Your First Anna Vance Planner: Step by Step

Placing your first homeschool planner order with Anna Vance Paper Co. may feel overwhelming. These are the tips you need to go through the ordering process with ease and get that beautiful planner in your hands ASAP.

Getting a new homeschool planner for the upcoming school year is SO exciting. If you can relate to that, you’re in the right place. You’ve done all the nitty gritty research on the many homeschool planner options. Now, you have narrowed it down to the prettiest and super customizable Anna Vance Paper Co. You go to the website, and feel overwhelmed at the many options.

As a satisfied customer for the past 4 years, I am going to list out some helpful tips to make your first voyage to check out smooth sailing.

We will walk together step by step through the different options to really simplify the whole process. You will be able to relax and just wait until that precious gift (because it actually feels like someone who loves you sent flowers) is delivered to your doorstep.

This post is all about tips on how to order your very first Anna Vance Paper Co. planner.

[RELATED POST: The Best Homeschool Planner]

Your First Anna Vance Planner: Suit Up!

Here are some tips on how to set yourself up for success from the beginning. Or at least it will make things much easier for you in the ordering process so you do not get overwhelmed.

• Use a laptop or desktop: In order to see all of the options easily, you’ll want to use a laptop or desktop instead of your mobile device.
• Open 3 tabs: In your browser, open 3 tabs now. If you want, you can click on these tabs below, and they should open in a new window.
  • First tab: Home Page This is where you will select all your customizations and place your order.
  • Second tab: Covers This is where you will see all of the cover design options.
  • Third tab: Planner Guide This is where you can see a comparison chart and videos of the different customization options.

• Sit in a quiet spot: I know this may sound funny, but when I write a blog post, pay bills, or place an Anna Vance planner order, it always helps to take my laptop to a quiet spot. No interruptions or requests, and you’ll be amazed at how much you can focus!

Your First Anna Vance Planner: Select Your Type

1. Minimal Lesson Planner | Charlotte Mason Inspired

The Minimal Lesson Planner is the not as minimal as I had expected. It includes 190 pages, an optional Map Your Years section (no extra cost), 54 weeks of lesson planning, and notebook pages in the back.

• Map Your Years
• Weekly Lesson Plans
• Note Pages

You are able to select your cover from around 60 beautiful designs, your interior style, your start month for the annual overview, your weekly layout style, and notebook page preference. For a minimal planner, that is a lot of options right?

This is a great planner to start with if you want a few customizations, but mainly want to focus on the weekly planning.

2. The Simple Homeschool Planner | Charlotte Mason Inspired

The Simple Homeschool Planner is probably the closest to what you would find in a planner picked up at Michael’s or Target. If you enjoy extra space for writing down monthly plans and record keeping such as reading or check lists, this may be the one you go with.

• Annual Overview
• Months at a Glance
• Weekly Lesson Plans
• Record Pages
• Note Pages

I used this planner for our 2021-2022 school year, and loved it! One of my favorite sections of the Simple Homeschool Planner are the Record Pages. Particularly, I liked the Questionnaire, Lessons at a Glance, Reading Lists, Considerations, and Future Curriculum Pages.

3. Charlotte Mason Inspired Homeschool Planner

Also affectionately known as the “Classic Charlotte Mason Inspired Homeschool Planner,” this is for you if are a more experienced with using a planner and want all the fixings. It offers the most customization and options available, and you can make it tailored to what would best serve you. This is the one I am using for 2022-2023, but I do tend to switch it up each year.

• Annual Overview
• Yearbook
• Pupils
• Map Your Years
• Months at a Glance
• Weekly Lesson Plans
• Lessons at a Glance
• Record Pages
• Note Pages

A perk of this version is that you can omit or alter any section of the planner, where as with the other versions, it is more limited. I do not suggest this if you’re new to lesson planning because it could be overwhelming.

Your First Anna Vance Planner: Step-By-Step Order

Let’s link up and walk through ordering your first Anna Vance Planner together. I’ll use The Simple Homeschool Planner as our sample because that is the one Anna recommends if it is your first time.

