Review: Hey, Mama! Homeschool Planner

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I was trying to figure out my approach to the Hey, Mama planner as the physical copy isn’t sitting well with me. GASP!  How can I say that about a product from The Old Schoolhouse®!?!?!!?  Well here’s the thing.  I look at the physical planner and I think cool, but… Why did Gena Suarez lay it out in this manner?   This doesn’t work for me! 

Then I got to thinking as I  looked through the Hey, Mama! Homeschool Planner for 2019/20 Year that this planner also comes in a digital version.  And that means I can lay it out in a way that works for how MY brain and planning style works. 

Same good content, but laid out in a “ME” fashion instead of “Suarez” fashion, and thus a found a method that works. Neat eh?

What I am Reviewing

Vendor Name AND Link: The Old Schoolhouse®
Product Name and Links:  Hey, Mama! Homeschool Planner for 2019/20 Year 
Author: Gena Suarez
Price: $22.00 – $53.00
Hey Mama, Schoolhouse Planner, Homeschool Organization, school planner

The Details

The start of Hey, Mama planner teaches you how to make a transcript and provides you with a checklist for courses studied and skills learned.   You will also find yearly calendars for 2019 through 2021. 

Devotionals

Devotionals are scattered throughout, 21 in all, some of the topics are: Homeschool purpose, Anxious?, God’s Provision, Squabbling Kids, Faith Walk and more.

Lines that caught my eye as I skimmed through: 

“Our children are watching.  Someday when they are grown, they will meet their own troubles.  Will they come to you for counsel, for prayer, for godly advice?  Be that model for Christ, Mama.  Inspire them to fall into His arms during the hardest of times, to cast their cares on the One who cares for their soul.”

“When the bad days come, stay the course.  It doesn’t mean giving up, any more than the Lord gives up on us. He sets us right, we repent and start again.”

“If you are His, walk confidently in His love, just the same way your children know without a doubt that you love them. They too walk confidently because they know you will never leave them.  They are safe in your love.”

Lay Flat Spiral Binding

Accompanying each devotional is a lined page so you can jot down notes for each month.  Following the devotional is a month spread out over two pages.  The spiral binding means that it lies flat.  This is an easy way to plot out your months adventures.  In August my son is off for two weeks, so jotting it in means I don’t plan any “go away” time with my lad.  It’s easy to forget if I don’t jot it down you know?

Calendars

The calendar runs July 2019 through June 2020.  At the close of June you will discover week long calendar with slots for five children. As someone unused to planners this is one area where I wish they had a sample week done.  I wasn’t really sure what to do with this so I just listed out subjects my lad would be taking.  It doesn’t “feel” right, so I don’t know if I’m using it correctly. 

Helpful Charts and Lists

At the close of this section you will find a variety of helpful charts, good for up to 5 children.   Curriculum planning, attendance, books read, along with yearly and semester goals.   

Let me talk abit more about the yearly and semester goals. They are divided up into seven different categories. 

• Educational
• Spiritual
• Physical
• Personal Talents
• Life Skills
• Financial
• Relational

These categories help you to think through the different ways to help your children be the people that God has called them to be. 

What would I do?

Now that you know what the physical planner contains.  Let me tell how I would print if off with the digital planner. 

1. Attendance list, curriculum list
2. Each month with it’s calendar and goals.
3. Follow this the weekly goals, enough weeks for each month.
4. Add behind each month the booklist, along with skills checklist.
5. I don’t know if I would print off the semester and yearly goals.  They seem rather redundant but I suppose it’s good to write them down instead of mentally thinking “let’s get through the semester and make sure the lad knows what he needs to”.  Written goals make it more intentional and provides another conversation with the lad.

My Thoughts

I love how each of the devotionals captures a thought, expands on it, and then draws you in the heart of God.   The month-a-glance calenders are a handy feature, and I enjoy the book lists.  Having a brief walk through on how to create a transcript is very helpful.   

I would strongly prefer having the digital version of the Hey Mama Schoolhouse Planner over the print since I would want to lay things out in a manner that works for me.   Having a small “how to use it” section would be uber helpful to me, a non-planner.  🙂  Overall, a well done and useful planner to help you in the education of your children. 

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