I was paid a wee bit to write this review, but just like with all things from The WOLFe Pack, what you will find here is an honest opinion from a seasoned homeschool mom with a Master’s Degree in Education and a decade of experience in the classroom…who also happens to be a mom with way too little sleep, too much fluff and only 18 months left on her homeschool clock.
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When asked to write a review for Homeschool Planet, I’ll admit that I was willing but not overly excited. Ya see, not only have I always been a paper-planner type of person, I have always, always, always (for 12 years as a homeschooler and 10 as a classroom teacher) designed and printed my own planners. Why? Because, despite my best efforts, I never found a paper planner that actually did what I needed it to do. Either the subjects were wrong, the spacing was off, the size was unmanageable, the days/dates were wonky or, worse, all of the above. So, I designed my own. That way, it did all of the exact things I needed it to do.
Of course, every year was different so I had to recreate a new planner every year. Occasionally, I would peek at my friends’ expensive, fancy planners and wonder if they would work. Or I would check out a new online option to see if maybe I could switch. But, I always landed back in the same place. Creating my own.
Every year, before the school year started, I would spend days plotting all of the curriculum out in my planner week by week to make sure we would get it all done in the year. Then, every week, on Sunday evening, I would transfer the information for the week’s assignments onto my son’s school agenda. He used this to get his daily lessons done. He would then turn in his agenda on Friday and I would rework my planner to accommodate any missed/incomplete assignments (hello, erasable pens!) and make his agenda for the following week.
It took a lot of time, but it worked well for us.
But, ya know what would have worked better and saved me loads of time?
Homeschool Planet!
Read below to see why Homeschool Planet could’ve been a better option for me and why it might be a great fit for you too!
WHAT IS HOMESCHOOL PLANET?
According to their website, “Homeschool Planet is an easy to use, full-featured online homeschool planner that will get your schedule up and running in minutes!”
According to The WOLFe Pack, Homeschool Planet is the answer to all of your planning needs and something I wish I had found a decade ago!
WHAT DOES HOMESCHOOL PLANET DO?
- Easily schedules assignments, tests, labs and more.
- Automatically assigns tasks based on plug-ins for several popular curricula.
- Allows users to create and customize subjects, assignments, tasks, etc.
- Color codes subjects and students.
- Gives the option for students to log in on their own or use the parent account.
- Makes it simple to reschedule missed/incomplete assignments.
- Includes customizable grading, attendance, and reporting.
- Sends daily or weekly email and text reminders.
- Offers the option of scheduling home, school and work tasks in one place.
- And so much more!
WHO NEEDS HOMESCHOOL PLANET?
If you
- have one kid or a crew of eight,
- are an eclectic homeschooler or use a boxed curriculum,
- think of yourself as a veteran or are brand new,
- love planning or detest the thought of it,
- do well with a set schedule or need flexibility,
Homeschool Planet could be for you!
But, if you are an unschooler or somebody who wants a paper option, Homeschool Planet won’t likely be a good fit.
WHY IS HOMESCHOOL PLANET HELPFUL?
There are loads of reasons that I consider Homeschool Planet to be a helpful resource.
- It creates student independence and yet maintains parental oversight.
- It allows the parent to plan ahead, but also adjust as needed.
- It insures that lessons are not skipped or missed.
- It provides a sense of accountability to both the parent and student.
- It helps organize school and home in one place.
But, for me Homeschool Planet is most helpful because it easily and quickly plugs in the assignments for your purchased curricula into your student’s planner. You get to choose the type of assignments, the number of assignments and the frequency of assignments and then the system does the rest! The first time I did it, it felt like magic! Seriously. What took me HOURS and HOURS to plot and plan, I accomplished in about sixty seconds with Homeschool Planet. I cannot praise this feature enough!
But, don’t take my word for it. Check out what Cathy Duffy has to say about it!
Here’s a little video showing you how easy it is to set up!
WHICH CURRICULA DOES HOMESCHOOL PLANET OFFER PLUG-INS FOR?
- Apologia
- Saxon Math
- Horizons
- BJU
- Tapestry of Grace
- Master Books
- IXL
- IEW
- All About Reading
- Brave Writer
- Rod and Staff
- RightStart Math
- Lifepac
- Math U See
- Singapore Math
- Berean Builders
- Khan Academy
- And so much more!
You can check out the different options HERE.
HOW DOES HOMESCHOOL PLANET WORK?
With the clear and concise video tutorials, setting up any and all features of Homeschool Planet is simple. Really simple.
And using it is even easier!
With just a few clicks, students can get logged in, see what they need to do and then check it things off as they get them accomplished.
And, if something does not get done, it’s very easy to reassign it with just a click or two!
Check out their User Guide HERE. Not only does it answer loads of questions current users might have, it is also a great tool for potential customers to see the many features available.
HOW MUCH DOES HOMESCHOOL PLANET COST?
- FREE for thirty days! No credit card required. No need to cancel if you decide it’s not for you!
- $7.95 per month…Less than what I pay for any of our six different TV/movie streaming services.
- $69.95 for a year…Saves you two months of fees!
Check out the pricing HERE.
WHERE CAN YOU PURCHASE HOMESCHOOL PLANET?
You can go HERE to sign up for the 30-day Free Trial. It’ super easy and even includes one set of curriculum lesson plans. And then if you decide to continue with the plan, everything carries over and you can add more lesson plans. Check it out!
