Separate or individual notebooks?

[Mumkins]

I'm trying to decide if I want separate notebooks or one binder with dividers. If we went separate, could we use those small soft cover things with the three prongs, duotangs I think they are called. Or are they not thick enough?

Is it better to have a binder with all the different sections? I'm planning on using a hanging file folder system. Would it even be best if I just put the sheet for each activity in and then transfer it all to the Binder for the day? Or if I kept a binder for each kid, would I even need a hanging file folder system? (Like workboxes, but more compact)

[holyhart]

I bought (and am hoping they work well) the thin, flexable covered 3-ring binders. Not as cumbersome as the hard, heavy duty binders, but more protective and durable than the 3 prong folder type. I think they will work. At first I thought I would put everything into one large binder, but thought that would get heavy and overwhelming for my dd (age 7), so I thought these in a few different colors wouldn't take up much more space and be easier for her. I will still use page protectors (I AM addicted to them anyway...I always have the binding cut off my TM and put each and every page into a page protector....takes 2 larger binders, but I like it that way. No spill stains, no crumpled pages from little hands....makes me happy! ) I will use tabs to divide science notebooking/exploration pages (and possibly geography/artistic expression?). Although, I might use the 3 prong folder idea for LA as most of that I think will be oral, but I will need her to write some of it down as we will need some to put into her portfolio for the year.

Don't know if that helps but that is what we will be doing.

[inHistiming]

Here is how we are doing it this year. I have a 1.5 in. (I think ) binder for each child with dividers for each subject. Everything for the year will not fit in there. However, in order to try to decrease my workload later, I am planning to take the work out of the binder each month (already did July), decide what to keep, and place those things in our portfolio (required for each child per year in FL). Our reading list, list of curricula used, and daily log are also included in the binder. It keeps everything we need in one space, and since they are smaller it forces me to stick with my plan as far as removing things goes. Plus, it will not get too heavy for dc to handle. We also use page protectors for things like science drawings, our history timeline, any illustrated copy work, and day five of our handwriting....this is the day the kids write their verse and color the border. When I remove the items I take them out of the page protectors because our 'portfolio' is a pocket folder with four to twelve 'pockets' for their work....either stored by month or by quarter for the ones that have only 4 spaces....and the page protectors are not necessary once the pages are stored in there. Hope that makes sense...(I could only find the ones that had 4 at Target a few weeks ago and I already had a 12-pocket one.) Anyway, that's what we're doing, and so far it's working well.

[my3sons]

We file all of my ds's papers in a tabbed 3-ring binder, as this seems to help him be more organized. We have separate different colored wide-lined composition books for dictation and Grammar. I snapped pics of this here:
Pics of Getting ready to start Bigger Hearts:
viewtopic.php?f=6&t=5531

In Christ,
Julie