Back to School Sale Ends Today!

Today's your last day to save 40% on all Notebooking Nook titles at Currclick.com's Back to School Sale! Don't miss out on this great chance to save!

Notebooking & Lapbooking Basics

I often get asked the same sort of basic questions about notebooking and lapbooking... What goes into a notebook or lapbook? What subjects/topics can I notebook/lapbook? How do I get started? What sort of supplies should I have handy?

All these are great questions and I'm going to attempt to answer them the best I can. Please feel free to comment if you have other questions I don't answer here. So let's get started.

What goes into a notebook or lapbook?

• copywork
• narrations
• fact sheets/worksheets
• reports/essays
• biographies
• maps
• science research
• nature findings
• photos
• vocabulary
• art/illustrations
• timelines
• puzzles/games
• and the list goes on....

So basically, anything you'd like to add that is relevant to your study. Don't limit yourself to what you "think" it's supposed to be... go for it and add what you'd like.

What subjects/topics can I notebook/lapbook?

• History
• Geography
• Science/Labs
• Nature Study
• Language Arts
• Math
• Biographies
• Holidays
• Seasons
• Any subject or topic you can come up with!

How do I get started?

This is easy... just get started. I know this isn't what you want to hear but it's the absolute truth. Don't wait until everything "looks" a certain way or you think you have everything you "need". Your kids will surprise you with their creativity. Below I will list some of the things you will want before you get started but most likely you already have all these things laying around your house. Mostly, you just have to have the desire. But since you're taking the time to read through this post I'm presuming you already possess a desire :)

What sort of supplies should I have handy?

This all depends on how you want your notebooks to be set up. There are options and I'll give you some different ideas of how you can do this.

How to store all the wonderful pages your children have created?

Here are a few ideas....

• 3-ring binder (you could place pages in page protectors)
• spiral notebook
• composition notebook
• sketchbook
• journal
• scrapbook
• bind your notebooks yourself... I use something called a ProClick.  I wrote a review about this here.

What type of paper should I use in our notebooks?

You will want different types of paper for different projects. I mostly use plain copy paper, but for variety we use different colors as well. Especially in our lapbooks. Here's a list of some types of paper you could use.

• plain copy paper (there are both 20 lb. and 24 lb. weights... I prefer the 24 lb. weight but it is a little more expensive. I use this because it's more sturdy)
• colored copy paper
• printed pages (pre-made) This link will take you to my freebie page or click here to see my products.
• scrapbook paper
• card-stock
• linen
• lined paper
• construction paper
• photo paper (for photos you want to add to your notebooks)

Here are some ideas for writing and art supplies.

• pencils (plain and colored)
• pens (different colored pens are fun)
• crayons
• chalks
• pastels
• markers
• paints
• scissors
• glue or tape (I like double-stick tape)

Below is a list of extra supplies that are in no way necessary but sometimes fun to have around in case your child gets really creative or you have a mini-book that needs something extra to put together.

• paper trimmer (I love mine and actually feel it's a necessity!!!)
• fancy edged scissors
• hole or specialty punchers
• border templates
• ribbons
• photo corners
• brads & eyelets
• stickers
• fancy & lettering stencils
• rubber stamps
• photos
• images from internet (clipart) (Google and Yahoo both have image searches, but BEWARE not to allow your child to search on his own)
• binding tool

Let me add a one more thing... It can get a bit overwhelming having all this stuff laying around so having a plan to organize it all is important or it will take over your space! I'll add a separate post about how to organize all your supplies soon but if you have any ideas you'd like to share with me, that would be great!

Ramblings about Facebook

I was on Facebook tonight checking out my kids profiles (the only reason I even have a Facebook is to check on my kids!). I don't know about you homeschool moms but I constantly want to correct my kids spelling and grammar on there! They tell me that that's the one place it doesn't really matter. Well, it matters to me for some reason and it really drive me crazy! Oh well, I guess it's just one of those things I have to live with. Such as life, I suppose!

Also, I've had other moms surprised that I allow my kids to have Facebook accounts. Well, three of my kids are adults and out of the house. It's a great way for us to connect. They post photos so I can see what they're up to and I really like that a lot. As for my younger kids, they are also allowed to have accounts but, I moderate EVERYTHING! I have all their usernames and passwords and I set their accounts so only their friends can see anything. One of my kids changed his settings so "friends of friends" could see his photos. After a conversation about why that's not the safest plan we changed it back and he's fine with that now. It can be safe if you're involved in the process and stay involved. My kids don't spent too much time on Facebook but it is a fun way for them to connect with their friends and stay in the loop with activities and that sort of thing.

Humanitarian Aid - Brazil 2010

Two of my kids (Cassie, 18 and Brandon, 16) had the opportunity of a lifetime this summer! They took part in a humanitarian aid project in Brazil for two and a half weeks. Back in April of this year, the state of Rio de Janeiro experienced terrible mudslides that left more then 15,000 people homeless. My kids and a group of 20 other youth went there to help rebuild homes that were affected in the mudslides. They were able to see where the major damage was done and they said that it looked as if no homes had ever been there. But, hundreds of homes were buried along with the people that were in them. It was very devastating!

While there, they worked about 10 hours every week day and the they were able to sightsee on the weekends. They visited Iguazu Falls and my daughter said if that was all they had done in Brazil it would have been worth going just to see it. She was in absolute awe of the falls. They toured Rio the second weekend. But they both admitted that they enjoyed serving the people the most. They grew to love those were serving so much.

