Notebooking 101: FAQs of Notebooking

We've come to the end of our brief look at how to begin notebooking in your homeschool. I know I have painted in broad strokes. But if truth be told, the best part about notebooking is that there is no ONE way...or RIGHT way. Feel free to take the thoughts I've shared these past few days, keep what you think might work for your family, and scrap the rest guilt-free, knowing that your notebooks will be as unique as the children creating them.


While I have tried to give a basic outline of what a notebook is and includes, I know there are many who want to know what notebooking looks like in the real world of homeschooling. You know...the world of children who don't always want to do their work...of houses with little to no storage space for dozens of 3-ring binders...of toddlers who insist on wiping their peanut butter and jelly hands on the nearly completed notebook page that happens to be sitting on the dining room table.

Notebooking 101: What to Include in a Notebook

I recognize that telling someone WHAT to put in her personal notebook is about as ridiculous as telling her what she should write in her personal diary. It is, after all, personal.
But,

I also know that every fiery blaze starts with a little spark.


You may very well have an urge to begin notebooking with your children but just need a gentle nudge...a spark...to help you know how to begin.

5 Days of Notebooking 101

A few weeks ago, while lounging on the beach...book in hand, I watched as The Hubs helped my children create an intricate waterway in the sand. They carved out trenches and poured bucketful after bucketful of water down their man-made path. Their "river" was complete with tributaries, a flood plain, and a delta.

At the time, my children had no idea that each of these small sand details added up to big learning. They were just five kids enjoying a sunny day at the beach with dad.

Notebooking 101: Different Types of Notebooks {with a video}

As I mentioned in part 1 of this series (The What and Why of Notebooking), notebooking starts with a notebook. But from there, notebooking can take on many forms. One glimpse down the stationary aisles of Target will tell you that there are a plethora of different types of notebooks and journals...all of which are perfect for creating a one-of-a-kind learning treasure. In addition, there are many different ways to create your own notebook without having to purchase one at a store.

Notebooking 101: The WHAT and WHY of Notebooking

notebook |ˈnōtˌbo͝ok|

noun

a small book with blank or ruled pages for writing notes in

Pages from Leonardo da Vinci's personal journal

According to the New Oxford American Dictionary, a notebook is just a tool for writing notes. Similar to journaling, notebooks and the practice of "notebooking" can be traced back to the scholars of old. From Leonardo da Vinci who poured countless hours into meticulously cataloging his artistic pursuits and scientific discoveries to Thomas Jefferson who detailed the culinary arts of peoples around the world in his travel log and thus influenced the eating habits of a newly-established United States...the world's top intellectuals and innovators have filled their shelves with notebooks. These wonderfully crafted volumes have archived the educational findings of The Greats and passed on a lifetime of achievement and knowledge to the generations that followed.

Why and How to Implement a 4-Day Homeschool Schedule {Part 2}

In addition to playing the part of The Mom, The Cook, The Wife, and The Taxi Driver in this live-action comedic drama, I've also volunteered for the role of The Teacher. Unlike most teachers, however, I don't just teach one grade level and call it a day. Nope! I teach four grades all while toting a tot on my hip. But wait, it gets better...I do all of this while attempting to cram all of the chaos of five busy school days into four...and still stay sane!

Why and How to Implement a 4-Day Homeschool Schedule {Part 1}

While I would love to don my Super-Homeschool Momma cape and effortlessly complete all of the needed tasks of playing wife, mother, and teacher five-days-a-week, I know there are only so many hours in the school week with which to complete all those tasks and only one of me to complete them. And besides, the Super-Homeschool Momma cape that I ordered seven years ago when I started this "little thing" called homeschooling is still on back order. I'm not expecting it to arrive anytime soon!

Tips to Starting a Preschool Homeschool Co-op: Creating a Schedule and Assigning Jobs

Pheewww! We've come to our final day in a five-day-long series about Starting a Preschool Homeschool Co-op. If you've been keeping up with me, you have partnered with a few other families, secured a place and time for your group, and have begun planning some fascinating and age-appropriate classes.

You are just about ready to welcome eager little preschoolers to their very first day of co-operative learning. But first, you have to determine a workable order of events (schedule) for your co-op meeting and assign responsibilities to each of the participating mothers.

Tips to Starting a Preschool Homeschool Co-op: Planning Age Appropriate Class Topics

We've come to Day 4 in a five-day-long series about Starting a Preschool Homeschool Co-op. I trust that you have prayerfully considered inviting other eager homeschool mommas to join your group and that you have secured the perfect location for your co-op meetings. (This post contains affiliate links.)

Next on your TO DO list is to tuck the kids into bed, give the Hubs a big goodbye smooch, and head to the local coffee house to meet with the other co-op hopefuls in order to brainstorm co-operative class topics.

First on the agenda is to decide if you will be a non-formal or a formal group.

Tips to Starting a Preschool Homeschool Co-op: Choosing a Time and Place to Meet

You've taken the leap and are on your way to launching a homeschool co-op! If you are joining me for Day 3 in my five-day-long series on Starting a Preschool Homeschool Co-op, I will assume you've wangled up a group of like-minded mothers with preschoolers all anxious for occasional co-operative learning. Now what?! Well, unless you intend to Skype your way through the preschool year, you will obviously need to determine a PLACE...and eventually a TIME to meet.

Today I'd like to share a few thoughts that will hopefully help you select just the right venue and timetable for your group.

