Review of My School Year Homeschool Record Keeping and their Annual Membership Plan

Regardless of what style of homeschooling your family does, at some point, every family needs a way of maintaining records of what topics and subjects have been covered.  Also, every family at some point or points needs to be able to generate transcripts and other types of reports to demonstrate what your students have covered. With the Annual Membership Plan, I can use My School Year Homeschool Record Keeping to easily track and organize our homeschool.

My School Year Homeschool Record keeping is a record-keeping program that functions as a planner and more.  From everything from keeping track of the usual subjects and attendance records to creating transcripts and more this program has a lot to offer.

I freely admit I am a planner-junkie.  I love planners.  I love exploring what various programs have to offer.  So I was excited to have the opportunity to review this program.  I would like to state I am the primary one who has been using this program since I am setting up our new school year using it.  Our new school year will not start until the day after Labor Day in the United States, so we still have over a week to go. This planner is online so it goes where your family needs it to go.

My School Year Homeschool Record-keeping offers a homeroom where you can quickly see at a glance your students.  There is a calendar which displays appointments, extracurricular assignments, and more.  The lesson plan book displays assignments.  A large number of reports are available to use and print.  Finally, the Teacher’s Aid displays what you or your students still need to do.  Because I have a few subjects we have not made a final decision on what materials we are going to use, those items display here and serve as reminders of what I still need to do.  Also, because we have not started our school year yet, I see prompts to enter attendance into the program.

I began by inputting basic information such as school information, student information, subjects, and even our extra-curricular activities.  I found the program fairly easy to use when getting started.  The screens were fairly easy to follow.

For families who have more than one student using a particular curriculum, it is fairly easy to assign those students to the same lesson plan.  When our children were younger I would have loved this feature.

I love how the calendar function displays appointments, events, extracurricular activities, lessons, and reading list as well.

Also, the number of reports and the types of reports available is impressive.  Here are some examples of what reports you can create.

 

You can find My School Year Homeschool Record Keeping on social media on:
Twitter: https://twitter.com/MySchoolYearWeb
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/MySchoolYear

Each day you can set up the program to send emails to remind you of what needs to be completed that day.  I find this to be a worthwhile function.

All in all, I am pleased with this program.  It packs a lot into a fairly straightforward program.  So check out the Annual Membership Plan from My School Year Homeschool Record Keeping to see how you can easily track and organize your homeschool.

Other members of the Home School Review Crew are also sharing their experiences with this online planner this week.  So click here or on the graphic below to read other reviews.

 

SchoolhouseTeachers.com June Firefly Special for June 1-28

Check out this amazing special from SchoolhouseTeachers.com

 

Are you caught between “finishing” your homeschool year and taking a summer break? Do BOTH with SchoolhouseTeachers.com, the best online homeschool curriculum! Your family will enjoy the summer months—and your kids won’t even realize they are still “in school”!

Join SchoolhouseTeachers.com from 6/1/19 through 6/28/19 to lock in your $10.95 per month rate with coupon code FIREFLY—and get your first month for only $5. You’ll immediately have access to resources like . . .

Let’s Do Art Outside How to Write and Produce a Play Podcasting to Change the World Web Game Design Hands-On Architecture Adventures with Books Beginner Drum Lessons Bug Science Homesteading Bible-themed scavenger hunts Frugal Family Fun And MUCH, MUCH More!

Oh, and Mom, you’ll streamline your planning for next year with SchoolhouseTeachers.com too! Membership includes: Over 400 courses in Art, Bible, Computer & Technology, Drama & Speech, Foreign Languages, History/Geography, Health & Fitness, Language Arts, Math, Music, Science, Social Studies, and Preschool Electives in Business, Photography & Filmmaking, Life Skills, Architecture & Design, and Leadership Skills Access to ten World Book Online Libraries and the Applecore Recordkeeping System Video Library with over 450 titles Hundreds of Homeschool and Household Planning and Organizational Resources Articles and Tips on Personal Enrichment Topics, Special Needs, and High School Courteous, Knowledgeable Customer Service by Live Chat, Email, and Phone Members-Only Forum for Ideas, Prayer, and Support

Enjoy the summer, knowing that your kids are learning AND that you’re ready for the new school year!

