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Does Your Homeschool Need a Little Organizational Help?

Much of my sanity revolves around keeping things in order during our homeschool time. While one of our kids has a brain that thinks much like mine, a few others tend to move in opposite directions. One way that we have been able to track the kids studies has been through the use of a Student Planner

A few years ago our girls asked me to create a full-sized Student Planner for them. Half-sized planners just weren’t cutting it for them, so together we came up with one they both loved. Both have used the Student Planner every year since then and this year Zachary joins their ranks. 

Two choices of student planners from Homeschool Creations - help get your student on track

These planners have been a huge help to our girls in keeping their studies on track, making weekly and monthly goals, and even planning their weekends. 

The Student Planner contains :

  • 8 1/2” x 11” undated pages – use it year after year!
  • Year at a glance dates
  • Student information and schedule page
  • 12 blank monthly planning pages
  • Weekly planning pages for 8 subjects
  • Planning for every day of the week (smaller spaces for Saturday/Sunday)
  • Goals, notes, and ‘what I learned’ section
  • Tracking for books read
  • 2 layouts: August through July or January through December
  • access to a ‘buyers only’ page where optional pages will be added including additional dated covers and other pages as readers/users request.

This week only, my Student Planner bundle is included as a part of the Parenting Super Bundle

Mom Needs a Planner too…

Now while I adore our student planner very much, I also like to keep our homeschool studies in order too. The kids have a lovely planner and I wanted something pretty for myself. One of the things I’ve been working on is a paper and pen version of my homeschool planner. I’ve been using it the past two years and love it – it’s simple but pretty. Efficient. While I love my online planner, staying off my laptop during school time has been important to me. This planner makes me smile (and that’s a great thing). 

Anyway, although the planner isn’t available yet for sale on my site, I wanted to offer it to you all as a special bonus this week.  If you purchase the Parenting Super Bundle through my link this week, I would love to send you the pdf copy of my watercolor poppy Weekly Homeschool Planner for FREE. I will be offering it for sale soon at $10, and along with my Yearly Home Planner (included in the bundle), these are the two planners that help me keep my life in order – and I want to share this newest one with you. This special offer is only available until Monday, May 1st when the bundle sale ends

A few things to know about this planner: 

  • It’s undated, so you can print it each year to use again (just like my student planners). 
  • It’s colorful – not overly crazy, but subtle. Pretty makes planning fun.
  • There is plenty of room for weekly planning and also a month-at-a-glance page.
  • There is a bonus download page, which will include a few editable pages to download as well (see the link at the back of the planner for the password to use). 
  • Additional pages include field trip planning, notes, curriculum planning, yearly attendance, curriculum wish-list, read-aloud and audiobook tracking, homeschool requirements, curriculum key, and names/address – with more to come on the bonus page.

How to Get Your Copy of the Planner 


If you would like to take advantage of this offer, here’s what you need to do.

  1. Purchase a copy of the Parenting Super Bundle
  2. Email me {homeschoolcreations@gmail.com} with your receipt
  3. I will send you the pdf copy! Just mention this deal and let me know.

Simply copy the below and paste it into your email (I’m all about making it easy for you):

I purchased the Parenting Super Bundle through your link, my receipt/invoice # is below. Please send me the NEW Homeschool Planner you mentioned on your site. 

I can’t wait to share this planner with you – and I know too that you will love the Parenting Super Bundle. There are so many resources to love and use in the months and years to come.

 

motionmailapp.com

 

p.s. Don’t forget this bundle comes with a 30 day money back guarantee – which is a lovely thing! If it isn’t all you hoped for, simply ask for a refund. 

p.p.s Not interested in purchasing the bundle but you’d like a copy of the Student Planner? Choose from the following: 

Don’t Forget – This Ends Tomorrow!

The Build Your Bundle sale ends TOMORROW (5/30/17) at 11:59 PM EST! 