Tips to Starting a Preschool Homeschool Co-op: Partnering With Other Families

I'm assuming that if you've joined me for Part 2 in my five-day long series on Starting a Preschool Co-op, that you are seriously considering launching a group. Not to state the obvious, but a co-op is not a co-op if you and your children are the only participants. In order to co-operate with other families, you have to FIND other families to join you. And although the number of families who choose the unconventional route of homeschooling continues to climb throughout the US and abroad, finding co-operative participants is perhaps the biggest hurdle to establishing a new preschool group.

Tips to Starting a Preschool Homeschool Co-op: Intro

One of the best decisions I ever made when first starting out as a Newbie Homeschooler was to join together with a handful of other newbies every other week for a homespun preschool co-op. Our little bi-weekly get-together provided my children with a chance to interact with other kids, glean the wisdom of other mommas and their areas of expertise, and participate in large-group activities that would have otherwise been difficult to create with just one or two kids at home...like short theatrical plays and team games.

Top 10 School Day Snacks (for Homeschool)

I'm often asked how I get my band of busy boys to sit for extended periods of living-literature style learning. If you have been blessed with many boys, you know that at times getting them to sit still for long amounts of time is kind of like trying to herd cats or lasso jello. Don't get me wrong, I looooove the fact that my boys are boys. But sometimes, I have to get a little creative during the school day in order to wrangle all the energy, so that learning can actually take place.

Want to know one of my best-kept secrets for maintaining complete attention during long periods of reading? Lean in real close so my boys don't hear this...

5 Days of Scheduling Your Entire Homeschool Year {Day 5}

For the last four days, I've hopefully laid the groundwork for you as you seek to plan your homeschool year with purpose. While I would love to sit down over coffee with each of you and help you navigate how best to do that with your specific curriculum selections and styles of homeschooling, I think we'd all admit that would make for a pretty busy Friday.

That being said, I thought it might be helpful to address some of the questions I hear most often regarding scheduling.

5 Days of Scheduling Your Entire Homeschool Year {Day 4}

Woo-hoo!  You're in the homestretch.

(This post contains affiliate links. Please see my disclosure policy for full details.)

Over the last few days, you have learned WHY you might want to consider scheduling your homeschool year, and HOW to prepare a school-year calendar. You may have already begun plugging in your traditional-style curriculum plans to your Brave Homeschool Planner, or the planner of your choice.

But all that was just a warm-up! Now you're ready to tackle some of the more difficult curriculum types to schedule...unit studies and living literature-style lessons. Let's face it, although these forms of learning provide an excellent opportunity for delight-directed learning, they can be a bit of a challenge to write in PEN.

5 Days of Scheduling Your Entire Homeschool Year {Day 3}

Welcome to Day 3 of our scheduling series! If you're joining me today, I can assume that you know WHY I schedule my year so far in advance and how I piece together a homeschool calendar. (This post contains affiliate links.)

I've enjoyed giving you just a simple glimpse into my methods of madness, but please remember that they are just THAT....my methods. Your schedule or lack thereof might look MUCH different from mine. That's great! Because in truth, that is the intrinsic nature of homeschooling...there is not a one-size-fits-all approach.

5 Days of Scheduling Your Entire Homeschool Year {Day 2}

If you are joining me today for part 2 of this 5-day long look at scheduling your homeschool year, I can assume, you've already taken a peek at WHY I choose to schedule this way. (This post contains affiliate links.)

That being said, I'd like to moderate the following thoughts by reminding you that this is just ONE way of scheduling your school year. It is by no means the ONLY way or the RIGHT way. You, obviously, have completely different dynamics to deal with than I do and will need to adapt any/all of my thoughts to your home. Now that we've agreed upon that and have solidified the deal with the "homeschool moms' secret handshake", let's jump right into our planners. Shall we?!

5 Days of Scheduling Your Entire Homeschool Year {Day 1}

I am a self-professed, card-carrying member of the I HAVE A PLAN AND I'M STICKING TO IT club.

Ok, so technically, there is no club.  And since there is no club, there is also no card.  But, if there were, I'd not only have a card, it would be laminated and tucked neatly next to my I'm-obsessed-with-stationery-supplies club card.

(This post contains affiliate links. Please see my disclosure policy for full details.)

Pheew...now that I've unloaded all of that on you, you're probably not surprised to learn that as a homeschooling mom, I have a homeschooling plan. In fact, I have a plan for the entire homeschool year.

Top 10 Favorite Parenting Books

To say that I am an avid reader is well, like saying the beach has a lot of sand. If you see me on the street and ask me what I'm currently reading, chances are, I'll pull a mini library from my purse and tell you way more than you wanted to know about each title.

The "history" of my library card reads much like an autobiography, showing the seasons of my life and what passions have come and gone.

There was the nine months during pregnancy number five that I was in a baking frenzy, or more accurately a muffin-baking frenzy and needed lots of baking books for finding muffin recipes to try...and eventually eat...and eventually regret!

10 Things I was Unlikely to Learn Without Homeschooling

As I have mentioned before, apart from God's calling in our lives, it was highly UNLIKELY that the Hubs and I would ever choose to homeschool.  In fact, I actually recall a conversation in which I snickered and defiantly said, "I would NEVER homeschool!!!" Never, say never...life lesson learned!

Now, with six years of homeschooling behind me, I can see how God has clearly used the unconventional idea of teaching children at home to teach ME more than I ever would have learned otherwise.  Here are just 10 of the many things I was UNLIKELY to learn without homeschooling...