How to Set up a Notebook for a New Year of The Mystery of History
I don’t know if you know this, but Bright Ideas Press has some awesome materials for The Mystery of History (MOH) series. Since this is my third year preparing MOH notebooks for kids, and have finally found a great way to set up notebooks for The Mystery of History.
Gather Supplies for Your MOH Notebook
(links marked with an * are affiliate links)
- 2 inch notebook (or a binding machine)
- The Mystery of History printables* (my example is for The Mystery of History Volume III)
- coloring pages
- notebooking pages
- lapbook pages
- quizzes (I give the pre-tests verbally.)
- Wondermaps*
- Extra coloring pages or documents found online or in print
Put together Your MOH Notebook
Okay, now find a new TV show to half pay attention to or a movie you really like to have in the background because this part might take some time.
Print out all the MOH printables single sided. You’ll change them to double-sided later, but you want single-sided to start out.
Organize all of this material into the lessons and weeks. I put the coloring page first for the week, then the notebooking pages and any relevant maps, lapbook pages, and then the quiz for the week.
This will take a few hours to organize. The good news is once you have that all put together, you can keep track of it and use this again the next time you cycle back to these pages.
Next I go down to a local copy store and run it all through the copier double-sided. It reduces the amount of paper and makes our notebook a bit thinner.
Now if you’re using a 3-ring binder you can skip this step, but if you’re binding your own notebook, then use a piece of cardstock for the covers. I like to laminate the cardstock to make it even more durable.
You can now declare it finished at this point or add dividers to mark each quarter. I’m debating between sticky notes and washi tape for our MOH notebook dividers.
My kids love our notebooks. In fact, they pull out their old notebooks from time to time to reminisce about past lessons. It’s really rather amusing to me as they point and say, “I remember that lesson. Remember we did such and such activity.” The notebook becomes a way to review history and recognize growth in their handwriting and composition skills.
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Author
Ticia is a homeschooling mom to 3 kids, twin boys and a girl who thinks she's a triplet. Ticia loves to create hands on lessons for her kids and tries her best to stuff way too much history into their heads. When she isn't writing Ticia enjoys sewing, drawing, reading, and way more hobbies than she has time for.
Comments (5)
This is AWESOME! I’m just trying The Mystery of History for the first time. I feel like I’m stumbling through these first weeks organizing everything- these suggestions are a HUGE help. Thank you!
Do you do a notebook per child?
With my upper elementary kids I do, back when my kids were in early elementary we had one for the family.
Really? That’s it? Can life really be this uncomplicated?!? Filling up my printer now…thank you for the tip. This will be tons better than fumbling through each week!!
Hi Ticia,
Thanks for this concise tutorial! I was wondering how you incorporate Wondermaps into the lessons? Do you use them alongside the maps at the back of the book? Is there a list which shows what map to use for each lesson?
I appreicate your help,
Beth