If you have been waiting and trying to figure out the best fit for your family, don’t hold off much longer. :) I know personally that it takes time to figure out the best deal for your family.

If you need some suggestions, feel free to take a peek at what our family has purchased. This year we didn’t choose the pre-assembled bundles – which was a first for me!

Buy 2 Bundles & Get 1 FREE. Click for Details!

Don’t forget the Buy 2 Get 1 FREE deal and the incredible bundle of bonuses with you receive with any purchase! You can see what we purchased HERE >>> https://www.homeschoolcreations.net/im-getting-build-bundle-2017/

Otherwise, if you already have a good idea on what you are getting – don’t wait too long! You only have a little bit of time left and the Build Your Bundle site is going to get crazy busy today and tomorrow! 

The BIGGEST Homeschool Sale of the Year - ends 5/30/17

 

What I’m Getting from Build Your Bundle (and Why)

For the last week or more you’ve been seeing graphics, giveaways, and heard the Build Your Bundle sale is coming. The first year it was held — I was so very, very confused. There was a lot to wrap my brain around and at the end of our homeschool year, there are very few coherent thoughts running around in my head. I’m not at the point where I really want to think much.

BUT saving money on homeschool curriculum is always enjoyable, so I kept digging, trying to fully understand, and realized how much the could really benefit our family! 

In case you are in the same boat I was and haven’t quite figured out the ins and outs of the sale, here is a QUICK look at the different options and explanations. Definitely take a peek before May 23rd though – because the sale ends at midnight and then you can’t take advantage of the deals you find now! (Scroll down to see what we will be purchasing). 

Purchase a Pre-Assembled Bundle

One Week Only - Ends 5/23/16 - Save 92% on the Character Bundle

Click here to checkout the 2016 Build Your Bundle Sale!

There are 15 themed bundles to choose from, ranging in price from $10 to $40 (10 of the bundles are $20 or less). The above graphic shows what is included in the Character & Bible bundle for $20 (do you see Picture Smart Bible – a $49 value – in the center??). Each of the bundle prices have savings of 86% or more and range from Early Learning through High School and there are also additional themes such as Charlotte Mason, fine arts, and more.  

 

Build Your Own Bundle 
Build Your OWN Bundles (Pick & choose what YOU want to buy!)

If you see one item in one bundle and another in a different one – you can pick and choose pieces using the Build Your Own Bundle option. This is a wonderful option if you have between 5 and 10 products you’d like to purchase and would rather not get 5 different bundles. 

  • Pick 5 items for $25
  • Pick 10 items for $39 
  • Pick ANY 10 for $59* 

*There are a few exceptions, so be sure to check out this page for more information. 

Get a FREE Bundle 
Buy any 2 individual bundles OR Build Your OWN Bundles and get one free!

One of the best parts of the Build Your Bundle sale is the Buy 2, Get 1 Free option. Build two bundles and get a third free. Or  pick 3 pre-assembled bundles and the lowest priced one will be free.  

Pick up a Bundle of Bonuses

Each purchase includes a pile of bonus offers – over $250 in free products and discount codes! 

The Bundles in MY Basket

my byb curriculum bundles

Curious to see what I’m choosing this year?  I definitely plan on purchasing several bundles as well! Here are the main ones I’m focusing on (and why). 

  • Elementary 1 bundle ($40) – my two main reasons for choosing this one are Masterbooks Elementary Geography program (value $49.95) and also WriteShop Junior D (value $71). The Heroes of History will be a great go-along for our US History studies next year as well as A Journey Through the Centuries of America. The Reading Journal in this also looks GREAT. WriteShop has been our FAVORITE writing curriculum so far and all four kids have used it with great results. Definitely much to love in this bundle.
  • Character and Bible bundle ($20) – my main picks from this one include the Honor Club curriculum ($29.95), Parenting with Proverbs ($9), A Content Heart ($29), and the Picture Smart Bible OT ($49). The Honor Club curriculum is based off the book Say Goodbye to Whining, Complaining, and Arguing in You and Your Children, and we are definitely looking forward to that one (because – let’s face it – all kids can have stinky attitudes at times and we can use all the tools we can get!). 
  • Early Learning bundle ($20 – but free with the Buy 2, Get 1 Free option) – the primary reason I am purchasing this bundle is for the coloring book version of Picture Smart Bible ($47 value) and You Can Read sight words ($10) for my nieces/nephews. While we have used the older children’s version of Picture Smart Bible, Kaleb would prefer these coloring pages (which I skipped purchasing before) because I didn’t think he would like them.  

