This is How we Notebook
It’s the simplest thing I’ve implemented into our homeschool days, but the one I will treasure the most when I’m old and grey. Notebooking on a Thursday has become like our Taco Tuesday, Friday Date Night and our Saturday Night Sabbath. It initially took a little time, research and intentionality, but before we knew it, it had taken away some of the mental load that planning can bring. The kids know we Notebook on a Thursday as our writing activity, so in the days leading up they are thinking of what they may like to draw and write about. It’s a gift, not a chore.
So what exactly is Notebooking? Let me share what we do in our home. It is inspired by Charlotte Mason’s methods, but does not follow them to the tee. For us it is a way to combine art, writing and whichever topic we have chosen to focus on, showcasing it in a blank-page notebook as a beautiful record of learning. We have other lined books for spelling, story writing and Maths, but for Notebooking we have a separate blank-paged book for writing about an animal that fascinated us, an exciting event from our History book, or perhaps a map and information about the country we have been learning about. Notebooking is our time of the week to really focus on presentation. The children are always so proud of their Notebooking pages. They are shown to Daddy around the dinner table and photos of them are sent to grandparents.
How to start Notebooking:
Prepare your children in the lead-up to Notebooking Day by either giving them a topic, or asking them to think about what they would like to write about.
On Thursday morning we light a beeswax candle, play gentle instrumental music and have a plate of snacks (but you definitely don’t have to do this).
I use a ruler (like this one) to rule some faint pencil lines in their books for their writing. If they are doing maps or illustrations first, I leave them to it and they can add in lines where they need them.
Sometimes I ask the children to write out a draft copy the day before, I edit it with them, then they write their good copy in their Notebook the next day. Other times (perhaps if we have a very busy week) I sit with them and they tell me what they would like to write. I may encourage them to think of a new adjective or prompt them with a question, but this is their time to put their own thoughts and learning onto paper without worksheet prompts or a testing environment. After I have written this down in their own words, then they write it out themselves in their Notebooks.
The children add illustrations. Sometimes we have used an online drawing/sketching tutorial or books, but often it’s from their own imagination.
We like to go over their writing with a fine black marker, then rub out any lines.
It’s nothing fancy or complicated, and it will look different for each family. Like I said, for us it’s just a nice way to keep records of their learning in their own sweet words, paired with their drawings and diagrams. I like that these special pieces are all in the one book, rather than mixed in with their wonderful (but sometimes messy) stories or spelling practice. Notebooking feels special somehow. I hope this has helped Notebooking feel less daunting to you. Maybe it’s not for your family, but if this has helped at all I’d love to know. Have a beautiful week!
Naomi
Charlotte Mason notebooks are nothing fancy, nothing that requires a lot of preparation on the teacher’s part. Yet they can become cherished records and beautiful reflections of each child’s personal growth and develop that important habit of self-educating.
- Simply Charlotte Mason
