ABC's and Sweet Tea: Homeschool Planet from Homeschool Buyers Co-op. ~ A Homeschool Crew Review

I am a planner girl through and through. In fact, my husband just built me a beautiful desk dedicated just for planning. I use washi tape, stickers, stamps and more. So, I said all of that to say, I am a PLANNER ADDICT lol. It really doesn't matter to me what kind of planner it is, because I will love it. I have tons. Now, when I saw that I had a chance to review an online planner called Homeschool Planet from Homeschool Buyers Co-op., I honestly thought there was no way it could compare to good 'ol pen and paper.

Let's be honest. I really do have three paper and pen planners. I have one for homeschool, one for my reviews/blog, and one for family/life. This gets the job done but is it very easy to keep up with all three? Not really. I am constantly checking one or the other to make sure that I haven't missed something or I haven't forgotten to write something down.

So, that brings us to Homeschool Planet. If you are looking for an online all in one planner, this is definitely for you. They have literally thought of everything to make all aspects of planning in your life simple. It is available on laptop or mobile, so you can have easy access to your planner no matter where you are.

Set up is so easy and takes no time at all. The first thing I did is make everyone an account. It is VERY user friendly and easy to set up "My Family." This allows you to add everyone on that you want to be able to access this planner. That way everyone can always see exactly what's going on. It even allows you to have separate log ins. This way the kids can check their assignments easily. They even allow you to customize the dashboard in colors you choose, and add pictures of everyone that will be included.

Let's talk a little bit about the dashboard itself. It is user friendly not only on set up but with every single thing that you try to add. I personally love the calendar layout for the month, so that's what I tend to keep it on. I can see all of our assignments, events, or tasks all in one glance. You have the option to keep it on Month (which I do), week, or day. I do like these options if I have quite a few things listed so that I can kind of condense it a bit. One thing that they have gone above and beyond with is the widgets on the side of the dashboard. You have several different options. You can have the weather, a bible verse, and a daily quote all in one place.

Let me tell you one of my favorite things about it. You can have a to do list or grocery list at your finger tips. What about a reading list? This gives you the ability to add something quick without having to go find paper and pencil. Do you need to print it out and take it with you? You have that option too!

Looking at the screenshot of my month, you can see the things I have already added. I haven't added much school yet because we aren't on a major schedule with it being summer. However, I have added our chores, Bible reading, and some important dates such as family visiting and birthdays.

Adding events to your calendar is quick and easy. Homeschool Planet gives you many options for everything you add. Starting dates, ending dates, whether or not you want to add a task, and/or a special note. Do you want to add it to just that particular day, or do you want to add it to that day of the week every week? You have every option that you would have with pencil and paper.

I have mainly used this as a life planner, but in just a few weeks when things settle down, I will be adding most of our school assignments. We will be back on a little bit more regular schedule so I will have a better idea of how things will go. I can already tell you that adding an assignment and making lesson plans will be easy and painless just like what I've told you so far.

First you will want to create a class. From that point on you are given different options for that class. I love this considering we only have a 4 day school week. I can pick the days that I want, and it will add the class to only those days. Once you set it up, it will show up on your main calendar. Again, all right at your fingertips.

Another option that I find completely helpful and very useful is that if something comes up and you have to change your schedule, it's super easy to shift everything forward. It takes a matter of seconds to do that. This way your entire schedule isn't ruined due to one bad day.

Homeschool Planet also makes it very easy to keep track of attendance, grades, and even has an option to create reports and transcripts.

Last but not least let me tell you about the lesson plans that are available in the Lesson Plan Marketplace. They have professionally designed lesson plans that you can purchase that will fit right into your planner. It takes the guess work out of trying to do it yourself. If you sign up this month in June for a FREE one month trial, they are offering you a FREE lesson plan that is worth $5 to $15. There is no reason not to try it!

I have to say this is one of those things that I reviewed, and didn't realize just how much I was going to love it. It really does give you a command center for your whole life. If you have been looking for the perfect planner but they all keep falling short, or you're like me and have a ton of different planners, Homeschool Planet from Homeschool Buyers Co-op. could be the answer you've been looking for!