Has anyone comb/spiral bound the Guides?

[Sue G in PA]

Just wondering if anyone has had the binding cut off the guides and had it comb or spiral bound or even 3 hole punched? Did you like it? I'm considering doing that, but wonder if it is worth it or even if it will turn out right. Thanks.

[Christi in Ohio]

I know there are a couple threads on this subject.

I had the binding cut off LHTH and three hole punched it. It is working out really well since there are things to be copied. I also like being able to put pockets in the binder to hold the copies we need for each day.

[crlacey]

First, let me tell you that the guides all have a special lay flat binding on them. I know Carrie picked these bindings out special so that moms can set them on the table and push down the middles of the open guide and the binding will not break but the book will stay open flat.

I personally would not comb bind or spiral bind the guides. I have Abeka math guides that are about as large as the HOD guides and they are spiral bound. They do not stand up well on shelves and the covers want to rip off easier.

All that being said, I did cut the bindings off my guides so that I could 3 hole punch them and put them in binders. I got binders that have the sleeves on the covers so that I added the covers to each side as well as the guides original side label to each binder. I do like them this way since I can add dividers for each section and I can take out just the pages I need for the day if we decide not to work at the table. Plus in LHTH it made the copying so much easier. My friend also liked to put each page in a page protector so she could write on it, but still have the guide be clean for the next kid. I should mention that I love binders, so I'd probably do this to most any manual I had that I wasn't needing to resell. I know many other moms who love the guides exactly the way they are since they have the special lay flat binding.

[crlacey]

Here are links to a few other posts where this has been discussed:

viewtopic.php?f=6&t=5846&hilit=bindings

viewtopic.php?f=6&t=1120&hilit=bindings

I believe each of those posts also contains links to other posts about this subject.

This one is where Carrie explains why they are bound the way they are:

viewtopic.php?f=6&t=133&hilit=bindings

[Sue G in PA]

Thank you! I do see how the guides lie flat and that is a very nice feature. I suppose I was more concerned with copying pages (as in LHTH). Come to think of it...I would probably have it 3 hole punched and put it in a binder so I can separate the sections like you did, Crystal. I like being organized like that. AND, I love the idea of putting them in page protectors to write on them! This would also allow me to write notes for each section/lesson and place it in the appropriate section. Hmmm...I hope Staples doesn't charge an arm and a leg for this!

[smithdonnajo]

Just this week, I had the spine cut off my HOD guides at a copy shop. I had 3 guides done and it cost me about $5 for all 3. I have a hole punch at home, so I brought them home and 3 hole punched them. Then, I put them in 3 ring binders. The binders have the clear plastic sleeve on front and back and that is where I put the front and back book covers. I'm really enjoying it this way, I can put dividers and pockets in it, plus, I can insert blank notebook paper for my notes.

[georgiamomof3]

I had Staples cut off the spine and hole punch our Preparing guide this year. I am so glad I did! It has been so nice to keep dividers between the appendix sections and has made it easy to pull out certain pages for dd to work on assignments in a separate room. I am considering doing the same thing for ds Little Hearts guide for next year.

HTH!

[Sue G in PA]

I read in one of the other threads that somebody had them 3 hole punched so she could make one big TM binder, putting like 6 wks worth of work in at a time and then switching out at the end of 6 wks. That sounds interesting to me. Does anyone do this? I'm also considering having the DITHOR student books spiral bound so I can make copies for my other kids (we only use them w/in our family). I like the idea of each having their own workbook for DITHOR. Or, I could 3 hole punch those, too, and make work binders for them in 6 wk. increments. Anyone do that? I'm so lost for ideas as to how to organize the work. My boys can't do "clutter" and so must have limited books, papers, etc. or they will stress out. Thanks!