1. To Begin

• Make sure you have the 3 tabs opened I linked above. This will make this process WAY easier.
• From the “Homepage” tab you opened, go to the Full Collection, and choose “The Simple Homeschool Planner” option.
• The first option you will see asks you to select your Cover Choice.

2. Cover Choice

• From the “Covers” tab you opened, scroll through and find the one that you would be delighted to see daily. Make sure to check out the partners’ cover options as well (for an additional charge) for more options.
• Once you decide, find its number, and click over to your “Homepage” tab to select it as your Cover Choice.

3. Start Month

• Here you select which month you would like your Months at a Glance to begin. Keep in mind the turnaround time, which as I’m writing this is around 6 weeks.

4. Binding Options

• If you want a no hassle approach, and to be able to use it right away when it arrives, I suggest going for fully bound.
• Once you decide, return to the “Homepage” tab to mark your selection.

5. Monthly Mother Culture Pages

• These pages will have open ended pages to note down your mother culture goals.
• Spaces included for reflections, areas of help needed, triumphs, reading list, and gratitude.
• You can choose to add this in or omit these pages.

6. Weekly Layout

• Go to the “Planning Guide” tab and scroll down to “Tab 6. Weekly Lesson Plans.”
• You will see labeled photos of each of the weekly layout options.
• There is a post on Anna Vance Paper Co’s Instagram that also shows samples of how each layout can be used, which may be helpful. Sample photo below.
• Once you select your Layout, head back to the “Homepage” tab to input your Weekly Layout choice.

7. Weekly Additional Option

• This one is pretty simple. Decide whether you’d like your weekly spreads behind each month OR if you’d like the weekly spreads more isolated behind a different tab.

8. Record Pages

If you choose to not use record pages, select “no” and move on to the next section.

If you would like record pages, let’s go through it!

• Click the “Planning Guide” tab, and scroll down to “Tab 8. Records.”
• There are 40 choices to make here! However, you are mostly checking to see what you would like included or not.
• Samples of these individual records pages are shown in the video. Toggle between these photos, and your “Homepage” tab to input your selections for Record Pages.

9. Notebook Pages

• The number of notebook pages depends on your selections from previous sections. If you choose to omit some options, it can be replaced with extra notebook pages.
• On the “Homepage” tab, select from Lined, Dot, or Grid notebook pages.

10. How Did You Hear About Us?

If you found this helpful, and want to support this blog, you can say you were referred by “Trisha @juiceboxhomeschool”. Otherwise, this is the place you can give credit to where you heard about Anna Vance Planners.

11. Add to Cart

We did it! If you want to add a Pupil Planner (Layout A is my personal favorite) or narration notebooks (Ruth Journals top bound are *chef’s kiss*), now is the time to add that in. You now finish placing your order on the “Homepage” tab. Sit back and gather your curriculum, living books, and supplies together for your Term 1.

[RELATED POST: Family Style Curriculum for 2022-2023]

My Exact 2023-2024 Homeschool Planner Order

Here is my exact order for my 2023-2024 homeschool planner:

• Charlotte Mason Inspired Simple Homeschool Planner
• Cover Choice: partner cover from This Homeschool House “Watercolor Hydrangea Homeschool Planner Cover”
• Start Month: undated
• Binding Option: Fully bound
• Monthly Mother Culture Pages: omit
• Weekly Layout Choice: Layout 3B (a first for me!)
• Weekly Additional Option: move weekly spreads behind a separate tab
• Record Pages Include: Subject by Subject, Reading List x 4, Considerations, Future Curriculum, Handicrafts, Nature Study, Credit Hours Log, Craft/Activities to Consider, Places to Visit.
• Note Page Preference: 1/4″ grid

Enjoy Your First Anna Vance Planner!

I hope this walk through of ordering your first Anna Vance Planner (use this link for $5 off!) was helpful. It is something I wish I had. As you open your beautiful package, and get to planning, you’ll find out which sections are must haves and which you can maybe do without the following year.

Check the hashtag #annavancepaperco to get inspiration on how others use different sections. Share how YOU use your pages too, as it is so helpful to the homeschool community.

That was a full walk through of how to order your first Anna Vance Planner, using the Simple Charlotte Mason Inspired Planner as our sample.

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