Disclosure / Disclaimer: I received this book, free of charge,from Order Out of Chaos, for review purposes on this blog. No other compensation, monetary or in kind, has been received or implied for this post. Nor was I told how to post about it, all opinions are my own
I know what you're thinking...
I know your question to yourself right now is, HOW can a planner be the one thing to answer the question of "How to teach my child good time management skills", but this planner TRULY can!
I know what you're thinking...
another planner review?
But not so- what I shared with you before was a planner for MOM,
today's planner is really made from the ground up, for your CHILD!
You see, the difference is in HOW this planner was designed FOR your child!
Order Out of Chaos isn't just a company built by one person or a family, it has over 50,000 website members, who don't just purchase items, they provide REAL LIFE feedback and insight through the websites products, programs and webinars. And that feedback is listened to and changes made. What that means is that each of the products they offer are aimed at HELPING your student succeed at learning, not just being another item on the back to school shopping list!
Company leaders,Leslie Josel is a leading time management expert, herself, but she has taken what she has learned from her website members to make her products better and to be true to her motto "We are in the Student Business, NOT planners". And she also works from her own EXPERIENCE-her son was diagnosed when he as 5 with ADHD and through his elementary years, she saw what HIS needs were, and how they differed from those of other students. And she sought out ideas to HELP him, so she knows what YOU as a parent are really looking for! That is why each of their academic planners come with tools that HELP your student to achieve more- to LEARN how to manage their time and organize their projects, so that they can EXCEL! Check out WHY their planner is different:
Let's start with the book itself- that cover? It's sturdy vinyl on a sturdy coil ring, so it's not going to fall apart after 2 months of use, like some planners you might have used! Plus it comes in 4 color variations, to meet different student preferences (it also comes in a smaller personal size, for those who need a smaller version). And it is 3 hole punched ALREADY, so it can easily slip inside a binder and NOT get lost!!! And the differences continue on page one:
Not only is there room for phone numbers, there is a page to put your child's COMPLETE class schedule! Most planners never have this page! This is so great for kids moving into junior high/middle school, where they need to keep track of so many different teachers!
Then you get the AMAZING project planner page! Look how well that helps your student to lay out their project! By walking them through the things they need to PLAN out, your child can see how much work they will have to do and be able to schedule it! By only quibble with this book is that there aren't more of these pages! For older kids, they may have projects in many of their classes, and it would be nice to have more included IN the book (but you can download more if you need to). Plus you get more learning sheets, about planning out a week, including time for chores and extracurriculars,as well as common abbreviations and how to access how long tasks take and include them in the planner. It really IS a teaching resource!
As you saw in the video, when you open up the book, you have the classes all listed down the left side and then the calendar monthly page comes first. This lets you add in holidays, vacation days, field trips days, etc, and your child can see the entire month at a glance,before getting into the weekly schedules. This is something my ADHD child really likes to see- in fact she's a bit OCD about having them. She needs to see the snapshot of the month ahead BEFORE it starts.While some may quibble with the squares being more elongated than wide, she actually liked them, as each day has more room for multiple events!
Now we follow block scheduling, in theory, and hadn't finalized it, so her planner isn't filled out yet, so I'm showing some examples of the weekly pages above. In fact, depending on what type of block scheduling you are doing, this planner may or may not work as well for you. For kids in a more traditional school day, the layout works well, as morning and afternoon are covered in the schedule blocks, and then after school time (2-9pm) is below them. But for homeschoolers, with eclectic scheduling, this format might not fit for them, as they may need bigger afternoon boxes for co-ops etc. But for most kids, this planner is really revolutionary for it's ability to provide what the company calls: “You Have to Be Able to SEE Time in Order to Learn How to Manage it.” You can watch a more thorough video on how to use the planner traditionally on their Youtube how-to video.
Things that are great about the weekly pages are:
- the easy check boxes included at the bottom right of each block, allowing your child to keep up with what they have done/not done. Miss Grace LOVES check boxes- they give her a sense of accomplishment, and help her to manage her time!
- she also likes that the weekends are on the right side and not part of the bigger boxes.
- there is room for 7 classes, so even electives can be covered!
