Product Review: 2009 Schoolhouse Planner

Occasionally a product comes along that makes you say, "Wow!" and you can't wait to tell somebody about it. The 2009 Schoolhouse Planner from The Old Schoolhouse is one of those products. Wow!


As a brand-new member of TOS Homeschool Crew, I was given the opportunity to review the all-new 2009 planner. Now, I've got to tell you, I love all things planning. I love planners and organizers. I even looked into designing my own custom planner awhile back and was going to get a friend to spiral bind it for me. I just never did get around to deciding what I wanted to include. Now, I'm glad I procrastinated. The 2009 Schoolhouse Planner is the planning tool to end all planning tools and it's designed with homeschooling families in mind. It is 300+ pages of organizational heaven for planning freaks like me, while containing enough tips and guidance for even poor planners to become better organized.


As much as I'm online, I confess that I'm not generally a big fan of eBooks because I like to be able to physically hold a book in my hand and flip through it. So, I was a bit disappointed to realize that the 2009 planner was a download...until I downloaded it! If you've read many eBooks or downloaded many forms from the Internet, you're probably familiar with pdf files. Like me, you're probably used to the files that don't allow you to do anything but read -- no typing, no highlighting, no changes of any kind. Maybe you've seen the new typeable pdf files that will let you make some changes, but you have to print these files immediately because you can't save the changes.


Well, the new 2009 Schoolhouse Planner is the coolest thing I've ever seen! It's a completely interactive pdf file. You can type on it, highlight text, add sticky notes, draw circle, check boxes! It's awesome! I was able to highlight our entire school year on the calendars included (we may not stick with those dates, but at least I have a general idea), add birth dates and key events to the month-at-a-glance pages, and highlight points of interest throughout the planner. I love it!


So, what makes this planner special, aside from the fun technology? Take a look at what you can expect to find inside:

• Calendars for 2009-2012
• Month-at-a-glance pages
• 24 delicious, easy-to-prepare recipes
• An article each month from some of the biggest names in homeschooling
• Household planning forms featuring everything from grocery lists to pages to list your medical information
  
• School planning forms - from book logs to college transcripts
• Fact sheets for composers and artists
• Historical and inventions timelines (Need to know when paper was invented? It's in there!)
  
• A list of countries and capitals; states and capitals (even postal abbreviations)
• And, of course, you can't forget the address book
  

You'll find that much of the footwork has been done for you in this incredibly comprehensive planner. Each month features fact pages written by some of the best-known homeschooling experts on the subjects and surrounding a theme which often corresponds to a special event during the month. In addition, following each group of fact pages is a page full of links to related resources that you can find in The Old Schoolhouse Store. No more searching the Internet for the resources you need; they're laid out for you with clickable links.


What kind of fact pages are included?

• The Thirteen Colonies by Michelle Miller, author of TruthQuest History Guides
• Ten Keys to Success Learning Math in the Decimal System by Steve Demme of Math-U-See
• Lapbooks: A Creative Road to Retention by Tammy Duby, author of The Ultimate Lapbook Handbook
• Homeschooling Around the World by Terri Johnson of Knowledge Quest Maps
• American Government Basics by unit study expert, Amanda Bennett
• House Fires (which includes fire safety tips) by Molly Green of Econobusters
• The Basics of Getting into College by Terry Wilfong, president of College Options Foundation

In addition to basic planner pages and the fact and resource pages, there are sections with forms for both educational and household planning and maintenance. Each forms section includes tips on how to most effectively use the included forms. Some of the highlights from the Educational Forms section include:

• Weekly Schedules for up to five children with space for each individual child's assignments (There are actually separate forms for one child, two children, etc., up to five, so you can personalize your planner for your family.)
• Week-at-a-glance pages with spaces for: to-do lists, supplies needed, goals, and notes
• Record keeping forms for grades, progress reports and report cards
• Curriculum Key Chart
• Logs for books read, crafts made, field trips and library books
• Journal pages for both older and younger students
• Nature journal pages
  
• Unit study planning
• Unschooling records
• Preschool planning pages
• ABC tracer pages in a variety of fonts

The Household Forms section includes:

• Housecleaning schedule
• Menu planning forms
  
• Grocery lists
• Chore charts in a variety of styles, including blank forms and with suggested chores
• Budgeting/Personal finance
• Bible reading schedule with a checklist that you can actually check off thanks to the interactive pdf format
• Garden planning that even includes a grid to plan the actual layout
• Vacation and party planning guides

Oh, my goodness! Can you tell that I'm excited about this planner? I'll tell you my biggest problem with using it, though -- trying to decide if I want to fill in the information, print on cardstock and have it bound, or if I'd rather print it and keep it in a three-ring binder, or if I'd prefer keeping it on my laptop so that I can continue playing with all the nifty features all year. I'm leaning toward the binder method, so that I can print and add pages, as needed, throughout the year -- and continue playing with the nifty tools!


When I first saw that the planner was priced at $39, it seemed a little expensive -- until I had a chance to look through it. After playing around with it for well over two hours on the day I got it -- not to mention the time since then -- I think it's well worth the price. I can't believe the incredible wealth of information and planning tools that have been included in what has to be the most comprehensive, customizable planner I've ever seen with pages that are professional quality and ready to print.


Visit The Old Schoolhouse Store to take a peek at the pages inside this year's planner, along with the huge assortment of other homeschooling products available.

Click on the TOS Homeschool banner to read more reviews
of the 2009 Schoolhouse Planner.

I received a free copy of this product for the purpose of reviewing it. The thoughts and opinions expressed are my own. Please read my full disclosure policy for details on such reviews.

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