sewpeaceful Posted March 17, 2011 Share Posted March 17, 2011 Work with me here.... Do you cut the spine off the SOTW AG or the WWE workbook so you can put the instructor pages in a central binder, copy the student pages, etc? This goes against rule I have ever been taught about books (like books, respect books, be nice to books). Help! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
2_girls_mommy Posted March 17, 2011 Share Posted March 17, 2011 LOL.. Yes, I had my spine cut off of my A.G. and 3 hole punched to put in a binder. It is so much easier to deal with than the year I used the A.G. and tried to make copies out of the book. Now I make the kids' student pages ahead of time and 3 hole punch them, and give them each a binder to start the year, so it is much like a workbook that we just add narrations and other projects to. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sewpeaceful Posted March 17, 2011 Author Share Posted March 17, 2011 Yes, I think I will have to "get over it". It just seems like sacrilage (sp?). So do I hear you cheering, "Cut it up... cut it up... cut it up...." Lol. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
2_girls_mommy Posted March 17, 2011 Share Posted March 17, 2011 ... cut it up... cut it up...:lol: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BlessedMom Posted March 17, 2011 Share Posted March 17, 2011 Nope.............just can't bring myself to do it, lol. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LoveBaby Posted March 17, 2011 Share Posted March 17, 2011 Yes!! I took SOTW and WWE to staples and had them cut off the binding and spiral bind the teacher's portion w/ the covers. It looks lovely and is so easy to use!! Made making copies of the student pages a cinch, too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
melmichigan Posted March 17, 2011 Share Posted March 17, 2011 I did for SOTW 1 and 2 AG's. For the third I bought the book during the lulu sale so I just bought the download for the student pages instead. It's faster to click and print than to pull out pages to copy. ;) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
blakereese Posted March 17, 2011 Share Posted March 17, 2011 I know, it just seems so WRONG. :001_smile: But I really think I need to do it with BFSU, it would make things easier since the lessons are done "out of order". Out of curiosity, what would it cost to do this at like, Staples? (cut off binding and 3 hole punch) I should do this over the weekend, and I'd like to know ahead of time what to expect. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vida Winter Posted March 17, 2011 Share Posted March 17, 2011 Only when I need to copy pages out of the TM (student quizzes, for example) . I'd rather cut up the book than wrestle with the scanner trying to make the book lay flat - and still end up with horrible copies. The easiest way is to have the spine cut off and then keep the pages in a file or notebook. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wheres Toto Posted March 17, 2011 Share Posted March 17, 2011 I actually ordered an extra copy of the student pages for the AG so I could just print them out. I have the hard copy of the AG so I can read through it easier. Otherwise, I think I would take it someplace like Staples and have them cut the binding off and hole punch it. I'm sure it looks much nicer than if I were to try and do it myself, and it would make it much easier to copy. Having someone else do it professionally seems less sacrilegious than doing it myself. ;) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ellie Posted March 17, 2011 Share Posted March 17, 2011 Always. And drill the books with three holes so they fit in notebooks. I do student workboosk, as well, and take out each page so dc can put the paper on a flat surface to write on, then put it back in the notebook. :001_smile: Once, long ago, I took a big paperback book in to a small print shop (this was before Kinko's was invented) and said, "I'd like to have the spine cut off." The employee looked at me blankly. Another employee came up, and she said to him, "She wants to have the spine cut off." Then they both looked at me blankly. :lol: Of course I "respect" a nicely bound hard-cover book. But a paperback book, that belongs to me, that I'm using to teach my dc...yeah, I'll cut that puppy up in a heartbeat. :D I have bunches of three-ring notebooks on my bookshelves. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Satori Posted March 17, 2011 Share Posted March 17, 2011 I also ended up ordering the extra PDF copy so I could print it all out and put it in a binder. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kathkath Posted March 18, 2011 Share Posted March 18, 2011 YES! It is worth it for ease of handling alone. I love having them spiral bound so I can flip the book open and back so it stays put. I can put it away for the night on the current page. