I have used the Circa system for personal notebooks (including Marcia's Garden Tryst Sheets which are fabulous!) for a few years now and like it very much. What's Circa? It's a unique notebooking system by Levenger. I'm having trouble linking for some reason, sorry, you'll need to cut and paste:
http://www.levenger.com/PAGETEMPLATES/STATIC/Generic.asp?Params=category=326-888|level=2-3
Be sure to check out the video on the link provided.
This year I decided to use Circa for my TOG workbooks because many documents that I normally put in the spiral bound workbooks will not be ready in time.
There are really only two items that you must have, the Circa punch:
And the rings or discs. You need 11 rings per 8 1/2 by 11 workbook:
Circa uses regular paper. Print off your notebook documents as you normally would:
Using the punch, punch about 8 pages at a time. I get 24 lb paper from Costco:
Here's a close-up of the punched paper:
After you have finished punching all your pages, begin to put them on the rings. I have found since I am right-handed working from the back pages to the front works well. I add about a dozen pages at a time, one ring at a time. I forgot to take a picture of this, I'll add it when I do the next workbook.
When I have all my pages on the rings I add clear front and back cover. I use the Levenger covers which are very sturdy:
Finished Book:
Adding pages is very easy, simply punch your new pages:
Open the book to the appropriate spot, and add them in, one ring at a time:
These notebooks hold up very well. Pages do not rip out like they do in binders. I am using 1" rings with Ben, rhetoric and 1/2" rings with Zack & Ethan (D & LG.) 1" rings hold 160 sheets of paper, 1/2 inch rings hold 80 sheets. There are also 3/4" which hold, I think you may be able to guess, 120 sheets.
Many people have been interested in the Tapestry notebooks I make for my children. Let me say right off the top that while I don't find it very time consuming to make these, it takes me about one week for three levels, it is a costly venture. I estimate the cost to be around $30 per quarter for three workbooks. For me it's worth it. My older boys are finding it easier to stay on schedule, we no longer have piles of papers, and they are enjoying TOG a lot more. The cost is definitely something to take it into consideration though.
Here's the cost break down:
I have an HP printer that prints over 2000 B&W copies per one XL cartridge and about 1/3 of that in color I think. The cost for my cartridges is $57 at Costco and I estimate we use less than 1/4 of the cartridge for all three books.
Ink: $15 Paper: $3 Binding: $12
I make a new workbook every quarter.
The LG book contains the yellow pages, SAPs (just copied, not reformatted), maps, copywork pages I make with Startwrite software, coloring pages, and misc other things such as a log to keep track of all the books Ethan reads.
The dialectic workbook includes the yellow pages, the general information page from the SAPs, all the SAP questions I choose to give him reformatted in a desktop publishing document, maps, and any supplements needed for the week such as charts or the green supplements.
A week from Ben's rhetoric workbook is pictured below. I print off the covers for all the workbooks from the TOG printables page.
The week starts with the yellow assignment pages:
I also include the red writing assignment chart
Next you will find a copy of the General Information of the week from the SAPs and the beginning of the reformatted questions. He usually does all the questions, but sometimes I leave some out depending on how heavy the other subjects are.
Maps are included each week and I typeset the book so that the geography questions are on the left and the map is on the right.
Ben is completing the Government and Philosophy credits
The SAPs are followed by the Pageant of Philosophy
and government readings. I've found the government CD that Lampstand sells to be very handy.
When appropriate you may also find various charts or pictures featured for that week
Green Supplement pages
Along with various other charts
At the back of the book is the time-line section
and an appendix that has the unit's framework and the people glossary which I forgot to take a picture of :-) The people glossary is only available if you have purchased the Evaluations.
The rhetoric workbook is between 200 and 250 pages per unit. The dialectic workbook is about 100 pages. The lower grammar book is 60 pages or so.
I'm sure I forgot to mention something so if you have any questions feel free to ask.
How long does this take?:
Formatting one unit generally takes me about 1 week working every afternoon for about four hours or so a day. This is for 3 levels of workbooks, but does not include extras I add in especially for my LG son (coloring pages, copy work etc.)
How much does it cost?:
It depends on your printer and whether you choose to print in color like I do. I have an HP printer that prints over 2000 B&W copies per one XL cartridge and about 1/3 of that in color I think. The cost for my cartridges is $57 at Costco and I estimate we use less than 1/4 of the cartridge for all three books.
Ink: $15 Paper: $3 Binding: $12
Where do you get them bound?:
I go to Office Depot, but all office supply stores offer this service. Some people purchase their own comb binders which definitely will save money, but my children and I prefer spiral.
