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Eleanor
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| Posted: July 06 2010 at 2:02am | IP Logged
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Due to my frustration in dealing with mounting stacks of partially-finished workbooks  , and the fact that siblings often like to join in on each others' lessons, we've mostly switched over to reproducible materials. These include:
- entire photocopiable curricula in books and binders;
- various activity books for enrichment (or, as the less charitable might call it, "busywork"  );
- assorted files on the computer and on CD, including Montessori materials, out-of-copyright books, and black-line masters for math, geography, etc.
- mostly non-reproducible books (such as teacher's manuals, craft books, etc.) that have a few reproducible pages hidden inside... often very useful ones!
Of course, this brings the additional challenge of keeping track of all these resources, so that we can make good use of them. Right now, it's kind of hit and miss, especially for the latter two categories. I'd appreciate any suggestions.
On a related note, I'm also in search of recommendations for a copier. We're currently using this cheapie Lexmark all-in-one printer, which I chose because it's relatively toddler-proof (if you store it so that the side with the buttons is up against the wall). It works fairly well, but it tends to be extremely slow. The little ones can color in pages faster than I can produce them!  And it doesn't seem to have any sort of memory capabilities, so if I want to make, say, 3 copies from a bound book, I have to stand there holding the book the whole time.
Something with a reasonably fast copy speed, an ADF ( = automatic document feeder), and duplex printing ( = prints on both sides of the paper) would be a very welcome improvement. Especially if it's sparing with the ink... and is Mac compatible. Maybe I'm asking for too much, but why not dream big!?
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Becky Parker
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| Posted: July 06 2010 at 6:09am | IP Logged
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Hi Eleanor,
I know how you feel about partially completed workbooks! We don't use many workbooks but the ones we do never seem to get completely completed (some not even close) and I feel like it's such a waste of money and paper!
I think, if I had more time , I would set up a file system. I would use hanging files divided by grade level and then in each hanging file I would have file folders for each subject. When I printed something off from the internet I would make one extra and put it directly into the file. I might also attach an index card to the outside of each file where I could record internet links to other helpful print outs.
If I had a book of reproducables, all for one subject, I would put the whole book into the file folder. If it was for various subjects I would tear it apart and put the various pages where they go.
So that's what I would do... if I had more time. Now that you bring it up, maybe I will make time for something like this. I have books of reproducibles and tons of sites bookmarked on my computer that I just forget about.  They seem like just the thing I need when I purchase or bookmark them, but they get lost in the shuffle.
I'm no help regarding a printer. We have an HP that seems to work fairly well but the buttons are all right on top and the 2yo makes copies of nothing on a regular basis! 
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Becky
Wife to Wes, Mom to 6 wonderful kids on Earth and 4 in Heaven!
Academy Of The Good Shepherd
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TxTrish
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| Posted: July 06 2010 at 9:49am | IP Logged
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I feel bad about throwing out 1/2 used workbooks, too. And I love all the accessories of teaching!
And, this is a struggle I completely understand.
I am very organized, and
I do have a filing system for all this stuff, that works really well (it is two full four drawer file cabinets)- and allows me to locate what I am looking for - that is key to making it worthwhile to keep/store all these things. And having an organization system that words for you.
I tend to big time purge when we move, which is probably a really good thing.
In my experience, you can definately have WAY TOO MUCH in the resources area - I constantly ask myself do I really need another _____________ fill in the blank.
I constantly go through and evaluate whether or not I will really use an item. If we are done, I pass it along. There are so many great resources, sheets, games, manipulatives, cd's, dvd's, ...... the list goes on an on. The question is what do I need?
The point is educating my children, not collecting enough resources to open my own school.
But, I must point out, I am on round two now.
My oldest just graduated, and I have the benefit of years of practice, and mistakes
I don't own a copy machine. And don't really think it would be a good idea for me I have a comb binder too, if I had a copy machine who knows how many "workbooks" I could make....
I do have a laser printer. Big money saver there.
+JMJ+
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Eleanor
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| Posted: July 09 2010 at 8:57pm | IP Logged
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TxTrish wrote:
I have a comb binder too, if I had a copy machine who knows how many "workbooks" I could make....
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Hey, how did you know I just bought a comb binder?!! Still, I'm not tempted to make workbooks. Just recipe books, poetry books, coloring books, puzzle books, and hard copies of out-of-print e-books. And so on.
Hmm, I guess I have to go join the home binding thread now.
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dakotamidnight
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| Posted: July 09 2010 at 9:15pm | IP Logged
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Well, I use a file cabinet with hanging files, but if you are really using a lot of things it might be easier to get an all-in-one printer that scans and just scan them in {I save mine to a USB Memory Key}. Then you just click print from the file - same really as copying it from the book.
Then you can get rid of the paper mess - paper tends to not live long around here - it gets destroyed.
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Mackfam
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| Posted: July 10 2010 at 9:30am | IP Logged
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Hey, great question, Eleanor!!!! There are SO many resources available to us that managing and ordering them becomes a necessity to be good stewards!
I have very few *hard copy* reproducibles. I find them difficult to manage, and I always seem to forget about them. I don't keep workbooks and the only activity type books I keep are contained in our "rainy day" bin.
I do make use of a lot of reproducibles that I have in digital format on my computer. I keep both my bookmarks and my hard drive files VERY, VERY organized to streamline finding appropriate material to print.
I was having a hard time finding and accessing the many resources I had on my computer, so I invested a big chunk of time to really cleaning things up...moving files around, creating folders and sub-folders that make sense and are intuitive so that when I have a file or a website that needs to be categorized it easily slips into a place that I can find. This means when I'm looking for a resource, the first place I look is within my own files and bookmarks!
I do sometimes print tables of contents of certain notebooking pages files or large files of printables in a hard copy to use as a reference. These live in my small file basket I keep at hand on my desk.
I have been able to pass along a number of resources and items to other families over the years because I've learned that very few resources are actually needed in home education, and if I have too many I become either a) overwhelmed with them all or b) unable to be a good steward of them because I can't find/remember what I've got. I keep the simple, straightforward, and those materials that seem to intuitively fit with our family's home education philosophy and purge superfluous files yearly.
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Mackfam
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| Posted: July 10 2010 at 9:33am | IP Logged
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On the all-in-one copier challenge...I enjoy my HP C4180 All-in-one which I keep tucked safely inside a cabinet. When I need to print, I sit my laptop on top of the copier, plug in the USB cable and print away. Close the door to the cabinet and it's off limits to little hands.
Edited to say that I use a mac as well, so I know the HP is mac compatible and works nicely with them. I've enjoyed the last two HP printers I have had. The one I currently have is about 3 years old I think, so a newer model would probably have more of the features you're looking for.
[i[Edited again...to say......that now I'm printing wirelessly with my laptop to my printer. I don't have to plug directly in to the printer to print. This has been wonderful!
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Jen Mackintosh
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Wildflowers and Marbles
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4Real Forums : Planning and Ordering our Days
Topic: Care and taming of reproducibles
