How I Created a Bullet Journal Homeschool Planner

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I created a bullet journal homeschool planner!

After all the angst and torment over the type of planner I will be using this next school year, I finally decided on a bullet journal-style planner. Have you heard about the bullet journal?

The bullet journal a simple journal developed by Ryder Carrol. You put an index at the front, create calendar and note pages to track appointments and to-dos and write absolutely everything in the journal. It eliminates all the loose paper people collect and puts it all in one spot.

In my case, none of the planners met my needs. I like to have one planner to carry about that includes everything going on in my life.

That meant it needed a calendar, future planning, pages for daily notes, space for blogging and blogging notes, homeschool plans and supply lists, home-making, and my address list.

The bullet journal has extra pages available for other notes and projects as they arise in addition to pages for addresses, notes, calendar, and an index!

A Tailored Homeschool Bullet Journal

It was also the most economical planner I could come up with. I simply purchased a lined Journal at the local store.

I added a Vinyl Zip Pouch at the back for stamps and coupons using clear packing tape. Hey, it works, and I have a spot to keep stamps and coupons until I need them.

Index

The first page of the bullet journal is an index. I numbered all pages in the journal and keep an index of what page the notes were on at the front. The index has saved me all sorts of grief and gray hair.

Calendar and Planning pages

After the index, I put my calendar and daily planning pages. I used my computer to create monthly calendars, which I printed 2 to a page, tore the pages in half, and glued the calendars into my planner using one of the children’s glue sticks.

One page is for the calendar, and the other page is for my monthly to-do list and notes.

As you can see in the picture below, I numbered the weeks on the calendar. This way I know which week we’re on during the school year.

If something major happens and we fall behind, I’ll simply cross out the old numbers and renumber the weeks. It’s not terribly sophisticated, but it works.

Days of the Month

I followed with the days of the month. Each day has 1/2 of a page allotted to it for notes, events, and to-dos. When I redo the bullet journal, I think I’ll simply put all calendar and notes pages at the beginning and leave blank pages afterward for daily events.

Some days I’m finding I really need a full page, while other days only need a couple of lines.

I wrote out the needed pages for the next 12 months.

Blogging Pages

After May 2015 comes my blogging pages. I keep a paper clip to locate the section easily. There’s not much to show right now.

Homeschool Section

After my blogging section is my homeschool section. I created spreadsheets of my quarterly plans on the computer, printed them, and glued them into the planner.

Some children will certainly fall behind, but we know where we need to be to finish the school year on time. Also, I have room to check off the lessons and write test grades. It’s more of a check-off system for me so the children don’t accidentally forget a subject.

In this case, I have my English plans and my history plans on facing pages since writing and literature assignments come from Tapestry of Grace. I prefer to see the big picture.

The written CAVE is a reminder of an activity I want to do with the children. The star on the other side means there’s a supply list on a different page.

Household

Moving on, there’s a household section that is pitifully empty right now. I did make up 6 weeks of meal plans with a shopping list. That’s been working wonderfully so far. Better than any previous system.

It’s probably because I loathe meal planning. I finally bit the bullet and did it all at once, printed it up, and glued the meals and shopping lists into the planner.

Addresses

My address section is at the end of the bullet journal. I decided it would be easiest to work backward, and I was right. My frequently called numbers are right there when I open the back of my bullet journal.

So far, it’s working. I have room and space to track what I need. There are plenty of extra pages to take notes of items I want to remember. I have a spot to put directions and items I need to remember on specific days.

Have you tried the bullet journal system? What’s your preferred planner?

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