Homeschool Portfolios

I began assembling our portfolios today. For those who live in states with more user friendly homeschooling laws, we have to make portfolios for each child each yr. Plus, we have to have the child and the portfolio seen by an evaluator. It is a bit of work, but it is fun to look back at the portfolios later.

I am not an especially organized person. But one thing I do to keep myself from having to search for everyone's work at the end of the school yr is this. I have a file folder for each child, in the filing cabinet. It is labeled "Porfolio Possibilities". Each child then puts things into this folder throughout the school yr. Special papers, things from church or homeschool group. Pictures, artwork. Spelling tests. They all go in. As I get pics developed during the yr, I put them in there, too. Then, when it is time for evaluations, all I have to do is assemble everything in 3 ring binders, and make a few notes and captions. It is not hard, just time consuming.

I was in the attic recently and saw the boxes and bins of portfolios form yrs past. Two of my children have graduated, yet their schoolwork is still there.
I hate to throw them out, they contain so many pics and their writing. But I doubt anyone wants a stack of 3 ring binders to lug around through life, move from place to place, shelf to shelf, attic to attic.
This is my plan: Go through the binders graduate for each one that has graduated, and remove all the clear plastic sleeves full of pics, along with their stories and any other special reports, and highschool term papers. Then, put them all together in one big binder. One for each child. It will look more like a cherished scrapbook rather than a stack of papers.
After next week, when the evaluations are over, and I have a bit of time, I will start working on this project. I can hardly wait to present my graduates with these special albums.