- she really likes the layout- it has everything she needs and nothing she doesn't. She has ALWAYS hated have space in her planner 'wasted' with bible verses or thoughts of the day. She rather have the space for notes and reminders!
- we both like the extra "Remember to" notation also on the right side, as it helps for things that need to be done, like working on projects and studying for tests! This is SUCH a HUGE skill that needs to be learned, and this planer helps them to log it, so they don't forget them! And a MUCH better use of 'space' per Miss Grace!
All of those things add up to why THIS planner really is the "Best academic planner for students” ! But there's MORE!
Something else that Miss Grace really liked was the add-on Accessories Pack, that REALLY compliments the planner, and helps kids to high light what THEY need highlighted! Each accessory pack includes: 1 Page Marker, 1 set of Monthly Tabs and 1 set of Student Stickers, all in a clear reusable vinyl envelope (all can be purchased separately, as well).
the monthly tabs are very study and meant to hold up for an entire year! they are easy to ass, and thanks to being DIFFERENT colors, each month will be unique! The stickers page has 193 stickers and as you can see, are both emoticon and text. As a parent, I like the TEST, IMPORTANT and CHORES stickers, so that she can highlight things she can't ignore. Miss social butterfly likes the PARTY, ACTIVITY and EVENT stickers the best. LOL. But what we both agree is the BEST part of the pack is the page holder:
the monthly tabs are very study and meant to hold up for an entire year! they are easy to ass, and thanks to being DIFFERENT colors, each month will be unique! The stickers page has 193 stickers and as you can see, are both emoticon and text. As a parent, I like the TEST, IMPORTANT and CHORES stickers, so that she can highlight things she can't ignore. Miss social butterfly likes the PARTY, ACTIVITY and EVENT stickers the best. LOL. But what we both agree is the BEST part of the pack is the page holder:
The medium weigh plastic page marker is more than just that! It's also a 7 inch ruler! Miss Grace REALLY loves this, as it makes finding this week very easy and there's is no sticky tab to come off, as it hooks very securely on the plastic coils of the planner!
Bonus #1:
Sign up for the Order Out of Chaos newsletter, and receive a FREE download,
“One Stop Shop For Student Organizing Solutions"!
“One Stop Shop For Student Organizing Solutions"!
This list is ESSENTIAL for back to school shopping- Leslie gives you the BEST items for organizing school (and home) life! I've already ordered a couple of them for myself!
PLUS
You get more freebies sent to your mailbox!
Bonus #2:
You can sign up for their FREE webinar- we've ALL been there and know about homework battles! Leslie has some great tips to share with us in August! Start this school year off right!
Bonus #3 / Discount Code:
Get the planner "Designed WITH STUDENTS, FOR STUDENTS" at 20% off, and be ready for when school starts! Just use code PLANNER20 for 20% off any of the planners sold on the product page!
Note:
The PLANNER20 deal code is a one-time-only code good on any purchase of JUST planners. The accessory pack products are NOT discounted.
Be sure to check out Order Out of Chaos on their Social Media channels for more specials, bonus buys, educational info and seminars:
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/orderoutofchaos
Twitter: https://twitter.com/orderoochaos
Giveaway:
Be sure to enter the Order Out of Chaos Back to School giveaway Back-to-School Bonanza with 22 prizes worth over $1000, including all the items you see above! Every time you share the giveaway, you have more chances of winning it AND the bonus giveaway:
Bonus Giveaway:
The Bonus Giveaway will have two winners (one winner plus they pick a friend to win with them) every month to win a $200 Target gift card!
All you need to do to enter, is to enter the primary giveaway and then get two friends to enter it as well, and you'll be qualified for the bonus giveaway! Easy peasy!
The Target gift card winner will be announced during their free back to school webinar in August.
About Leslie:
Leslie Josel, founder of Order Out of Chaos, is a big deal in the in the time management and parenting world. She’s ranked #15 in the world as a time management expert. She travels the world speaking on topics facing parents and their students today. She is in the process of writing her third book, writes a weekly column called Dear Family Coach for ADDitude Magazine (the premier magazine for those with ADHD and LD), and she’s one of
Family Circle Magazine’s parenting experts and write articles for them as well.
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