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Folders, Notebooks and Binders, Oh My!
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Okay, so we are starting our school year in two weeks and I have a question to ask about how to keep each subject’s work separate and orderly. In the past, when we did “school in the box” with a CM type curriculum, I just followed their set up guidelines for each subject. This usually meant that I had one master notebook with different tabs for each category…history notebooking, science notebooking, science experiments, grammer, etc. That approach never worked well for me. While it was a good idea to keep it all together, it never stayed together!
Some notebooking or grammer or a history map would get completed, get stuffed in the front of the notebook and never make it into it’s proper category before it ended up in the back of my dd’s workbox, crumpled and forgotten. So, here’s what I’m thinking. I would like to have separate folders for everything, prepared beforehand with notebook paper or drawing paper in place, so dd will just open the folder, write and close the folder. Is this a good idea or am I setting myself up for failure? It would look something like this in a perfect world. Oh, and when I say “folder” I mean one of those 3 pronged folders with pockets:Science (Apologia): Folder pre-stocked with Notebooking paper with 1 divider for experiments pre-stocked with Science Experiment sheets
Worldview (Apologia), Geography, Dictation, Copywork, Language Lessons, poetry, artist, etc: Folders for each subject pre-stocked with paper
Literature: Folder pre-stocked with paper for different types of narrations; drawn, written, etc.
History will look different. We are doing Mystery of History and will follow the recommended guidelines on set-up.
Is this a good idea? If you don’t think so, how do you do it? Oh, and if you do like my idea, how do you propose I keep these folders together in one place with out swimming in them throughout the day? Ideally, I’d like to just say “Okay, please take out your ____ folder and put your____ folder away”. Am I over-thinking this?
Thanks!
Heather
I know there are other moms with lots more experience in this, but so far my oldest two children have their own container (clear, with the snap-on lid with a handle if that made sense). The containers hold their individual schedule(a general one, ex: Math, Bible copywork, Reading book on Monday), their specific math book, a copywork binder with tabs organizing what type of copywork for each day, a geography folder, language arts books, etc. Each folder is labeled with that subject so they know what it holds and can pull it out at the right time. Each morning after breakfast and chores they grab their totes from downstairs, bring them to the table and start working on their schedule. As more children reach the formal schooling age they will get their own tote with their books/folders in it. On Sat or Sun I get their containers ready with new copywork for the week, and any other map drill papers, etc. that they will need. I don’t know if that’s what you are thinking or something completely different, but it has worked well for us so far.
So if I understand correctly you’d like to use what I call duotangs for keeping your dc work organized. The probelm I’ve always had with duotangs is to insert a sheet anywhere other than the back you have to take out everything that comes after the place you want to put it, and therefore it is such a hassle and after a while just doesn’t get done. I can see what you are getting at with pre-stocking the folders with notebook paper, and that may work for some subjects easier than others. For science I would imagine you are going to want several different types of note paper together depending on the topic. You said you are doing Apologia — which one? Did you order the student notebook or are you planing to print the pages off the web site? That might help to keep things in order for you. I would think you’d have a more difficult time arranging literature so the notepaper and drawing paper were in the order you wanted it for narration purposes if you want any kind of flexibility without moving pages around. I will use 1″ binders for the most part as they are easier to insert things wherever I need them to be. They will definately be amore expensive and take up a little more room, but they should last longer and offer more flexibility in the long run. I already have several binders on hand that I can recycle. I’m sure I will use duotangs as well for some thing that I know will be chronological — copywork, dictation, poetry, artist, journal, that type of thing.
Out of curiousity, what ages are your children? I am looking at using the Who is God? from Apologia, and Mystery of History myself, but uncertain if I want to do that this year or next as this will be our first year. I wonder how the two compliment each other, and whether they would be suitable for my gr 2 and gr 5 sons.
Thank you amama5! The portable workboxes may be a good idea for us, at least for me to load with needed items for the week. We do have an Ikea block shelving system which we purchased years ago with the boxes that fit into it. The problem with it is that is is always accessible to the youngers who like to pull out “school” at odd times and lose things out of the boxes.
