How do you use consumable workbooks?

[mamabear2three]

Do you let your kids write in them? Do you ask them to write in a notebook? Do you use a page protector and white board marker? 

[PuddleJumper1]

My  kids always wrote/write in workbooks/consumables. The only exception was a math workbook that simply didn't have enough space in some areas to work out problems. Long division I think. For those pages they wrote on paper. 

 

eta - more often than not we would take the pages out of the workbooks and keep them in binders. My kids really didn't like trying to work around the binding hump in larger workbooks. 

[HS Mom in NC]

It depends.  I use the 36 week hanging file folder system, so I have the spines cut off and either put the lessons into the weekly files if I don't want to use it again, or if I do want to use it again, I buy workbooks/study guides that can be legally copied. I have the spine cut off and have the whole thing 3 hole punched, copy them, then put the original in a 3 ring binder for future use.

[marbel]

We just wrote in them.  If there was explicit text that they could be copied for use within a family, I would use them.  But sometimes it was cheaper just to buy another copy of the workbook rather than photocopy the pages.  

[AMJ]

We just wrote in them.  If there was explicit text that they could be copied for use within a family, I would use them.  But sometimes it was cheaper just to buy another copy of the workbook rather than photocopy the pages.  

 

Hear hear!  I quickly figured out I hated messing with binders and sheets that tear, and that the small savings of buying the digital, printable book did not make up for the extra work printing them out.  I buy consumables for each kid that needs them, leave them bound (much harder for pages to go missing or get misfiled, and easier to store and find on the shelf), and let the kids write in them.  If we need more sheets of paper we use loose leaf and put those in a file folder on the shelf next to the books.

 

So far none of our consumable books have been all that thick, and the kids manage them fine.  But my kids are bigger kids (ages 11 and almost 14).  Smaller kids might have trouble with some consumable workbooks.

 

My kids also like seeing how little is left as we near the end of the school year, and one likes to work ahead sometimes.  I let her.

[momof4babes]

We just write in the books here.

 

I do take apart all of my bound books, and 3 hole punch them. Bindings drive me nuts, and I like having all of the workbooks in a single binder per child.

 

I recently bought soaring with spelling, and detest the top binding. I took it apart, and 3 hole punched it today.

[Farrar]

99% of the time, we just write in them.

 

Every once in awhile there's one that I have the kids sharing or that we're only going to use parts of together. But that's pretty rare. Mostly we write in them. The expense and hassle of doing anything else baffles me.

[BlessedMom]

We just write in the consumables.

[Desert Strawberry]

We usually write in them. Occasionally, we have a book that works better a different way. We do logic aloud together. Writing Strands uses a notebook. 

[prairiewindmomma]

We consume them.

 

Very early on in my homeschooling career, I broke apart a workbook that had "within family" rights, and put it in page protectors. It was time consuming, expensive for the protectors, and a pain in the bum to clean protectors daily.  

 

My time is WAY more valuable than that. 

[AdventuresinHomeschooling]

I use them as consumables. I buy extra student pages in books where I can, such as Peace Hill Press books, if I plan on reusing or selling a book. I don't like the idea of my kid doing math with a dry erase marker on a plastic protector, and I want to make it as easy as I can. When they get older, I may have them write certain things on notebook paper, such as the CAP writing books, but right now, I want to make it comfortable and easy for them so they can focus on the work...not me saving a few dollars.

[Junie]

It depends on how much writing in the book is required and the age of the child it is intended for.  Cost of the book and whether it is out of print is another factor.

 

Most consumables we write in.

 

Writing with Skill is a consumable that I don't let them write in.  Ds uses a notebook.

 

I have binders of copies of reproducible coloring pages and kindergarten-ish activities.  This way the kiddos can do the dot-to-dot or whatever as many times as they want.  (I am very mindful of copyright laws.)  Dd4 will often ask if she can have a topy to tolor (copy to color). :)

[mamabear2three]

thanks everyone! I had someone mention to me they used notebooks and page protectors and I was wondering how common that was - I also prefer to have my kids write directly in the consumables.

 

Makes me feel better to realize that I'm not missing something to save a couple dollars!

[Farrar]

You'll find that some people have elaborate methods - cut the spines off and rebind the workbooks, pull the pages out and have them filed into binders with other work, make all the kids use them with page protectors and wet erase markers... And if that works for you, then, hey, great, do it. But most people are just using the workbooks as workbooks.

[Ellie]

Of course I let the children write in them. I either tear out the pages if they're perforated, or I cut the spine off, drill the pages for three holes, and file it in a three-ring notebook, so that the dc remove each page, do the lesson, then put it back in the notebook.

[Brit29]

I have a lefty, so usually I make a copy or cut out the binding to make it easier to write in. I encourage, but don't force, DD to copy her math problems onto paper because it's good practice for her reversals. 

[Targhee]

We consume them.

 

I used to use page protectors, but it was a pain and then I didn't always use the same curriculum for the next kid. Writing in a notebook was somehow harder for them.

[Mimm]

We just consume them. I don't remind rebuying them. But I don't have a dozen kids either. But at the same time, if I did, I can't imagine it'd be in very good shape after a few kids. Plus, I think it helps them to be excited to get something new every year, even if all their books aren't new.

 

ETA: Oh and asking them to find their workbook AND a pencil is hard enough. Add in a notebook and we'd never get anything done. ;)

[AnnE-girl]

Most of them are just written in, but Latin I have DS use a notebook. He has a separate notebook that he uses for practicing spelling words and spelling tests that does double duty for Latin.

