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Bookswithtea
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| Posted: Sept 14 2009 at 3:48pm | IP Logged
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I can't decide whether I like the idea of notebooking or using main lesson books better. I like that with notebooking I can control the number of pages and the kind of paper that goes into it (depending on if its artwork that needs sketch paper, cardstock for something with glue, or regular paper for narrations).
But there is something beautiful about the main lesson books that seems sort of lost with a 3 ring binder, even when its decorated nicely.
If you use Main Lesson Books, do you just get another one when its all filled up? What do you do if they "mess up" and want to start over?
Whatever choice I make, they will be used with my dd's high school Serendipity Lit for the Young Lady plans. I am determined to make this first year of high school for her a truly beautiful one, even with the supplies that she is using.
What do you think? Help me decide, please?
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Blessings,
~Books
mothering ds'93 dd'97 dd'99 dd'02 ds'05 ds'07 and  due 9/10
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AndieF
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| Posted: Sept 14 2009 at 8:23pm | IP Logged
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I did Main Lesson books last year, and I'm doing Notebooks with 3 year binders this year. I wanted the freedom to be able to have different type of things - lined paper, unlined paper, page protectors, etc., so I decided to try binders. Well, I do like the flexibility, but I'm finding that things don't always make it to the binder, so we have to have an hour of "clean up" now and again. I've found that for the boys, the binders are a little too "fiddly". They just want to open the book, and do the assignment. Not decide what kind of paper, etc. Next year, we will probably go back to Main Lesson Books.
Andie, homeschooling mom to dd 9, dd 7, and ds 4, and homeschooling aunt to dnephew 10, and dnephew 8.
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ekbell
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| Posted: Sept 14 2009 at 8:32pm | IP Logged
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I use tanged report covers as they feel closer to regular notebooks but I can still select the appropriate kind of paper and swap out pages if necessary.
If you browse the business suppliers you can find some very nice tanged report covers or you can buy ones cheaply in any school supply store.
I've ended up with quite a few such 'notebooks'. I've needed to add distinctive patterns with marker and/or tape to the backs of report covers as I currently have around 25 of them in my homeschooling bookcase (and that doesn't include the ones packed away for later years or the ones with the Saint books....)
Another idea, would be to spend some time researching DIY book binding and plan on making your own book. That way you can have more choice over paper and size but it's still all nicely together.
I found at least one site which discussing DIY Main Lesson Books.
http://naturenest.wordpress.com/2009/01/19/giant-main-lesson -book-tutorial/
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Bookswithtea
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| Posted: Sept 15 2009 at 6:29am | IP Logged
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Hmmmmmmmmmm...still musing on this. I hadn't thought about making my own. I guess I could consider that.
I spent some time looking very closely at what I have planned and decided that maybe a combination of both would be the best idea. It did occur to me late last night that I can kind of count assignments and see how many pages we are likely to need for some of the projects.
I'm still kind of wondering what you do when a child messes up and wants to start over? 
I looked here and here last night, thinking some of these might be lovely. I am planning on covering the covers with Victorian Papers similar to these. I'm not sure if the ones from A Child's Dream could be covered. I can't tell from the picture/description how strong the covers are.
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Blessings,
~Books
mothering ds'93 dd'97 dd'99 dd'02 ds'05 ds'07 and due 9/10
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Paula in MN
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| Posted: Sept 15 2009 at 6:33am | IP Logged
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We do a combination of both. My dd10 likes to have all her narrations in one book, and then all the other projects she works on go into a 3 ring binder. They are both decorated...
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Paula
A Catholic Harvest
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Mimip
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| Posted: Sept 15 2009 at 9:50am | IP Logged
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We use a combination of three things that works for us:
1. 3 ring binders:
We use these for our long term projects in history and Science. The kids choose a cover page and we slip it into the front. Then I take my handy label maker and type out the subject and who's notebook it is and then stick that to the side. VERY easy to distinguish this way between notebooks. For example, our State study that we started last summer and will continue all this year is in one of these. We use card stock and I three hole punch the pages. Our Lively Language Lessons, Saint stories and coloring pages and Lewis and Clark notebooks are in these.
2. Duotang folders:
These are the folders with pocket and the fasteners down the middle. We use these for all sorts of things that I want bound after they are done with a page. For example, copywork. I take copywork from A LOT of resources but I usually input them into edhelper and get a sheet for them to copy or print out a notebooking page from my basics. The sheet goes in the pocket and when they are finished it gets 3 hole punched and placed into the middle of the folder.
I bought 3 roles of contact paper for each child. They choose the design and we cover the folder with the contact paper thus giving them their own specially designed folder that last forever (It's contact paper after all  )Each child has their own design because we found a HUGE selection at Big Lots 
3. Small bound notebooks
We have a ton of different ones from Miller Pads and Paper and from Bare books and just the other day came across some Martha Stewart craft books at Big Lots too. These are only used for something tangible for when we are going to finish something. Right now my kids are working on leaf and flower rubbings and they choose these books for that. These are also our Nature journals (we have one per term).
WOW that was the longest post I've ever done  Hope it helps, Books!
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In Christ,
Mimi
Wife of 16 years to Tom, Mom of DD'00, DD'02, '04(in heaven) DS'05, DS'08 and DS '12
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Bookswithtea
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| Posted: Sept 15 2009 at 11:22am | IP Logged
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Mimi, that Miller site has a lot of neat stuff! Thank so you so much for providing the link.
I have used duotang folders before to store units, both the cardboard and flexible plastic ones. I don't like how you lose the left hand side of the page and how difficult it is to turn each page, though, so I only use them after we are done with the project.
I'm more looking for options where we can use and store permanently. I really like that Bare Books has spiral options. I don't know if I will like the staples in the MLB options at A Child's Dream Come True. I did notice that Miller's has a few other options. Bare Books no longer carries their spirals with a 32 page option (I have a very old catalogue) but it looks like Millers has something similar.
I guess I'm going to have to think some more about the finished product.
How do you all like the finished look of your 3 ring notebooks compared to your MLB's? A big part of this for us is the beauty of the finished product.
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Blessings,
~Books
mothering ds'93 dd'97 dd'99 dd'02 ds'05 ds'07 and due 9/10
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ekbell
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| Posted: Sept 15 2009 at 5:03pm | IP Logged
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I'm still kind of wondering what you do when a child messes up and wants to start over?
Make a new page slightly smaller then the messed up page to paste over the messed up page?
If you didn't mind spending more money upfront you could investigate the Circa notebook, rollabind or Myndology systems. These are all means of binding a notebook in such a way as to be able to easily rearrange pages and still have them securely fastened have a nicely bound book while still being able to rearrange pages at whim (Circa and rollabind are interchangable). You could buy one of their (expensive  ) paperpunches and disc binders and make your own notebooks with easily rearranged papers.
[I'm still looking for a supplier of one of those systems which doesn't charge an arm and a leg to ship to Canada  ]
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4Real Forums : Living Learning
Topic: Notebooking supplies