4myboys: The duotangs (good name) are what I am thinking of using. You are right about not being able to insert pages in the middle without removing the all of the pages. That is a negative side, but it might be a positive as well since the ability to open binders causes us to lose papers around here too! I was thinking for the literature folder, maybe I could stock it with all notebook paper, or all drawing paper and glue the narrations on the paper if needed. Say if I stock it with notebook paper, she can glue a drawing onto the paper…just thinking out loud. We are doing Swimming Creatures and I have already printed all of the notebooking pages off of the website, although I am sure we won’t use them all.
Now is there some sort of “Trapper Keeper” or something that I can put all of the folders into? I am wanting to do this for not only my 4th grader, but for my K and 1st grader as well.
Is there any other way to do this that I haven’t thought of yet?
My children are 5, 7 and 9. The Apologia Worldview series will be beneficial to all of them, but especially the 4th grader I think. Your 5th and 2nd graders would be a great age to start the series (I think there are 4 in the series to be completed @1 per year). It is very elementary friendly, and includes a story in each lesson where you can discuss attitudes and actions of the characters to determine whether you believe they brought God glory or not and why. I am really looking forward to it!
Thanks for the great responses so far!
Hello Heather,
We have the Expedit from Ikea, too, and love it!
Realizing this might not work for other families, here’s a look at how we organize the paper in our home. You’ll have to go through the entryway and desktop before you see what we do by subject.
Best,
Richele
Thanks, Heather. I do agree that gluing drawings or written narration into the books would work. I hadn’t thought of that! I know duotangs around here can be fairly inexpensive –about 8-10 cents each for the paper ones (not pocket) at Staples at the end of August usually. I’m not sure how much for the plastic ones or ones with pockets.
I will be easing my boys into homeschooling this year. It will be very different for them after PS, especially my older boy who in my opinion is way to peer dependant. He’s having a hard time with summer vacation as he is not seeing his school friends as often as he’d like. (which is a good think in my opinion) We are trying to keep them busy with family things, but my husband is back to 12 hour days next week. Thankfully he has two weeks vacation coming up, and another at the end of the summer! I am realizing how much they both need structure! I can’t see homeschooling year round at this point, they and my husband would put up too much of a fight, though I’d love to. My youngest especially is having a hard time without the routine of the school year.
I’ve read about deschooling when a child comes home from PS, and I’m still not certain how to go about that with my boys. I’m fine with holding off on some subjects, but I think that we will need to get started on the basics at least in September. Literature is easy to start with because we always have a good family read aloud going, so that routine won’t need to change.
I am ordering the SCM planning DVD and the All-Day seminar this week. My husband has said order what I need to make it all work, so my budget is mostly self-imposed (obviously within our means). I will be starting with the basics — math, lit, writing, science, etc, and adding history and others as we get used to the routine, so I will order those things down the road a bit. I am very anxious about making wise use of my money and buying the right things for our homeschool.
About Mystery of History: does it include Bible in the sense that you are reading the Bible daily to go along with what you are learning historically, or will Bible still need to be taught seperately? Are there memory verses at all? Will I need something else to handle these? The character building program I am looking at has several Bible stories illustrating the virtues that we would be working on with scripture memory, etc, so I may just use that for Bible/scripture memory/character this year and do Canadian Social Studies and basic world geography, then decide on module one or MoH for next year — our oldest just did Ancient Eygpt in PS, so I don’t think he’ll want to do that this year again, but I would like to start at creation when we start world history.
Because we have seven children, paper must not be loose around our house or we’d be buried in it. We use quality white, 2 inch binders. Each binder is for one subject and is pre-filled with sheet protectors. I slipped card stock in the spines (one color for each child…visually pleasing in our large binder bookshelf). The children are responsible to put their papers away in their binders. With the sheet protectors already in…it is just slip and go here. Any unfinished work is slipped into a sheet protector in the appropriate subject binder. Some of our many binders are: art, nature journal, writing, memory work, math, science, dictation/grammar, and an a-z tabbed binder for vocabulary. My favorite binder is my “Books, Habits, and Things” where I store the terms hymns, poetry, art, and other Charlotte Mason goodies.