When I met them at the airport they were so humbled and grateful for all they have. My son is already saving to go again next summer! They both absolutely loved every minute of their time there.

Growing Pains

Why do our kids have to grow up?! I just returned from taking my two oldest daughters to Southern Utah University and being back home without them here, feels empty. This is my oldest daughter's third year away from home, so I'm use to her being gone... sort of. But, it's Cassie's first year :( She's going to do awesome at school and she was so excited to be there. I shed a few tears that I didn't let her see but she knows how I feel.

The playing ground at our house was always even... three boys and three girls. Well, now it's just my 14 year old daughter and I with all these boys and my husband, of course. But, they are all great, so it's fine. Anyway, I miss my girls, a lot! I'm sure I'm going to drive Cassie crazy calling several times a day like I did Ali at first. But it will get easier for me, I know.

Growing up stinks! But, I'm also excited for my kids and grateful for who they are, the goals they have set for themselves and the examples they are to me and others.

ALL OUR TITLES ARE 40% OFF DURING

CURRCLICK'S BACK TO SCHOOL SALE!

Embroidered Crayon Apron

I wasn't sure how exactly to title this because I know there are crayon aprons that hold crayons and this is not what I'm referring to. But, I think some of you might like this idea.

Several months ago I was asked to plan an activity for 12 and 13 year old girls. My daughter, Melanie, (who was 13 at the time) thought up this neat idea. She wanted to make aprons where we trace on a pattern, color them with crayons and then embroider around them. We had started to make a crayon quilt before the fire but never finished it (for obvious reasons :D) and I thought it would be a fun and easy activity for the girls.

So, here are the supplies we used to make them.

1. One white or cream colored apron (we purchased them in the craft section at Wal-mart)
2. A box of crayons (Crayola seems to work the best)
3. A pattern (I'll talk more about that latter in this post)
4. Light box - here's the one I own
5. tape (preferably a heavier tape like masking)
6. iron
7. paper towels
8. black embroidery floss
9. embroidery needles
10. scissors

To start, we needed to figure out what pattern we wanted to put on the girls aprons. My daughter wanted a bee, her name and flowers. So to make it easier I just made all the girls the same pattern, except for their names. I found cute clipart at Clipart.com, (which is not free but I use it for my business) but you could find something anywhere online. I added their names with a cute font and we were in business!

Next, after printing off a pattern for each girl, they taped the pattern to the light box and starting tracing on their pattern with a pencil. We also tape on the apron so it doesn't shift. If you are using a thinner fabric you will want to iron freezer paper onto the fabric to make it stiff enough to trace onto. This works wonderfully!

Now that you have your pattern traced on it's time to color. My daughter likes to color in shades to give it depth. Again, if you are using a thinner fabric, leave the freezer paper on until after you are finished coloring. Will will be sorry if you remove it!

After coloring on the pattern, with a medium heat on your iron, you will cover the pattern with paper towels and iron until you leave no trace of crayon on your paper towels. You will go through quite a few paper towels depending on the size of your pattern. I suggest you get the cheap paper towels if you don't usually use them typically.

Once you're finished ironing, you can start embroidering! My daughter likes to use just a straight stitch but she has also used a button hole stitch for a few things as well.

Here's how my daughter's apron turned out.

All the other girls only put their names, with the bee and a couple flowers. But, Melanie was having so much fun that she wanted to add more flowers and stitch around the edges. She had so much fun that she's actually just starting her third apron.

Her second apron she made for my mom. Here's how that one turned out. As you can see there is much more detail. My mom loves it!

Here are some shots of her working on the one she is currently making on for me.

She has started stitching but I didn't get photos of that. I will definitely add photos of the finished apron when she's finished!

Lastly, she has been getting her patterns for her aprons at pccrafter.com. They offer lots of cute patterns for crafts at a pretty reasonable price. You can also preview everything before you purchase.

Rag Quilts

I love making rag quilts! When we lost our house to a fire a couple years ago we lost almost all our quilts and I haven't made the time to make more. Well, my wonderful mother (who is an avid quilter) cleaned out her fabric room (which is huge!) and gave me hundreds of yards of flannel! You can image how excited I was!!! Well, since my beautiful daughters go to school in cold country, I thought I'd make them each a new rag quilt for those cold nights.

Ali (my oldest) helped a lot with the quilts but Cassie has been in Brazil for the last two weeks and has no idea about them at all. She's been wanting to make one for a while and will be thrilled it's been done for her. They leave for college just a few days after she returns from Brazil.

Ali's quilt... she likes a more patchy type... no rhyme or reason.

Close up of Ali's

Cassie's quilt has a pattern

Close up of Cassie's

We used 10" squares and made them for full size beds. We used 8 squares across and 12 squares down. The photos were taken on queens so they fit a full much better. They will actually be on twins at school but the girls wanted them a little bigger. We also used all flannels but you could also use 100% cotton for the front of the quilt to make it a little lighter. To make them even warmer we used a piece of batting in between each square. The batting squares are 8" and we sew an "X" on each square.

Note: When I say "squares" I'm referring to both the front and the back as one square or block, I guess. :D

I'm now making one for my California king. I'm also using 10" squares for that one - 12 across and 14 down. I'm still cutting the squares for that one and will post pics when I'm done.

These quilts are super cute, easy to make and you can make them fast. We took a couple days to make Ali's because we were busy, but I made Cassie's in one day.

If you would like to make a rag quilt of your own, here is a website that gives great instructions.