 

Review of the Hey Mama! Homeschool Planner from The Old Schoolhouse®

 

If you looking for a planner to help with your homeschool organization that comes with encouragement for the homeschooling mama, then I recommend you check out the Hey Mama! Homeschool Planner for 2019/20 Year with devotions written by Gena Suarez and published by The Old Schoolhouse®.  I have to say this is the time of the year when I begin to get excited about planning for the next school year.  And nothing gets me more excited about planning than a brand new planner that is just waiting to be written in by me.  A good planner helps keep our family on track, shows what we have done, and what we still need to do each year.

The Old Schoolhouse® provides a wide variety of products, services and more to the homeschooling community.  The Old Schoolhouse®  has been around since 2001.  I remember receiving our first issue of The Old Schoolhouse®magazine, our first year of homeschooling.  Through the years, it has become a staple around our home.  But more than just a magazine, the company offers so much more.  I was thrilled to have the opportunity to review the Hey Mama! Homeschool Planner for 2019/20 year.  Paul and Gena Suarez have done much to contribute to the world of homeschooling throughout the years.  I have to say this planner did not disappoint.

I am a planner junkie!  Nothing thrills me more than finding a new planner to try out.  I love the glossy cover of this planner along with the spiral bounding, which allows the planner to lay flat. The paper is of good quality and adds to the overall appeal of the planner.  I have to say this planner is not as detailed as many planners on the market.  However, it has everything a mother needs in a planner.  It is not too bulky, making it the perfect planner to take when you are on the go or have open when you are at home.

With monthly calendar spreads, attendance sheets, lesson planning pages, devotions, and more this planner has quite a bit to offer.  However, it does not have so much that it becomes overwhelming.  It is just the right blend of function and information.  I love how the lesson planning pages include enough space for five children while offering enough space in the blocks to write what I need to record our lesson plans.

This planner is definitely designed for mothers to use and is not necessarily a student planner.  I love having a planner for my own knowledge that allows me to quickly see what our two children are supposed to be doing on a given week.  I believe this is the perfect planner for homeschooling mothers.

I love how it includes attendance forms, book lists, yearly goal sheets, semester goal sheets, and even transcript forms.  This planner definitely has a lot to offer.  It even has devotions written by Gena Suarez included throughout the pages.  I found these devotions to be perfect for a homeschooling mother.

You can find The Old Schoolhouse® on Social Media at:

Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/theoldschoolhouse/?fref=ts
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/tosmagazine/
Twitter:  https://twitter.com/TOSMag  @TOSMag
Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/tosmag/

So if you are looking for a tool for a planner to help with your homeschool organization that comes with encouragement for the homeschooling mama, then I recommend you check out the Hey Mama! Homeschool Planner for 2019/20 Year with devotions written by Gena Suarez and published by The Old Schoolhouse®

Other members of the Homeschool Review Crew are reviewing this planner this week, and you can check out their reviews by clicking here or on the graphic below.

Back to School Blog Hop (5 Days of Homeschool Encouragement) – Friday Favorites

We have been homeschooling since our oldest son was 10 years old and he is now 22-years-old.  So over the years, we have found quite a few favorites.

My first favorite came almost as soon as we began homeschooling.  We were blessed to be in a military community with a homeschooling group that met once a week at Camp LeJeune.  When we pulled our son out of public school, I immediately signed us up for the group.  Even though our other children went to public school, there were still plenty of opportunities for them to interact as well.

Because this was a military homeschool group, the moms had a lot of helpful advice and fantastic products to recommend.  I was introduced to Cathy Duffy’s Top 100 Picks that included sections for determining the parent’s teaching styles, the children’s learning styles, how to create a homeschool mission statement, suggestions for curriculum based on learning and teaching styles and more.  This book is my go-to resource when looking for information for myself or helping other homeschooling families.  I can not tell you how many times I have recommended this book.

