A place for everything and everything in its place! There is something deep within me that MUST have a place for everything AND must have everything in its place. In the busy homeschool, this has been my greatest struggle. I like to KNOW where things are and that I can be sure to find them when I need them. I also like for things to stay nice, especially if my children have worked so hard to finish their work with excellence. Hands-down, Notebooking is the best and easiest way to KEEP your child’s work nicely in a place that it can not only be found, but can also be viewed at any time by any one. A simple 3-ring binder can be used, by the child, to keep records naturally (and easily)…to help them see their progress… to teach them to be neat and orderly…and to encourage and teach the disciplines that are crucial for them all of their life (record-keeping, researching, thinking and discerning, organizing, categorizing, outlining, in-depth studies, writing). What amazes me the most is how effective this simple discipline is in training and developing the gifts of all children regardless of which age you begin using Notebooking or what level their current writing abilities may be.

Perfect for each child and each family…I don’t know if you are as particular about the material that your children study, but this was one of the greatest concerns that we had as we began to homeschool. The problem with this is that EVEN in the homeschool market, there are materials that are in opposition to what we believe on a wide variety of topics and subjects. If this does not make things tough enough, materials are often written for specific ages and grades instead of to people of all ages and grades, making the material either "dumbed-down" or completely boring. Then, to top-it-off, we have run across great materials with completely inaccurate information. What to do, what to do??? Oh! Notebook!

In order to teach our children our beliefs AND what others believe (and why we DON’T believe the same way), we have to search for material from a wide variety of sources. Notebooking is the perfect place to compile all of the information so our children can form their own beliefs and convictions based on a very thorough foundation. We don’t have to worry about age or grade segregated materials either. We can take out the great information (pictures, charts, terms, quotes, and stories), compile it in our notebooks, so all is used most effectively regardless of age. We even use the materials that have great pictures yet, have very little or sometimes NO truth in them. All can be used to build a notebook…well, all under our direction, which is yet another of the benefits of Notebooking!

Wherever your child is…whatever may concern you…Notebooking gives the flexibility to teach to the child, not the book. Notebooking is so versatile. It goes the pace of the child. It can easily be added to any curriculum, especially those that could use a breath of life. Even those hard to document subjects or unit studies can be recorded in notebooks. Not to mention, LIFE can also be recorded in notebooks! Since education really consists of life, Notebooking documents the true education that takes place in the home.

Notebooking is FUN!!! One of my struggles as we began homeschooling was the guilt I felt when we REALLY had fun homeschooling. Where on earth would my children learn the "fact of life" that life is not always fun??? (The answer to this question is CHORES!) Where would they learn to continue working even when it was tough…especially if they never had a hard time with their lessons? (The answer to this question is CHORES!) How could they learn from a wide variety of subjects unless those lessons were dictated by a curriculum? (This answer is coming soon!) Can education be effective and challenging IF it is fun?? (This answer is YES! Glorious YES!)

Well, well…this brings us to another advantage to Notebooking: Notebooking is FUN! The notebooks are wrapped around areas of interests NOT subjects. In fact, subjects are not even the focus. Instead, subjects are blended into study, in context, so they make sense instead of being disjointed and artificial. Since subjects are taught as part of the topic, children begin to see that learning is part of life—real life! They see that life is FULL of learning! Learning becomes a lifestyle, instead of in a box or to just pass a test.

In our home, we have found that our children have certain individual interests. If those interests are the means that we use to introduce new material, we can pretty much teach anything and be assured that they will develop a love for that new topic. Want a picture of what this looks like??? Our oldest son, Matthew (now fifteen) absolutely LOVES anything to do with History, the military, and the "why" behind anything (even Phonics!). We have found that this VERY "boy" boy loves poetry…if it is historical in nature. He loves art…well, IF it depicts historical events (His favorite artists are Mort Kunstler and Norman Rockwell…both known for capturing American Life on canvas!). He loves music…especially if it represents ideas (He has collected lots of different songs from the Civil War for his notebooks. He loves them for daily Copywork AND believes that they tell the REAL story behind History!! Cute huh??) Your child is wired the same way. Regardless of your child’s interest, you can reach them through the discipline of Notebooking. ANY topic is game…even, well, ESPECIALLY if it is fun!

