Sonlight Users: 3 Ring Binder or something else?

[Samiam]

Decided to use Sonlight Core B, with Science B, and Readers IG. So that's three IG's in one binder.

 

Wondering if the HUGE Sonlight Binder is necessary or if it will just become tedious to lug around (around the house, not out and about) and manuever from week to week.

 

Wondering perhaps if there's a different option. Perhaps having a smaller binder, with only a few weeks in it.

 

Anyone have a different system they use for their Sonlight IG's?

[Murrayshire]

I use my own gigantic binder to store all the IG's in with Reader, History, & RA notes in. I did purchase those cool tabs, though. So I only take out 6-9weeks out of the big binder and put it in a smaller binder. All IG's and notes go into it's proper place behind that weeks tab. I make my own schedule for other subjects that I print out and put behind each weeks tab as well. It keeps me super organized. I do this for each child!

Good Luck!!

[Samiam]

Ooh,I like that!

[Dinsfamily]

I use SL's big binder to keep my IG together but I use a smaller binder and pull out 6 weeks at a time. I only use the Core IG. I can't imagine how bulky it would get with two other IGs in the big binder. I am using two cores right now so I just put the weeks together in my little binder and have everything at my fingertips.

[welltrainedmami]

I don't think the big blue binder is necessary at all. Like you said, it will be too cumbersome to use on a daily basis and you can forget about taking it anywhere. I kept my IG's in a smaller 3 ring binder that is flexible and can be folded in half (like a spiral notebook). It is so much easier to use this way!

Hope that helps :-)

[curriculumhoarder]

I keep my IGs in a the Big Honking Binder (BHB) from SL. I take out a week's worth of schedules and put those in a small binder along with all of the book notes for the books that are used in that week. Actually, I put the notes in whenever we start a book and take them out when we finish, so the notes stay in even if they won't be used for that particular week.

 

I'm much too anal to do more than a week at a time, since I love the feeling of accomplishment that I get when I transfer the completed schedule back to the BHB. I also look at the coming week and see if I need to bring down any new books.

 

I did try to use the BHB when we first started, but I dropped the darn thing on my foot (or nearly!) several times and decided that just wouldn't do:D.

[mumto2]

I divide it into much smaller notebooks. I use the cheap colored cardboard kind. I colour code. Dds are labeled and blue. I have a different colour for each subject area. I put all the weekly schedules in one. Then separate the history guides from the lit. Other "stuff" gets one -- how to write a research paper etc. Then anything which will be used more than a few weeks gets one-- Westminster Catechism this time. This way we have everything in easy to carry bundles. Can grab what we need and go.

 

The big binder was a nightmare! We just mark our current pages with sticky notes.

[Kathryn]

I use my own gigantic binder to store all the IG's in with Reader, History, & RA notes in. I did purchase those cool tabs, though. So I only take out 6-9weeks out of the big binder and put it in a smaller binder. All IG's and notes go into it's proper place behind that weeks tab. I make my own schedule for other subjects that I print out and put behind each weeks tab as well. It keeps me super organized. I do this for each child!

Good Luck!!

 

Exactly this.

[Mommy22alyns]

I keep my IGs in a the Big Honking Binder (BHB) from SL. I take out a week's worth of schedules and put those in a small binder along with all of the book notes for the books that are used in that week. Actually, I put the notes in whenever we start a book and take them out when we finish, so the notes stay in even if they won't be used for that particular week.

 

I'm much too anal to do more than a week at a time, since I love the feeling of accomplishment that I get when I transfer the completed schedule back to the BHB. I also look at the coming week and see if I need to bring down any new books.

 

I did try to use the BHB when we first started, but I dropped the darn thing on my foot (or nearly!) several times and decided that just wouldn't do:D.

 

 

:lol: I did this too. The pulling out a week at a time, not the dropping the binder on my foot. :D

[CupOCoffee]

I use my own gigantic binder to store all the IG's in with Reader, History, & RA notes in. I did purchase those cool tabs, though. So I only take out 6-9weeks out of the big binder and put it in a smaller binder. All IG's and notes go into it's proper place behind that weeks tab. I make my own schedule for other subjects that I print out and put behind each weeks tab as well. It keeps me super organized. I do this for each child!

Good Luck!!

 

That! I've been using SL since 2000 and have always done it this way. I am running 2 cores, so they each have a BIG binder. When I make out their schedules, I work from a smaller binder that has 4 weeks worth of everything for both of them -- we call it the working binder. We do do 4 weeks on 4 weeks off, so as soon as that binder is completed, it's time for break and I re-load it.

 

~coffee~

[ByGrace3]

Has anyone ever scanned the whole IG and saved it as a pdf? This thought crossed my mind. . . so I could use it on the ipad. I have access to a big scanner where I could just stick the whole thing in and press a button, I wouldn't consider it if I had to do each page :)

[Dinsfamily]

Has anyone ever scanned the whole IG and saved it as a pdf? This thought crossed my mind. . . so I could use it on the ipad. I have access to a big scanner where I could just stick the whole thing in and press a button, I wouldn't consider it if I had to do each page :)

 

I know people do it but it does violate the copyright.

 

In my IGs it states, "No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form by any means--electronic, mechanical, photocopy, recording, or any other--except for brief quotations embodied in critical articles or printed reviews, without prior permission of the publisher. However, permission is hereby granted to the original Sonlight Curriculum LTd. purchaser only to reproduce as many copies of the Schedule Pages, Evaluation Form, Certificate of Completion, Life Skills Check-Off Lists, Field Trip Planning Sheets, and Additional Schedule Pages as necessary for his or her immediate family's use."

