Sowing Little Seeds….I create a lesson plan and use it as my record of our school year. I don’t keep grades until high school, which we use for a transcript. Our kids range from 2nd to 11th grade. The kids also create portfolios throughout the year with some of their work. Each child has a 3 ring binder that’s tabbed by subject. We stick loose papers and projects in there. I also keep completed math workbooks and our high schooler’s notebooks. I too have heard of keeping the Table of Contents or taking a photo of any projects that don’t fit into the binder. Add the photo and discard the project. This can be sensitive for some kids. In the beginning, I kept a Rubbermaid tote of everything for each kid, but it was too much to store, hence, reducing to the 3 ring binder 
You can get an idea of my lesson planning here….. http://reflectionsfromdrywoodcreek.blogspot.com/2012/06/2012-2013-school-year-planning.html
I LOVE the SCM book “Planning Your Charlotte Mason Education”!
Blessings,
Melissa