[annaz]

I read in one of the other threads that somebody had them 3 hole punched so she could make one big TM binder, putting like 6 wks worth of work in at a time and then switching out at the end of 6 wks. That sounds interesting to me. Does anyone do this? I'm also considering having the DITHOR student books spiral bound so I can make copies for my other kids (we only use them w/in our family). I like the idea of each having their own workbook for DITHOR. Or, I could 3 hole punch those, too, and make work binders for them in 6 wk. increments. Anyone do that? I'm so lost for ideas as to how to organize the work. My boys can't do "clutter" and so must have limited books, papers, etc. or they will stress out. Thanks!

I did this when we used BJU because there's a ton of appendix to copy. I don't see that HOD has that much to copy, however for using HOD, I think it's a good idea to separate it rather than to put it all in one binder. I like the 6-weeks idea or you could also just section out the appendix and keep it separate, then as you use the main portion, remove the pages. That's if it'll fit in a reasonable size binder. When I 3-hole punched my BJU TM it ended up a lot larger, so take that into consideration. A 2-1/2 inch binder is very cumbersome to use, so breaking it into increments would be an excellent idea. Just keep a heads up that when the pages aren't bound, it's thicker.

I oh so have issues with ripping up my TM's, but I'm slowly getting over that. I actually use pencil in them now. I don't sell or toss them either. Talk about anal. Maybe I'll just get crazy and do it with my Preparing TM! Really USE it.

[Sue G in PA]

I love the idea of putting the pages in page protectors, so that's why I am considering having it 3 hole punched, honestly. I'm not sure WHAT I'll do about the organization of it. Having it ALL in one place is nice. So many of my TM's are either already in binders (came that way) or hard-cover books (R&S). Decisions, decisions. Perhaps I'll make another thread about how people organize teacher materials and the childrens' binders.

[annaz]

I LOVE organization threads.

Wouldn't you love to see Carrie's organization with all the books and kids and stuff?????? I would.

[Carrie]

Annaz,

Too funny! I actually keep all of my guides in their original lay-flat format, and we drag them everywhere! They have stayed together through thick and thin. For our school books, we have one larger two-door cabinet that has two shelves inside on which I lined up open-ended plastic dividers. Then, I divided the shelves up into sections for my 4 kiddos and their books. I place all their books and guides upright in the cabinet with the spines out, so my kiddos can easily grab what they need. This cabinet only contains the books the child is currently using at that point in time. We have a smaller pie-safe in which we store all of the books not currently in use at that moment (but those will be used eventually in that particular year for each child).

We have another small two-door cabinet in which we store each child's art supply box labeled with his name. These contain markers, scissor, colored pencils, highlighters, erasers, crayons, clicky pencils, and a dry erase marker. My kiddos enjoy having their own art supplies and take better care of them when they know they are their own. This cabinet also has a shelf that holds dictionaries, encyclopedias, a thesaurus, and other general reference materials that all will share.

We also have a two-drawer old wooden sideboard that holds a large tub and two smaller ones with our general craft supplies that everyone can use. This tub does not remain neat, and I've let go of that as long as we can get the lid on it. It is a catch-all for crafty supplies. There is also a drawer for all of our construction paper, typing paper, lined paper, painting paper, and plastic page protectors. All papers are in one drawer. The final drawer in the sideboard is for painting supplies that we all can share.

We have these cabinets all in one room, which is the command center for our homeschool, where all children come and go to get their items. As my kiddos finish a subject they put away those books in the cabinet on their assigned section of the shelf (spine facing out) and pile up any work to be checked on my kitchen counter. Each child has a spot on the counter for his pile, and I strive to check their work as they go as much as possible.

I used to have separate tubs and then bins for each child to lug around, but eventally found that for us it worked better to just function directly out of the cabinets. It makes finding their books and supplies much easier too and keeps me from having a little bit of our school materials scattered everywhere throughout our home (which is what happened to me before)! We do use our whole house for the actual schooling though, moving the kiddos from place to place throughout the day to keep things fresh. Anyway, I hope that helps! We've used this system the last several years and been pleased with it!

Blessings,
Carrie

[annaz]

Thanks Carrie!

It's always nice to know how the creator has it all set up. I don't mess with my HOD guides, only other's
I like that plastic divider idea. Gives me an idea....
Thanks for sharing.