No Artificial Deadlines!!! Remember writing assignments in high school and college? What is your stomach doing as you think about them? Probably churning as you remember those late nights living off of caffeine just to "buy" enough hours in the day to make the deadlines. Even now, I am not a "deadline" writer. My best work has to be mulled around…thought upon…lived…loved…and made a part of ME. Deadlines take away the heart of topics, and eventually the heart of education as well. In fact, they teach us that the product, even if it is shallow and undeveloped, is more important than the process or the relationships with the areas of study. Want true success? Want to develop a writer who loves writing?? Try the discipline of Notebooking!

Notebooking follows the pace of your child. Whether your child comes to a skill that is challenging him to his limits or your child needs to find a real challenge in his education, Notebooking meets them where they are and gently challenges them onward without frustrating them! Notebooking, also, allows for growth.

An example of this comes from our family. We have many notebooks that have developed over the years. There are some that have had seasons of intense focus…followed by YEARS of dormancy…only to come back with such a passion that they have developed into workshops, magazine articles, books, and even several series’ of books! There are also many that have developed during a study that is now complete. Those are no less special. It is just that they are not "life" studies as others seem to be. In fact, some have been just for personal edification and for personal study. We keep them ALL! They are all beloved! They grow with us…and sometimes they even let us outgrow them. They are still beloved friends along our journey! Each has helped us to be more and more creative. Each has nurtured our delights and interests and in turn, continued our self-education.

Encourages In-depth Studies… When I began Notebooking, it had nothing to do with homeschooling. It was as a practical discipline for my own studies. I began as a young wife to study in depth what the Bible said about being a godly wife, mother, mentor, and woman. I just naturally began to compile information along the way. Where did I keep it? In a three-ring binder of course! If I had not had a place to put little goodies that came along my way, I would probably have never continued the study for the last 15 years. I am also pretty certain that I would not write as much as I do had I not been able to find the information in "its spot" after I collected it. I probably would have grown very discouraged to not have a good system for keeping all of my dear information.

Our children are wired the same way. Notebooking is a discipline you will find in common with many of the greatest writers of all time. I love that in Scripture we see God commanding that the kings be trained by copying His Law in a book of their own so that it could be with them all of their lives (Deuteronomy 17: 18-20). Oh, it is not just for training…it is also a practice kept by God Himself (see Malachi 3: 16). Can’t you just see heaven? Full of shelves and shelves of binders???? Hoot! Hoot!

My dear friend, Notebooking is not just a technique that has been thought up over the last few years. It is eternal. It can continue as long as they would like to continue with a notebook or a topic. It is not limited to certain ages or grades, and of course, not to just one project or just in accompaniment to projects that come along the way. Notebooking can be a life discipline. No scope-and-sequences…focus on subjects…or hurt feelings from grading their hard work with red pens and abundant criticism. Instead, your children can develop a discipline of collecting gems and great information. They can dig deeper in areas of interest. And imagine…this covers all of those subjects naturally and EASILY!

A Unique, Individual, Personalized Education! As I think of all of the benefits of Notebooking, I have to say that of all of them, I think this one is the most precious to me. Notebooking encourages a completely unique, individual, personalized education. There are NO topics off limits. ANYTHING can be a topic. If it can be a topic for a career or a book, it is game.

Think of those topics most mothers find their most reluctant writers "into"…baseball, dogs, history, sewing, racing, cooking, travel, games, on and on!! All of these can be used for notebooks (Did I leave out your child’s topic?? Trust me, I probably listed it in my book!). There are no limits! Notebooks can adapt to your child’s personality, creativity, and talents. There is NO right way to create a notebook NOR any wrong way to make a notebook. This is not to be vague, rather it is to encourage independence, creativity, and originality!