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Why This Eclectic Homeschooler Loves A Charlotte Mason Homeschool Planner

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Find out why this eclectic homeschooler loves A Charlotte Mason Homeschool Planner.

 

Just when I think I have this whole homeschool thing figured out, I find myself faced with new challenges and changes. Twists and turns. Ages and stages.

It is at those times that I discover that I need to retrace my steps and look at what has actually worked. Perhaps it wasn't picture-perfect at the time, but with a few tweaks and better resources, that initial idea is actually just what our homeschool needs right now.

Do you ever have moments like that in your homeschool?

As my five boys progress through different parts of their homeschool journey, I am finding that our relaxed eclectic homeschool ebbs and flows. We have moments of sheer delight and ease, where everything and everyone shines and shimmers. Then, we have those moments where I want to rip my hair out trying to keep it all organized and flowing.

Disclaimer:  I received A Charlotte Mason Homeschool Planner for free and was compensated for my time. All opinions are 100% my own. A positive review was not required.

 

Everyday Graces

 

Never ever in my wildest dreams did I think that I would be revisiting a Charlotte Mason approach to homeschooling.

Nor did I believe that I would be revisiting my regular sized Happy Planner (which I adore but just could not find a reason to use!).

I am beyond thrilled to share that I have found a reason and a resource to pull my arc disc (Happy Planner) system off my shelf and reintroduce Charlotte Mason concepts into our homeschool.

In all honesty, I could not be any happier!

 

Why This Eclectic Homeschooler Is Combining Homeschool Approaches

When I first pulled my older boys from public school, I had hopes of being a Charlotte Mason homeschooler. Unfortunately, I was a bit overwhelmed to make that dream a reality. Truth be told, I overplanned because I had no idea what I was doing. We ended up trying a variety of homeschool approaches and using whatever works.

Fast forward a few years and add a few boys to our homeschool...

My younger three boys are nature fanatics and have been much more responsive to the Charlotte Mason approach to homeschooling than my older two boys. My younger boys love narration, picture study, and habit training.

Over the summer, my older boys made requests for more Classical resources in our homeschool.

In an effort to do what is best for each set of boys, I decided to continue to go with what works.

Why not? We are eclectic homeschoolers, after all! A family that is reaping the benefits of both homeschool approaches!

Some homeschool purists may balk at the idea but I am tickled pink to find a variety of resources that work for all my boys.

I'm even happier that I have found ways to organize and plan it all! I so wish I had access to this planner when we first began homeschooling!

 

This relaxed eclectic homeschooler loves A Charlotte Mason Homeschool Planner. Learn how to resize the pages & fit it in your Happy Planner!

Why This Eclectic Homeschooler Is Using A Charlotte Mason Homeschool Planner

Plan Your Year has been my spine for planning our homeschool year 2017-2018. Using PYH resources, I have sorted out how to plan for my new high schooler, middle schooler, and a general plan for our homeschool. The Plan Your Year guide and materials have been invaluable to this mama with five boys.

During the process of using Plan Your Year, I realized that I could benefit from having a planner that custom fit the needs of my three younger boys. As a #plannergirl, I am not afraid of using multiple planners. In fact, I welcome it!

There's just always so much to plan out! I like to have one planner to use for overall homeschooling (Plan Your Year), spiral notebooks for independent planning by my older boys, and another planning system for my younger boys.

When I sat down and truly looked at the variety of subjects that our homeschool covers throughout our week, I realized that A Charlotte Mason Homeschool Planner provides areas to plan all of it out.

A Charlotte Mason Homeschool Planner has been like a dream come true!

Charlotte Mason homeschool planner

 

Another glorious part about this Charlotte Mason Homeschool Planner: I have found a valid reason for reusing my regular size Happy Planner (HP) arc system! Although my HP dated planning pages have been used, I can continue to use the clear pink arcs!

