Review of Homeschool Planet

Homeschool Buyers Co-op was practically the first thing I discovered when I began homeschooling. I was amazed by the deals. When they first Beta tested Homeschool Planet, their amazing online planner, in 2012, I was lucky enough to get a look at it. This time around, when the Crew was offered the chance to use Homeschool Planet, I'll admit that I didn't jump at the chance. I was kind of plannered out. There is always a learning curve to an online planner. Things can be confusing. I am having medical issues right now with a couple of my kids and with myself that are making life a real pain, and I just didn't feel that I wanted to deal with learning yet another planner. Please listen when I tell you I COULDN'T HAVE BEEN MORE WRONG! I am so glad that I was chosen for this review, and I look forward to continuing to see all that this planner can do, because believe me when I say that I have not even begun to scratch the surface.

What is Homeschool Planet? It is not just a homeschool planner, although it is certainly that. It is a life planner. With Homeschool Planet, you can do all of the following:

• Track school days and class hours
• Enter assignments
• Schedule classes by day or by specific time during the day
• View calendars daily, weekly, or monthly
• Generate grade reports for each student by class 
• Generate *very* professional looking transcripts with ease
• Import your Google calendar in less than 30 seconds
• Merge your entire life into one calendar by maintaining grocery lists, curriculum lists, website lists, etc. right in the planner
• Email schedules, lists, assignments, etc. to anyone who has a profile on your Homeschool Planet planner
• *Text* lists, etc. to those with profiles on your HP planner!
• ...and more!

How I Used Homeschool Planet

Because Therese is the only one really doing school right now, hers is the schedule I chose to focus on. Here it is entered in Homeschool Planet. Unlike the other kids, Therese does have specific times for her subjects. She works best that way. Because she is in high school now, I love that HP has such great transcript building abilities. I need to start thinking about things like that!

You can also see Mary-Catherine's dance classes on the schedule (Therese can't dance right now - pulled hamstring). 

Here is a view of Therese's schedule with all other appointments removed. Notice that her name no longer appears under anything, as it is her personalized schedule (N.B. I do realize that this schedule has her doing Essay Writing at 9:25 p.m.! I have since corrected that, but I didn't take a new screenshot.).

Although I am not required to report days or hours in here in the great, free state of Texas (God bless her!), I am curious to track our days this year. Homeschool Planet makes this easier than anything I have ever seen in a planner (short of checking off days on a paper calendar, of course, but this is all about one-step integration, people!).

I've already marked off the days in August that we'll be on vacation (assuming I don't need shoulder surgery, and that's a big assumption right now...).

 One thing that has always been an issue for me before with planners has been rescheduling. Anytime I plan too much, I have to chuck it all, because I never get done what I think I will (rabbit trails, anyone?). That problem is a thing of the past with Homeschool Planet! Now, for Therese, I didn't write out her individual assignments because she has a syllabus in front of her at all times. When school starts for the other kids, I will, though. When that happens, rescheduling is this easy!

Further, one of the coolest things about HP is its constant updates. This morning when I logged on, I saw this:

A brand new option!

Also, customization is as easy as choosing the theme you like best. Here are just a few:

Homeschool Planet has so much to offer, and for $65/year, it really is a good deal. It takes the place of the planner you have to repurchase year after  year, and it works for the entire family. 

More than any other review, I would encourage you to read all of the other Crew reviews for this one, because everyone used the planner in such individualized ways. I have learned a lot just by reading what everyone else did. I bet you're going to love it! Best of all, you can get a 30-day free trial - no credit card required!