Homeschool World Forum

[mom2blu]

Hope this is the right forum, it's not really about recordkeeping per say, but I didn't think it fit anywhere else.

We're starting early early learning with my son next year and I plan on doing a LOT of printouts. Not nessecarily worksheets (he's still a little young for those) of printable flashcards, wall decor, theme mini books, etc. How do you store your printouts??

I was thinking of doing 2- 3" notebooks with page protectors. One for games, activities, and crafts, and one for printed out reproducibles. But now I'm wondering if accordian files may be a better way to go??

My concern is that notebooks and page protectors may get expensive if I continue in that way.

BUT accordian folders can start to look pretty beat up, and will they keep the pages neat and unbent?

There is also the option of file folders in file cabinets, which take up a lot of space but would be cheap. You can always seem to find cheap or even free file cabinets. PLUS it could easily hold file folder games, AND if we lapbook down the road (we plan on trying it and notebooking) it could hold those as well.

Keep in mind that the printouts I do now need to last probably a good 10 years. He'll be doing the same basic early learning stuff (shapes, opposites, colors, etc) for the next few years, and then we'll have other little ones after him. Obviously also I'll be pulling sheets to print and use, and adding more too.

AND how do you categorize? Do some things go in more then one category (ie circle in shapes and in "c"?) Would a red bird go under birds? animals? red? Spring? Or should I do letter, and just know any bird would be under b?

What do you do? Maybe you can give me some ideas! Or at least figure out what may work.

[pecangrove]

Hi!
If you're keeping things for a long time, then I would go with the page protectors in the hardback notebooks. That way you could just make copies to use for writing on/coloring without having to worry about tearing them up too much. I think a file cabinet is a must for HS moms - at least in my house it is!
As for filing them, that will be up to you - how your mind works, really. When you think of doing a sheet on redbirds, what do you think of that as? A color? An animal? Shapes of course I would file as Shapes, #'s as #'s, Colors as colors, but for the other things you'll really just have to sit and think about where you would automatically look for them if they were already filed, if that makes sense! I actually filed pages a certain way, and then after I started using them I realized I'd always look for them in a different folder first, so I moved them to that folder. Whether it makes sense to anyone else or not doesn't matter - it's just how your mind works since you'll be the one looking for them again.
Hope this helps!!
_________________
It's ok if you don't know where you're going,
so long as you know the ONE who does.

[countrymama]

I started to do the same thing. I have a hard cover three ring binder with printed out pages that are taped at the top. I have book for him that's an overview of topics( some shapes, colors, letters) that he can take out whenever he want and then I have my complete copy of every topic that we'll use for "class work".