Getting started · 4 min read

Welcome to Commonplace

A short welcome from Megan, followed by simple steps to make Commonplace your own.

Open this area in Commonplace

Commonplace keeps the practical pieces of your homeschool and the record of what actually happened in one connected workspace. You can start small: add a student and school year, then choose only the sections your family wants to use.

1 minute 18 seconds · With narration and optional captions

A quick welcome from Megan

Take a minute with Megan to get comfortable with setup. Add your children, choose what helps your family, and leave the rest for later.

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Read the welcome video

Welcome to Commonplace

Hi, I'm Megan. Welcome to Commonplace Homeschool. I'm so glad you're here because your homeschool life just got a whole lot easier. And don't worry, you don't have to have everything figured out before you begin. We're going to walk through it together. I'm going to show you what to do. It'll be so easy.

Your homeschool name

After confirming your email, sign in. Start by checking the name you want to use for your family or homeschool.

Add your children

Add your children using the names you'd like to see in the app. You can fill in other details later.

Choose your school year

Then choose the dates for your school year.

Choose what helps your family

Choose the parts of Commonplace that would help your family right now. You can change these choices later.

A yearly goal is optional

If you choose Attendance, a yearly goal is optional.

Add courses and resources

If you're adding curriculum, give each course a name. You can also add the books or other resources you're using. Start with what you know.

Finish when you’re ready

Assignments and grades can wait until later. Finish setup whenever you're ready.

Your dashboard is ready

Your dashboard will be ready for you.

Make it your own

Take your time and make this your own. If you need help or support, it's right there in the menu whenever you need it. We're really happy to be part of your homeschool days.

Open the video on its own ↗

  1. 1

    Complete the guided setup

    Confirm the family or homeschool name you want to see, add at least one student, and create your school year.

  2. 2

    Choose what you want to keep track of

    Select at least one useful section to begin. You can turn sections on or hide them later without deleting anything.

  3. 3

    Use the dashboard as home base

    The dashboard brings together today’s schedule, checklist, active loop, recent reading, attendance, and other sections you choose.

  4. 4

    Add things as they come up

    Quick Add is available after setup. If you add something from a section that was hidden, Commonplace turns that section back on and briefly marks it Added in the sidebar.

  5. 5

    Adjust the workspace

    Open Customize dashboard to choose, move, or resize dashboard sections. To change the sidebar, open Customize menu at the bottom: Add or hide sections controls what appears, and Reorder sections changes the order. Open Homeschool Setup whenever you want to update family details.