Homeschool Portfolios

 

It is time to get the portfolios cleaned out and ready for a new school year. Portfolios are our record keeping method of choice. Keeping samples of projects and papers is perfect for charting progress as well as providing well documented keepsakes. I suggest ordering address labels from a site like Shutterfly. I ordered those shown above when they were running a special and I got one sheet free. Simply choose a template, put in a photograph of your child, add your school name and the year and/or grade. This gives you a set of stickers to label items for your portfolio. If your child does a shoebox diorama, label it with your portfolio sticker. Not only will you have them labeled for display at homeschool fairs, library exhibits, or wherever your homeschool group showcases their work, you will also always have it labeled for your homeschool records. It is amazing how much children change in one school year. I enjoy having the photo on the sticker to go with the project. The children can also use their stickers to decorate notebooks or items they take to homeschool co-op. Of course, these stickers are great for children who attend traditional school as well. What better way to label their belongings and keep track of the artwork that comes home? You can always make these at home with your printer, but when they are on sale, Shutterfly is a good deal and I like the quality.

Enjoy! 

Baby Steps: Returning to the Cradle, Parenting Books Part One

Working in a library, I get many requests for book recommendations. This week, I have had several people ask me about parenting books. I am always a little hesitant to recommend parenting books. As someone once said, "The problem with parenting by the book is that you would need a different book for each child." I believe this is true. There is no book that will give you every piece of wisdom needed for parenting your little one. Your heart wisdom, a deep knowledge of your child, and a little common sense goes a long way. That being said, there is a selection of books that I found helpful at different ages and stages along my parenting journey. I caution you to take each book with a grain of salt. I am not saying I did everything these books suggested - some may even contradict each other in places. But, I believe there are nuggets of genius in these titles and a wealth of things to add to your parenting toolbox. So, here are a few of my favorites from my baby years. I hope you can be encouraged and inspired.
The Attachment Parenting Book by William and Martha Sears

You Are Your Child's First Teacher by Rahima Baldwin Dancy

Montessori From the Start by Paula Polk Lillard and Lynn Lillard Jessen