 

There has been a lot of chatter on the boards about SL developing an electronic IG.

[ByGrace3]

I know people do it but it does violate the copyright.

 

In my IGs it states, "No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form by any means--electronic, mechanical, photocopy, recording, or any other--except for brief quotations embodied in critical articles or printed reviews, without prior permission of the publisher. However, permission is hereby granted to the original Sonlight Curriculum LTd. purchaser only to reproduce as many copies of the Schedule Pages, Evaluation Form, Certificate of Completion, Life Skills Check-Off Lists, Field Trip Planning Sheets, and Additional Schedule Pages as necessary for his or her immediate family's use."

 

There has been a lot of chatter on the boards about SL developing an electronic IG.

 

In find that frustrating . . . And silly. I find it very strange that scanning it for my own use should not be allowed. Now scanning and selling the print copy yes, or even keeping my scan of I sell the print copy. They REaLLY need to get on the ball. PDF's are not all that high tech. They need to sell them even if they only do an online version that is password protected or a look type system like TOG. Ebook IG's are becoming standard. Almost every other curricula I am buying this year will be electronic/PDF.

[SnMomof7]

I'm another mom who splits out a few weeks from the big binder into the mini-binder. I sometimes pull as much as 9 weeks depending on the core - whatever I can get in the 1.5" binder :).

[kolamum]

Well.. I normally just spiral bind each core {LA, Core, Etc} but I ended up picking up new tabs this year & it was honestly only a few $$ difference to get the binder with the tabs & not just the tabs, so I did.

 

I'm actually excited about it because the LA is in the new Cores, & I can stick my planning pages in there for what else we have going on in the week {appointments or what I need to do} & I'll simply use my core as our planner. Mind you, I still won't have all our LA in there as we've got two other LA programmes in use & we aren't currently using SL science.

[OrganicMom]

Well.. I normally just spiral bind each core {LA, Core, Etc} but I ended up picking up new tabs this year & it was honestly only a few $$ difference to get the binder with the tabs & not just the tabs, so I did.

 

I'm actually excited about it because the LA is in the new Cores, & I can stick my planning pages in there for what else we have going on in the week {appointments or what I need to do} & I'll simply use my core as our planner. Mind you, I still won't have all our LA in there as we've got two other LA programmes in use & we aren't currently using SL science.

 

 

THIS is something I have in my mind and came on here to search for.

 

Are you saying that you used SL's 1-36 week tabs and collated them with your sonlight core, sonlight LA, and Sonlight science IG pages then added a page for your weeks other scheduled happenings and then sent that to the copy store and had them spiral bind it!?

 

love this.... tell me was it too thick? please tell me if you did or did not do this, if you can.

 

I have also thought of binding them by quarters (9 weeks)

 

I will have 2 cores this year and wanted an easier way to navigate our days, weeks and have it all in one place...

[twinmami01]

I use my own gigantic binder to store all the IG's in with Reader, History, & RA notes in. I did purchase those cool tabs, though. So I only take out 6-9weeks out of the big binder and put it in a smaller binder. All IG's and notes go into it's proper place behind that weeks tab. I make my own schedule for other subjects that I print out and put behind each weeks tab as well. It keeps me super organized. I do this for each child!

Good Luck!!

 

This is what I do.

[MerryAtHope]

I always used the SL binder for storage, but a smaller working binder for day to day items (usually with 4 weeks of SL IG in it--see what works well for you). Here's my Teacher Binder that I use for daily use. HTH some! Merry :-)

[Ameena]

We are doing Core B with 3rd readers & Science B, and use a giant binder. Didn't get the one from SL as I found a bright yellow 6 inch binder in the free bin at my homeschool center. It's a bit of a PITA to move around, but not that much.

[kolamum]

THIS is something I have in my mind and came on here to search for.

 

Are you saying that you used SL's 1-36 week tabs and collated them with your sonlight core, sonlight LA, and Sonlight science IG pages then added a page for your weeks other scheduled happenings and then sent that to the copy store and had them spiral bind it!?

 

love this.... tell me was it too thick? please tell me if you did or did not do this, if you can.

 

I have also thought of binding them by quarters (9 weeks)

 

I will have 2 cores this year and wanted an easier way to navigate our days, weeks and have it all in one place...

 

In the end I did not spiral bind them. Core E was HUGE even after having removed the "extras" that come in with the core. LA is mixed in with the New Core E so that wasn't an option to take it out. I DID mix in the Science E pages & my planning page, BUT I had a working binder. :) So I kept enough of the pages in a smaller binder {Mead FlexiBinder} of: Core {with LA} & science. Worked a charm! Especially if you get one with the pocket on the front because then you can slip in the nifty map for easy access!! :D

[OrganicMom]

In the end I did not spiral bind them. Core E was HUGE even after having removed the "extras" that come in with the core. LA is mixed in with the New Core E so that wasn't an option to take it out. I DID mix in the Science E pages & my planning page, BUT I had a working binder. :) So I kept enough of the pages in a smaller binder {Mead FlexiBinder} of: Core {with LA} & science. Worked a charm! Especially if you get one with the pocket on the front because then you can slip in the nifty map for easy access!! :D

 

GENIUS! :) Mead FlexiBinder, here I come. ;) Seriously. Since writing the above i have ditched the coil-binding plan and was going to go back to the working binder but this just seals it all :) thank you for your response.

[kolamum]

You're welcome! :)