No worries if you haven't used a Happy Planner in the past! You can buy these arc discs separately or purchase a Happy Planner to get started.  Make sure to keep reading to learn how to resize these Charlotte Mason Homeschool Planner pages to fit in a regular size Happy Planner.

 

A Charlotte Mason Homeschool Planner:  Overview

I recently had the pleasure to use and review A Charlotte Mason Homeschool Planner from Lara at Everyday Graces.   I was immediately taken in by its gorgeous images and Charlotte Mason quotes. Immediately, I knew that I was going to have to do something special with these beauties. Each beautiful quote was printed and glued onto cardstock to use for decoration and inspiration.

A Charlotte Mason Homeschool Planner includes gorgeous decorative quotes from Charlotte Mason.

 

What do you get in A Charlotte Mason Homeschool Planner? Here's an overview (copied with permission from Everyday Graces):

  • Undated cover page so you can use it year after year!
  • 14 quote page dividers that have lovely watercolor illustrations
  • Quarterly and Term Planning sheets
  • A child evaluation sheet with spots for strengths, areas that need work, a scripture to pray for your child, and a place to record your favorite part of the child’s personality
  • Term notes and planning sheets for Ambleside Online users
  • Attendance Sheets
  • Weekly planning sheets that may be printed for each child
  • Undated monthly sheets.
  • Quarterly review sheets.
  • Mother’s Journal page to incorporate where you like.
  • A primary lined notebooking page.
  • An elementary lined notebooking page.
  • A field trip record page
  • A Nature Outing checklist
  • A grocery list and meal planning page
  • A 10 easy meals page for quick reference on busy weeks
  • A Habit reference sheet containing space for a definition, copywork and memorization to accompany the habit, and games, activities, and books to use as resources

Everyday Graces

 

How do I love the Charlotte Mason Homeschool Planner?  Let me list the ways:

  • Affordable. Only $9.99! Such a great deal for all the beautiful planning pages and printable quotes!
  • Practical approach to Charlotte Mason homeschool planning. CM can be overwhelming with all of it subjects and scheduling. This planner provides a simple layout to help you effectively plan a CM education for your kids.
  • Inspirational. The 10 gorgeous Charlotte Mason quotes can be used in your planner or framed for inspiration.
  • Beautiful. As a mom to all boys, I need all the pretty that I can gather in my life! (Plus, it's a great reminder of Charlotte Mason principles.)
  • Ability to use again and print as many copies as you need!

Check out this slideshow video to get a closer look:

YouTube video

How to Resize Pages to Fit a Regular Size Happy Planner

This process really couldn't be simpler! Go to print the pages. Where you see Scale with a %, change the number to 84. That's it!

I'm kind of kicking myself in the rear for not learning how to do this step sooner! I am kind of afraid of printers because they cooperate with me. I could even do this resizing with success!!

Here is a screenshot guide on how to resize the Charlotte Mason Homeschool Planner pages for your Happy Planner.

 

Once you resize your planner pages, you will need to trim them to size (approximately 7 ½" x 9"). You will also need an arc punch to properly make the pages fit.

A Charlotte Mason Homeschool Planner is awesome for this eclectic homeschooler.
I used this arc punch from Staples to punch & prepare these pages to fit in my Happy Planner.

 

Resizing A Charlotte Mason Homeschool Planner to fit your Happy Planner is super easy!
Using my paper trimmer to make sure my resized pages fit properly into my Happy Planner.

 

#PlannerGirl Tip:  Once you have your planner pages printed and trimmed, you may want to reinforce the sides where you plan to punch. Washi tape is a delightful way to add more pretty to your planner and reinforce edges. Select a washi tape color and style and trim to fit. You can punch your pages with the washi tape in place.

 

Through this entire process, I have grown as a homeschool mom. I have accepted that my homeschool will evolve over the years. As my homeschool changes, so will my homeschool planning. Beautiful resources like A Charlotte Mason Homeschool Year Planner have helped this eclectic homeschool mom find what she needs for this step of our journey.

What important lessons have you learned throughout your homeschool journey?

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