DITHR let your child write in student book or make copies?

[water2wine]

Just wondering what people in general find they end up doing in the end especially if you are doing DITHR with multiple children. Do you find it not such a big deal to make copies with multiple children or in the end is letting write in the student book so convenient you do it that way even if you will be reusing the same student book again? Just trying to get an idea for what people tend to do in actually using the student guides. Thanks!

[8arrows]

I ran them off for the children and had them spiral bound. I think it would drive me nuts to have to run them off throughout the year. However, except for the manuals and notebooking pages, I am a spiraling nut. I plan out my year and spiral everything each child will need. Loose papers drive me nuts!!!!!!! Your personality may be different, and the world may be glad. Enjoy your year. I realized today, that pretending August is not just around the corner will not make it go away. I need to get ready for school too.

[water2wine]

That's a great idea. I hate loose papers too. I'll make you feel better. I am preparing for next year but I am also finishing up the last of this year. I get the good weather for our break this way. Happy preparing and thanks.

[tnahid]

I personally buy a workbook for each of them. That way I can look through it at the end of the year and it is something they can keep. It's just easier on me too!

[Kathleen]

The 1st year, I let Grant write in it. Then, I decided to copy the pages for the genres we were going to do and 3 hole punched them and put them in one of those 15 cent prong folders from Wal-Mart. That's what we've done the last 2 years. I kind of like this plan, as we usually end up doing 5 genres a year...and I would probably end up needing to buy another student book for the 1 we were repeating and already filled the pages out for. We didn't have our own copier that 1st year we were doing HOD either - it's way easier to make copies when we have one. I do all the copying at the beginning of the year for DITHOR though.

Kathleen

[water2wine]

Kathleen did you cut the binding off to make copies or just leave the book as is. I really hate cutting bindings off especially since I will be reusing the levels so many times. But also copying for so many is harder for the whole year when it is bound. So debating. What did you do? Thanks!

And thanks to everyone for answers! Really appreciate it.

[8arrows]

I had the binding cut off.

[off2workigo]

Depending on how much it costs you per copy (at a copy center or in ink and paper on your home copier), using the student book to write in may actually be cheaper. Be sure to do the math before you assume it's cheaper to copy. I've made that mistake more times than I care to admit.

[holdinon]

Mine just use the workbook. My oldest is about to start a new workbook and I thought about copying that one and the subsequent new ones. But I think we are probably going to stick with just writing in the books. It's just easier, and I'm all about easy . Of course there's always the possibility of finances changing, and if that were the case, we would obviously re-think "easy".
Angie

[MomtoJGJE]

We just write in the student book. The main reason is because I can keep it with her records much easier than if I had it photocopied, and the student books are 10 dollars, so I'm guessing having them copied and bound would be more expensive anyway Plus we are using DITHOR for roughly 1.5 years instead of just one year, which cuts the cost a bit more. So I write on the front in sharpie the child's name and years they are using it during and that makes a nice neat little reading program record.

[Mommamo]

I'm planning to copy since Carrie has so graciously allowed it for a family. I'll just put it into a folder with brads that you can get for 10 cents in back to school sales. I think it will be cheaper in the long run since the books range from $22-$34 depending on the level. I'll only have one kiddo using it in the beginning, though. When I have multiple children using it, it might be a different story.

[Kathleen]

Hey - I thought I replied back to you a couple days ago, w2w. Computer must have eaten my post...

I do the same thing as Mommamo. We copy from the book as is, 3 hole punch the copies, and put them in a folder with prongs. It has worked well for us, and that way if we get to 5 genres in a year I can have the workbook pages to go with that "extra" genre that we hit in a level twice.

Kathleen

[water2wine]

Thanks guys! I think I am going to copy them since as it was pointed out Carrie is so nice to allow that. I think if I had less kids I would just write in the book but we will be using each level so many times I think it will be worth it. That is more money to spend at HOD for other things and some of those book packages are singing my name.