[Wabi Sabi]

I mostly just use them as workbooks. But, on occasion, I have paid a couple bucks to have the binding removed at the office supply store, then taken them home and run them through our home copier. With a copier that has an auto feed tray, cheap generic toner and auto duplex it really isn't too time consuming or difficult, but I only bother when it's a more expensive workbook. Generally speaking though, especially with inexpensive workbooks, I just buy new ones or when possible, I buy them in PDF form instead of a hard copy. 

[PamJBA]

I've made copies because DD will spend every 4th week with her father in another state. If something gets lost or destroyed I want to have a backup. I will also limit the subjects covered for that 4th week to avoid the need for traveling reference books. I have the digital copies of most of my curriculum for this reason, but I have no problem taking books apart to copy work pages at home.

[J&JMom]

We write in them. I use a small post it to mark the page they are on. If it is as the top of the page that means it is assigned. When they finish they move the post it to the side. Therefore, I can tell at glance if their workbook assignments are complete and prevents wasting time flipping for the pages. I can't imagine handling all that paper so I leave the workbooks intact.

[wintermom]

Hard copy consumables we "consume" and write in. Electronic workbooks I print off enough copies for the kids doing the program. 

 

Workbooks we "borrow" or share with others, I make photocopies. (don't rat me out to the copyright police, please!) We only do this one a decade.

[Excelsior! Academy]

We just wrote in them.  If there was explicit text that they could be copied for use within a family, I would use them.  But sometimes it was cheaper just to buy another copy of the workbook rather than photocopy the pages.  

 

This.  

 

I abhor 3 ring binders and avoid them like the plague when possible.  We keep the workbooks as is and write in them.

[SnMomof7]

We have been consuming them. We did a bit of the report cover/dry erase thing in two subjects for littles. In those subjects I made the olders use separate notebooks for a couple of years. Most books were consumed. Now that we've been using the same programs for three years, going on four this fall, we are trying something different. Since we now have seven children (at least), we're investing in lamination and coil binding. We are doing it ourselves, it's a bit of an investment up front, but we should save a bundle in the long run.

[Mama2boys1girl]

Well, I guess I'm the weird one...

I actually cut down one side of a heavy duty page protector and slip it over the workbook page so my kids can use dry erase markers.

This method started with the DEL workbooks because, at the time, I thought they were rather expensive for a workbook for a preschooler. I've continued doing it for ETC workbooks because I use these for my tutoring clients as well. I also do this for Miquon.

However, I don't do this with Singapore because the child needs to be able to write rather small and I wanted a permanent record of math instruction. :)

[Heidi]

Expensive ones that I'm going to pass down, I mark in permanent marker on the front to not write in them, and I have my kids write in notebooks.

[EKT]

We always tear out the consumable pages; my children just write directly on the pages. (We only have two children, so it's not a huge hit financially to re-buy what's necessary. If I had several children, though, I would probably do things another way in order to save money.) Anyway, in our house, once the work on the consumable sheet is complete, it goes into a clear plastic sleeve which then gets filed into the appropriate section in that child's master binder. (So, each child has a huge binder with a divider for each subject--i.e., one divider for math, one for FLL, one for cursive, one for WWE, one for science, etc., etc.) I find investing in a huge pack of the clear plastic sleeves (you can easily find an economy box of bulk plastic binder sleeves on Amazon) makes all the difference. Then you don't have to punch any holes and nothing gets ripped out or lost. This system is also nice because then I just take the master binder to my homeschool review each semester and I have everything all ready to go, all in one place. 

[scbusf]

I tear all the pages out and re-bind with my Proclick. I'm a tad obsessed with books laying flat.

 

I tried tearing the pages out and just giving out the page that needed to be done. But then pages got mixed up and I never knew where anything belonged.

[Holly]

For inexpensive phonics books, they write in them.  For math, we use page protectors with a dry erase marker for the lower levels and switch over to graph paper once they get to more complicated problems.  I love programs that are PDFs so I can print just the pages I need.  I have a cursive handwriting book that I've been photocopying since it's $15 or so...It's been OKed to copy for family use.  

[Suzanne in ABQ]

We have always just consumed them.  The only exceptions I can think of are Mindbenders and a dictionary practice workbook that was already discontinued when I bought it for eldest dd.  I photocopied that one until I got to the youngest, then just let her use it up.  

 

In most cases, it is worth the time an money to buy workbooks, rather than taking the time and paper/toner/printer life to make copies.

[aprilleigh]

Since I only have the one child I just have him write in them. I do scan the pages before he uses them.

 

It's usually not worth it to plan to routinely reprint every workbook page on the off-chance there might be a second child down the road because it's usually cheaper to just buy a new copy, but it works out nice for some books where a new copy would cost at least twice what the number of pages that might need to be reprinted would cost.

 

A good example would be the SotW activity books. We don't use a lot of the student pages so it's generally cheaper to plan to reprint them as needed than to purchase a second set of student pages (we rarely use anything beyond the coloring and map pages because history is not a favorite for DS). Plus, some of the coloring pages are really good, and DS likes to recolor one on occasion.

 

A good example of a book that isn't worth it is the FLL workbooks, or the WWE workbooks. We use all the pages, and reprinting them, even at home, would not be worthwhile. I scan them before DS uses them mostly in the event I might have to reprint one if he makes a big, messy mistake that doesn't erase well. I think I've had to print off a new copy of a page about 4 times total.

 

Generally, I remove the bindings and scan the students pages in the beginning. This is useful in two ways: 1) I don't forget to do it and find myself in a position where I need a clean copy of something and can't provide one, and 2) I can either place the pages in a subject binder or sort them into weekly folders, depending on the needs of the subject. Math goes in a subject binder because our pace through that material is completely dependent on DS' ability to understand and internalize the concepts. Writing, grammar, and history are scheduled weekly and go in the folders. Most of his other subject don't have workbooks, or the workbooks don't lend themselves well to either method.