I've got to save what??

My in-laws are coming for a visit at the end of the month, so I'm inspired to go through the house and do an over all spring clean up. You know the kind; random decluttering, figuring out where you put the home for such and such, still trying to find a home for the things you got for Christmas, and general hot spot clean up.

Well, I ran into the pile of school work that Thing 1 has done, and even though we've only just started homeschooling this past Christmas, it's a big pile. I also just started teaching Thing 2 preschool, and we all know what a mess that can make!, so my pile of papers is going to start doubling soon.

So I called my mom. "HELP!" I yelled into the phone, and as soon as she got her hearing back in her ear, she asked what I needed help with.

Since my mom homeschooled me, she's always the first person I go to to ask my homeschooling questions. Things are very different when you're the teacher and not the student!

I wanted to know what I needed to save and what can I throw away. Where I live, homeschoolers are considered a private school, and I do not have to prove or keep records of what I taught, but I like to keep something so that I can go back to it if need be.

Mom advised I should just keep a sample of what each child is learning. Kind of like a scrap book. Then the idea popped in my head,

  LAPBOOKS!

I don't know about you, but I love a good lapbook. I was all excited and said, "Hey! Like Thing 1 is learning addition 1-10. I can make a lap book with him with samples of problems and his answers!"

Mom thought that was a great idea.

Lapbooks are not only just a good way to keep a "record" of what we are learning, but I can also pull it back out if Thing 1 or 2 needs to review! Easily stored in my green file bucket thingy, by using folders as the lapbook I can write on the tab what it is without having to pull out every single one.

Now my mission is to not only make the house presentable, but to also make a bunch of lapbooks. Now the temptation is which one do I do first?

How do you keep record of what your child is learning? How about grading? Leave your comments below, I would love some advise!

With Love,
Emily

**UPDATE** Heard a tip somewhere, can remember where sorry, but the tip is Duct Tape. Yes, take the Duct Tape (or packing tape in a pinch) and on the back fold of the lap book, make an extension the length of the spine of the book. Put tape the same way on the other side so that there is no sticky part of the tape. Then get out the ol' 3 hole puncher and punch in the holes. Now you can take your lap book and store it in a binder instead of a fine cabinet!