kristi26 Posted June 2, 2015 Share Posted June 2, 2015 Has anyone just used the $0.15 back-to-school-special notebooks for most of their schoolwork before? Or like the composition books? I have this idea that we could do Ambleside this year with lots of SCM narration ideas thrown in for good measure...I want to give the kids these composition books and have them fill them up, one for each subject. They'd date it, add the book information to the top, and then do some work related to the book they read right there in the composition book. Do you think it would work? Does anyone have any visual examples of this that they could share with me? I'd really like to see that someone else has done it and HOW so that I can make it work! Thanks! 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mathmarm Posted June 2, 2015 Share Posted June 2, 2015 It can definitely work. Thats what we did for most of my childhood and its what I did when I was in college. I'll have to add examples later. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KeriJ Posted June 2, 2015 Share Posted June 2, 2015 Even simpler, is to use 1 for all subjects. It was easier for us to keep track of. We fill them, then get a new one. They put a date and the title of the subject at the top of each page. It's rewarding to flip through and see grammar exercises, narrations, sketches, outlines etc. It really simplified life for me! 12 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KeriJ Posted June 2, 2015 Share Posted June 2, 2015 This is also what Beautiful Feet does for their history plans. They have the student use a composition book and fill it with narrations, maps, homemade glossaries, etc. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FO4UR Posted June 2, 2015 Share Posted June 2, 2015 Yes, it can work. It can work very well. One caveat: The super cheap spiral notebooks are SUPER cheap. The metal spiral comes all bent out of shape and then becomes a sharp object that draws blood. I bought several Five Start notebooks that have a covering over the spiral, and I really like those. Mine are similar to these. Those are quite a bit more than .25, but they last. Your kids are going to be putting beautiful and amazing thoughts into these notebooks. They need to last! Mine even have blank calendar pages in the front, so I use them for planning different things as well. I found mine on sale at Staples last year for about $4. I've made a few notebooks and set them up at Lulu.com I'm making a few more before fall. I like this option b/c they are professionally done, and the kids have a reverence for a shiny cover. The plastic spiral is much more durable, the paper is nice and thick, and I won't lose the file when the next child is ready for the notebook. The biggie is that these notebooks are outlined for specific chapters/topics to narrate...so I can remain true to my CM roots and still cover all bases without going insane daily trying to remember who should be doing what. Essentially, it's open-and-go. Essentially, I don't have to be daily organized and responsible to run a decent homeschool...which is good b/c most school days I am doing well to make it 'till dinner. Some things I like to print at home. I have come up with a hair-brained idea based on the Five Star notebooks I like so well. I'm going to try taking book rings, and use my 3-hole punch on cardboard to make durable covers. Cover the cardboard in a pretty fabric, keeping the front and back cover attached via the fabric....so the rings will be hidden inside. I am not sure this will work. My book rings should be here Thursday...so TBA. One notebook for each subject...I agree...and if you have multiple books/resources for one subject, you can organize similar to the Bullet Journal that was all the craze a short while ago. Make the first page(s) a TOC, and then number the pages. Use sticky tabs. Book 1 is blue, book 2 is yellow, exercises are pink... 5 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chelli Posted June 2, 2015 Share Posted June 2, 2015 We are using one notebook for all of our content subjects this year so as the kids flip through it they have stuff from history, science, and geography in it. It has made notebooking, narrations, etc. super simple and the kids have had to be more creative. I even let them glue lapbook pieces or notebooking pages into their books so it's really turned into a year long keepsake. My dh was flipping through them just the other day and told me that I should never get rid of them because they are really great. Here's some pictures of some of the history pages my girls did when we studied Ancient Egypt. My 5th grader: https://www.facebook.com/ThePlantedTrees/photos/pb.351834678235200.-2207520000.1433281695./818461018239228/?type=3&theater My 2nd grader: https://www.facebook.com/ThePlantedTrees/photos/pb.351834678235200.-2207520000.1433281695./818460991572564/?type=3&theater 17 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FO4UR Posted June 2, 2015 Share Posted June 2, 2015 We are using one notebook for all of our content subjects this year so as the kids flip through it they have stuff from history, science, and geography in it. It has made notebooking, narrations, etc. super simple and the kids have had to be more creative. I even let them glue lapbook pieces or notebooking pages into their books so it's really turned into a year long keepsake. My dh was flipping through them just the other day and told me that I should never get rid of them because they are really great. Here's some pictures of some of the history pages my girls did when we studied Ancient Egypt. My 5th grader: https://www.facebook.com/ThePlantedTrees/photos/pb.351834678235200.