Another one of my favorite resources is the Rainbow Resource Catalog.  From the first year we homeschooled and attended our first homeschool convention until this day, this is one of my absolute favorite resources.  If it relates to homeschooling, you are almost guaranteed to find what you are looking for in this catalog or at one of their booths at one of the homeschooling conventions.  I have spent many hours pouring over this catalog and browsing their booths through the years.

When looking for any type of art supplies, Miller Pads and Paper is my go-to company.  Their prices are incredible.  The supplies they bring to conventions are incredible.  Plus their staff is amazing.

Institute for Excellence in Writing is our favorite for writing.  Our three sons despised writing, but once we found IEW, they tolerated it if not actually enjoyed it.  Of course, our oldest will talk up a storm about the time he rode in an elevator with Mr. Andrew Pudewa and had a great conversation with him.

For math, one of our family’s favorites would have to be Life of Fred.  Our daughter started these books with the very first one for elementary school students and went all the way through the middle school books.  She loved the stories and the amount of work required.

For right now, I think that is enough of our family’s favorites, but stay tuned because I plan on this becoming a weekly post for Fridays.

If you would like to read my other posts from this series, click here.

Here are some of the others who are participating in this blog hop series.

Nicole @ Bless Their Hearts Mom
Rebekah @ There Will Be a $5 Charge For Whining
Rodna @ Training Children up for Christ
Stacy @ A Homemakers Heart
Tess @ Circling Through This Life
Wendy @ Life at Rossmont
Yvie @ Gypsy Road

 

If you would like to read the posts by other members of the Home School Review Crew for Friday Favorites, click here or on the graphic below.

 

2018 Home School Review Crew Back to School Blog Hop – Work It In Wednesdays (5 Days of Homeschool Encouragement

 

 

This week I am participating in the 2018 Home School Review Crew Back to School Blog Hop including 5 Days of Home School Encouragement.  You can come back each day to see what we are blogging about.  Today’s topic is Work It Out Wednesdays, where we are examining how to fit in electives, social activities and more into your daily schedule.

As the mom of only high school students now, one of the things that cause both myself and my children concern is how to fit everything in each year.  Prior to entering high school, I took most of the decision-making and curriculum choices on myself.  At times, we would offer the children choices to select from after narrowing things down significantly.  However, our children are now in high school and have directions, talents, and gifts, so we need to figure things out based on their individual personalities and goals.

A few weeks ago, we went to an activity fair for our area’s homeschool group.  We went partially to represent our area’s homeschool band and strings program, which our entire family is active in right now.  But we also went to find out what activities our children may want to participate in this year.  Our son already knew he wanted to play tennis, which occurs on Thursday mornings.  The Home School Band program is on Monday and Thursday afternoons.  So those two times were already out.

Our son also wants to take piano lessons and we found out there was a possibility our homeschool 4-H group would be offering piano lessons along with archery lessons and photography.  All of these are activities our son and/or daughter are interested in now. So we went to the meeting, but when we got there, we realized the times may not work for our family since these activities occur on Thursdays as well.  So it is a matter of deciding what priorities we have.  Band and strings are two activities that are non-negotiable since all four of our children (yes even our 22-year-old and our almost twenty-year-old) participate along with my husband and myself.  So that is a one-time slot that will not be taken away.

So this meant we had to decide how important archery was to our daughter.  The 4-H activities basically collide with both tennis (at least one week out of the month) and the band classes every week.  So we are still trying to figure that one out.

The photography classes have already been eliminated and so the only one who may participate in 4-H will be our daughter.  So stay tuned to see what our final decision is.

You know your children.  You know what is important to your family.  So you need to take every activity your children may want to participate in or elective they may want to take and examine it to see if the benefits make it worth fitting in at this time.