Note: While I did look at creating my own bundle for $59, for $1 more I was able to get two of the larger products (WriteShop and Picture Smart Bible), so the above combo ended up being a better deal for me overall. 

Really – there is a LOT, and it is easy to get overwhelmed because of the bundle varieties. It took me quite some time to finally decide which bundles to choose (really, the Elementary bundle was never a question). Be sure to create and account and start browsing soon though in case you need time to think! Once you create an account, it will save your cart (don’t make the same mistake I did last year and forget to log in!). 

If you have any questions about the bundles or the sale, feel free to email and ask too! 

3rd Grade Homeschool Curriculum Choices

3rd grade homeschool curriculum choices from Homeschool Creations



Kaleb is one of our most dedicated learners (i.e. not one to complain about his work other than possibly reading). He is typically working on school work before it’s even time to start the day and it isn’t uncommon to find out that he’s finished his math and handwriting – always a nice start to the day! He is also the boy that wants to do as much as he can 1:1 with me, so this year we are pushing him a little bit in working on math via the computer (last year we used Teaching Textbooks, but I did all the lectures with him because he said the computer was too hard – it wasn’t, he just wanted to be with me more).

On the other hand – he is my baby and I want to enjoy every last minute of this 1:1 time that we have together (shhhh – don’t tell him).

3rd Grade Homeschool Curriculum Choices

Here’s a look at the overall plan for our 3rd grade year…

Kaleb will be going solo with me this year on Nancy Larson Science. The FIRST day of school he was already asking to do that and art (we phase in our subjects, so we are waiting until this week). He is also watching Zachary create from afar, so he’ll have a chance soon to work with Little Bits as a ‘bonus time’ at the end of each day for him for some STEM work.

Overall, he has been so excited to start this school year – and I honestly am too with him!

Co-op Learning

Kaleb is still in the younger age group of one of our co-ops and this year they will have two classes together: Spanish and Five in a Row. We have loved the books from Five in a Row and each week we meet will focus on one book and work on several go-along activities for the story.

Curriculum in Year’s Past

In case you are interested in seeing the curriculum that brought us to this point, here’s a peek at what we’ve used with Kaleb the past few years:

See What the Other Kids Are Up To…

 

3rd grade homeschool curriculum choices from Homeschool Creations

Take a peek at our 5th grade, 7th grade, and  9th grade curriculum choices for the year as well! Click on one of the images above to look over their curriculum piles.

Want to see how the year ended

3rd grade homeschool year in review

5th Grade Homeschool Curriculum Choices

5th grade homeschool curriculum choices from Homeschool Creations



Our fifth grade homeschool curriculum choices were a mix of familiar programs and adding in a few (new to us) pieces. This 5th year will be a bit of a stretching year for Zachary as he will be pushed a little out of his comfort zone with a few subjects, working on a few things more independently (still meeting with me for lessons), and require more personal responsibility overall. While intentions are always wonderful and his focus can be amazing when it comes to things he wants to do, the goal this year is to keep him on task.

(Please pray for me.)

There are a few things that I am still working on for his curriculum this year, including handwriting based on Seeds Family Worship and a simple geography program based on National Geographic Kids Ultimate Globetrotting World Atlas. However, I may be a bit behind. It’s all in my head, just needs to make it to paper and reality! There are times when I wonder why I feel the need to re-invent the wheel, but I have something specific in mind for him, so it’s more fun this way, right?

