How to use study binders (again) :)

[CatholicMom]

I was all ready to buy my kids some trapper keepers or similar heavy-duty binders when I realized this: a lot of their workbook pages have Monday's assignment on one side and Tuesday's assignment on the back of that page. So that really throws a monkey wrench into my idea to put a week's worth of written work in the binder at a time, separated by days.

 

You would think that they could follow a note that says, "When you're done, file this page under Day 2 so you can do the back tomorrow" but, sadly, I have my doubts...:001_rolleyes: Especially if it's several pages every day that need to move to the next day. Handwriting pages would be like this, Geography would be I think, Spelling might be, too... :glare: I can see the shuffling of the papers would get confusing & messed up real fast.

 

Has anyone else run into this issue? How did you fix it?

[three4me]

Could you file them in the binder by subject instead by day? For DD (K) we have phonics, math, and handwriting as separate dividers, then about two weeks worth of work behind each divider for the subject. So when she's working she starts with the first divider and does whatever is next behind that, then moves on to the next divider and does the next assignment, etc.

[campmom]

That is how I have mine also, I tell them to do the next page, or I put a little sticky tab on the pages I want them to do that day. When all of those pages are done I move them to a different binder(for finished work) and reload with new pages for the next couple of weeks. This has really made them more independent for some subjects and they like it.

[nukeswife]

When I used binders I found with pages like that it was a matter of me staying on top of checking and grading work. They would to the pages assigned and put them back in the binder, then they would hand in the binder at the end of the day and I would check things over, make notes of anything I needed to go over or discuss with them and move the pages to the next days area of the binder.

[CatholicMom]

Could you file them in the binder by subject instead by day? For DD (K) we have phonics, math, and handwriting as separate dividers, then about two weeks worth of work behind each divider for the subject. So when she's working she starts with the first divider and does whatever is next behind that, then moves on to the next divider and does the next assignment, etc.

 

Hmmm, true. I could even write which "Day" each assignment is on the assignment, so we make sure we stay on track. That way they turn to the next unfinished assignment behind the "Spelling" tab and see that, sure enough, it says Day 12 which is what they are on. hm.

 

I'll have to think about it.

 

Another dumb question: Is it too cumbersome to leave the pages in the binder while they are doing their work? I'm also afraid of loose pages as they are terrible about "doing their work" and just leaving it wherever they finished it. I need order, I tell you. :tongue_smilie:

 

I know I'm being a bit OCD about this but I can't stand to try another thing to help us organize that is just a pain in the butt and a waste of time.

[2squared]

We tried binders this year, but they are just too clunky to be efficient. They drove all of us nuts.

 

Instead we fell in love with these binder pockets. We use them for daily work. Each person has their own color (including me), and their daily checklist along with any daily work is placed into the pocket.

 

Pros:

*Plastic so they don't break or tear

*Colored so they are easy to find and identify

*See-through so daily checklists are easy to follow

*Slim so they are not clunky and are easy to carry

*Filable in a binder if you wanted/needed

*Work is easy to review since it is easy to access

[JudoMom]

Hmmm, true. I could even write which "Day" each assignment is on the assignment, so we make sure we stay on track. That way they turn to the next unfinished assignment behind the "Spelling" tab and see that, sure enough, it says Day 12 which is what they are on. hm.

 

I'll have to think about it.

 

Another dumb question: Is it too cumbersome to leave the pages in the binder while they are doing their work? I'm also afraid of loose pages as they are terrible about "doing their work" and just leaving it wherever they finished it. I need order, I tell you. :tongue_smilie:

 

I know I'm being a bit OCD about this but I can't stand to try another thing to help us organize that is just a pain in the butt and a waste of time.

 

I've been using binders for 3 or 4 years now. It works well for our family.

 

I put pages in the binder by subject. In previous years, if they had multiple books/subject (like Saxon and Daily Word Problems for math), I filed by book. We used these tabs for two years and they held up really well. I liked them--since I filed by book, I was easily able to change the names of the tabs when needed, and they held up really well. We used these binders until this year. They worked really well, though we switched to 1.5 inch Better Binders this year because they take up less space.

 

I use Homeschool Tracker Plus, so my boys each get assignment printouts. This makes it easy for them (if they take the time to read what they're supposed to do and it did take them a bit to actually read what they're supposed to do) to know what work to complete.

 

They leave their work in their binders until the end of the day (some boys pull it out while they're working on it, but then they put it back or they put it in their folder for grading). At the end of the day they place their completed work in a two pocket folder--1 pocket is labeled "to be graded" and the other pocket is labeled "to correct". They have a designated spot to place their folder. I tell them they're not done for the day until this step is completed, which means their folders are actually turned in about 70% of the time. After I check their work, I either put it in the "to correct" pocket (often with a sticky note attached to see me about it), throw it away, or put it in their yearly to save file.

 

For two sided worksheets where they only do one side/day, they know to just place it in the folder when it's completed.

 

I'm really happy with the binder system, and so are my boys. I ask them every year if they want to try something different, but this is what they like. It has taken some time to form habits, but it's been worth it. A nice bonus of this system is that it's pretty portable, which was great if you need to take school to a doctor's waiting room or something. Especially for the younger boys--they just really need their binder and they'll have something to do (the older boys need a text book or two).