Janell
My goal this year is no loose papers. All writing will be done in a composition notebook or a spiral notebook. If we need a special arrangement of papers I will make it into a spiral notebook ahead of time – I have the punching thing for that and put on the spirals – a great purchase. I’m hoping this works better. Those loose papers added up last year and they were a mess.
DawnD (and anyone else) – would you mind sharing what type of binding machine you have and where you got it.
I have been looking at the different ones and am interested in them but I wonder: #1. Is it worth it, do they pay for themselves? , #2 Would I use it that often? Would anyone mind sharing about these pros cons whathaveyous? I like the spiral binding better than the comb, but I am having a hard time finding one of those…..
Richele, what a beautiful job you have done with the Expedit. We purchased ours about 5 years ago and it is still going strong. I still love it, but I see that yours looks much neater than mine! I can tell be the looks of your school room uin the before picture that you must love Ikea as much as my husband and I! This does give me an idea about how to store these little “duoprongs”. Those white boxes look great, but since I won’t be heading downtown to Ikea any time soon, maybe I can find them at Walmart or Staples. Thank you so much for sharing!
4myboys, congrats on being able to bring your boys home from ps! I can’t offer any advice about that since mine have always been homeschooled. I know you must be very excited! About MOH, this is our first year doing this curriculum, but I’ve been through the entire Volume 1 and I think it is going to be just what we need. The activities are going to fit in very simply with my children’s ages and it will allow me enough wiggle room to add in good books as well. There is a schedule for many of the lessons where you can read the Bible chapters that correlate, but I don’t think we will use it. We’ll just continue to do our daily reading (though not so “daily” lately) in our chronological Bible. Our memory verses will come from the Apologia worldview curriculum, and we will also be adding in Wisdom with the Millers one day a week. SCM has a free scripture memory system which we haven’t used, but I’m sure someone could chime in and explain how it works.
Janell, great idea about the color coded binders. I am guessing it is all going to come down to price when I get to the store to purchase the supplies.
About the binding, I don’t have a binder, but our print shop charges just $2 per book. Since we don’t bind alot that’s a good price for us.
Thanks for these great suggestions and ideas!!
Richele, I loved your blog about all the paper. Lots of ideas for me. thanks
janell…i’ve been leaning towards white quality binders also…but the sheet protector idea and the color coding is awesome.
thanks.
jo
This is a great topic Heather! I love the ideas here because I am drowing in paper and my oldest is only 7! I can only imagine what it will be like when all 5 of them are doing bookwork.
Does anyone know where to get sheet protectors at a good price? It seems like I would need an awful lot. Or maybe I am keeping too many things?
Thanks,
Michaela
I actually use the binders and the color codes for each child. I cannot afford a bunch of sheet protectors, so I bought an inexpensive 3 hole punch and leave it next to the binders. It works well too.
I purchase my binders and sheet protectors from Costco. The two inch binders are sold in a pack of four around $10 and the page protectors come in a box of 200 for around $12… the best quality sheet protectors I have ever purchased. I purchase cardstock from Costco online.
The binder system only works in my house when we have the habit to slip papers into binders immediately and each binder is for a single subject. I don’t prefer my children to have one master binder with tabs for everything. We used to use composition and sketch books, but I notice that binders with glossy pages encourage my children to spend time revisiting their creations. Not everything gets a page protector…like math and grammar.
Janell
Some notebooking or grammer or a history map would get completed, get stuffed in the front of the notebook and never make it into it’s proper category before it ended up in the back of my dd’s workbox, crumpled and forgotten. So, here’s what I’m thinking. I would like to have separate folders for everything, prepared beforehand with notebook paper or drawing paper in place, so dd will just open the folder, write and close the folder. Is this a good idea or am I setting myself up for failure? It would look something like this in a perfect world. Oh, and when I say “folder” I mean one of those 3 pronged folders with pockets:
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