Who here has abandoned notebooking?

[Ali in OR]

I'm looking at the 18" of shelf space being taken up by rarely-used notebooks and am seriously considering dropping most of it. I like the history notebook and will probably continue that, but we don't really use the science binder or the language arts binder. Actually we do lab sheets for science, but no written narrations, etc. Dd does her writing in a spiral notebook and that I will definitely keep, but we don't really need to keep handwriting pages, we don't write out spelling rules, and we tend to do R&S grammar on a white board or orally. Can I get rid of my 3" binders for science and language arts and reclaim that shelf space for the new books we got for Christmas? Or am I obviously failing miserably at properly providing a classical education for my dds?

[ummtafari]

How about using one notebook for everything with dividers? I don't have the room for binders for each subject either for all my children. Could that work for you?

 

Debra in VA

[mcconnellboys]

I keep most of the loose papers for a school year filed in one, three-inch binder. I put away everything at the end of the year in a big tub so I can find things when/if I need them again. Obviously, I don't have a lot of children and do have storage space out of my way for these tubs or I couldn't do this. I agree that I don't think you need to take up your shelf space long-term with lots of folders if they're not getting used for anything.

[Shasta Mom]

I abandoned it without starting..........

[G5052]

We do a lot of copywork and writing, but I've never done the extensive notebooking that WTM advocates. Make it work for you!

[JudoMom]

I tried it the first year, but it didn't work for us. Now I have a 1.5 inch binder with dividers for each boy. At the end of the year I pull out samples of work and store them in a 1 inch binder, and the rest goes in the trash. I would like to get this work spiral bound, but I haven't gotten around to it.

[Pongo]

I never really liked the idea, I am not a big fan of clunky binders anyways.

 

I have made an IEW Reference binder, Math Vocabulary binder and that is it.

I keep math tests, foreign language quizzes/tests, history assignments, science pages(if any) and I comb bind them for storage:)

[Christine]

I abandoned it without starting..........

 

:lol:

 

I keep most of the loose papers for a school year filed in one, three-inch binder.

 

Me too. Further, I don't necessarily keep these binders intact. I keep the pages the boys want and chuck the rest. (i.e. my oldest has one 3" binder with his last 5 years of saved work in it.)

 

I tried it the first year, but it didn't work for us.

 

My first set of boys (the current 16 & 14 yo) never "got" notebooking. So, it was abandoned rather quickly.

 

Of my second set, my youngest (5) LOVES notebooking, and while my 7 yo isn't so enthusiastic he wants the same stuff as his brother in his so he does it too. (Also, while the 7 yo doesn't like to do the work, he does like to show it off.)

 

Having the benefit of older children I can see where notebooking is good (wish I had pushed it more at times). But, at the same time, their education / knowledge / skills set seems "fine".

 

So, I would go with what works with you.

Edited December 31, 2008 by Christine

[Chris in VA]

I only notebooked history, and I saved all our Saxon workpages in a binder. We also do RandS, and I just didn't have dd write out rules.

We do have a nature notebook, but it's almost another kind of notebook--beautiful, not utilitarian (but useful).

I'm not sure if we will do the WTM way next year or not. Something to think about.

[HomesteadMommy]

Well with my K'er she has just 1 binder with everything in that. My older dd has a history binder and then a binder with dividers for everything else. Last year we had a separate binder for science but most of what we are doing this year is tied in with their unit studies. So I keep it all together. They like looking at it better this way.