-2207520000.1433281695./818461018239228/?type=3&theater My 2nd grader: https://www.facebook.com/ThePlantedTrees/photos/pb.351834678235200.-2207520000.1433281695./818460991572564/?type=3&theater Those are wonderful drawings & narrations! Do you organize the notebook at all, or do you just do the next page? 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Farrar Posted June 2, 2015 Share Posted June 2, 2015 We used to do one comp book for everything, but now we do one for math and one for everything else. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kiwik Posted June 2, 2015 Share Posted June 2, 2015 It can definitely work. Thats what we did for most of my childhood and its what I did when I was in college. I'll have to add examples later. That is what we did at school and what my kids do too. At high school they liked looseleaf but I went back to books for university. I found if I wrote questions out and stuck hand outs in I had a better study resource at the end of the year. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hunter Posted June 2, 2015 Share Posted June 2, 2015 I tend to just use one notebook. I like the plastic cover composition books from Staples. http://t.staples.com/Staples-reg-Poly-Composition-Notebook-Wide-Ruled-Assorted/product_421175 I tend to be a bit more Waldorfy than CM, so I often have things for students to copy. And when students write their own thing, it's very lax. It's often just, "Write and draw about whatever you want". 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SilverMoon Posted June 2, 2015 Share Posted June 2, 2015 Yes! We have about 95% more success with plain ole notebooks than shmancy notebooking pages. The $.15 - .17 ones even. I probably bought well over 30 last year, and we're down to about ten left. The metal spiral may not be all that, but we use them up fast enough it hasn't been a concern. 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chelli Posted June 2, 2015 Share Posted June 2, 2015 Those are wonderful drawings & narrations! Do you organize the notebook at all, or do you just do the next page? No organization. We just do the next page. They love to flip through them and remember things they've learned. Also what they narrate and draw is totally up to them. I usually give suggestions of things that I think are important for them to remember and would like them to narrate and journal about. Sometimes they listen to me and sometimes they do their own thing. The two notebook pages I linked to were ones that they each wanted to write about. I tried to steer them in a different direction, but they were adamant they needed to write about the Nile flood. We are using Beautiful Feet Ancient History so there are notebooking suggestions in the guide which we sometimes use and sometimes don't. For science we are doing chemistry so lots of drawings of atoms, states of matter, experiments, etc. followed this section on Egypt. I kind of drew my inspiration from Waldorf's meeting books. We aren't doing it exactly like a Waldorf book, but I wanted the same kind of feel of having a year of our learning at the end. As for the narrations, my fifth grader does her own written narrations, but my second grader narrates to me, then copies it in her book. Honestly, this system has been our best year yet as far as retention and enjoyment goes. They love being turned loose to make a book all their own! HTH. 7 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jess4879 Posted June 2, 2015 Share Posted June 2, 2015 We have a notebook for spelling, writing, math (oldest DD), science & copywork. I buy them when they are cheap and I file them with that years school stuff, even if there are empty pages. It's a bit wasteful (hanging head in shame) but I like to keep the years work all together and nice and neat in the notebook. We have multiple varieties. Some have "cool" covers, others are split pages so the kids can draw on the upper part and write on the lower, etc. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chelli Posted June 3, 2015 Share Posted June 3, 2015 We've been using composition books more, but I plan to use spirals next year because the kids don't like writing on the left side of the comp book. They find that side awkward to write on and I've found they often skip that page. I think (hope) spirals will prevent that. Love the idea of just using one notebook. I found these plastic composition covers at Walmart for $.50 each. They are nice if you do plan to use multiple and want to insert different covers to easily differentiate. I glued scrapbook paper and laminated before. They were cute, but this is so much easier! I found hardback composition books this year for just a bit more than the regular ones. The hardback ones do lay flat and make it much easier to write. Just FYI. And I like those covers! 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kristi26 Posted June 3, 2015 Author Share Posted June 3, 2015 Wow, you all are great! Thanks. I'm torn between a separate book for each subject and just using one until it's full...we could do one for all in a different color for each kid...they could decorate the cover and include dates within that book...a TOC that lists included books maybe. Keep the ideas coming! This is all really helpful! :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scoutingmom Posted June 3, 2015 Share Posted June 3, 2015 We've been using composition books more, but I plan to use spirals next year because the kids don't like writing on the left side of the comp book. They find that side awkward to write on and I've found they often skip that page. I think (hope) spirals will prevent that. Love the idea of just using one notebook. I found these plastic composition covers at Walmart for $.50 each. They are nice if you do plan to use multiple and want to insert different covers to easily differentiate. I glued scrapbook paper and laminated before. They were cute, but this is so much easier! I was taught/trained in school to only write on the right side of the paper. If you write on both sides, it gets harder to read because you can see a bit through the paper...... so, that is what I do and teach my kids to do, although my lefties can choose to just write on the left side only... 