A fun learning assignment?? YES!

After being very impressed and inspired at the STL Homeschool Expo back in the Spring, I know I really want to include more notebooking in our studies this upcoming school year. I haven't been real sure how (exactly) to explain it to the girls and where to start with it, either. Just the other day, though, I read somewhere about another mom who wanted to encorporate notebooking into their days, too and here's how she did it. She just gave each of her children one of those cheap ($.05) folders (the kind with the brads inside) filled with blank paper. She told them to pick a topic, research it and fill the notebook with info about their topic of choice. I LOVE that idea...so I did it today! :-)

First, I let the girls each choose a color folder (they picked their favorite colors, of course). I put lined notebook paper in it and gave them the "rules." (Really there aren't any rules except not to cut up anything without asking me first.) :-) I told them they can draw pictures (or cut and paste magazine picture with permission), write stories, poems, facts they learn about their topic, vocabulary that might be important to know, etc, etc. They can look up info in the dictionary, encyclopedias, books (which we have NO shortage of throughout the house), magazines and even on the internet. I told them they can add any kind of paper that they want, but the notebook paper is just to get them started.

For her topic, Baylee chose Science Experiments. She said wants to do different experiments and then write about them in her notebook. I found a book of simple experiments on my Science shelf and handed it to her with her empty notebook. Baylee has already done one experiment and completed a write-up of it--What I did, What happened, etc. She's working on her second experiment now and then will do the write-up of that one, too. :-)

Taylor has been designing new fashions (and printing them off) from a new computer program that she just got yesterday and LOVES! (Thanks, Ms. Krista!) Naturally, my "Fancy Nancy" daughter (who just turned 10) chose Fashion Designing as her topic of choice. :-) Her new designs are going into her notebook now. She's also already looked up several vocabulary words in the dictionary and is making a list with words and definitions, etc to go in her notebook, too. Taylor looked up the word "accessory" in the dictionary and she didn't really like what it said (maybe it wasn't "fashiony" enough of a definition. I don't know). Anyway...she said that she and Baylee just decided to make up their own definition of the word to include on her vocabulary page since she didn't like the dictionary's. LOL She even included examples--like bracelet, earrings and purse. :-) How fun! She tells me she plans to add descriptions of each of her designs and will describe when/where you might see each one. For example, she will do a "Back Then" section.

We talked about how each of these notebooks will not be something that they "complete" in a day or two, but rather will become an on-going project that can be added to for a long time. As we learn about other eras, etc, Taylor can add pages about the clothes to her notebook. Likewise, as we learn about certain things, Baylee will be able to explain it in her Science notebook. They will be both be adding to these for quite a while I am sure. :-)

WOW!! I have to say that I am SO impressed at their excitement about this seemingly simple, open-ended assignment. I hope they keep up their enthusiasm and get their notebooks so full we need bigger folders to put all their stuff in. :-)