Any disadvantages to binding? Do you ever wish you could insert a page?: Every so often I'll miss a chart or something that needs to be inserted. My boys have multi-subject binders and there is a TOG section for any misc. pages. The advantages of having these books far outweigh the disadvantages.
What are the advantages?: Some advantages are:
We stay on schedule more consistently. I, unfortunately, am often a stumbling block in our schooling. I can't tell you how many times our weeks have stalled because of me. The workbooks take me out of the equation just enough to help our weeks run smoother.
Our papers are neat and orderly.
Because I am surveying the unit as I make the workbooks I am able to choose ahead of time extras and projects I want to include and I have a better idea of what the boys will be covering before I read the teacher's notes.
The workbooks help my boys focus on what they need to accomplish in a week.
What about their writing assignments?: Although I include the red writing assignment sheet in the workbook, we still follow the instructions about setting up writing notebooks that you will find in your Tapestry year plan. All their assignments and outlines for writing projects are filed in those binders.
Do you include blank pages for their copy work or dictation or memory work?
For my lower grammar son I do. If TOG assigns copy/dictation/memory work in the SAP for my D & R sons that assignment is in the workbook, but they write in their commonplace book. These books include copy work from various subjects. I have one too.
Do you take a week off between units to do the prep for the next unit, or do you do it all in advance?
I make these in advance, not much in advance though, first because I am unfortunately a notorious procrastinator and secondly because I am on the cycle that depends on the TOG production calendar.
I will add other questions people have as they arise so if you ask me a question on a particular post about the workbooks I will probably answer it here to keep them all together.
Reformatting the student SAPs from the Loom is not difficult and I hope this post helps those of you that would like to see the process step by step. You need the following software:
A PDF reader (Adobe Reader is free)
Word processing or desktop publishing software
I use Quark because it's great, I'm used to it, and we have it (my husband needs it for his advertising business.) For the purpose of this example I am using Word since most of you probably have that software or something similar.
Open your weekly SAP with your PDF reader
When you open a pdf document with Adobe I believe the default tool is the grabbing tool (the hand.) You need to switch to the text tool (the letter T )
Click and drag over the area of text you would like to copy:
Choose "copy" from the edit menu (or command c)
Switch to your word processing program and open a new document. After the blank document is open choose "Paste" from the edit menu (command v.)
Unfortunately the document will lose most of its formatting and you will copy in some words or numbers you may not want to include, e.g. the title of the week.
Not a big deal though since the plan is to open up room for answers to be written in. Simply delete anything you don't want and format the questions with as much room as you like. Choose whatever font you would like and add in any text you need to make the document fit your plans. Sometimes, for example, the question will be, "Compare y to x," and I will add in, "Using the Venn diagram (or T chart) provided on the next page," and then I make sure I add the appropriate chart. Whatever you want to do to personalize your book. You will probably find yourself changing your mind on things from unit to unit, coming up with all sorts of brilliant ideas (which you must share with me ;-) Here's a page that is partially formatted:
And the finished page:
I don't reformat pages that seem to work on their own such as the LG, UG, & Dialectic literature worksheets and various charts included at the rhetoric level:
Sometimes if 1/2 a page is a fantastic chart, but I need to make changes on the other 1/2 I'll copy the page, cut off the portion not need, copy again (now 1/2 of this is blank), format that particular page to fit in the blank area of the copy and then print it on that sheet. If you look on the left page below you will see an example of this:
I hope this post helps clear up things for those interested. Feel free to ask any questions and I'll try to get back in a timely manner. :-)
As we finally begin Year 2 I am going to attempt to keep a weekly record of our journey through Tapestry of Grace. This year we have one student completing rhetoric level work, one student at the dialectic level and one just barely lower grammar 5 year old. Should be an interesting year.
Janice in NJ inspired me to make workbooks for my children and I just got them bound today.
Each Book is for one unit and contains:
Yellow Sheets (Weekly Reading and Overview) Writing Assignment Page (Red pages)
I cut and pasted the SAPs in Quark and formatted them so that there is
enough room to write answers in the workbook Maps
Summarizing Worksheets when needed Supplement 14 from Writing Supplements when needed for compare/contrast assignments.
Pageant of Philosophy (rhetoric workbook) Government Reading (rhetoric workbook)
Each week for dialectic is approximately 7 pages,
but rhetoric averages 15 pages.
This blog is a look into our homeschooling journey as we use Tapestry of Grace. You'll also find stories from various books I have collected that are now in the public domain and real life slipping in occasionally. Most posts from the public domain books have a pdf that you may download and print. I hope you enjoy them as much as I do.