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheAutumnOak Posted June 3, 2015 Share Posted June 3, 2015 Wow, you all are great! Thanks. I'm torn between a separate book for each subject and just using one until it's full...we could do one for all in a different color for each kid...they could decorate the cover and include dates within that book...a TOC that lists included books maybe. Keep the ideas coming! This is all really helpful! :) We use the plain notebooks and color code by kid...My oldest has all navy blue books, my middle son has all red books, and my youngest has all yellow books...We know right away who a book belongs to...I buy pretty, decorative ones for myself :-) 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
arliemaria Posted June 3, 2015 Share Posted June 3, 2015 What a great thread before all these notebooks go on sale. Our science and bible are currently done on white copy paper and then three hole punched. These are mostly for his illustrated narrations. I like the single sheet and placing it in a binder because he draws many things and this allows me to choose only his best for the notebook. Once he is writing more I think these notebooks will be much easier to manage, however. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MerryAtHope Posted June 3, 2015 Share Posted June 3, 2015 Absolutely. We don't use a lot of workbooks. We use notebooks for: history notes science homework (questions, reviews, equations, lab notes to prep for lab reports) science fair journals math scratch paper writing notes (one of my kids also does rough drafts in a notebook. The other does them orally on the kindle and then transfers to the computer) literature notes study guide answers for any subject etc.... I generally pick up the 10 cent folder & 10 cent notebooks in matching color and assign each color to a subject. I print off labels for them as well. Easy and functional. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kristi26 Posted June 3, 2015 Author Share Posted June 3, 2015 We use the plain notebooks and color code by kid...My oldest has all navy blue books, my middle son has all red books, and my youngest has all yellow books...We know right away who a book belongs to...I buy pretty, decorative ones for myself :-)Yes, this is precisely what I was thinking of doing. I already buy according to our color code for them, but if we are doing the bulk of our work in notebooks or composition books, I'll need more of them per kid. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kristi26 Posted June 3, 2015 Author Share Posted June 3, 2015 We use the plain notebooks and color code by kid...My oldest has all navy blue books, my middle son has all red books, and my youngest has all yellow books...We know right away who a book belongs to...I buy pretty, decorative ones for myself :-)Yes, this is precisely what I was thinking of doing. I already buy according to our color code for them, but if we are doing the bulk of our work in notebooks or composition books, I'll need more of them per kid. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Holly Posted June 3, 2015 Share Posted June 3, 2015 This link shows how to make a Book of Centuries with a regular notebook: http://www.charlottemasonhelp.com/2009/07/how-and-when-to-begin-book-of-centuries.html I think that's what we'll be doing next year. My FIL just gave us a big box of composition notebooks! In the past, we've used the notebooks for most subjects including grammar, writing, art, science, etc. We use graph paper for math, but you can also use the regular paper turned sideways (to give them colums for lining up their place values). 7 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
arliemaria Posted June 3, 2015 Share Posted June 3, 2015 This link shows how to make a Book of Centuries with a regular notebook: http://www.charlottemasonhelp.com/2009/07/how-and-when-to-begin-book-of-centuries.html I think that's what we'll be doing next year. My FIL just gave us a big box of composition notebooks! In the past, we've used the notebooks for most subjects including grammar, writing, art, science, etc. We use graph paper for math, but you can also use the regular paper turned sideways (to give them colums for lining up their place values). Thanks for posting! After looking at all the super expensive book of centuries that are available this is a breath of fresh air. I have been debating starting a family one and then later when Robby is 5th grade having him keep his own. If I do start one for the family, which I would keep, I am certain I will model it after the inexpensive composition notebook example. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mrs. Y Posted June 3, 2015 Share Posted June 3, 2015 This has been such a useful, practical thread. Thank you! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scbusf Posted June 3, 2015 Share Posted June 3, 2015 Finally, I read a great thread BEFORE the item goes on sale! 6 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kristi26 Posted June 3, 2015 Author Share Posted June 3, 2015 This link shows how to make a Book of Centuries with a regular notebook: http://www.charlottemasonhelp.com/2009/07/how-and-when-to-begin-book-of-centuries.html I think that's what we'll be doing next year. My FIL just gave us a big box of composition notebooks! In the past, we've used the notebooks for most subjects including grammar, writing, art, science, etc. We use graph paper for math, but you can also use the regular paper turned sideways (to give them colums for lining up their place values). Oh, I love this idea! Thanks for sharing it!! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stm4him Posted June 3, 2015 Share Posted June 3, 2015 I have loved using just a simple, cheap composition book for each child for everything. The only other workbook they will have is for music theory. If I were to make one change it might be that I would use a different one for math and everything else in the other one. The one problem I had was trying to figure out how to put their art in their too because I require one drawing every day but I didn't want them to have to draw on lined paper so I bought large blank, white index cards and they draw on that and then I tape all the sides down neatly into their notebook each day. Sometimes they want to draw on something larger so I keep that in one folder that shows any loose work they have done, but there is very little compared to previous years because almost everything goes in their composition book. The paper clutter in our house is GREATLY reduced and it will be so nice to just save their composition books and folders instead of workbooks bulky binders and such. If we end up putting math in a separate composition book I probably will toss that one and just record what math book they completed or worked on as a record in the other composition book. We do the best we can to color code whose is whose as well but sometimes I have trouble finding the color I want in the size I want (wide-ruled blue for example). When the school supplies go on sale this summer I will definitely stock up for next year (at least 2 per child, 4 if we do math in a different one) or I might just buy a whole box of them in various colors online......If I have to use black ones I will probably put some sort of colored label on it. I have some great links for composition books but it is in a different thread called Love it! Love it! Love it! or something like that. I am just starting my third composition book and I carry it around with me everywhere. It is my brain. I save them and I refer back to them at times for old ideas I had or notes from books I took or what have you. Each one lasts me about a year and is precious to me when I am done even if it looks like a bunch of worthless notes to others. I am going to try harder this time to make it more like a bullet journal with a TOC in the front and numbered pages, but we'll see if that lasts. 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stm4him Posted June 3, 2015 Share Posted June 3, 2015 Here are the links.... https://docs.google.com/document/d/1BfIltnMzWjx8gPZNwDAdpp1_bCmf61_QQgOfOjzCl_A/edit?usp=sharing 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Monica_in_Switzerland Posted June 3, 2015 Share Posted June 3, 2015 I just bought my son a 5 star 5 subject notebook. We've divided it up into English composition, Grammar (French and English), History (mix of two languages), Science (mix of two languages), and Literature Narrations (French). I have not had a loose school paper float through the house in two weeks!!!!!! Now, I need to figure out how to do this for my soon-to-be first grader, and I'll be in heaven. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dramorellis Posted June 3, 2015 Share Posted June 3, 2015 What a great thread! This is what we kinda started doing last year and I really liked it. We had one composition book for math, one for L/A and one for Latin. DS has all blue and DD has red. I really don't like the lines for math so I ordered some graphing paper notebooks for this coming year. We had a binder with loose leaf paper for history and science but I think I will just use a notebook instead. I got some Waldorf notebook that have a blank page next to a lined page but I didn't know what we would do with them. Now I know! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
abrightmom Posted June 3, 2015 Share Posted June 3, 2015 No organization. We just do the next page. They love to flip through them and remember things they've learned. Also what they narrate and draw is totally up to them. I usually give suggestions of things that I think are important for them to remember and would like them to narrate and journal about. Sometimes they listen to me and sometimes they do their own thing. The two notebook pages I linked to were ones that they each wanted to write about. I tried to steer them in a different direction, but they were adamant they needed to write about the Nile flood. We are using Beautiful Feet Ancient History so there are notebooking suggestions in the guide which we sometimes use and sometimes don't. For science we are doing chemistry so lots of drawings of atoms, states of matter, experiments, etc. followed this section on Egypt. I kind of drew my inspiration from Waldorf's meeting books. We aren't doing it exactly like a Waldorf book, but I wanted the same kind of feel of having a year of our learning at the end. As for the narrations, my fifth grader does her own written narrations, but my second grader narrates to me, then copies it in her book. Honestly, this system has been our best year yet as far as retention and enjoyment goes. They love being turned loose to make a book all their own! HTH. Chelli, This is a wonderful way to approach learning and I am inspired. I've always loved how BF does their notebooks ... So, if your child doesn't want to write or draw (or perhaps their effort is not up to a reasonable standard) I assume you'll assign something. Honestly, I think giving kids some ownership of their work within the boundaries set by Mom is an ideal way to pull creativity and effort from them. Sometimes the mindlessness that is required to just "do what the guide" says is deflating. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chelli Posted June 3, 2015 Share Posted June 3, 2015 Chelli, This is a wonderful way to approach learning and I am inspired. I've always loved how BF does their notebooks ... So, if your child doesn't want to write or draw (or perhaps their effort is not up to a reasonable standard) I assume you'll assign something. Honestly, I think giving kids some ownership of their work within the boundaries set by Mom is an ideal way to pull creativity and effort from them. Sometimes the mindlessness that is required to just "do what the guide" says is deflating. I started out trying to have them notebook every day, but it was too much. Now I have them notebook three days a week and the other two days they have to do an oral narration of some sort. For example, here's an oral narration my oldest did about Hammurabi. She wanted to do an interview and dress like him. https://www.facebook.com/ThePlantedTrees/videos/vb.351834678235200/808340362584627/?type=3&theater So it's not always in the notebooks and it's not always as elaborate as dressing up for an interview. Usually their oral narration is just the basic kind, but if they want to get creative with it, I don't stop them! They really are having a lot of fun this year! 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
arliemaria Posted June 3, 2015 Share Posted June 3, 2015 I just bought my son a 5 star 5 subject notebook. We've divided it up into English composition, Grammar (French and English), History (mix of two languages), Science (mix of two languages), and Literature Narrations (French). I have not had a loose school paper float through the house in two weeks!!!!!! Now, I need to figure out how to do this for my soon-to-be first grader, and I'll be in heaven. If you figure that out please post about it, because I have a soon to be first grader as well. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kristi26 Posted June 3, 2015 Author Share Posted June 3, 2015 I just bought my son a 5 star 5 subject notebook. We've divided it up into English composition, Grammar (French and English), History (mix of two languages), Science (mix of two languages), and Literature Narrations (French). I have not had a loose school paper float through the house in two weeks!!!!!! Now, I need to figure out how to do this for my soon-to-be first grader, and I'll be in heaven. If you figure that out please post about it, because I have a soon to be first grader as well. So I actually have an idea for my rising first grader. I'm planning on getting several of these for him: http://www.amazon.com/Mead-Primary-Journal-Creative-09554/dp/B00LT54P06/ref=sr_1_1?s=office-products&ie=UTF8&qid=1433358066&sr=1-1&keywords=mead+primary+journal This way there is space for copywork, pictures, etc throughout the book without the worry of tight lines that he can't possibly write in. ;) We have some that we've used in the past already so I know I like them. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
arliemaria Posted June 3, 2015 Share Posted June 3, 2015 I'm pretty sure I've seen those at Walmart during back to school sales before. Perhaps some of my local public schools require them so they are available then. What subjects do you think you will use these for? 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Farrar Posted June 3, 2015 Share Posted June 3, 2015 We have cute cloth covers for our comp books. You can buy them on etsy or make your own. They're pretty easy. Here's a slightly more complex tutorial for one: https://mypatchwork.wordpress.com/2009/11/18/notebook-cover-tutorial/ We like having them. Mushroom's has mustache fabric and big blue mustache applique and his math one has Day of the Dead skulls. 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SamanthaCarter Posted June 3, 2015 Share Posted June 3, 2015 Probably fine, but not cool for a lefty. I think the composition books are better, but out of kindness don't make your lefty deal with a spiral notebook. Notebooks bound at the top are kind. Just my PSA. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kristi26 Posted June 3, 2015 Author Share Posted June 3, 2015 I'm pretty sure I've seen those at Walmart during back to school sales before. Perhaps some of my local public schools require them so they are available then. What subjects do you think you will use these for? That's exactly where we've gotten them from actually. I've never paid $6 for one either. Lol. I'm not sure why they are so pricey on Amazon... I plan to use them for literature (pictures for narrations, copywork after he gives me an oral narration, maybe a sentence or two of his own); Science (we do Apologia so a picture and something interesting from his reading for the day); and History (again, more pictures and maybe an interesting fact or date or person). We will probably not use them for math (we'll see) and I know we'll just write in our EtC books as I have the workbooks here already. