When I think about the foundations of our homeschool and what tools/ resources/ methodologies make our school, well, our school, one of those pillars has to be notebooking. We have done it for years–so much so until the kids almost habitually set up their own notebooks for certain subjects without me having to say much about how they are to capture their work. But notebooking for math? Are you kidding me?
Well, I tried it after reacquainting myself with an old Squidoo lens that I’d run across years ago from one of my favorite notebooking gurus, Jimmie Lanley (aka the Notebooking Fairy). Back then I didn’t really know how to use Pinterest, but I knew this information might be worth saving. Thank God for Holy Spirit recall. As my little one periodically has to be reminded of processes that I thought we’d covered and retained, I found myself biting my lip so that I would not say anything damaging. Then there’s that pain in my neck and head…you get the picture.
I have found that the value of math notebooking is no different from the value of notebooking for any subject:
- retention based upon having to write and recreate information
- keepsake building
- increased buy-in from a child who is owning his/her own learning
- ability to review at his/her own pace
- confidence building as proficiency and (more importantly) independence increases
And with the help of a whole Pinterest board on math, we’ve been to find others who have pinned gems like this (recreated by the youngest),
or this,
Sometimes our math notebooks are a simple cut and paste from her math text (Horizons), and then there are times when we copy for the sake of retention.
Without doubt, the notebook is an excellent tool for a visual learner. However, the links in Jimmie’s Squidoo page, along with several on my board, offer a number of kinesthetic learning activities for those who are oriented toward more hands-on learning.
Did I also mention six of my favorite new words? Can-I-see-my-green-notebook, said as only a kid with confidence can express it. Happy learning, friends.