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheAutumnOak Posted March 18, 2011 Share Posted March 18, 2011 I took OPGTR to Staples and had it cut and spiral bound...It is so much easier to use now... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mcconnellboys Posted March 18, 2011 Share Posted March 18, 2011 Yes, I do that with the activity guides. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sewpeaceful Posted March 18, 2011 Author Share Posted March 18, 2011 Well since I don't have my car keys back yet (recovering from surgery), I have to do it with my precious rotary cutters and quilting rulers. A tad tedious but it should work... here goes nothing.... big inhale...cuuuuuuuuuuut. I did it! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mommy22alyns Posted March 18, 2011 Share Posted March 18, 2011 I learned how to do it here, otherwise I never would have thought of it! It makes things so much easier though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MorganClassicalPrep Posted March 18, 2011 Share Posted March 18, 2011 Work with me here.... Do you cut the spine off the SOTW AG or the WWE workbook so you can put the instructor pages in a central binder, copy the student pages, etc? This goes against rule I have ever been taught about books (like books, respect books, be nice to books). Help! :D I don't cut up our homeschool books, we just don't have anything that needs cutting. But this made me smile, because my history advisor JUST did get me to write in my history books. It really does make for a different experience reading them, and I can go back easily later to see my thoughts at the time. (And... I still write in pencil, and not to darkly. Can't bring myself to do anything permanant!) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sewpeaceful Posted March 18, 2011 Author Share Posted March 18, 2011 :D I don't cut up our homeschool books, we just don't have anything that needs cutting.But this made me smile, because my history advisor JUST did get me to write in my history books. It really does make for a different experience reading them, and I can go back easily later to see my thoughts at the time. (And... I still write in pencil, and not to darkly. Can't bring myself to do anything permanant!) MorganClassicalPrep... your time is coming too. Lol. Your daughter is darling. :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
VA6336 Posted March 18, 2011 Share Posted March 18, 2011 It was scary and a long time coming, but I did finally break down and start cutting up spines. I did it once myself to a smaller experiment book, but now I just take it to Office Max. $5 later I have an activity guide that has the TM in a spiral bind (oh, after I self laminated the covers) and the student pages in a three ring binder. I have now done this with our Critical Thinking books. I LOVE them but they are very expensive and I can't stand writing in books. Copies were too hard to make so the books just gathered dust until I broke down and took the Hands-On Thinking Skills in for a spiral bind (lays flat so you can use manipulatives on it!). The Building Thinking Skills (the 3-4 year old book that's in color and gorgeous) I had them cut the binding off, took it home and laminated each and every page then took it back and they spiral bound it for me. I love, love, love it!! Now my kids can actually USE those books. So....cut it up...cut it up...cut it up...you'll be glad you did!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
3lilreds in NC Posted March 18, 2011 Share Posted March 18, 2011 Cut them UP?!?! :svengo: :lol: I have taken apart a few things, like the pattern block books for MFW K etc. I haven't had anything else that needed it yet. This is another reason to do CM - lots of living books that one does not have to desecrate by CUTTING. :D (I would, absolutely, if it would make my life easier. It took me a LONG time to be able to wrap my brain around it though.) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
iona Posted March 18, 2011 Share Posted March 18, 2011 i did this with the big miquon reference book. i took it to a print shop and they cut off the spine and drilled it. i wish i hadn't, the print was so close to the margin that the drilled holes punched out some of the text. make sure the margins allow enough space for the holes. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GnomeyNewt Posted March 18, 2011 Share Posted March 18, 2011 I noticed that the SOTW is sold this way a lot and have bought SOTW Activity Guides 2 & 3 this way, so it is already done. I will go ahead and have it done with my SOTW 1 too. On a funny note though, I asked my DH to do the job because we have all the tools! He was a little freaked out at first when I explained to him why and said I'd just do it myself. :c) I would really only do this to books 1) I was going to keep or not resell, 2) Books that commonly have their spines removed for ease of use. I could not in good conscious ever remove the spine of a perfectly good book that if resold, the new owner would likely want its spine on it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mamaofredheads Posted March 18, 2011 Share Posted March 18, 2011 I know, it just seems so WRONG. :001_smile: But I really think I need to do it with BFSU, it would make things easier since the lessons are done "out of order". Out of curiosity, what would it cost to do this at like, Staples? (cut off binding and 3 hole punch) I should do this over the weekend, and I'd like to know ahead of time what to expect. My Staples charges $2 per cut. I have a heavy duty 3-hole punch (from Staples - SO worth the $!! I use it all the time) so I have them cut the binding off and then hole punch it myself. I also have a ProClick that I got from Amazon that I LOVE that is similar to spiral binding in that it lies flat, but it's much easier to take the pages in and out. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mlbuchina Posted March 18, 2011 Share Posted March 18, 2011 Yes!! I took SOTW and WWE to staples and had them cut off the binding and spiral bind the teacher's portion w/ the covers. It looks lovely and is so easy to use!! Made making copies of the student pages a cinch, too. :iagree::iagree::iagree::iagree::iagree: Absolutely. Do it! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Desert Strawberry Posted March 18, 2011 Share Posted March 18, 2011 Nooooooooooooooooooooooooo!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I just had copies made from SOTW AG, and the copy girl offered to cut the spine off. Um. NOOOOO!! Thank you. I was stunned that she even said it. It didn't occur to me to have the pages rebound. But even then, No! Maybe with my last kids, if it really is easier. But I have to use this book at least 4 times. No way would punched holes and spiral binding last that long. The copies aren't fabulous, but they are fully usable. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FO4UR Posted March 18, 2011 Share Posted March 18, 2011 I like mine cut and 3 hole punched. Then, I can pull out a weeks worth of everything for everybody and place it all into one big teacher's binder and not have to hunt down 36 TM's (exaggerating for effect:lol:) every single day. I just ordered some books that are about to be desecrated, as a matter of fact. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RobinF Posted March 18, 2011 Share Posted March 18, 2011 I cut up my teachers manuals and almost all of our material this year to set up a filing system. I even took apart our OPG and FLL. I love it. But I didn't take apart SOTW since I treat it like a reading book not a TM. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Amy Jo Posted March 18, 2011 Share Posted March 18, 2011 (edited) I've only done WRTR so far (hole punched it). I might cut BFSU and have it spiral bound, as well as the Miquon book. But then you can't label the spine. I don't know how to get around that problem, I already have spiral books for MEP (7 books covering years R to 4) and Webster's Speller. Edited March 18, 2011 by mtcougar832 clarity Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sewpeaceful Posted March 18, 2011 Author Share Posted March 18, 2011 I've only done WRTR so far (hole punched it). I might cut BFSU and have it spiral bound, as well as the Miquon book. But then you can't label the spine. I don't know how to get around that problem, I already have spiral books for MEP (7 books covering years R to 4) and Webster's Speller. I have a friend on the board who cut off her spine, 3 hole punched, and when finished used tie wraps to put it back together. Maybe create a tag with the book title that you can put in the top tie wrap? Maybe sharpie the title on the edge where the spine used to be? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
In the Rain Posted March 18, 2011 Share Posted March 18, 2011 YES! It is worth it for ease of handling alone. I love having them spiral bound so I can flip the book open and back so it stays put. I can put it away for the night on the current page. This is why I do it, too! I leave the student pages loose, in a clear plastic sleeve. I copy and 3 hole punch them for my oldest dd. For my younger dd, we just use up the pages. I love the convenience. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kchara Posted March 18, 2011 Share Posted March 18, 2011 I did that with some of my R&S TMs, but they were workbook-style anyway. I unstapled them or cut off the spines, took them apart, and put them into page protectors and into a binder. I was afraid if I hadn't, they would've fallen apart LONG before I used them with all the kids. If I had another paperback TM like that, I would do it again. Those suckers have to last through many, many more years!! ;) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
