Do you use your reproducible workbooks or make copies?

Question

just getting started in homeschooling and wondering how other people do it....I've picked up some nice workbooks cheap at yardsales (50cents...original price of book was $10.00)...they are reproducibles, but seems like copying the pages will cost more than the book itself cost. So what should I do..just use it up and be grateful for it, or make photocopies so it can be used again later with child number 2?

Answer 1

I just used the workbooks for the most part. You're right, the paper and copying costs are more than the book cost. You could scan them into your computer before use. Then, when your second child is older, you can print what you need.

Answer 2

My parents made me write out everything by hand.  And I do mean everything.  When I was little we didn't have that much money so all our workbooks had to be saved for my brother.  I had to write out my name, date, the book I was working out of, the page numbers and problems I was working, copy all the directions, and then work the problems.  If it was a fill in the blank worksheet I still had to write out everything around the blank stuff.  I guess that's why my handwriting is so bad... I was always writing as quick as I possibley could!  My brother got to write in all the books I didn't write in.  And our sister came along ten years later so she receives new books and writes in all of them.  If you really like the books you found, make copies.  It sounds like you are finding them for bargain prices, so maybe investing in copies is a good idea.  If you think you can find something better out there, then write all over them!

Answer 3

To add to what others said about plastic overlays and/or sheet protectors, purchase blank overhead transparency pages.

There is a product made specifically for this.  For the life of me, I cannot find the information now.  When I saw it, I didn't need it since I only HS one child.

The Providence Project has some overlays that can be used with a pencil.  They wipe of with petroleum jelly.  I don't see them on their site, but email them.  I personally know this family and they are wonderful - as are their products!

http://www.providenceproject.com/intro/d...

You can also do things to save paper, such as duplex printing, or printing 2 pages on one side of the paper.  A good program to use (free, or paid version) is Fine Print:

http://www.fineprint.com/

Sometimes it's just as easy on your printer settings, but I know many HS'ers who use FP and love it!

I also agree with others about a second child's learning style.  For instance, my son loathes workbook work if it's academic.  If it's fun - word searches, logic problems, etc., it's fine, but not for academic work.

Answer 4

I don't home school, but I do teach.  In my experience, good resources are sometimes hard to come by.  If it is something that you think is an effective teaching tool that you might be interested in using again, invest in making copies.  You may never find them again.

Answer 5

I just use them.  There not usually very expensive, so if we need them for the next child, we just replace them.  My second child was so eager to have her own books, that she would have been disappointed by the hand me downs.  Even if there are only a half a dozen pages left in a consumable book, we hang on to it and eventually use it.  I've picked up so many books at sales.  As far as I'm concerned, if there are ten to twenty good pages remaining in the book, it's worth the fifty cents to me.  One of the highlights of my kids' week is going to the workbook shelf and choosing any page they want from among the workbooks there.

Answer 6

Buy plastic sheet protectors and cut away one long edge and one short edge, slip them over the page.  Have the child use a wet erase marker to write their answers.  (Not dry erase).  You might want to cover the opposite page also to avoid accidental markings.

As each page is finished, you record the score (if desired) and then take a damp cloth and wipe away the writing.

Answer 7

It depends on how much I like the book and the cost of the book.  I don't make copies if it raises the cost to more than it is worth to just buy a second.  If it is a book I knew several kids would use, then I would make copies. It was just an economic issue.

I had four children, but I knew some things wouldn't be used for all of them because their interests and learning styles were different.

Answer 8

look at suggestions online... personally I would not prefer home schooling but wut/ev

Answer 9

write the answers on another sheet iof paper do not write in the book

Answer 10

We just write in the workbooks at this point, but I am thinking about investing in a trace erase board.  I have been eyeing them at our homeschool convention for the past 3 years.

Here's a link:

http://www.traceeraseboard.com/

Answer 11

i better use reproducible, its cheap and convenient...anyway if you have a 2nd child coming there'll be a lotta good and much featured books on the yardsale

Answer 12

Use a separate sheet for the answers, if that helps. You'll need far more of other materials. Good luck.

Answer 13

i think u should photo copie save for child #2 and if on the way congratulations or good luck in the future

Answer 14

Use the workbooks to guide you, but answer the questions and do the written work in exercise books or pad paper.  Easier for the education department to do reviews and your workbooks or textbooks stay in good condition no matter how many children you homeschool.  That way you can also stick rewards [ stars, stickers, stamps] straight in their exercise books.

Answer 15

I have two children. I started out by copying the books so I could use them later for my second child, but the time I spent was ridiculous.

My husband is the frugal one in the family and even he agreed it wasn't worth the time.

In some cases, I have found that I didn't even want to use the book with the second child. In cases where I really liked the book, I figure I might be able to find it used for a good price if I start searching now.

Answer 16

I read this somewhere and hope it will help you.

You can buy a clear sheet of plastic which fits over the page of the book.  Your first child writes answers on this page with a wipe-off marker. You erase the plastic and use it over and over for subsequent pages.

As another poster pointed out, however, your second child may learn better with different materials.

Welcome to homeschooling!

Answer 17

I photocopy the pages of my sons workbooks. We own a copy machine and copying the pages will enable me to reuse the books for my second child.