Another way of making things work is to find someone for your child to ride with or find a similar activity or class that meets at a time that is more convenient.  As far as electives go, especially at the high school level, you may decide your child could fit some of those in during the summer or do more intense classes, like college classes, for a shorter period of time.

You and your family need to decide what is important to you and go from there.  Here are some of the members of the Home School Review Crew who are participating in the Blog Hop this week, you may want to check some of them out for yourself.

Jennifer @ Dear Homeschooler
Joelle @ Homeschooling for His Glory
Karen @ Tots and Me…Growing Up Together
Kelly @ Hope in the Chaos
Kellyann @ Walking Home …
Kimberley @ Vintage Blue Suitcase
Kristen @ A Mom’s Quest to Teach
Kym @ Homeschool Coffee Break
Laura @ Four Little Penguins
Linda @ Apron Strings & other things

 

So if you would like to read my other posts from this series, click here.

If you would like to read posts from the other members of the Home School Review Crew who are participating in the Back to School Blog Hop, click here or on the graphic below.

 

Weekly Wrap-Up for the week ending on August 12, 2018

 

So this week was the week our youngest son attended our church’s service camp.  The youth arrived at the church Tuesday morning complete with clothes, sleeping bags, pillows, Bibles, and whatever else they may need for the week.  They spent their days doing things at, for and with the Youth Group.  They ate all their meals at the church and then had various evening activities including going to play laser tag one night and swimming another night.  At the end of the activities, the girls went to the home of one of the adult leader’s family, while the boys were divided among two different homes.  Our son really enjoyed himself.

This was also a week where very little book work was done, but I have been working on planning our new school year.  Our 15-year-old daughter will be entering 10th grade.  Here is what I have planned for her to do:

• CTC Math
• Picta Dicta
• Grammar Planet
• American Literature
• TruthQuest History
• Biology/Nature Study
• Violin
• Art
• Bible Study with me
• Latin

Our 17-year-old son will be doing:

• CTC Math
• Bible Study
• Picta Dicta
• Grammar Planet
• Literature
• Exploring World History by Notgrass
• Chemistry/Marine Biology
• Latin or Japanese
• Bible Lessons
• Photography

Our son is taking responsibility for his own schedule and is inputting them into Homeschool Planet himself.  I am in the process of entering my daughter’s lessons myself.  However, it seems like interruptions sometimes happen and distractions are bad.  But I am fairly happy with our choices.

Wednesday morning, I received a phone call from one of the ladies at our church.  She wanted to know if I could come to help her prepare some pears for canning.  I found out another lady from the church was coming as well.  So I spent about an hour or so of my time helping peel, core, wash the pears along with a few other tasks.  Then as our reward, I was given pears to bring home for our family to “put up” or can.  Originally I wanted to can pear slices.  However, our oldest son decided we needed to make pear preserves like his paternal grandmother did/does.  So he called for instructions and this afternoon, my three sons and I worked to peel, cut and core the pears.  My oldest and youngest son both work independently.  However, my second son decided we should have some kind of assembly line going.  So he peeled the pears, and then I cut them into slices and cored them.  All in all, it went very well considering we had almost 30 pounds of pears to do. I really enjoyed working with my sons.

For dinner, we decided to have a whole roasted chicken along with stuffing.  After the work we did today, a fairly easy dinner like that was appreciated.

Upcoming Reviews & Crew Activities:

• God Schooling: How God Intended Children to Learn by Julie Polanco
• Branch Out World
• Back to School Crew Blog Hop
• GrammarPlanet

 

So what is going on in your world?  I would love to hear from you.

If you would like to read what other members of the Home School Review Crew are writing about this week, click here or on the graphic below.

Check out this amazing opportunity

From the very first year we began homeschooling, we have tried to attend at least one homeschool convention a year.  Sometimes, we have actually been blessed by attending several in a year.  However, 2 years ago, we moved to Texas, and it just does not seem to work out for our family to get to any conventions.  That is why I was thrilled to see an amazing opportunity come up for an online Homeschool Convention.  Many of my online blogging and homeschooling friends are speaking at this conference.

