In a conference call with Mosaics members, Bell suggests not requiring an early elementary school student to do the writing, especially until the child's fine motor skills are developed, and to give them checklists, instead. That is a good idea, especially for children with special needs and developmental delays.
Neither typically developing teen wanted to switch planners in the middle of the school year (
can you believe that!?) although we used the information in them quite a bit. One afternoon, my public schooler wanted a periodic chart - guess what? It's in the teen planner. Bell has given us quite a few helpful academic resources in the backs of the planners.
If you have a middle schooler and are wondering about the difference between the student planner and the teen planner, the teen planner is more geared to the high schooler, and the student planner is more appropriate for middle and elementary schoolers. If you have a middle schooler doing some high school level work, I'd recommend buying the high school planner. And if you have a high schooler who prefers a
daily planner, then get the student planner (the teen planner is
weekly).
The planning system comes
undated. You get to set it up to begin when you choose and end when you choose, skip summer months without wasting pages if you choose. My public schooled sophomore absolutely
loved that it isn't dated and she gets to fill in the dates. We all appreciate the addition of the straight edge/plastic ruler included inside the front covers of the student and teen planner.
Bell gives us lots of little details that, in my opinion, make the system live up to the description, "ultimate". SAT words in the teen planner. U.S. president trivia in the student planner. Bible verses in all of the planners. Inspirational quotes in the mom and teen planners. A place to note quiet time and places to doodle.
The circles divided into quarters to keep track of time spent on a subject or activity - *brilliant*.
I will be very honest with my readers. A planning system like this one makes me feel like a failure. Less than. I have a child with autism who does not fit into a neurotypical planner. I can plan and plan and write it down and wind up not checking off a lot of the items on my list. Some days my girl's neurology works for her better than others. I also have no idea how long learning a concept will take. Sometimes, I give up. Sometimes we work a long time on one concept. We work on her timetable. So, I quit planning tightly. I have a general idea of what we will do.
Bell offers a lot for families with children with special needs, homeschoolers or not. The student and teen planners frame and scaffold the planning and organization experience, the executive function pieces that so many of 'our' kids need to practice. She gives our students a visual framework from which to work and plan and she sets parents in a position within the system to be guide the child heavily at first in a way that the child can be given more responsibility for herself as she is ready for it. She lists steps to independence on page 9 of the mom planner.
I have lots of favorites in the planning system. Perhaps my very most favorite piece is the area Bell gives me to document memorable moments (
Family funnies-Victories-Progress-Promising signs-Small beginnings-Finished projects) and evidences of grace (
Evidence of God's grace-God's mercy-God's faithfulness-God's protection - God's provision) in my planner. In fact, for a special needs learner, I could use more space here!
Bell gives me pages of info and how-to with clear examples in the front of my planner and she motivates me. I really like Bell's suggestion of a planning weekend/retreat; I like her recommendation that we sit down with each child once a week (she likes Monday mornings, which makes sense) to preview the week together and to check in at the end of the week. In the back of my planner are charts and resources along with information about learning styles, reluctant learners, thinking skills. She gives me room to record my year end review.
If you are in a state where turning in a planner is required, you're all set with this planning system. If you are trying to be a better record keeper (raising my hand), I think you'll appreciate the planning system. Student planners will be useful to school-building schoolers as well.
The planners are attractive and lie flat to photocopy pages if the need arises.
I like how Bell has created a package based on a system that she used successfully and I like how she teaches me to use each piece of the system with my kids. She sets us all up for success and gives us the flexibility to work with typical kids or kids with special needs who are working and learning very differently form one another.
If you are looking for a planning system, please take a serious look at this one from Apologia and Debra Bell. I think you'll like it.
Apologia and Author Melissa Cain Travis and illustrator Christopher Voss bring us, How Do We Know God Is Really There? 
