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Handy Homeschool Tools UPDATED for 2026 (some of my FAVS after 25 years of homeschooling...)



This is a completely practical post ~ just me sharing a few of my absolute favorite tools from 25 years of doing this whole homeschooling thing.  


        


   # 1 ~ Weighted Book Page Holder (preferably a non-slip version) ~ This is an item you will use again and again and again from preschool through high school graduation...and I personally use one every day (holding open a cookbook - a Bible - a journal - you name it). It's perfect for holding open your first graders math workbook; perfect for your seventh graders science textbook; perfect for your high school students hardback copy of To Kill A Mockingbird, freeing up their hands to take notes, and so on. Here is a link to a couple of different options for book page holders on Amazon:





Weighted Page Holder



Book Holder

          # 2 ~ KUM Artists' Color-Combi Pencil Sharpener ~ {UPDATE! This is no longer available as of August of 2026, so I am adding a link for a Prismacolor Premier Pencil Sharpener that I have used and like very much.}

Prismacolor Premier Pencil Sharpener on Amazon







          #3 ~ A 4 Year High School Planner from Well-Planned Gal ~ So this is a must-have for anyone who homeschools through high school. And it is especially helpful if your student intends to go to college. This planner really does last ALL FOUR years of high school and it isn't bulky or intimidating to use in the least. I discovered this after my oldest child had already finished most of his high school course work, and I have been using it ever since. It is absolutely genius! Transcript accidentally get deleted? No problem recreating it when every bit of info is right there in one place. (And yes, that does happen more often than you would think.) Not sure if you've assigned enough American Lit versus British Lit? Hey, just flip through the planner and see what's what. Extracurricular activities you need to submit on a college application? It's right there in the planner, provided you wrote it down when they did whatever it was they were doing. You need this planner for your kids if you are doing the whole high school thing. Some of the best bucks we ever spent were doled out right here on this product.
4-Year High-School Planner

{UPDATE! - The Well-Planned Gal planner options have changed as of August of 2026, so I have updated this post to include an option I found on Amazon.}




                                                        Homeschool Planner

Alrighty, those are my three big must have items that were key for our family during these many years of homeschooling.  Oh, and one little disclaimer...I am an affiliate for Amazon, so I may earn commissions for sharing links to these items. 
Happy Homeschooling!



Day 379 done :)

Jan L. Burt
speaker & author of The Homeschooling Mothers Bible Study






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