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lorisuewho Posted June 3, 2015 Share Posted June 3, 2015 We have cute cloth covers for our comp books. You can buy them on etsy or make your own. They're pretty easy. Here's a slightly more complex tutorial for one: https://mypatchwork.wordpress.com/2009/11/18/notebook-cover-tutorial/ We like having them. Mushroom's has mustache fabric and big blue mustache applique and his math one has Day of the Dead skulls. I LOVE this. How wonderful to have a special cover to slip over your personal notebook. It brings beauty and a personal touch to education. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stm4him Posted June 3, 2015 Share Posted June 3, 2015 The link I posted (which takes you to a google doc with several links), has a tutorial on how to dress up a regular cheap composition book with scrapbooking paper. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vonfirmath Posted June 3, 2015 Share Posted June 3, 2015 Probably fine, but not cool for a lefty. I think the composition books are better, but out of kindness don't make your lefty deal with a spiral notebook. Notebooks bound at the top are kind. Just my PSA. Would a spiral set up so the spiral is on the right be okay? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
happypamama Posted June 3, 2015 Share Posted June 3, 2015 Probably fine, but not cool for a lefty. I think the composition books are better, but out of kindness don't make your lefty deal with a spiral notebook. Notebooks bound at the top are kind. Just my PSA. I used my ProClick to bind pages on the opposite side to make notebooks for my little leftyboy (they have the printed pages that are half lines and half picture space). He was happy because he has notebooks that match the big kids' notebooks (I ProClicked their history maps, geography pages, math tests, etc. into little booklets.) I used spiral notebooks for math, spelling, and writing last year, one for each subject. I think I like the idea of having it all in one notebook, though. Fewer pages to chase around. I think I'll try that next year. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hisforhomeschooling Posted June 3, 2015 Share Posted June 3, 2015 Love this thread! I have found primary composition books with drawing space at our local dollar store, so check yours before paying more than $1 :) 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
birchbark Posted June 4, 2015 Share Posted June 4, 2015 The paper clutter in our house is GREATLY reduced and it will be so nice to just save their composition books and folders instead of workbooks bulky binders and such. Aaahh, now I see why comp books are so popular with many of you! I think I may see some in our future. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
againstthegrain Posted June 5, 2015 Share Posted June 5, 2015 After reading this thread I looked up what a ProClick is. Oh my, I think I need one of those!!! 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ewe Mama Posted June 5, 2015 Share Posted June 5, 2015 We use lots of composition notebooks. Currently, they are single subject: one for history, one for Latin, another for spelling, one for Bible, one for writing, and another for history. We use CLE for math and CtGE or CLE for LA, depending on the child, so don't have to worry about using notebooks for those subjects. I am contemplating how easy it would be to use a single composition book for everything. With something like Latin, wouldn't it be more difficult to refer back to a previous lesson when everything is combined? Flipping through the pages would probably provide some built-in review (which would be a bonus) but I could totally see some of my boys losing themselves in rereading previous lessons and forgetting what they were originally working on. For my kiddos, combining history, Bible, writing, science, and possibly dictation into a single notebook would probably work well. We often print notebooking pages, coloring pages, maps, etc. and glue them into the composition notebooks to make them more visually interesting. (The only thing Alvin draws are ball pythons and cowboys/soldiers with guns ablazin', so I have to keep him on track. :lol: ) Fabulous ideas, ladies! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mrs. Y Posted June 5, 2015 Share Posted June 5, 2015 I used my ProClick to bind pages on the opposite side to make notebooks for my little leftyboy (they have the printed pages that are half lines and half picture space). He was happy because he has notebooks that match the big kids' notebooks (I ProClicked their history maps, geography pages, math tests, etc. into little booklets.) I used spiral notebooks for math, spelling, and writing last year, one for each subject. I think I like the idea of having it all in one notebook, though. Fewer pages to chase around. I think I'll try that next year. There is simply no end to the possibilities with a Proclick and a laminator for making books! Fun, fun!! :thumbup: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gentlemommy Posted June 5, 2015 Share Posted June 5, 2015 I buy a three/five subject notebook with a plastic cover, and that becomes our notebook for the year. For early elementary it's usually math, spelling/phonics, and Copywork. As they get older I might add in a science and history/geography tab so they can write their narrations/definitions/copywork from those subjects. They all also have a half size hard backed journal. They do copywork, free writes, and drawing in there. I bought those at a Ross store for $3.99, more than I usually spend on a notebook, but they are pretty and the kids like that they are small. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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