boscopup Posted March 18, 2011 Share Posted March 18, 2011 My friend did this with her SOTW AG and it looks fabulous! I think the only downside would be that spiral bound books tend to not sit as flat as regular bound books on the shelf. Not a huge deal though. I like the tag idea for the spine! Question for those who cut the spine off yourself... What tools do you use? I tried once with the R&S Spelling 2 student workbook, and while I got it done, it was NOT pretty. :lol: I tried several different tools, and finally ended up using a box cutter. I had to cut that binding off because my son couldn't write in the book as it was. I'm sure there's an easier way than how I did it. I will probably have bindings cut off on some of my books at some point. Haven't done it yet, but WWE, BFSU, SOTW AG, and some others would be excellent candidates! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mama25angels Posted March 18, 2011 Share Posted March 18, 2011 Loving this thread! Now, i'm thinking of cutting the binding off of my SOTW AG. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sewpeaceful Posted March 18, 2011 Author Share Posted March 18, 2011 I'm a quilter so I used a 12" square quilting ruler and a rotary cutter I have dedicated to paper. It worked pretty well and all of the pages are the same size since I could line up a line of the quilting ruler with the outer page edge. There were a few paper hairs here and there (had to double cut and the second cut was a mm off from the original in a part kind of thing) but all in all, it worked well for home cutting. HTH. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mymonkeybug Posted March 18, 2011 Share Posted March 18, 2011 Yes!! I took SOTW and WWE to staples and had them cut off the binding and spiral bind the teacher's portion w/ the covers. It looks lovely and is so easy to use!! Made making copies of the student pages a cinch, too. Now I am against cutting off the spine myself, hate the idea of causing damage to a book mainly plus I will admit that I need to sell off the previous years items in order to buy the new years things and how could I possibly do that if I am selling an incomplete book so to speak... I do LOVE the idea though above of spiral binding them. VERY AWESOME idea! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Amy Jo Posted March 18, 2011 Share Posted March 18, 2011 As to reselling, just be honest. I put tabs on my SWR books and later sold them. Plus, what one person would see as lowering the value of an item, another will see as convenient & time saving. And the marker on the edge is a wonderful idea - I'm going to try it! Thanks! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MorganClassicalPrep Posted March 18, 2011 Share Posted March 18, 2011 MorganClassicalPrep... your time is coming too. Lol. Your daughter is darling. :) :lol: I'm sure it is. I've already made the first tiny step down the rabbit hole just by writing in a book! :svengo: and.. thank you. I certainly think she is. :tongue_smilie: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
3peasinapod Posted March 18, 2011 Share Posted March 18, 2011 (edited) I took OPGTR to Staples and had it cut and spiral bound...It is so much easier to use now... Spiral bound OPGTR? Wonderful!!!! I HATE holding that book with DD's. It's so unruly and doesn't sit how I want it to sit so we can both see it. EEEEEEEKK!! I need to change my thinking on this, though. I get miffed when someone bent the corner, now I'm thinking of cutting it all up and putting 50 holes in it? :lol: Edited March 18, 2011 by 3peasinapod Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kathkath Posted March 18, 2011 Share Posted March 18, 2011 I'm a quilter so I used a 12" square quilting ruler and a rotary cutter I have dedicated to paper. It worked pretty well and all of the pages are the same size since I could line up a line of the quilting ruler with the outer page edge. There were a few paper hairs here and there (had to double cut and the second cut was a mm off from the original in a part kind of thing) but all in all, it worked well for home cutting. HTH. That's me. I find that if I first *break* the book by opening wide at the middle and pressing down, then I can fit my 45mm in there and cut the book in half. Then I do the same in to each part until I get several sections thin enough to use my ruler to slide the glue off and make it tidy. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
strawnfam Posted March 23, 2011 Share Posted March 23, 2011 As to reselling, just be honest. I put tabs on my SWR books and later sold them. Plus, what one person would see as lowering the value of an item, another will see as convenient & time saving. Exactly my thought. I would have to pay extra to have the bindings cut off and then rebind the book either spiral or in a binder (my proclick doesn't have bindings big enough for a teacher's guide). So if I were buying second hand (which I do a LOT) I'd go for the book that was already "desecrated" over one I'd have to do myself, all other things being equal. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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