I was thrilled to see the opportunity arise today that you can enter to win a free ticket to this convention.  Click here to learn more about this opportunity.  I know I will be getting a ticket, and if I win the giveaway, I will get the money refunded.  So check it out for yourself and let me know if you decide to attend.

Our Area’s Homeschool Activity Fair – Part 1

 

So we are now in our second year of living in Texas.  This week I became aware that our local homeschool organization was holding an activity fair.  So I informed my youngest two and my husband the four of us would be attending.  As we drove into the parking lot and started to get out of the vehicle, I stated I was not sure how much we would find if anything.

So imagine my surprise when we entered the room the fair was in and found a number of booths that interested my children.  I am going to break this up into two parts.  Today I am going to write about the activities our 16 (getting ready to turn 17 in October) son found at the fair.

The first activity which really interested him was the area homeschool band.  The benefit of this is that I can also play in it as a parent.  Furthermore, our second son can play as well.  After talking with the representatives a few minutes, I picked up a flyer, added our names to the list and checked one activity to add to our schedule.  So this should be fun for us.

The next table to catch Nathan’s interest was one for an area Junior High/High School choir.  Nathan has a love of music and of singing, so again I knew this would be a good fit.  So I grabbed the flyer, noted the date of the informational meeting and then we moved on again.

My son then became distracted for a few minutes when one of his friends from church handed him a flyer for the group’s yearbook staff.  Involvement in that is still under consideration.  Then he was distracted by seeing the mother of that same friend.  So, of course, he had to go over and speak to her.

Then we stopped at a table where another one of my children’s friends was sitting.  We spoke to her for a few minutes before moving on to see what else we could find.

The next table to truly interest our son was the one for tennis lessons.  One of the moms we met when we first moved to Texas was on duty there.  We received the information, chatted for a few minutes and caught up a little bit.  I gave a sigh of relief when I realized they provided all the necessary equipment.  So that is one expense I do not have to worry about right away.

Finally, he asked if we could stop by the table for the area athletic teams – including basketball – something he has wanted to play for years.  Unfortunately, that activity is not a possibility because it will conflict with the homeschool band.  I was glad to see my son was more interested in the band instead of basketball.

So that is a summary of the activities our son is interested in for the new year.

Stay tuned for part 2 where I will discuss the activities our daughter is interested in for this year.

Review of Homeschool Planetk

Over the years I have used a variety of homeschool planners.  However, one that reaches the top of my list Homeschool Planet, I can do so much more than just creating assignments!  

Although you have to pay to use this planner, I love the peace of mind that comes from having everything online.  I do not have to worry about losing a paper planner or having something that spills on it and ruin it that way.

For our family, I selected the Words that Matter Lesson plan because it is a complete vocabulary program that I plan to incorporate our state’s requirement of spelling into with little effort.  The fact that this is a complete lesson plan, meaning no additional books or other resources are required makes things easier.  I was able to just select it, wait the allotted time and then add it to our lesson plans and assign it to our three children still in high school.  I can not wait for our children to use this plan in the fall.

 

I love things that make my life simpler, and this planner does it.  It allows me to record all the events going on in our lives and even assign them to different people.  Here is a shot of part of today.

I really appreciate the ability to color-code the things that are going on in our lives.  I can assign things to one family member for anything from chores to lessons to appointments and more.  With the different colors, I can easily glance at the calendar and know who is doing what.  I decided to have my calendar set to where I can see everyone’s schedule on mine.  This way I know what everyone is doing.  I am pleased that I am able to create separate logins for each member of the family.  Depending on the age of your children, you may want to allow this or not. My youngest child is going to turn 15 this year, so I plan on allowing our children to have their own access and be able to make changes to their own calendars.  Obviously, for my husband, I would do the same.  They have the ability to mark assignments as complete, which to me is a wonderful thing.

