Notebooking
Dateline: May 26, 2006
By Dana Sorrell, homeschooling mom to 3, in Kentucky.
Notebooking is like Scrapbooking
I became fascinated with notebooking a few months ago. According
to what I read from the internet, it was kind of like scrapbooking.
Okay, I wanted to know more! I've found that notebooking varies
greatly from one family to another, depending on how much the
kids want to put into it and how much money you spend. I think
most people go out and get some of those white binder notebooks
with the pocket on the front to make your own cover and slide
it down inside. Some people buy sheet protectors and use them
for every page and some just punch holes in the papers and put
them in the binders. I've also bought small scrapbooks from the
dollar store and used those for short subjects. Some people even
use cheap spiral notebooks. Some folks go all out and make covers
and have the notebook pages actually bound into books.
Using Notebooks for Every Subject
Notebooks can be used for every subject, even math, I've learned
recently. A preschooler can start with an ABC notebook, start
by writing one letter at the top of every page and drawing or
pasting pictures that start with that object in the book. A fourth
grader might be working on a history notebook that is a actually
a time line with 100 years on every page, with drawings, photos,
pockets with tiny little mini-books in them, pictures from the
museum you visited about that era, drawings depicting events
or even fashion of that time, short written explanations of the
period or copywork that might be a quote from that time. A geography
book would definitely have maps, reports about that country,
any crafts that you can press flat and get in there or pictures
of the larger crafts. A math notebook might have illustrated
math word problems, "Johnny has 4 apples ... " and
detailed notes on how to work each type of problem or contain
graphs and number lines. Spelling notebooks might list the spelling
words, with definitions, drawings, stickers, coloring pages or
even photos. They can be as plain as a pencil drawing with a
few words (as in my older son's notebooks) or as fancy as any
scrapbook you've seen with paper cut outs, photos, borders, popups.
There is no limit to the amount of creativitiy you can put into
them. They can be pages made on a computer or by hand. They can
have a lot of writing or be mainly illustrations or photos with
captions. They can be journals. They can be photo albums of large
projects.
Individualizing Notebooks
I think notebooks are outlets for all of the different types
of creativity because it is such an open-ended activity. For
example, I asked my children to make a notebook page about each
book we read this year. They pages were so different. My older
son prefered to write about the story and draw a picture or two.
My daughter wanted a lot of cutting and pasting, very little
writing, but beautiful illustrations. My younger son does not
like to write and prefered to do his on the computer. All of
the pages told the story as the kids remembered it. My kids were
resistant at first to the idea, I think because it was so open-ended.
They like me to be more specific in helping them get started
sometimes, so sometimes I tell them things like "Draw your
favorite scene from the book" or "Show what happened
at the end" or something like that, just to get them started.
Often, I like to make my own page while they're working on theirs.
Hey, mom likes cutting and pasting too!
A Treasure to Save
The notebooks end up being a record of what the child has
learned. They can go back and look at them and remember. After
the year is over, the notebook can be kept just as it is or the
pages can be put in an envelope and stored while the binder itself
is reused for the next year's projects!
Websites to Help Get Started Notebooking
Several web sites now offer printable notebooking pages to
help you get started. They frequently have different boxes, borders
and drawings on them, to help jump-start your creativity. Do
a search on notebooking and you'll find some good resources to
help you get started.
Everything
You Need To Begin Notebooking E-Book Set
Cindy Rushton, who has become known as The Binder Queen, uses
Notebooking for every subject in her homeschool. She will show
you how to begin whether your child is a toddler or the most
skeptical high schooler.
Fueling
the Fire with Notebooks
A notebook is a three ring binder. You can purchase any size
that you want. One of the biggest benefits to notebooks is the
children learn the JOY of finding out information and developing
a love of learning. As we have discussed earlier, each child
has been created in a unique way by a creator who knows what
He is doing. By Terri Camp.
Notebooking
Pages
Homeschool mom Debra offers both free & affordable notebooking
pages plus a variety of other homeschooling helps & ideas.
Moms are always very thankful in their responses to the offerings
at the site.
Notebooking
Pages
Here you will find our free, printable notebooking pages. Simply print the pages you want, with lines sized appropriately for your child's age, then use them in folders and notebooks for seasonal journaling, unit study writing, or for slightly spiffy essays.
Notebooking
Yahoo Group for Homeschoolers
Whether you have been notebooking for years (and have binders
in every room of your house!), or are just interested in starting,
this is the place for you. Ask questions, share resources, pass
along favorite tips and ideas, and of course, let us know what
notebooks you are working on!
You may contact Dana at .
|
