Creative Planner

If you're in the Pond Coloring Club you'll be familiar with the monthly calendar pages. I'll add them again each month this year.

They can be used:

as a mini classroom calendar
on your teacher desk for important event reminders
in your teacher books and folders
for students to track goal-progress or events

This year I have them available (along with some idea planning pages) for instant access! You can have the whole 12 months ready to go today.

The Way I Use Them

The pages are flexible and once printed you can use them how you like.

I use these pages to set up a scrappy (unplanned and a little messy) creative planner.

If you purchase the calendar I'll add you to a special email newsletter list and you can take a virtual peek inside my planner. I'll send you tips, ideas and special bonuses throughout 2023.

On the blog today, I'll share with you my first tip so you can get a feel for what it's all about.

Planner Tip 1 - why scrappy?

I have my calendar/planner set up ready for January.

So far, I have:

purchased a 5 tab lined, spiral bound notebook that a local store has stocked for the last few years
glued the 2023 cover on the front page
set aside the first tab for January, gluing a plain cover page for a title page
glued in 5 double pages - a calendar page next to an ideas page

Why do I use a scrappy notebook with glued pages rather than an expensive, carefully arranged and pretty commercial planner? Over many years of trying different styles I found:

I had better and braver ideas with a relaxed, sometimes messy notebook
I like being able to mix plain lined notebook pages between calendar pages - and tear them out occasionally
I like the flexibility to add more pages and may run 5-7 different calendars for the same month (more on that later) - e.g. a calendar for drawing ideas, a calendar for blog post ideas, a calendar for ideas from you (my community)
I like being able to sketch, doodle and draw more around my notes
I love the feeling of waking up and being able to do whatever I want to do in a day - in here I can

My scrappy creative planner gives me nothing but open opportunity, freedom and room for ideas. I use other calendars for events that are locked and rigid.

5 Tab Notebook - 1 tab for each month of the year

January Title Page

Double Pages - side by side

I have 5 of these ready so far but could add more.

Bonus Colored Covers - Brights or Boo-Hoo

What are you waiting for? Let's stay connected. I'd love to have you join me and although I won't be sharing teaching or classroom tips in the special newsletter I have no doubt you'll be able to transfer my ideas into your own creative process or journey, whatever you're doing in 2023!

28 December 2022