TOS Planner 2009/2010

Goodness!!! I didn't think it could be done, but the folks at TOS have put together a planner that is bigger and better than last year's.

The 2009 Schoolhouse Planner

Consider~
2008/2009 Planner had 247 pages
2009/2010 Planner has 374 pages

The additional 73 pages include "upgrades" like the following:

• A quarterly report (in addition to the "End of Year" report card)
• A High School Transcript Sheet
• An additional weekly planning schedule(bringing the options up to 3 styles)
• Weekly schedules with 2, 3, 4, or 5 children
• 2 Daily schedule options with 2, 3, 4, or 5 children
• 2 blank nature journaling sheets
• 12 blank "journaling " sheets, with a variety of print lines, and full page/half page options
• 5 new co-op related sheets
• Library Items sheet
• Assignments and Due Dates sheet
• Attendance Chart
• Community Service Record Sheet
• 3 Book Report Pages
• 2 sets of pages devoted to helping you keep a "homeschool book inventory" (one alphabetical, the other by subject)
• 4 pages devoted to Preschool Planning and Activity Ideas
• A set of pages to print up for "alphabet practice" using a few handwriting styles
• Teaching Supplies and Inventory List
• All-Purpose wish list

The household forms section was updated to include:

• Emergency Medical Information
• Home Repair Projects
• Home Improvement Project Outline
• A Daily Schedule
• A Second Grocery list
• A Monthly Menu Planner
• A Christmas Card List
• A Bible Study Notes page
• Website Login/Password Quick Reference
• Party Plans
• Car Maintenance Schedule

This is all in addition to:

• 4 1-page yearly calendars for 2009, 2010, 2011 and 2012
• The Monthly two-page calendar spreads
• Monthly Theme Essays (with contributors like Jay Wile, Steve Demme, and Amanda Bennett to name a few), with related "Must know" information lists and resource lists
• 2 Recipes/Month from the 2008/2009 TOS Crew(Yes... I have one in there! :) )

Check out the full Table of Contents here
Chances are good that if you are looking for a specific homeschool-related "organizational" sheet, or "household" sheet, you will find something that suits you in here.

The planner has pages that are "Customizable", meaning that you can type into them, and then save them, or you can print them up and write in them "The old-fashioned" way...

I love that there are so many forms at the tips of my fingers. I could go searching the net for free forms, but as my 12 year-old keeps reminding me.. "Time is Money, Mom!" :) Also, with the TOS Planner, the forms are cohesive in design, which makes it easier to use, in my opinion, than a scattered smattering of forms from all over the place.

You can read an "overview" of the Planner here and check out what other TOS crew-mates have to say at the TOS Homeschool Crew Homepage.

Get your planner before July 12(the cost is $39) and receive the 2008 Planner Excerpts for free! This will also give you over a month to start filling in your plans for the schoolyear (Instead of running out to Staples and buying an overpriced "planner" that consists of calendar pages and precious little else).

Check it out~

Top Acorns~ 2008/2009 TOS Vendors

We'd like to announce *our* Top Acorn-getters of the products that we received for review this year. This doesn't include ALL of the vendors, as we didn't receive them ALL for review. These products received high ratings from our family for planting seeds of learning, creativity, and interest in learning. They are all materials that will help to GROW your learners.

We WERE going to only give a "top 10", but our ratings are based on a "scientifically conducted poll", given to the Momma Squirrel, and the two Student Squirrels, and there were a number of "Ties". Each vendor was rated on a scale from 1-11, so the highest amount of points total possible was 33. Below are those that received over 20 total points

Five in a Row
KnowledgeQuest Homeschooling ABC’s

Apologia Educational Ministries
Schleich Action Figures

Aleks
Homeschool Library Builder
Truth Quest History

Artistic Pursuits

Schola Latin Road to English Grammar
Spears Art Studio
Lampstand Press/Tapestry of Grace
Salem Ridge Press (Twins of American Revolution/Mary Frances)
Write Shop (Story Starters)

All About Spelling
Bilingual Books
Cadron Creek(Prairie Primer)



With Special mentions for

Homeschool in the Woods(OT Lapbook)

Memoria Press(Latin/Famous Men of the Middle Ages)

Trigger Memory Systems(Times Tales/Cleaning Flip Charts)
Barchowsky Fluent Handwriting


So there you have it.... the top nuts for our 2008/2009 year on the TOS Crew... It's been a wild and crazy fun ride, and my family is blessed to do it all over again next year as "First Mates" on the TOS 2009/2010 tour. For now, however, we are going to enjoy easing out of "school" mode, and into "Summer" mode.

If you want to check out some other "Top 10 (or so) Lists" from the TOS Crew's, be sure to visit them here~ You may be surprised and interested in the variety! ;)

Catch you on the next high tide~
Blessings~
Lis