Here are some screen shots of my various family members.

Another thing I love about digital planners like this one is the ability to easily change dates for assignments without having the headaches of a paper planner.  I can easily select a subject from the planner and move assignments around if needed.  Here are some screen shots.

I definitely recommend this planner if you are looking for an easy way to keep track of everything in one place.  You can select widgets to help manage your family’s life such as shopping lists and to-do lists.  You can select widgets with a quote of the day or shopping lists, books you are reading and more.  So take a look at this wonderful program.  Do not forget by signing up now you can select a free lesson plan, but remember this offer is for a limited time. So visit Homeschool Planet  to find out more about Homeschool Planet.

If you would like to read more reviews, click here or on the graphic below.

 

 

Review for Only Passionate Curiosity’s Homeschool Rescue

Even though I am a veteran homeschool mom of 11 years, I was blessed to work through Homeschool Rescue from Only Passionate Curiosity.  This is an online course designed for homeschooling mothers in mind.  No matter what the ages of the children in the home are, everyone can benefit from this program.  It is designed for moms who feel overwhelmed or inadequate in mind.  The course provides a refreshing breath of encouragement and the ability to uplift the spirits of the homeschooling mother.  One of the best parts of this program is that it includes lifetime access to the program, which I really find amazing.

As the mother of three teenagers and one son in his 20s, I found the assignments in this course relevant.  The course contains five modules that cover everything from dealing with your worst days to a curriculum check up to lesson supply organization to self-esteem and rewards, to teaching children through examples as well as teaching teens and study skills for older children.

My favorite lessons were the ones dealing with troubleshooting my homeschool.  This lets me examine our homeschool in a way that ensures the goals and ideas I have for my children are correct.  Also, the Time Management Systems and Organization section was extremely helpful.  Last March our family moved from Pennsylvania where we lived in a house that was approximately 3000 square feet to Texas where our home is less than 2000 square feet.  So organization is important.  Also, we are still trying to figure out exactly how we want to fit in our local homeschooling community.  So the lessons here provided some great suggestions and ideas.

There are several bonuses including a members-only Facebook Group where Heather of Only Passionate Curiosity interacts with the members on a personal level.  It is a great place to talk with other moms who are dealing with the same type of issues, problems or experiences that I am.

Each module contains videos to watch, transcripts to read, audio downloads, homework/workbooks, as well as resources and links for further information.  The videos were engaging and informative.  The homework was also manageable.  It is suggested to complete a module a week, but this may vary based on your own level of involvement and the details you need to include.  One of the best things I read on the Facebook members only group from Heather of Only Passionate Curiosity is the reminder this is a marathon rather than a sprint.  It is more important to complete it accurately and completely than to rush through it and not give it the attention each lesson deserves or requires.  Some lessons and homework assignments, I find would best be done with your spouse so both of you have input.

Homeschool Rescue will be for sale from now through June 1 and the next “live” class runs June through July.  Because Heather at Only Passionate Curiosity wants to be able to give individualized attention to those completing the course, Homeschool Rescue will only be open at certain times of the year.  There are two levels to choose from including the e-course and the VIP level.  The VIP level includes everything the e-course contains, but also provides for three personal one on one sessions with Heather of Only Passionate Curiosity.

Here are some pictures of some screen shots of some of the lessons.

Module Lesson Page

Notes Page

 

Here is a picture of one of the homework sheets I completed.

I definitely recommend this program.  It is worth the money.  If you wish to read more reviews, either click here or on the image below.

 

 

You can find Only Passionate Curiosity and Homeschool Rescue on social media at:

Facebook –  https://www.facebook.com/OnlyPassionateCuriosity/

Twitter – https://twitter.com/opchomeschool/

Pinterest – https://www.pinterest.com/OPChomeschool/

Instagram – https://www.instagram.com/onlypassionatecuriosity/

Google+ – https://plus.google.com/b/110290451358830656260/+OnlypassionatecuriosityHomeschool