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Are you happy you did? Do the pages tear out easily on accident?

Thanks!

Yes and I like it. Now, I put them all in page protectors as I use them. Before that, I would just put in anywhere from 1-3 weeks worth or up to our first break, so they didn't get that much wear and they wouldn't pull out.

Pages I would flip through often to get to the particular week, I would put in protectors. So the TOC and appendix materials I'd put in protectors.
Ann

Ooh, that's a great idea! If I used page protectors I could even use a dry erase marker to mark on it.

This is my first year to use HOD. I got the binding cut off and put the pages in page protectors. I am not sure why, but I wish I would have just left well enough alone. Next year I am going to try just leaving it as is.

melissamomof3girls wrote:Ooh, that's a great idea! If I used page protectors I could even use a dry erase marker to mark on it.

Yes, that's what I used.

I also didn't get the binding cut. I used a razor knife to begin, but they tore out easily. Last year with RTR was the first year I needed a razor. Only if it wasn't coming out would I use the razor knife. Plus, I could give my dd a copy (especially when they get into the independent state) then she'd toss at the end of the day, so I could keep MY (did I say MY? ) copy.

Then without the holes, you could decide later to 3-hole punch, leave as is without holes and use page protectors, or spiral bind it. Sort of left me options. But by putting a few weeks in the binder at a time, I could put other TM materials in the binder as well, and I didn't have to lug around more than needed.

Very glad I did this to ours! I put a week at a time into my DD's smaller notebook in page protectors so she can check things off with a dry erase marker. The rest I keep in a large binder. Each Friday when I go through her notebook, I swap out the pages. The other pages have held up very well. There were a few that had the holes rip partially, but I just put some reinforcement stickers on both sides. This was a necessity for me in order to use the guides with the rest of my DDs. If I had the money to buy a separate guide for me, I would, but I don't.

Blessings.

I like them better left alone...the ones I put in binders rip out easily; plus I don't like lugging around those huge binders. I didn't use page protectors, though-didn't want to take the time or money to do that with my manual. Now I keep my manuals in tact and put sticky tabs on sections for Today's Work, Dictation, Poem, Narration Tips.

I have always unbound my guides and placed them in page protectors. I have 4 kids that these will need to go through so I want them to last. I also only put 1 unit at a time in a smaller binder that I use daily. The big bulky binder mostly stays on the shelf. I put in the smaller binder dictation, poetry and other things we use on a daily/weekly basis. This makes it easy to be mobile with the smaller binder. My kids also use dry erase to check off what they have done, then we clean it off at the end of the week. I LOVE this system, it works well for us.

Can anyone show me a picture of their guide either spiral bound or in a 3 ring binder?

We had some used guides in binders and I strongly disliked it; too cumbersome for me personally. I ended up selling them and buying guides new from HOD. I laminate the covers, front and back, with clear packing tape and they hold up really nicely. Each to his own.

My Beyond guide was in page protectors. I prefer it left as is.

I did this to another book and did not like it. Esp. having Kinko's do it when they cut about 3/4" off the side taking away any margin on the pages.

I don't do this to our HOD guides. I like them as are. They are going through 3 children and stored in a bin between each child's use until the next one is ready for that guide. After the 3rd child is done, my guides/their books still are in great-excellent condition. Perhaps we're doing something amiss in our homeschooling if our books aren't getting beat up? The only book I see wear on is up the side of the binding on the back of The Reading Lesson. And once I did have some coffee land outside my cup and dribble on the edge of a guide. Those are worst battle scars to date.

I just use a book mark to mark my page. I don't check things off on my manual. On the back of each child's work/pages we right the guide abbreviation, the subject, the unit & day info, the date, and their name. All of their work then goes into page protectors in their student binders/notebook.

Thank you for all of the input! I think I'll just leave things as they are.

I know you said you'd decided to leave as is but hey, what's one more opinion? I have them in binders and personally love it. Here is a link to post with pics from a few months ago.

viewtopic.php?f=6&t=12577

Thank you. It is tempting!