5th Grade Homeschool Curriculum Choices

Here’s a look at the overall plan for our 5th grade year…

Zachary has been showing some great initiative as we have talked about what curriculum he’ll be using this year, and he has set some goals for himself for what he would like to accomplish by certain points in the year (yay!!). He is very excited to start Chemistry. For the last five years he has used Nancy Larson Science and while he loved that, he wanted to work on something by himself (and with just me) this year. We looked over several programs and decided on this one from Bright Ideas Press. He is also very much into learning how things work, so Little Bits and EEME projects are going to be a ‘bonus time’ at the end of each day for him for some STEM work.

Overall, we are SO excited for his year to start and see how he grows this year!

Co-op Learning

The fact that Zachary is technically in middle school is about to make me cry. Our co-op class has a growing group of this age group, so Zachary will be working on the following two classes with them twice a month. One will require a little more reading, but will also involve some fun science projects too:

Curriculum in Year’s Past

In case you are interested in seeing the curriculum that brought us to this point, here’s a peek at what we’ve used with McKenna the past few years:

If you are new to homeschooling and aren’t sure where to begin in choosing homeschool curriculum, please don’t let this post overwhelm you! Check out the entire Homeschool Basics series for answers to more frequently asked homeschool questions.

See What the Other Kids Are Up To…

 

3rd grade homeschool curriculum choices from Homeschool Creations

Take a peek at our 9th grade, 7th grade, and 3rd grade curriculum choices for the year as well! Click on one of the images above to look over their curriculum piles.

 

What subjects are you excited to work on this year with your kids?

7th Grade Homeschool Curriculum Choices

7th Grade Homeschool Curriculum Choices 2015



For the most part, the bulk of McKenna’s 7th grade subjects will be worked on independently, but there are a few areas that we will still be working on as a group: history and Bible. We are cycling through history and will be starting back next year with the ‘ancients’ time period. Also since the kids have enjoyed getting back to Grapevine, we are going to go through the New Testament together.

McKenna is our growing independent learner who still needs a little direction, but wants very much to be seen as the maturing young lady that she is. She is so full of life and energy. All.the.time. This year we’ll be focusing more on responsibility, serving others, and following through on projects (even though we might not always enjoy what we’re doing).

7th Grade Curriculum Choices

7th-grade-homeschool-reading-list-2015-Homeschool-Creations.png

One of the subjects I am MOST excited about with McKenna is her Route 66 study from Positive Action. This was something I picked up for her at HEAV this summer. Route 66 is a full year study that looks at the overall themes and structure of the Bible (and the cover already has her hooked!).

McKenna is most excited to continue with Growing with Grammar and also to work on Word Up Vocabulary. Word Up is new to her this year and the videos are funny and engaging, so it will be a win-win for us!

Co-op Learning

This year we are trying something a little different in our smaller co-op class. Because we have a growing group of middle school kids, there will be two classes targeted specifically to that age group:

Curriculum in Year’s Past

In case you are interested in seeing the curriculum that brought us to this point, here’s a peek at what we’ve used with McKenna the past few years:

Planning Middle School

Overview planning pages for middle and high school

These free middle and high school planning printables have been such a huge help to us as we started mapping out McKenna’s middle and high school years. As much as I don’t want to think about the fact that she is growing up, it has helped me look at the bigger picture and make sure we aren’t missing anything overall.

If you are new to homeschooling and aren’t sure where to begin in choosing homeschool curriculum, please don’t let this post overwhelm you! Here are a few posts that you might find helpful as you discover what is best for your family. Be sure to check out the entire Homeschool Basics series for answers to more frequently asked homeschool questions.

3rd grade homeschool curriculum choices from Homeschool Creations

Take a peek at our 9th grade, 5th grade, and 3rd grade curriculum choices for the year as well! Click on one of the images above to look over their curriculum piles.